Our District continues to move forward thanks to the collective efforts of dedicated people.  In 2011-12, we implemented our first Advanced Placement (AP) courses at Eastland High School; we will be introducing AP English and AP Chemistry in 2012-13.  We revised our Teacher Evaluation Plan, implemented a 1:1 laptop initiative in grades 9-12, and started a daily character education program in grades K-8.  Eighteen (18) seniors earned the first “Certificates of Employability” from Eastland High School.  Eastland High School hosted four IHSA State Series Events in our new facilities, and the music program placed 3rd in the IHSA State Music Sweepstakes.    

96% of Eastland 1st Graders scored above the 50th national percentile rank in reading, and 87% in math as measured on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills.  82% of all students in grades 3-8 met or exceeded state standards in reading, and 93% in math.  100% of the 4th graders, and 98% of the 8th graders met or exceeded state standards in math.

In 2011-12, 10th grade students had the largest single year average gain in college readiness benchmarks (CRB) in math:  an average of 3.36 points gained per student toward the benchmarks.  In fact, 69% of these sophomores made at least 2 points of growth in math, and 62% in reading.  This was the best single year performance by a high school class since that data has been kept.  For the first time in the four years since we began measuring student gains in CRB, 9th graders averaged 1 point of growth per student toward CRB in all three subjects:  reading, math and science.

Finally in 2011-12, Eastland was approved to be one 37 districts in the state that will participate in Race to the Top 3 (RT3).  As an RT3 District, we will implement educational reforms at an accelerated pace, including aligning our curriculum to the Common Core State Standards, implementing a standards-based reporting system, participating in the Illinois Shared Learning Environment, and piloting the new assessments aligned to the Common Core. In preparation for these demands, Eastland teachers and administrators attended summer workshops and conferences in Chicago, North Carolina and Nevada, in addition to over 15 days of on-site training on Common Core Alignment and the use of technology in the classroom.

Our standard is “accountability for all”:   the staff, students, parents, and Board of Education.  It is when these stakeholders work together toward a common goal that continuous improvement becomes more than a buzz word – it becomes part of the common culture that is EASTLAND.