(unless stated otherwise, definitions are from ChatGPT)
ACT stands for American College Testing. The ACT is a standardized assessment of English, mathematics, reading, and science; some administrations also include writing.”
AI (Artificial Intelligence) is technology that enables computers to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, understanding language, and recognizing patterns.
capitalize as in capitalized into housing prices means that a cost or benefit is reflected in the price of a home. For example, if higher property taxes make buyers willing to pay less for a house, the tax burden is said to be capitalized into the housing price.
cut score the minimum scaled score required for placement in a particular performance category, such as “Proficient.” Illinois adopted new performance levels and cut scores for reporting 2025 assessment results. At the high-school level, Illinois also transitioned from the SAT-based assessment system to the ACT-based system. Consequently, 2024–25 proficiency percentages should not be treated as directly comparable with earlier percentages without acknowledging both changes.
D45 referendum wording on 11/3/2026
I checked District 45’s current referendum information, and the district itself now publishes the exact wording it says will appear on the November 3, 2026 ballot.
“Shall the limiting rate under the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law for School District Number 45, DuPage County, Illinois, be increased by an additional amount equal to 0.2670% above the limiting rate for levy year 2025 for school purposes, including funding instructional programming, student support and services, operations and maintenance, and safety and security improvements, and be equal to 3.2229% of the equalized assessed value of the taxable property therein for levy year 2026?”
D88 referendum wording on 11/3/2026
Yes. I found the official District 88 wording for the November 3, 2026 ballot.
“Shall the Board of Education of DuPage Community High School District Number 88, DuPage County, Illinois, improve the sites of, and alter, repair, and equip school buildings and facilities, including, but not limited to, installing safety and security improvements; increasing accessibility to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act; updating roofing, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling systems; renovating career and technical education (CTE) spaces; and installing energy-efficiency improvements; and issue bonds of said School District to the amount of $118,000,000 for the purpose of paying the costs thereof?”
EAV equalized assessed valuation
equalized assessed valuation (EAV) is the total taxable value of all property in a taxing district after Illinois adjusts assessed values to make them more uniform across counties. Simply put: EAV = the property value used to calculate how much property-tax revenue a school district can collect.
extension In PTELL (Property Tax Extension Limitation Law), an extension is the amount of property tax that a taxing district is legally allowed to collect from taxpayers for a particular tax year, subject to the applicable limitations.
Simply put: Extension = the total amount of property tax the taxing district is allowed to levy/collect for that year.
Homeowner’s Exemption a property-tax exemption that reduces the assessed value of a homeowner’s primary residence, thereby lowering the amount of property tax the homeowner pays.
In Illinois, the General Homestead Exemption is commonly referred to as the homeowner’s exemption.
Illinois Report Card is the Illinois State Board of Education’s online report that provides information about Illinois public schools and school districts. It includes information such as:
- Student achievement in English language arts and mathematics
- Graduation rates
- Attendance and chronic absenteeism
- Enrollment and demographics
- Class sizes and student-teacher ratios
- School finances
- Teachers and staff
- School performance designations
Simply put: Illinois Report Card = the state’s public information report showing how Illinois schools and districts are performing and operating. It is particularly useful for comparing School District 45 with other Illinois districts
ISA stands for Illinois Science Assessment. It is Illinois’s state assessment used to measure students’ science knowledge and skills.
issuance the process by which bonds are authorized, offered, and sold to investors.
limiting rate Under Illinois’s Property Tax Extension Limitation Law, the limiting rate is a calculated tax rate that generally limits a taxing district’s aggregate property-tax extension for funds subject to PTELL. A referendum may authorize an increase above the otherwise applicable limiting rate. The rate is not a dollar amount, and the effect on an individual tax bill also depends on EAV, exemptions, and other factors.
principal means the original amount of money borrowed. So, $118,000,000 principal means the school district is asking voters to authorize $118 million in borrowing, before adding interest and other financing costs.
PTELL stands for Property Tax Extension Limitation Law. Simply put, it is an Illinois law that limits how much certain taxing districts can increase the amount of property taxes they collect each year, with some exceptions.
SAT What is it? This shows the percentage and number of 11th-graders scoring at each of the performance levels for the SAT. Each Performance Level is a broad, categorical level defined by a student’s score and used to report overall student performance by describing how well students met the expectations for their grade level/course. Each Performance Level is defined by a range of overall scores for the assessment.
There are four Performance Levels for the SAT:
Level 1 – Partially Meets Standards: The student has only partially met standards and demonstrates a minimal understanding of the knowledge and ski ls needed relative to the Illinois Learning Standards.
Level 2 – Approaching Standards: The student is approaching the proficiency level and demonstrates an incomplete understanding of the knowledge and ski ls needed relative to the Illinois Learning Standards.
Level 3 – Meets Standards: The student has met the proficiency level and demonstrates adequate understanding of the knowledge and ski ls needed relative to the I Illinois Learning Standards.
Level 4 – Exceeds Standards: The student has exceeded the proficiency level and demonstrates a thorough understanding of the knowledge and ski ls needed relative to the Illinois Learning Standards. (Illinois Report Card)
Senior Citizen’s Homestead Exemption A property-tax exemption that reduces the assessed value of a qualifying senior citizen’s primary residence, thereby lowering the property taxes owed.
standard deviation A one-standard-deviation improvement means an improvement of one typical amount of variation above the average in the test scores being studied. Simply put:
- Researchers look at the test scores of all the schools or students in their study.
- They calculate the average score.
- They calculate how much scores typically vary from that average. That typical amount is called the standard deviation.
- A one-standard-deviation improvement means moving the test score upward by that amount.
Simple example Suppose the average school test score is 50%, and the standard deviation is 10 percentage points. Then:
- Average = 50%
- One standard deviation above average = 60%
- So a move from 50% to 60% would be a one-standard-deviation improvement.
The study’s finding that this was associated with roughly a 4% increase in house prices means that homes associated with schools whose test scores were one standard deviation higher tended to have prices about 4% higher, all else being equal in the study’s analysis.
Importantly, one standard deviation does not always equal 10 percentage points. The amount depends on how widely the test scores vary in the particular population being studied.
