Steven Isoye State Board of Education Chairperson | linkedin.com
Steven Isoye State Board of Education Chairperson | linkedin.com
The students' overall failure rate in the subject in Jefferson County rose by 3.2% compared to the previous school year.
In comparison, schools in Alexander County fared the worst among all Illinois counties, with 97.1% of students failing to meet test requirements.
At the other end of the spectrum, Monroe County had the highest success rate across the state, with 50% of its students passing the mathematics portion of the IAR.
The Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) measures how well students in grades 3-8 are progressing toward state standards in English language arts and mathematics.
Recent IAR data shows that while Illinois students improved slightly in the test, math performance remains below pre-pandemic levels. In 2024, 28.4% of students met math benchmarks, compared to 31.8% in 2019. However, data also indicates a significant achievement gap based on race and ethnicity.
The disparities were even more pronounced in math. White students achieved a proficiency rate of 38.7%, while Black students achieved 9.1% and Hispanic students 15.6%. Asian students achieved the highest proficiency rates in both subjects, hitting 68.2% in ELA and 61.4% in math.
| School | Students who did not meet standards (%) | Total students tested |
|---|---|---|
| J.L. Buford Intermediate Education Center | 91.8% | 271 |
| Spring Garden Elementary School | 91.3% | 46 |
| Zadok Casey Middle School | 91% | 379 |
| Spring Garden Middle School | 88.4% | 86 |
| Bluford Grade School | 88.2% | 161 |
| Dr. Nick Osborne Primary Center | 87.2% | 133 |
| Field Elementary School | 85.3% | 156 |
| Opdyke-Belle Rive Grade School | 84% | 94 |
| Waltonville Grade School | 79.8% | 134 |
| McClellan Elementary School | 75.8% | 29 |
| Woodlawn Grade School | 74.8% | 210 |
| Grand Prairie Elementary School | 72.6% | 51 |
| Rome Community Consolidated Elementary School | 71.5% | 217 |
| Bethel Grade School | 70.5% | 95 |
| Farrington Elementary School | 62.5% | 32 |
| Summersville Grade School | 48.5% | 163 |
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