|
Data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress report
card shows that in Illinois, just 30% of fourth graders are
hitting such standards. In a 2024 national exam, the state's
students finished 29th in the country for the percentage of
fourth graders at or above proficiency.
“This is a huge problem across the country, but it's a real
problem here in Illinois,” Ugaste told The Center Square. "It's
my understanding that our 8th graders are doing a bit better. It
speaks to the amount of damage that was done when the schools
closed during the pandemic. That's when these children would
have first been in school and first learning how to read, write
and do math.”
With researchers identifying third and fourth grades as being a
critical period in a student’s overall academic development,
school system critics like Ugaste argue that now more than ever,
parents should be allowed to make use of school choice to send
their children to the best school for them. Researchers stress
such assessments can be early predictors for critical milestones
such as future employment and overall earning potential.
Ugaste is urging parents to take immediate action.
“First and foremost, you got to do what you can to help your own
kids,” he said. “Start reaching out to your legislators; start
reaching out to your school boards, get involved in what's
happening in your schools, what they're teaching them, how much
time they're spending on things like reading and math versus
other subjects. We have to be involved in our kids' education;
we have to be involved in our government; we have to be involved
in our communities.”
Ugaste said he’d also like to see parents demanding lawmakers in
Springfield repeal some of the mandates they’ve enacted, giving
local school boards and parents greater control over curriculum.
“Let the communities, the parents and the educators locally
decide how much time should be spent on subjects and things of
that nature,” he said. “We're trying to dictate from Springfield
what they should be learning, how much recess time they should
have, and all these other issues. We just need to get out of
that arena.”
The legislature allowed the state's only school choice program,
Invest in Kids, to expire in 2023. Invest in Kinds was a
scholarship program that allowed lower-income families to use
tax-credited donations to pay for private schools. |
|
