Melzer Returns to Winner's Circle for Award

The reading and math skills of students at Melzer School have ranked in the top 10 percent in the state for four years running.

Recently the Illinois Board of Education recognized Melzer with its second consecutive Award of Excellence.

"We're all obviously very pleased," said principal Shawn Schleizer. "It's a confirmation of what we're doing. We have students who work hard and come to school ready to learn."

To qualify for the award, 85 percent of the students at a particular school must have scores that match or exceed state standards in literacy and arithmetic. However, it gets a bit more complicated than that: The marks must be achieved in each one of several of subgroups—from race to special education to level of income.

This means that if 95 percent of the entire student body made the cut, but only 84 percent of the students who learned English as a second language met the standards, the school wouldn't get the award.

All of this ties in with the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act, and the percentage of students who must meet these requirements varies. In the next two years, the requirement will bump up to 92.5 percent. By 2014, 100 percent of students' standardized test scores must meet state requirements.

"The rubber hits the road with the parents and the teachers," Schleizer said. "Certainly everyone had a hand in this, but we know that the two primary teachers in students' lives are the parents and the folks in the classroom."

It's a testament to a schoolwide commitment to excellence, said Pat Schiller, Melzer's literacy specialist.

"We teach our students to be peaceful, respectful and responsible," Schiller said. "We call them the 'Melzer Musts.' You're safe in your classroom. That of course contributes to your taking risks and asking questions and expressing your opinion."

Schiller toils on the day-to-day improvements that allow her students to meet standards. That can mean everything from spending extra time reading together to sounding out multisyllabic words such as air-con-di-tion-er.  It's gratifying to be able to step back and see the state's recognition as an example of her hard work paying off.

To librarian Kathy Ruck, reading is one of the integral components to overall academic excellence. And for her, it's ultimately about more than accolades from the state Board of Education. It's about teaching students to become independent thinkers.

"It takes you to places you couldn't go," Ruck said. "You can be an adventurer. It gets you understanding other people's points of view. Being widely read helps you be more successful in the world, and it makes you more easily independent."