ELMHURST, IL – Elmhurst School District 205 had good news to tell Tuesday about its special education program, with the numbers to show for it.
But the news wasn't as good in another aspect. That story wasn't told.
This continues District 205's practice in recent years of pointing to improvements, but giving little or no attention to trends going in the wrong direction.
At Tuesday's school board meeting, the board was told about how the rising rate of special education students in elementary and middle schools meeting standards on standardized tests.
For instance, in 2024, 30 percent of such students met the state's benchmark, up from 18 percent five years earlier.
In math, special education students in elementary and middle schools outdid their counterparts in seven suburban school systems that Elmhurst considers comparable.
In English language arts, Elmhurst finished third.
However, the district's administration did not present this same analysis for special education students at York High School, where the news isn't nearly as good.
If it had, the board would have learned that Elmhurst was last among the same group of school districts in the percentage of special education high schoolers meeting standards on the math section of the SAT. Elmhurst was at 7 percent, while the other schools ranged from 9 percent to 18 percent.
In English language arts, Elmhurst was second to last, at 13 percent. Wheaton District 200 topped the chart at 23 percent.
In 2019, Elmhurst recorded higher rates for special education students in high school – 23 percent in English language arts and 17 percent in math.
Other school systems saw their rates go in different directions. For instance, Barrington District 220 saw its rates plunge, while Wheaton enjoyed increases during the same period.
Besides Elmhurst, Barrington and Wheaton, the other districts are Indian Prairie District 204, Geneva District 304, St. Charles District 303 and Batavia District 101.
During the presentation, Kevin Rubenstein, assistant superintendent of student services, said a 2018 survey on special education showed parents reporting "challenging experiences" at meetings about their students.
Also, Rubenstein, who started in 2020, said the district had inadequate staffing levels to support schools' needs. And he said outcomes were inconsistent.
Since then, he said, the district changed how the individualized meetings are run and reorganized the special education staff.
Board member Courtenae Trautmann praised Rubenstein and his staff. So did other members.
"I used to get angry. Now, I get emotional," Trautmann said. "That really does tell the journey of where we've been and where we are now."
Board President Athena Arvanitis said she has seen a change in the district's special education program over the last four years.
"We have truly become individualized and student-centered," she said.
Perhaps the district's biggest positive in the last few years is its standardized test scores among elementary and middle schoolers.
Elmhurst is one of only a few districts nationwide where the scores among younger students exceed those in 2019, the year before the pandemic.
On the flip side, York High School's SAT scores are still down.
Elmhurst school officials have repeatedly tried to downplay York's results, though they are now saying the school's numbers are a focus.
Patch left a message for comment with the officials on Wednesday morning.