Illinois Reading Scores Top Pre-Pandemic Levels, but Results Lag in Math and for High Schoolers
Elementary School Students Shine in English Language Arts
The Illinois state report card released on Wednesday morning shows impressive progress in English Language Arts among elementary school students, but discouraging news in math. The percentage of elementary students meeting or exceeding the state’s English Language Arts proficiency standard reached its highest level since 2019, when students started taking the current version of the exams.
“Our teachers, students and school and district leaders should be incredibly proud of the work they’ve done this year at the state level,”
According to Illinois State Superintendent Tony Sanders, this is due to a heavy focus on literacy, including passage of a state literacy plan in June to improve the way students are taught to read. The percentage of elementary students meeting or exceeding the state’s English Language Arts proficiency standard is 41.2%, up nearly 6 percentage points since last year.
Black Students Still Lag Behind, but Show Improvements
Black students saw the largest one-year gain in the percent of students considered proficient, but they still are the lowest performing students, with only 20% hitting that benchmark. Sanders stressed that English Language Arts proficiency means a lot more than just being able to read at grade level, as it includes critical thinking and writing skills.
The story is not so encouraging in math. In 2019, 32% of Illinois students were considered proficient in math. The percentage of students proficient in math increased from last year, but only 27.9% were proficient this year. Gaps in performance continue among all racial and ethnic groups, though with math scores gaps have narrowed some over the past three years. Asian students are outperforming every group significantly in reading and math. The gap between Black students considered proficient and white students is about 30 percentage points for reading and math. That gap is the same as it was in 2019.
High School Students Struggle with Attendance and Test Scores
Among high schoolers, performance on the state test was lackluster. The average composite score on the SAT college entrance exam was 950.3 out of a possible 1,600, down from 960.9 in 2023 and 994.5 in 2019. High school students are still chronically absent, with about 35% missing 10 days or more in an academic year. This is compared to 21% of elementary school students.
“Attendance is important because students who miss more school than their peers consistently perform lower, and this result holds true at every grade, in every demographic group. Chronically absent students are missing out on vital instruction and exposure to post-pandemic interventions.”
Conclusion
While there are reasons to celebrate, including a resurgence in English Language Arts scores for elementary school students, there is still much work to be done. Illinois continues to grapple with a significant gap in math performance and struggles with chronic absenteeism and low test scores among high school students. As education leaders, it is crucial to identify effective interventions to tackle these issues and promote academic success for all students.
FAQs
* What is the current state of English Language Arts scores in Illinois elementary schools?
The percentage of elementary students meeting or exceeding the state’s English Language Arts proficiency standard reached its highest level since 2019, at 41.2%.
* What is the current state of math scores in Illinois schools?
The percentage of students proficient in math has increased, but still only 27.9% were proficient in 2024. Gaps in performance remain across racial and ethnic groups.
* What is the current state of high school students’ test scores?
The average composite score on the SAT college entrance exam is down from 2023 and 2019 levels. High school students are struggling to gain academic ground after the pandemic.
