A majority of Monday night’s District 428 meeting focused on state testing for this past year.

Becky McCabe, superintendent of curriculum and instruction, said the district had some trouble meeting expectations because the federal government didn’t approve of students taking the IMAGE test.

IMAGE is a test that special needs students, and students whose first language isn’t English, take in place of the ISAT or PSAE.

Because every student had to take the ISAT or PSAE, it “had an impact on us,” McCabe said. “A one-day test is what we are judged by,” and it is “not the best way to judge how schools are doing,” she said.

Seven schools met testing requirements and five schools are on academic watch. All five schools are bilingual, McCabe said.

Superintendent James Briscoe said he sees a lot needs to be done to improve students test scores, but acknowledged the work being put in by the schools.

“I see a lot of work being done, and a lot of discussion on how to improve,” he said. Briscoe said he talked with every principal and was impressed at the plans to raise scores.

Vice President Andy Small thinks it’s important to have communication with the community on plans for improvement.

“My suggestion is to include in the improvement plans what you are going to do to engage the guardian or parent to prepare the student to achieve,” Small said.

With the economy as it currently is and parents working two to three jobs, it is difficult to engage all the parents, McCabe said.

“We have the kids for a certain amount of time, and that’s what we need to work on,” McCabe said. “We need to make sure that the homework we provided for the kids is meaningful and addressed accordingly in the classroom.”

School improvement plans are on-going, McCabe said, and should be ready to present to the board on Dec. 1.