Illinois students gain in English, lag in math, graduating more, truant less

[October 31, 2024]  By Kevin Bessler | The Center Square

(The Center Square) – An overview of the state of students in Illinois schools has been released, and officials are saying the highlight is the proficiency rate for English language arts for middle schoolers.

The Illinois State Board of Education published the 2024 Illinois Report Card Tuesday. The report showed Illinois students in grades 3-8 charting the highest-ever proficiency rate in English language arts, with officials attributing the gains to the statewide focus on improving literacy. Students in grades 3-8 achieved a proficiency rate of 40.9%, the highest ever since students began taking the Illinois Assessment of Readiness in 2019.

“Illinois has seen tremendous, nation-leading recovery in English language arts, thanks to the talented teachers, principals, and superintendents in schools across the state who have worked diligently to implement shifts in their literacy practices,” said state Superintendent of Education Tony Sanders.

Illinois’ high school graduation rate reached an all-time, 14-year high at 87.7%. Steady gains for Black students over the past six years have driven the increases in the graduation rate. The rate of ninth graders on track to graduate has also risen steadily and exceeds the pre-pandemic rate.

Participation in Career and Technical Education and in advanced coursework continued to rise in 2024, also contributing to statewide gains in the graduation rate. Illinois students participating in CTE have higher graduation rates than their peers.

Greg Bishop | The Center Square

The report card shows that English language arts and math recovery in high school continue to lag. Proficiency rates in high school have trended down since 2019, and slightly smaller percentages of high school students met or exceeded grade-level standards last year, compared to the year before.

ISBE attributes the phenomenon of rising graduation rates yet lagging proficiency rates in part to the structure of the states’ accountability system, which incentivizes graduation but not growth in high schools.

Chronic absenteeism saw significant improvement for the second year, declining another 7% from 28.3% in 2023 to 26.3% in 2024. Chronic absenteeism skyrocketed nationwide during the pandemic and has yet to reach pre-pandemic levels.

Illinois schools enrolled greater numbers of English learners and more Hispanic, Asian and multiracial students in the 2023-24 school year. Illinois has seen an influx of migrants since August 2022.

As ISBE highlights the successes of the latest data, some are saying there is a long road ahead. According to the Illinois Policy Institute, as students returned to class in August, there were 35% of students grades 3-8 who could read at grade level in 2023, and only 27% met proficiency in math.

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