Illinois Academic Excellence Award to Schiesher Elementary School

by Dr. Linda Kotalik

Dear Families of Schiesher School,

I have the distinct privilege of informing you that we were recently notified that Schiesher Elementary School has been awarded an Academic Excellence Award by the Illinois State Board of Education! We are very proud of this distinct honor and contribute this success to the efforts of our entire school community. This award is directly related to the high expectations, wonderful students and supportive families of Schiesher School.

To earn an Academic Excellence Award, a school must meet the following criteria:

Schools must have made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in 2010 and 2011 as required by No Child Left Behind (NCLB).
In schools serving grades 8 and below, 90 percent of students must have met or exceeded state standards in both reading and mathematics on the Illinois Standards Achievement Test for the three most recent school years (2009 – 2011).
In high schools, 80 percent of students must have met or exceeded state standards in both reading and mathematics for the three most recent school years.

We are extremely proud of our performance over time and attribute much of this success to our collaborative relationship with Tate Woods Elementary. Throughout the past five years we have been working cooperatively as a pre-kindergarten through fifth grade learning team, improving our curricular programs in both literacy and mathematics. These improvements, balanced with excellent educators making informed decisions with data, have allowed us to provide an environment for children where they consistently grow academically, socially and emotionally.

I commend all those involved in the education of our children and thank each of you for your contributions to the success of Schiesher School.

Sincerely,

Dr. Linda Kotalik, Principal