Neponset again named to Illinois Honor Roll
Comments (...)Editor’s note: This is the second article in a three-part series focusing on Bureau County schools which have been named to the Illinois 2011 Honor Roll for academic achievement, as determined by criteria set by the Illinois State Board of Education and Northern Illinois University.
NEPONSET — The list of Illinois Honor Roll schools was released Monday, and two Bureau County schools were recognized as Spotlight Schools for their ability to achieve high test scores despite a high level of poverty.
By the end of this school year, neither school district will still be in existence.
While the Leepertown District will be gone by the end of the school year, the Neponset School District has already faded out of existence, as the district was annexed into the Kewanee School District on July 1, 2011. Both districts were the victims of an unstoppable sea of red ink and financial difficulties.
Neponset has been a regular on the Honor Roll lists for years, receiving a Spotlight School award in 2005; Spotlight School and Academic Improvement in 2006; Spotlight School and Academic Excellence in 2008. Neponset was a Spotlight School in 2009, 2010 and now again in 2011.
This year’s Spotlight Schools award was given to 167 high-poverty, high-performing schools that are beating the odds by overcoming the achievement gap. To be named a Spotlight School, a school must be making Adequate Yearly Progress, which requires that at least 85 percent of the students must pass the state achievement tests in both reading and mathematics. In addition, at least half of the students must be from low-income families. As the AYP requirements continue to rise, the number of schools achieving this award has declined every year since 2007, when 508 schools received the award.
Neponset met both of the criteria easily. Last year 60 percent of its students qualified for free or reduced lunch. In addition, 90 percent of the students met or exceeded state standards on the Illinois Standards Achievement Test, the second highest percentage in Bureau County.
While the Neponset School District is gone, the Neponset Grade School is alive and well as
part of the Kewanee School District.
Principal Jason Stabler attributed the school’s continual high test scores to the students, teachers and the staff.
“They work hard through the year, and the kids continue to excel,” Stabler said.
Stabler said they have high expectations of the students, and the students have high expectations of themselves.
Another advantage is Neponset’s low mobility rate, which is only about one-quarter of the state average.
“The students that come here tend to stay here and advance from year to year,” Stabler said.
In addition, there were only 90 students at Neponset last year, which allows for small classes, and a lot of one on one, individualized instruction.
Finally, Stabler said teachers tell the students they don’t have to meet or exceed the state standards.
“They say, ‘You just have to do your best. If you don’t meet or exceed, but you gave it everything you have, we can live with that,’” Stabler said.
Stabler expects good things from his students when they take the state test again this spring. He said there has been a nice transition to becoming part of the Kewanee School District, and there have been new opportunities made available.
When test time comes, Stabler said they will do something “a little bit motivational” before the test. After the test, although the actual scores won’t be available until the summer, the district will reward the students who did their best.
“It’s all about the effort,” Stabler said.
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