Following Area Public Schools’ Latest Quality Reviews
District 24 schools are currently undergoing an independent review by the city. The Times Newsweekly will present an ongoing series chronicling school performance in our area. This week:
P.S. 89 in Elmhurst.
P.S. 89 in Elmhurst got high marks from the Department of Education (DOE) after a Quality Review in December 2013.
The 1,966-student, K-5 school was rated “well-developed” by the city—the highest score on a fourpoint scale used to measure schools’ instruction, culture and systems for improvement. The school received top marks in all 10 categories used to evaluate the scool.
The school community has prior- itized close reading of complex texts in English language arts classes, as well as speed and accuracy in simple mathematic calculations, according to the evaluation.
The report found that the school’s curricula were both challenging and engaging, pushing students to work harder.
“Furthermore, curricula and academic tasks require students … to identify multiple meanings and interpretations, take and support positions, engage in disciplined inquiry and thought, and demonstrate their thinking in new learning situations,” the report stated.
According to the DOE’s review, teachers at the school meet regularly— including for one full day a month—to analyze student, review student work and undergo professional development.
Teachers told evaluators that feedback from administrators improved their ability to meet goals and help students progress.
Still, the school has some room for improvement as far as how it evaluates new teaching initiatives against already successful ones, the report found.
