Butler School District 53 has received the SchoolSearch 2009 Bright A+ Award for its top student scores on the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT). It is an award that the District has won every year it has been given and puts the District among the top five percent of schools in the state.

The criterion for earning the award for elementary districts is the overall average percentage of 3rd through 8th Grade students who meet or exceed standards in reading and math on the ISAT. Only 58 of the state's 868 school districts qualified for the award. In Butler District 53, the overall percentage of students meeting or exceeding averages was 97.13 percent. The highest score in the state was 97.94.

Superintendent Sandra Martin praised students, staff and families as behind the continuous top scores. She also noted that students and teachers are engaged in a continuous learning model that builds upon prior learning and addresses academic shortfalls.

"Our teachers work as a team to help each child maximize his or her full learning potential," she said.

The ISAT measures individual student achievement relative to the Illinois Learning Standards. The results give parents, teachers, and schools one measure of student learning and school performance.

The Bright Red Apple Award was given to Butler School District 53 again in 2009 on the basis of our performance in five categories: academic performance, pupil/teacher ratio, per pupil spending, education level of teachers, and average teacher salary.

Butler School District 53 hires excellent teachers with strong academic backgrounds, keeps class sizes small, and maintains a high level of parental support.

Further, the Bright A+ Award was also given to Butler School District 53 in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, & 2008 and is only given to schools scoring exceptionally high on standardized tests.

The Bright Red Apple Award and Bright A+ Award are two of the three awards given by SchoolSearch, an independent Kansas City based firm which provides comparative school district information for corporations, homebuilders, school districts, libraries, real estate professionals & relocating families since 1991.

Award Descriptions

Bright A+ Award:
School districts whose students' academic performance ranks in the top 5% of all Illinois school districts [Elementary Criterion: overall average percentage of the 3rd, 5th & 8th grade ISAT (Illinois Standards Achievement Test) percentages of Reading, Writing & Math - Level 4 - the highest performance level.] Secondary Criterion: ACT all students tested composite score.

The Bright Red Apple Award:
Based on the primary areas of concern of most of their relocating families. (Academic Performance, Pupil/Teacher Ratio, Expenditure Per Pupil, Educational Level of Teachers & Average Teacher Salary.) Based on most recent "IL Report Card Data" information available on date of announcement.

Other Awards for the District Include:
2006-2007
Academic Excellence Award -- Brook Forest & Butler Junior High
Chicago Magazine 2006 Top Schools in DuPage County
Standard & Poors Academic Outperformers
Disney Award Winner--Rebekah Stathatkis
Butler Junior High 2006 National Blue Ribbon School
Certificate of Financial Recognition -- Illinois State Board of Education

2007-2008
Academic Excellence Award--Brook Forest & Butler Junior High
Columbia Press Association Silver Crown Award--BJH Yearbook
First National Board Certified Teacher in Butler District 53
INSPRA Award of Excellence for District Newsletter
Butler Junior High Stock Market Club -- #1 in State
Butler Junior High Math Team Champions -- Fenwick, Latin, IMSA, & MathCounts IMSA Award of Excellence Winner -- John Baar (BJH Science Teacher)
Certificate of Financial Recognition -- Illinois State Board of Education

2008-2009
Academic Excellence Award--Brook Forest & Butler Junior High
Butler Junior High National Spanish Exam Winners
Butler Junior High Math Team Champions
Butler Junior High Cross Country -- 1st Place Finish
Midwest Academic Talent Search Top Score in Midwest
INSPRA Award of Excellence -- Exploremore Day
INSPRA Award of Excellence -- District Newsletter
IMSA Award of Excellence Winner -- John Baar (BJH Science Teacher)
2008 Who's Who in America -- Gail Klinger (BJH Art Teacher)
Certificate of Financial Recognition -- Illinois State Board of Education

2009-2010
INSPRA Award of Merit -- District Newsletter
Academic Excellence Award -- Brook Forest & Butler Junior High
SchoolSearch Bright A+ Award