School Board Officials, stop your whining and complaining about student scores and be pro-active!

By Bonnie Alicea

As the election nears and early voting starts, I have been watching the people running for school board to see whom to vote for.  I am dis-satisfied with the incumbents and will vote for change.  However, I am also tired of the past ten years of Educational Board Elected Officials crying for the school staff to raise testing scores while raising taxes.  This has offered no benefits to the residents.  The school taxes are already close to 70% of the overall property taxes.  This is ridiculous for what we get.  Even Naperville schools (where there are many more schools) get less tax from the residents while offering a premier educational experience and quality education and support.

Since I did not try to run for school board this time, even though I did debate it heavily, I will offer  my opinion.  In my opinion (and I am sure that of others in town) I don’t want to hear about any more pressure put on the principals, teachers, or aides who have been taking the blame on the test scores, despite how hard they work to cut through bureaucratic red tape.  I don’t want to hear the same complaint year after year about the failing test scores.  I am sick of it.

My solution is simple.  Give the teachers the tools to do the job and they can be successful.  All the school board does is complain how the scores don’t go up.  They complain about how much they spend on the administration and they keep staffing and beefing up the higher levels in hopes this will raise the scores.  This does not raise the scores.  Stop your complaining and take action.  Find the solution.  However, since all you incumbents do is complain about the situation and not find a solution, you have lost my vote.  Now I feel, as a resident, tax payer, and mother, that I must solve this problem for you.  That someone has to do the research, offer sound and practical advice and end this ten year or more problem of low test scores. 

Here is your solution.  There is a product called the Scantron Performance Series testing software.  The teachers use it to test the students in core subject areas.  It will show the teacher where the student is in need of help, and give ways in how to help each student (curriculum, tests, worksheets, etc).  It is customized to each student, as the test adjusts to the individuals abilities as the test progresses.  Then the teachers can group “like” students together and work on lesson plans to strengthen weak skills.  The software will even help teachers determine what they will predict the student will score on the ISATs, so that the teacher will have the tool to do the job of increasing our test scores. This has helped numerous schools like ours increase test scores tremendously!

This benefits the administration and school board, as well as teachers because when the teachers go for annual raises, they can show that they have raised a student’s reading level or math level by two levels, or that the student did not raise up at all.  Numbers don’t lie and there is currently NO ACCOUNTABILITY or numbering system in place for the teachers to know.  It is all a “best guess” situation, and that does not raise test scores or allow for fair raises or even releasing of insufficient teachers.  This software is in 32 other states and the Chicago Public Schools are using them now as well.  Why is Bolingbrook and Romeoville waiting?

So there is my educated, researched, and informed decision.  Do as you wish with it, but stop taxing more and stop whining and complaining.  Stop pointing the finger in other directions, while our children wait for the solution.  You have a solution now.  Do your research and look into this program...  Our children deserve this and so do the tax payers!