Chicago International Charter School (CICS) has been continuously striving to meet the needs of today's student, and has acknowledged the importance of using data in making educational decisions. By evaluating student performance data, we identify students' needs and address their needs using instructional best practices in the classroom. As we move forward as a data-driven school, we are able to see the growth our students are making.

In our elementary schools, 75 percent of our students are meeting and/or exceeding state standards on the 2007 Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) in math and 59 percent in reading. Consequently all campuses are meeting and/or exceeding state math standards, compared to 63 percent of Chicago area charter schools and 59 percent of Chicago public schools. Three of eight Chicago International campuses are exceeding both the average Chicago area charter school and Chicago public school percentages in reading. Our students achieve growth year-to-year as well: 50 percent of Chicago International students made expected gains in reading on the ISAT and 55 percent made gains in math.* (Figure 1)

Although Chicago International is moving our students towards the standard goal of proficiency by state standards, the school has also raised the bar for internal standards. Using a tool called Measures of Academic Progress (MAPs) from the Northwest Evaluation Assessments (NWEA), Chicago International tracks not only students' proficiency, but also their growth from year-to-year and within each school year. Administered three times a year, the NWEA tracks student progress throughout the school year. It allows administrators and teachers to access test results for their students within days of testing completion and make instructional changes in the classroom that best meet students' needs.

Chicago International has been successful in moving students from the "below" to the "meets" category on the ISAT. Using NWEA-inspired growth and proficiency targets, which are aligned with the Illinois state standards, Chicago International has increased the overall percentage of students meeting the projected growth targets on the NWEA reading and math scale. Fall 2007 data suggests 54 percent have made adequate NWEA projected growth in reading and 64 percent of students will meet projected proficiency in reading. Fall 2007 NWEA math scores suggest 50 percent of students have made their projected growth targets and 75 percent will meet their projected proficiency targets in math. Compared to the previous year, school-wide Chicago International is increasing the percentage of students who are meeting projected growth targets. (Figures 2 and 3)

Chicago International students have an average of 19 on the ACT compared the to average Chicago public school ACT score of 17. Longwood ACT composite scores ranged from 11—24, with an average of 17. Northtown ACT composite scores ranged from 11—35, with an average score of 20.

As Chicago International Charter School continues to progress, focus will remain on the growth of our students. We expect to see growth for students at all academic levels, and these data ensure that we are meeting all students' academic needs across our K-12 system.