In the sobering reality of Chicago Public Schools, years of reform efforts have done little to increase the number of high school students meeting benchmarks for college readiness.

Take, for example, the results released Thursday that show flat or declining high school test scores and a widening achievement gap. The average ACT composite score for district juniors was 17.4 in 2011. Only 7.9 percent of test-takers in 2011 met college readiness benchmarks on the ACT. That statistic went up 0.7 percentage points from the year before. From four years ago, it crept up by a single percentage point.

Similarly, the number of juniors who met or exceeded standards on the state's Prairie State Achievement Examination, a component of which includes the ACT, went down by 1 percentage point. The district has hovered near 30 percent of juniors meeting or exceeding state standards for the past nine years.

CPS officials quickly used the scores to call for a longer school day.

"Students need more time in the classroom with their teachers, and that time needs to be best used to boost student achievement," said the district's new CEO, Jean-Claude Brizard. "These results, coupled with a high school graduation rate of 57 percent and only 31 percent of eighth-graders on track for college readiness, clearly show that our students can no longer afford to have the shortest school day and year in the country."

These are preliminary results for the district. The state will release results for juniors across the state in the fall. This year, the Illinois State Board of Education also will be releasing data for seniors who took the test in 2011.

When not-so-stellar test scores for elementary and middle school students were released In June, district officials made a similar call for a lengthened school day.

The district proudly highlighted one result — improving scores in its turnaround high schools, a model it's been touting recently at news conferences and board meetings. Turnaround high schools operated by both CPS and the Academy for Urban School Leadership showed gains.

Academy-managed high schools had a 3.7 percentage-point increase in the number of students meeting or exceeding standardized test scores. Marshall High School, in its first year of a CPS-managed turnaround, had a 1 point increase in its composite ACT score. Harper High School, in its third year of turnaround, saw 12.1 percent of its students meeting or exceeding state standards compared with 5.3 percent last year.

Principal Leonetta Sanders credited extra coaching for teachers and collaboration with other turnarounds for Harper's success.

High schools typically spend $9 million a year. Turnaround high schools get an extra $8 million poured into them over five years through different sources including grants, CPS funds and donations, in the case of the Academy for Urban School Leadership. In this year's budget, though, the district cut $4.4 million in supplemental teaching positions at turnarounds. While district officials expect the schools to use some of their federal grant money and discretionary funds to keep that staff, some educators worry that at least here — a spot where CPS is seeing some success — cuts should not be made.

"CPS has made a serious investment in these schools and started to see encouraging results," said Robin Steans, executive director of Advance Illinois, an education reform advocacy group. "I hope lessons have been learned and that they do not pull away funding but figure out how to make similar investments in high-needs schools."

nahmed@tribune.com