Charleston middle, high schools improve to commendable level in state report card

CHARLESTON — The designations for both Charleston Middle School and Charleston High School increased to the commendable level in the recently released 2024 Illinois Report Card .

The Illinois State Board of Education's report card defines a commendable school as one that has no underperforming student groups and a graduation rate greater than 67%.

"We are proud of the fact that all schools improved their designations this year," said Superintendent Chad Burgett. The administration is set to present its 2024 report on student performance during the Charleston school board meeting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 20, in the unit office, 410 W. Polk Ave.

Illinois' report card is a summary of school performance data from 2023-24. The state's rating for all schools is based on metrics such as academic growth, proficiency, attendance, and graduation rates.

Each Charleston school has a guiding coalition, which is a team of educators led by the principal. These teams analyze data, including attendance, discipline, and achievement figures. They then set goals and develop strategies aimed at specific areas of needed improvement.

The superintendent said the growth that has been seen in each school can first be attributed to the work of these teams in identifying target areas, designing improvement plans, and engaging all staff in these efforts.

Burgett said school improvement is thanks to the hard work, dedication, and commitment from all district educators and support staff. He said this kind of work is a whole school effort and requires everyone "rowing in the same direction."

"We are particularly proud of our considerable growth in English language arts. Student growth in ELA exceeded the state growth average," Burgett said.

Overall performance on the Illinois Science Assessment also exceeded the state average, the superintendent said.

"We know we still have work to do in the area of attendance, for example, but schools are trending in a positive direction," Burgett said.

For example, Burgett said Carl Sandburg Elementary School and Charleston Middle School saw significant decreases in chronic absenteeism rates.

Middle school Principal Robert Lynn and Carl Sandburg Principal Abigail Mahaffey attributed the improvements to tracking and posting attendance, making connections with parents/guardians, providing incentives for attendance, and implementing interventions and supports for students with chronic attendance issues.

"We created a Morning Minutes group for students who struggle with attendance, and their group meets with the counselor and social worker," Lynn said.

Though the district saw some small gains in math achievement in many grade levels, Burgett said they continue to emphasize math as a focus for improvement in each of the school's improvement plans.

The schools have identified priority learning targets, developed pacing guides, and added common assessments as strategies for improving consistency of math instruction across the district.

Burgett said the district graduation rate increased significantly, moving Charleston High School to a commendable designation.

CHS Principal Aaron Lock said he attributed this success to having graduation rates as their "No. 1 school improvement goal last year."

Lock said the high school's team has identified at-risk students earlier in the year and provided those students with more credit recovery and creative scheduling options, more diligent communication with parents/guardians, and a successful summer school program.

To view the all the Charleston performance data for 2023-24, visit Illinoisreportcard.com .

Photos: Charleston Middle School honors Jim Coleman, other local veterans

Charleston Middle School saluted local veterans on Monday during its annual Veterans Day program, where Jim Coleman received the 2024 Honored Veteran recognition.

Contact Rob Stroud at (217) 238-6861.

Get our local education coverage delivered directly to your inbox.