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Oc t o b er 7, 2014 • $ 1 .0 0
TENNIS SWEEP HIGH
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Cary-Grove beats Huntley, 7-0, but score deceiving / C1
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Casciaro verdict on ‘20/20’
MEASURING STUDENT PROGRESS
Prosecutor claims evidence, testimony, witnesses left out By CHELSEA McDOUGALL cmcdougall@shawmedia.com
Illustration provided
A BATTERY OF TESTS County school districts try to balance standardized test schedules By JOSEPH BUSTOS jbustos@shawmedia.com During Huntley-based District 158’s school year, which began Aug. 20 and runs through May 29, there is at least one day almost every month with a standardized test scheduled. Every student doesn’t take every scheduled exam. The assessments range from the college-readiness tests for high school students, to state assessments for students learning the English language. “Some assessments are those that we use internally to measure student progress and mastery so that we can adjust instruction and ensure that all students meet or exceed their expected learning growth,” said Erika Schlichter, chief academic officer for District 158. The test schedule, along with those in
other districts, reflects the use of standardize assessments as one way to gauge how well students are achieving and how to help individual students. A big push for using Measures for Academic Progress or AIMSweb testing, which are short-lasting assessments used to gauge student achievement, came about 10 years ago. Instead of using a standardized assessment toward the end of the school year to see how much students achieved, there was a push to have data drive instruction during the school year, said George Oslovich, assistant superintendent for middle school and high school education for District 200. This allows for quicker and immediate interventions, Oslovich said. Younger students may see assessments last 30 minutes or less, while older students can see exams last several hours. Those as-
sessments include both marking correct answers by filling in bubbles with a pencil and computerized assessments. Some computerized assessments encourage students to beat a time, which helps them engage with the test, Oslovich said. Crystal Lake Elementary District 47 has scheduled fall, winter and spring administrations of the MAP assessment to see how students are progressing in reading and math. It allows for a more personalized approach for student learning, according to an email from the district. “MAP monitors students’ growth throughout the school year and across all grade levels and provides benchmark data that can be helpful with goal-setting,” said Brenda Cox, director of district improvement.
See TESTING, page A6
WOODSTOCK – McHenry County’s lead prosecutor in the Mario Casciaro murder case responded to a nationally televised broadcast that raised doubts on whether he prosecuted the right man for the murder of Brian Carrick. Assistant State’s Attorney Michael Combs – who declined to be interviewed for ABC-TV’s “20/20” – told the Northwest Herald on Monday there was a lot of evidence, testimony and witnesses that were left out of the “20/20” piece – a program that reduced a 12-year-old case to a 60-minute broadcast, he said. “They made it seem like the only witness was Shane Lamb, when in fact we called almost 30 witnesses,” Combs said. “... There was overwhelming evidence against Mario Casciaro. To suggest [that] only one witness testified is
absolutely false.” Combs refuted Lamb’s latest assertion that he fed Lamb details about the c r i m e t h a t Shane Lamb would later become his trial testimony. A t Casciaro’s trials, Lamb Brian Carrick s a i d h e threw the punch that likely killed Carrick. N o w , he says that was Mario Casciaro a lie. He claims he and Combs met without his lawyer present for an hour before his videotaped statement to
See VERDICT, page A6
What’s next for Mario Casciaro? Mario Casciaro’s attorney is asking that his conviction be tossed. His attorneys will be in court Tuesday, though not much is expected to happen. McHenry County Judge Sharon Prather will likely need time to review Casciaro’s lengthy petition before deciding whether to hold an evidentiary hearing.
Court clears way for gay marriage expansion By MARK SHERMAN The Associated Press WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court unexpectedly cleared the way Monday for a dramatic expansion of gay marriage in the United States and may have signaled that it’s only a matter of time before samesex couples can marry in all 50 states. Rejecting appeals from five states seeking to preserve their bans, the Supreme Court effectively made such marriages legal in 30 states, up from 19 and the District of Columbia, taking in every region of the country.
Challenges are pending in the other 20 states. Almost immediately, exuberant couples began receiving marriage licenses previously denied to them. “This is the dream day,” said Sharon Baldwin, a plaintiff in a challenge to Oklahoma’s ban, as she and her partner got their license in the Tulsa County Clerk’s Office. Directly affected by Monday’s orders were Wisconsin, Indiana, Oklahoma, Utah and Virginia. Officials in those states had appealed lower court rulings in an effort to preserve their bans. Couples in six other states – Colorado, Kansas, North
SPORTS
Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia and Wyoming – should be able to get married in short order since those states would be bound by the same appellate rulings that have been on hold. While county clerks in a number of states quickly began issuing licenses to gay and lesbian couples, in some other states affected by the court’s action officials did not sound ready to give up the fight. However, their legal options are limited. Monday’s terse orders from the court were contained among more than 1,500 rejected appeals that had piled up over the summer. The outcome was not what
WHERE IT’S AT
County settles with insurers
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WORLD
Arkush: Little doubt after debacle in Carolina that Bears are a below average team whose time is running out on the ’14 season / C1
See COURT, page A6
LOCAL
To recoup $700K for former death row inmate Gary Gauger’s wrongful conviction suits / A3
Is time running out?
either side expected or wanted. Both gay marriage supporters and opponents had asked the court to resolve whether the Constitution grants same-sex couples the right to marry nationwide. The justices did not explain why they decided to leave that question unanswered for now. They may be waiting for a federal appeals court to break ranks with other appellate panels and uphold state laws defining marriage as between a man and a woman. Or they may see little role for themselves as one
New concern worldwide Nurse in Spain 1st person known to catch Ebola outside outbreak zone in W. Africa / B3
AP photo
Nicole Pries (left) and Lindsey Oliver exchange vows Monday outside a Richmond Court building in Richmond, Va. The couple were the first in the Richmond area to be married after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to overturn same-sex marriage prohibitions.