Proviso East High School has achieved a “commendable” designation in its latest report card from the state, moving from the bottom 5 percent of Illinois schools to the 47th percentile. 

This is the first time Proviso East High School has achieved the “commendable” recognition since the Illinois State Board of Education began rating schools in 2018. Both Proviso West High School and Proviso Math and Science Academy have consistently maintained commendable designations.

The recently released annual Illinois State Board of Education’s report card provides an in-depth view of student performance and growth from the 2023-24 school year. The report shows how the state, and each school and district, are progressing on a wide range of educational goals. 

The Illinois State Board of Education recognizes schools with four different summative designation levels: exemplary, commendable, targeted and comprehensive. Required by federal accountability law, the levels are based on multiple indicators, such as graduation rates, academic growth and attendance.

The latest report was welcome news for Proviso East High School administrators. 

“The Proviso East community is proud of the growth that the school has experienced in the last three years,” said Principal Rodney Hull. “Coming off the pandemic with a new administration and over 70 new teachers makes this recognition and school designation special. As we continue to explore new pathways of reaching and educating our students, the foundation for future growth has been mapped out.” 

Proviso High School District 209’s Interim Superintendent Alexander Aschoff said this achievement has been a long-time goal. 

“I am incredibly proud for all the stakeholders in Proviso Township and am grateful for everyone’s efforts who made this possible,” he said. 

Proviso East High School made measurable gains across key academic indicators, including a 5% increase in English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency, a 2% increase in math proficiency, and a notable 14% increase in science proficiency. 

“The biggest part, I would say, is our Principal Rodney Hall, who came in 2021,” said Aschoff. “He, with our administration, has made several changes.” 

Aschoff said the district as a whole has gotten better at analyzing and acting upon data regarding where improvements are needed. 

“Systems are then put in place to show measurable growth in those areas,” he said. 

According to Aschoff, teachers have also been provided the time and space to have cross-curricular conversations.

“Basically cross-curricular means that science teachers talk with math teachers, or social studies teachers talk with English teachers,” he said. “They have cross-curricular discussions and collectively work to increase performance.

In addition to making academic strides, Proviso East also improved its graduation rate by 2% and reduced chronic absenteeism by 8%. 

Aschoff said these improvements can be attributed to systems that have been put in place to help with communication between the school and parents. 

This includes weekly newsletters and targeted communication to parents of students whose attendance is approaching being defined as chronically absent.  

“Knowing which students need more support is something that I think the team district-wide has gotten much better at, and being able to identify what those students need,” Aschoff said. Achieving a commendable designation, Aschoff said, shows the commitment that Proviso East’s teachers, administrators, and support staff have to the students. 

“We are an educational institution,” he said. “We educate students, and we do it very well.”