WASHINGTON PARK — ACE Technical Charter School is now in danger of closing after a second straight year of poor performance, according to CPS.
ACE, 5410 S. State St., was put on a warning list last year and has not done enough to improve its performance and is now eligible to be closed, according to CPS.
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“Our goal is to make sure that every public school in every neighborhood offers an excellent education, so that all Chicago students can have the opportunity to succeed in college and their careers,” CPS CEO Forrest Claypool said. “Using data to show every school’s strengths and opportunities for improvement help all families and the community understand what we can all do together to improve.”
CPS ranked ACE’s student growth and student attainment far below average, with only 7 percent of its juniors meeting college readiness benchmarks.
Though the school, which focuses on architecture, construction and engineering, improved the number of freshmen on track to graduate in the last year, the number of students enrolling in college declined to 47 percent from 56 percent.
The school now has the third-highest rating on CPS' five-level rating system.
The system gives schools one of five ratings to evaluate whether a school is successful in preparing students for colleges or careers. The top rating is Level 1+, awarded to schools that “demonstrate above-average performance that far exceeds expectations,” the district says. Level 3 is the lowest rating, and those schools could face action from CPS officials. The ratings are based on a number of factors, including standardized test scores, the growth of those scores, attendance rates and graduation rates.
Though the school is again on the warning list and eligible for closure, that does not mean it will be closed and that decision will need to be made by CPS and the Chicago Board of Education.
The school’s principal and the president of its board of directors could not be reached for comment.
