The Issue Of Achievement Gap In Schaumburg High School

Schaumburg High School is a public high school that has been serving the northwest suburbs of Chicago since 1970. Schaumburg High School, or SHS, pulls students from Schaumburg, Hoffman Estates, and Hanover Park. The mission statement of the school, is: “Focused on student learning and personal accountability, the Schaumburg High School community is dedicated to fostering a respectful, committed, and collaborative environment to maximize student learning”. This mission statement is aligned with the more general mission statement of District 211, which is “Township High School District 211 serves the educational needs of the community inspiring all students to successfully contribute to the world”. Moreover, there is signage throughout the SHS building, on the SHS website, and on SHS letterhead using the slogan, “We are SHS.” This slogan was created by Mr. Tim Little, who has served as principal for the past ten years. However, the significant cultural issue facing Schaumburg High School is the changing We in “We are SHS.” This is evidenced in the achievement gaps in test scores of students based on demographics, as well as the meaningful relationships fostered between teachers and students.

As was alluded to in the introduction, the “We are SHS” has undergone substantial changes in the past few years. According to the 2018 Illinois School Report Card, 50% of SHS students are white. As recently as 2014, though, 56% of SHS students were white, and the percentage of White students enrolled at SHS has been declining for longer than this five-year trend indicates. Additionally, as is the case with many schools, the number of low income students continues to increase, as 32% of SHS students are currently considered low income. Rounding out the demographics, 22% of SHS students are Hispanic, 17% are Asian, 6% of students are Black, and 5% are considered two or more races. Although these demographic changes have been ongoing at SHS for several years now and school leaders have had plenty of time to adapt to the changes, the data indicates that there is a discrepancy in student achievement.

Upon examination of student SAT scores, Advanced Placement enrollment, and performance in AP classes from the school’s 2018 report card, a key challenge currently facing SHS is the achievement gap between students of different backgrounds and races. The Illinois State Report Card (2018) divulges, for example, that on the English section of the SAT, 50.4% of White students met or exceeded standards while 63.3% of Asian students met or exceeded standards. Contrariwise, 38.9% of Black students met or exceeded standards and 32% of Hispanics met or exceeded standards. The achievement gap is even more significant for the math section of the SAT, where 75.8% and 64.7% of Asian and White students met or exceeded the standards, respectively, and 27% and 38.9% of Hispanic and Black students met or exceeded the standards, respectively. Students on free and reduced lunch did not fare much better, as 30.2% met or exceeded standards on the English section of the exam and 36.3% of students met or exceeded standards on the SAT math section.

In Advanced Placement courses, where there is greater rigor and increased academic expectations, the groups that met or exceeded SAT standards at a lower rate are also less represented. The Illinois State Report Card (2018) reveals that among students the 12th grade, 192 White, 74 Asian, 69 Hispanic, and 16 Black students were registered for at least one Advanced Placement course. The gap can partially be explained by the population differences at SHS. However, in order to be more innovative and adapt to the demographic changes of the school, SHS - and to a larger extent all of District 211 - has partnered with Equal Opportunity Schools since 2016 to try and close those academic gaps. According to an EOS report from 2017, there is a significant gap between the proportion of Black and Hispanic students at SHS and the number of Black and Hispanic students that are enrolled in an AP level course. The gap grew amongst all subgroups when specifically examining low income students.

Over the past few years, Schaumburg High School has put initiatives in place to try and close the achievement gap, along with an attempt to foster more collaboration between teachers in different departments. As mentioned earlier, SHS has partnered with Equal Opportunity Schools to try and close the achievement gap between different subgroups in Advanced Placement classes. Additionally, a diversity pillar was established in 2015 as part of a professional development initiative to help teachers better connect with a wider range of students in the classroom. To help improve staff morale and congeniality, a teacher led group known as Saxon Strong was created in 2016 to plan events in and out of the building to bring staff together in a social setting to build relationships and promote collaboration. Finally, a committee known as Saxon Solutions was employed in 2015 to bring staff and administration together with the common goal of improving the environment of the building by addressing staff concerns.

The plethora of initiatives that have been implemented over the past few years, though, may not be having the intended effect on school culture. According to the 5Essentials survey, over 70% of teachers at SHS agreed that many special programs come and go at this school. Almost an equal number of teachers agreed that, “We have so many different programs in this school that I can’t keep track of them all.” As opposed to rolling out new programs or initiatives yearly to improve school culture, the solution might be much simpler. Schaumburg High School should consider revising its mission statement to address the changes in the building, along with concocting a more specific slogan than We are SHS. Moreover, instead of an abundance of different programs that seem to come and go, a singular focus on ensuring that all students succeed, no exceptions, would be more effective and beneficial to the school culture.

References

1. Essentials Full Report (2018). Report for Schaumburg High School. Retrieved from https://illinois.5essentials.org/2014_public/s/050162110170004/measures/infl/#performance
2. Home of the Saxons (2018, August 13). Retrieved from https://adc.d211.org/Domain/11
3. School Report Card. (2018). 2017-18 Schaumburg High School TSD 211 Illinois School Report Card. Retrieved from http://webprod.isbe.net/ereportcard/publicsite/getReport.aspx?year=2017&code=0501621100004_e.pdf
4. The Largest High School District in Illinois (2018, August). Retrieved from https://adc.d211.org/adc