BLOOMINGTON -- Third-grader Jessica Horvath made her teacher cry and her siblings smile with her newfound academic skills.

Horvath has received help with reading for two years from JoAnn Walters, a Title 1 reading resources teacher and reading improvement specialist.

In turn, the 9-year-old Stevenson Elementary School student chose Walters as her hero for a bulletin board project.

Walters doesn't mind admitting she shed a few tears of joy when she saw the board; Jessica's mother, Rebecca, was just as happy.

"It completely went from not being able to read to reading to her brothers and sisters," said the proud mom.

Jessica is one of the many children exceeding expectations at Twin City schools that have a high percentage of low income or minority students. In the past, some of those children have not achieved as much academically as other students.

Not anymore.

Both Twin City public school districts have been recognized in recent years as being leaders in helping all children reach high levels of academic achievement.

Stevenson School in Bloomington District 87 and Fox Creek Elementary School in Normal-based Unit 5 are both high-performing, nationally-recognized Blue Ribbon schools that exceed expectations for schools with high percentages of minority or low-income families.

In fact, some schools with the highest percentages of low-income students are among the highest-performing schools in the district, said Unit 5 Superintendent Gary Niehaus, citing Fox Creek as an example.

"Across the state they are looking to see what's going on here," added District 87 Superintendent Robert Nielsen.

The attention isn't new. Stevenson participated in a 2003 to 2006 Reading First study, targeted at schools with high numbers of kids from at-risk, low-income families and high mobility rates.

The program included professional development for teachers, raising expectations, accessing students, focusing on individuals, and continued monitoring, said Lizanne Destefano, professor of education at the University of Illinois in Urbana, who evaluated Stevenson as part of the program.

"The school made significant progress under that initiative," she said. "It was one of the strongest." The principles of Reading First are still used at the school.

A similar approach is working in Unit 5.

"We know there are different paths to a common outcome," said Carol Frericks, Unit 5's director of literacy. Students need individualized attention based on their own strengths and weakness. "We must differentiate instruction," she said.

Both districts say a big part of their success is being able to make decisions, and help individual students based on relevant data.

As part of the Illini Data project, funded in part by State Farm Insurance Cos., teachers can zoom in specifically on an individual student's needs.

For example, Allison Blanco, 10, a Stevenson student, needed to improve fluency and comprehension in reading. With one year of assistance, "she's definitely a more fluent reader now. She got straight A's," said her mom, Tammy.

The schools also include the community. Bent Elementary School in Bloomington has a partnership with Illinois Wesleyan University Spanish professor Allison Weiss.

Her first-year Spanish students -- who are studying international business, pre-med, and a variety of other subjects -- are right at home at Bent.

The university and elementary school students take turns reading books, clearing enjoying each other's company.

"He's helping me learn Spanish," joked David Whitman, a business and marketing student, of his partner, Mario Jasso, age 6.