OAKWOOD – Oh, what some teachers won't do to get their students to do well on their high-stakes state testing.

Last year, Oakwood Junior High School teacher and coach Doug Robinson said he would sing a Miley Cyrus song in front of the student body. Physical education teacher Deanna Acton said she would kiss a pig. And Principal Sam Erwin pledged to dress up like a woman AND shave his head.

On Friday, they and others made good on those promises at an event to celebrate the school's 2010 Illinois Standards Achievement Test scores.

Last year, 84 percent of students met or exceeded the state benchmarks in math, and 88 percent of students met and exceeded the reading benchmarks. That's well over the state targets, which increased to 77.5 percent in 2010.

Math scores went up 11 percentage points from 2009, and reading scores went up 13 percentage points from the previous year. Writing scores went from 35 percent in 2009 up to 70 percent in 2010, and seventh-grade science scores went from 90.3 percent in 2009 to 92 percent in 2010.

"We had a pretty good feeling we'd be OK," Erwin said. "The kids were really fired up. They were taking it very seriously. But did we think they'd be that high? No, it was really a surprise."

The junior high consistently has made adequate yearly progress as required by the federal No Child Left Behind law. But Erwin, who came to the school last August, wanted to see students make even bigger gains.

"From the time we started school, we hit the ground running to get them prepared," said Erwin, who gives much of the credit to teachers. "They worked extremely hard."

Superintendent Keven Forney said he believes a key was the principal and teachers established instructional benchmarks for every classroom. Teachers assessed students nearly every other week, poured over the data and then used it to drive their instruction. They also conducted Measures of Academic Progress testing three times before the ISATs.

"If the assessment results weren't high enough, they would reteach the material and adjust their instruction when necessary," Forney said.

In addition, Erwin said staff worked on student behavior. As an incentive, they threw parties at the end of each quarter for students who passed all of their classes and didn't receive any suspensions.

"That not only helped with discipline, but it kept the kids in the classroom where they could learn," Erwin said. "I don't believe in sending kids home. They just go home and play video games."

And about a month before the March testing, Erwin had a talk with eighth-graders.

"I asked how many of them worked as hard on the test as they possibly could have. Only a few of them raised their hands" he recalled. "I said, 'What's it going to take to get you to do your best?' Someone said, 'Shave your head.' Another said, 'Wear a dress.' When I said I would, the kids got really fired up.

"Boy did it work," he continued. "Not only did they meet AYP, but they blew past it."

At an assembly at Oakwood High School, seventh- and eighth-graders and freshmen cheered as Robinson sang "Party in the USA," while teacher Tara Denhart, dressed like Cyrus, sang backup. They threw pies at school board President Greg Wolfe and board member Deanna Morton, and took turns shaving the head of their principal, dressed in long red gown with sequins and spaghetti straps.

"It really brings out my eyes," Erwin joked. In addition to Friday's celebration, this year's eighth-graders and freshmen earned a trip to Six Flags, which will take place in April.

Erwin said the hard work, and hopefully success, will continue this year. "We've got to keep improving," he said, adding the state targets increase to 85 percent in 2011. "We're not going to be happy with just 85 percent. We want to exceed that and be the No. 1 junior high, not only in the county but the state."