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Oak Park District 97
I Was the Loophole
After three years, the district finally accelerated my daughter in math. Nothing about her had changed—only my persistence had. What winning taught me: the process wasn't built to find children who are ready. It was built to produce a defensible no, and it yields not to need but to whoever can outlast it.
The Measurement Gap
RIT scores represent some of the most rigorous psychometric design in American education. Yet districts don't trust them. The gap isn't in the measurement—it's in the courage to act on what it reveals.
How Oak Park Uses MAP
Oak Park District 97 gives MAP scores the highest weight on its acceleration rubric—7 out of 46 points. Yet a 99th percentile score isn't enough to qualify. Here's how the district actually uses these assessments, and why.
The Invisible Students: When Differentiation Is Just a Word
When Oak Park eliminated its gifted program in 2017, the promise was 'differentiated instruction for all.' But research shows teachers rarely differentiate in practice - and students at both ends of the spectrum become invisible. The data is damning.
What the FOIA Revealed
On December 15, 2025, Oak Park District 97 responded to my FOIA request about their acceleration rubric. Here's what the documents show.
In Memoriam: District 97's Superintendents (2021-2026)
A brief remembrance of Oak Park District 97's superintendent leadership structures, 2021-2026. We hardly knew ye. Literally.
The Leveling Down: When Optics Replace Outcomes
In 2017, Oak Park District 97 eliminated its elementary math acceleration program. The result: advanced students' scores declined, everyone else stayed the same. Nobody benefited. Meanwhile, universities now teach college students to divide fractions. Here's what happens when schools prioritize looking good over doing good.
The Authority Vacuum: How Superintendent Churn Creates Risk-Averse Principals
Oak Park District 97 has had four different leadership structures in four years. When superintendents come and go, principals stop making decisions. And students pay the price.
The Admission: When 'State Law' Becomes 'We Just Don't Want To'
For weeks, the district claimed state law required them to deny assessment access. Then, in one sentence, the Assistant Superintendent admitted the truth: 'State law and ISBE guidance do not prohibit school districts from administering assessments.' The denial was never about law. It was always a choice.
The Feedback Loop: How Bad Rubrics Create Their Own Crisis
When accelerated students struggle, districts respond by raising the bar. But if you're measuring the wrong thing, raising the bar doesn't fix the problem—it creates a vicious cycle that blocks ready students while still accelerating unprepared ones. Here's how Oak Park District 97's rubric reveals a system stuck in its own feedback loop.
Floors, Not Ceilings: When Legal Minimums Become Bureaucratic Maximums
I asked my local police for traffic data. They said: 'File a FOIA request.' I asked my daughter's school if she could take a math test. They said: 'She's homeschooled.' Laws meant to ensure minimums keep becoming excuses to do less. Here's why—and what happened when I filed a state complaint.
When Ready Isn't Enough: How Rubrics Measure the Wrong Things
My daughter was ready for 3rd grade math—confirmed by teachers, proven through advanced coursework, scoring 99th percentile on above-grade testing. The rubric said she wasn't qualified because she got 'Meets' instead of 'Excels' on her 1st grade report card. Here's what that reveals about measuring the wrong things.
Catch-22: Denied Assessment Access Under the Same Law That Granted Enrollment
The district approved partial enrollment under 105 ILCS 5/10-20.24—then denied assessment access under the same statute. Without assessments, there's no rubric evidence. Without rubric evidence, there's no acceleration. The system creates its own impossible barrier.
The Ghost Rubric: When Requirements Reference Tests That Don't Exist
The district's published acceleration requirements reference tests they stopped giving in 2023. Midway through the school year, there's still no guidance on how the new assessment platform will be scored—or how the district is now identifying at-risk students. This reveals basic operational failures in managing acceleration, communication, and student support systems.
The Wrong Tool: Why Screening Tests Don't Belong on Acceleration Rubrics
Using AimsWebPlus—a tool designed to identify struggling students—to block acceleration for high achievers isn't just harsh. It's using the wrong tool for the job. Here's why that matters.
The Last Resort: When a Simple Question Requires a FOIA Request
I asked a simple question three times: What research supports your acceleration rubric thresholds? After three months of non-answers, I filed a Freedom of Information Act request. Here's what that reveals about transparency, accountability, and whether districts actually follow the law requiring 'research-based' acceleration practices.
The Glitch: When the Math Test Fails at Math
Two acceleration applications. Two calculation errors. Both caught by a parent. Both errors happened at exactly the grade levels the rubric was designed to assess. The irony is almost perfect.
Going Backwards: How First Grade Erased My Daughter's Math Skills
My daughter mastered multiplication before first grade. By June, she stared at the same worksheet with no idea what to do. In between, I spent months asking for help while the school told me they were 'working on it.'