Leepertown, Allen get improvement awards

BUREAU COUNTY -- Two Bureau County schools have received academic improvement awards from the Illinois State Board of Education. Allen Junior High School in LaMoille and Leepertown Elementary School in Bureau are among 46 schools being recognized for making academic improvements in student scores during the last three years of test assessments. Amber Harper, superintendent at Leepertown, attributed the increased test scores to staff development and being able to retain staff in the school. After Leepertown was placed a couple years ago on an academic watch list, the state sent an educator-in-residence to meet regularly with the Leepertown teachers, Harper said. The educator provided instructions to the teachers, gave examples of how that i