Federal designations under the Every Student Succeeds Act — sold as a return of control to states — are still dictating whether local schools get stamped as succeeding or failing, and the math doesn't always reflect what's happening on the ground.
At a Nov. 10 meeting, Rochelle Elementary District Superintendent Jason Harper told the school board that Tilton Elementary received a "developing" designation from the state under ESSA. Three other district buildings — Rochelle Middle School, Lincoln Elementary, and Central Elementary — were rated "commendable." The designations are assigned annually based on weighted scores including student growth, standardized testing results, proficiency in math and reading, and truancy.
The catch: Tilton's low rating stems from how students with special needs are counted. Under the district's attendance center model, special needs students in fourth and fifth grade attend a program at Central School — but their scores still get attributed to Tilton. "When those students get added in, the mathematical numbers change," Harper said. He called it a potential "mathematical anomaly" and said district leadership is working to understand how the statistical methods produced the rating.
This isn't new. Harper noted that under the previous state accountability system, Central Elementary was also rated "developing" due to the performance of students with special needs. Different system, same result: federal-style metrics penalizing schools for serving vulnerable populations.
ESSA was pitched as the fix to No Child Left Behind's overreach — a way to let states and communities run their own schools. But the designations still flow from weighted federal formulas, and local districts still scramble to explain why the label doesn't match reality. "It's a new system and we look forward to adapting to it and figuring out how to improve our outcome," Harper said — the language of a superintendent working within a process he can't control.
Meanwhile, actual solutions for students with special needs are happening without Washington's help. In Tinley Park, Memorial School PTA president Ashley Patrick — whose 7-year-old daughter Gabbi was diagnosed with autism — collected community donations to build sensory zones at school events. Fidget spinners, headphones, weighted lap pads, a bubble machine — all purchased through voluntary contributions, not federal mandates. "My wish list cleared out in a couple of days," Patrick said. The first sensory space opened at a trunk-or-treat event on Oct. 29.
"We understand that some families face challenges that others may not see," the Memorial PTA board posted on social media. Patrick's effort came from personal experience: "There have been several events I don't take Gabbi to, or we've just missed out because I know it would be overwhelming."
One school gets a federal label that misrepresents its work with special needs students. Another gets real accommodations built by parents who saw a problem and solved it themselves. The question isn't whether schools need accountability — it's whether a formula from Springfield or Washington ever captures what a community actually does for its own kids.
