Each year, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) assigns every Illinois school a "Summative Designation" that indicates the school's level of performance relative to all the other schools in the state. The Summative Designation is based on a weighted index score that includes student performance on our annual state assessments and other factors including attendance and our school climate survey results.
We are thrilled to announce that, for the first time EVER, Stone earned an "Exemplary" school rating from the state of Illinois. An "Exemplary" rating is the highest school designation possible and it indicates that Stone is performing in the top 10% of all schools in the state. While this news is exciting enough on its own, we are even more thrilled to share that Stone’s performance was in the top 10% (or higher) across many priority sub-groups including English Learners (top 10%), students from low income households (top 3%), students with disabilities (top 2%) and Black students (top 0.8%).
Out of more than 600 schools in the district, Stone is one of only 26 Chicago Public Schools to earn an "Exemplary" designation this school year. What's more, many of the 26 "Exemplary" CPS schools are selective enrollment schools that require entrance exams and only accept the highest-achieving students. The fact that Stone serves students from across the city - regardless of background or level of achievement- makes earning an "Exemplary" designation all the more impressive.
Of course, test scores and school ratings certainly aren't the only measures of a great school. We all know that, even without the "Exemplary" label, Stone is and always has been an incredible place to learn and grow. However, receiving the formal recognition we know our teachers and students deserve makes us incredibly proud.
This honor would not have been possible without the dedication and hard work of Stone's incredible teachers, staff, students, and families. We would like to thank all of you for your many contributions - big and small - to our collective achievement.