The latest designations were released earlier this week by the Illinois State Board of Education and by first glance you might think something is up at Clinton Elementary School.

According to Superintendent Curt Nettles, that could not be farther from the truth. He calls their designation as 'underperforming' a misnomer because they have one area they are struggling in and are showing growth in primary areas.

Otherwise, Nettles says the district is doing well. He says the system is about measuring growth and that is what they are looking for. 

The standards have evolved in recent years and the State has replaced their testing that was formerly known as PARCC. Nettles explains because of all the changes at once, it is hard to measure growth over a shorter period. 

Nettles indicates, while the special education students of the district predictably struggle with the same assessment of the rest of their peers, the State tries to sell districts the testing is only a snapshot of their overall performance. However, he questions why the state gives designations off the test scores if that is the case.