W. Aurora trying to catch up

For the fifth year in a row, West Aurora High School has failed to meet state testing standards, prompting administrators to begin work on a plan to restructure how the entire school functions.

Any measures under the plan would be in addition to an ongoing two-year school improvement process, which outlines the addition of an eighth period to the school day; walk-in support offices for students having difficulty in various subjects; and, a renewed emphasis on analyzing instruction, particularly in freshmen classrooms.

"We think it's going to help the full spectrum, from the college-bound student to the student who has deficiencies," said Rosemary Pinnick, assistant superintendent for teaching and learning in West Aurora Unit District 129.

With a diverse, 3,400-student population, the high school has been unable to keep up with increasingly difficult standards since the No Child Left Behind law took effect in 2003. This year, the district itself moved from a passing grade to a failing grade, data shows.

And if the high school fails to make "adequate yearly progress" next year, the district will be forced to overhaul the school, close it or re-open it as a charter school. "School reconstruction" is the most realistic option, Pinnick said, because there are no other public high schools in the West Aurora district.

Data from the last five years shows West Aurora has struggled to keep black and Hispanic students achieving up to par. The district, however, has made strides at nearly every other level, with all but two schools -- Herget and Jewel middle schools -- receiving passing grades this year.

"As a district, we really have continued to make progress," Pinnick said. "Our district is probably no different than any other district in that, as we move forward through the years of NCLB, with accountability being such a public focus, it's forced us to really take a deeper look at instruction."