Five Things to Know Today: June 27

1. Tickets Still Available for Zoppé Circus

for the upcoming Zoppé Family Circus shows, which begin Thursday, Bolingbrook Park District officials say.

Dan Leahy, a spokesman for the park district, said as of last week, a couple hundred tickets had been sold. 

The Zoppè Family Circus is an Italian family production and has been performing for more than 160 years. Today, the company travels across the country and has stopped in nearby locations such as Hanover Park, Des Plaines, Chicago and Addison.

The troupe will set up a giant circus tent in Central Park that will seat up to 600 people and be visible from I-55, Meyer said.

2. BHS Teacher Goes Back to School

chemistry teacher Nanette Davies attended the third annual College Board-endorsed AP Summer Institute at Plainfield East High School, where teachers received training on what to teach in AP courses.

Davies was featured in the photo of a The Herald News story. For that story, click HERE.

3. Facebook Fan Poll

Bolingbrook Patch's daily "Facebook Fan Poll" now appears in our daily "Five Things to Know Today" feature.

Today's question: Should the Fountaindale Public Library librarians monitor what type of materials children rent?

Chime in below by leaving a comment!

Or, to participate in the poll and become a fan of Bolingbrook Patch via Facebook, click HERE. 

4. Yesterday's Headlines

5. Valley View ISAT Scores Expected to See Improvement

The Valley View school board was expected to learn about the district's preliminary ISAT scores, but tabled the informational report because the board did not have time to review the materials before hand.

Exiting Superintendent Phillip Schoffstall said he was disappointed the board did not hear the report because it was expected to show an increase in test scores.

Last year, raised the ire of school board members.

Then, the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) results showed the district's students' reading skills had decreased while their math skills showed slight improvement.

"Mediocrity is not acceptable anymore," school board president Steven Quigley said in August. "We spend a lot of money … and we want results. We need to make changes, and the changes need to start in the classroom."

Under No Child Left Behind, at least 77.5 percent of students must meet or exceed the standard in math and reading on the ISAT.

At Bolingbrook High School, only two groups — white and Asian students —met the expectations in reading. In math, white, Asian and Hispanic students met the criteria.

But as a whole, Bolingbrook High School failed in both categories.