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District report cards to be updated

Interested parents and those looking to move to the area will now have more information at hand regarding area school districts.

The website www.illinoisreportcard.com allows the public to look at "fast facts" about schools and districts in the state. Currently, facts include the number of schools in a district, average class size, and graduation rate.

At Harrisburg High School, for example, the graduation rate is 83 percent. At Eldorado High School, it is the same (83 percent). In Galatia, however, it spikes to 93 percent. In Carrier Mills, the graduation rate is 78 percent.

However, long-awaited updates to the program will be coming in the next few weeks. Being added to the sites for districts will be such tabs as: teacher attendance, AP classes, 6/7 year graduation cohorts - for students with special needs, and dual-credit courses.

While the website provides a picture of a district and its schools, superintendents are praising an increase in information access for the public.

"I think the biggest positive is a shift away from just examining test scores," Harrisburg Superintendent Mike Gauch said.

Illinois Report Card does list a district's score on the PARCC exam, but the state of Illinois dropped the exam earlier this year.

"These aren't bad things," Eldorado Superintendent Ryan Hobbs said. "It (the updates) adds transparency."

The additional information is expected to appear on the Illinois Report Card website within the next few weeks.