How is a school identified as being in need of improvement?
Under the No Child Left Behind Act, a school is identified as being in need of improvement based solely upon its performance on a standardized test. In Illinois, that test is the Illinois Student Achievement Test (ISAT). The ISAT is administered to all 3rd, 5th and 8th grade students in the state, and tests their knowledge of reading, writing and math. To not be identified as being in need of school improvement, a school, and various subgroups within the school, must increase their performance on the ISAT 5% annually.
