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Schools

District 99 Boasts Increased Graduation Rate

Downers Grove District 99 previewed its 2012 School Report Card at an Oct. 21 board meeting. The district boasts an increased graduation rate—putting it at 92.2 percent. The full report is available Oct. 31.

Halloween shouldn't offer up any frightful statistics for the high schools of Downers Grove District 99, based on a preliminary report shown at Monday night's District 99 board meeting.

Gina Ziccardi, the district's assistant superintendent for student learning, presented a preview of the data available through the 2012 School Report Card, which will be available online for the public on Oct. 31.

It includes a myriad of facts and figures like student demographic information, instructional setting data, attendance numbers and school awards.

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“This is an awesome tool for us to use to show in one snapshot exactly all the great things we're doing here,” said board member Michael Davenport.

Ziccardi reported that there was a minimal change in demographic information for 2012, with the graduation rate climbing 1.7 percent to 92.2 percent.

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“The most drastic difference we saw was with the chronic truancy rate,” she said.

It rose 4.4 percent in the past year, but Ziccardi explained it was due to new standards set by the state. The state now requires data for truancy be collected when a student has nine unexcused absences in the past 180 days, as opposed to the old standard of 18 unexcused absences.

“These are just the standards being raised. And that is how it will be calculated from here on,” she said.

The board pointed out that the School Report Card can be a great tool for potential home buyers to the area, as well as parents looking to see what courses and programs are available for students.

The report will include more than 200 district academic course offerings, statistics on physical education and health, work study programs, athletic programs, community partnerships, and awards won by North and South high schools.

To access the 2012 School Report Card online on Oct. 31, log into iirc.niu.edu and search by school.

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