Whiting on State’s Academic List

Monday, June 11, 2007

The School City of Whiting is among 7 districts of 23 that earned the state’s highest accountability rating “exemplary” in the State Department of Education’s Public Law 221. Statewide, in the 2nd year of such rankings, 11% of school districts improved their ranking, 58% remained the same and 32 % went down. Rankings are based on the percentage of all students who pass the state’s English and Math ISTEP-Plus tests, as well as the improvement in passing percentage of students over time Districts and individual schools are placed into one of five categories: exemplary progress, commendable progress, academic progress, academic watch or academic probation. Dr. Sandra Martinez, superintendent of the School City of Whiting, mentioned that she was excited about Whiting’s bump from academic progress to exemplary status. “We work hard, and our staff takes their mission very seriously, it’s a great reward. The achievement is especially important, considering that Whiting is urban and has a high student poverty rate. It’s a great way to end the school year.