In school districts reported on by NW Illinois News, passing grades in English and math studies fell across the board. Results for the three largest districts in the NW Illinois News coverage area that saw decreases are below, with further details about each school district found in the table below.
In Freeport School District 145, the results fell the furthest among students studying English. In 2019, 84.2 percent of students failed English. The latest district results showed 88.7 percent of Freeport School District 145 students failed English in 2021.
Students in Sterling Community Unit School District 5 fared the worst in English, with the number of students who failed rising from 68.2 percent in 2019 to 79.5 percent in 2021.
Dixon Unit School District 170 saw failing rates rise the most in English, from 74.2 percent in 2019 to 81.3 percent in 2021.
Illinois students are rated on a proficiency scale, rather than a zero to 100 system. Students who did not meet, partially met, or approached their proficiency goals are considered to have failed.
The COVID-19 had “devastating” impacts on student learning, according to a report from the Brookings Institute.
“These numbers are alarming and potentially demoralizing, especially given the heroic efforts of students to learn and educators to teach in incredibly trying times,” the report said. “There is much work to be done, and the challenges for students, educators, and parents are considerable.”
A report from Illinois Policy found while all students were affected by the pandemic, low-income and minority students saw the biggest losses in their proficiency scores.
“Among low-income high school juniors in 2021, under 16 percent scored at proficiency level in reading and fewer than 13 percent were proficient in math. This represents a nearly 15 percent and 25 percent overall proficiency decline since 2019 in each subject. Comparatively, proficiency scores in reading and math for higher-income juniors dropped around 11 percent and 16 percent, respectively.
“By the end of the 2021 school year, higher-income juniors were almost three times more likely to be proficient than low-income students.”
There are many lingering effects of students learning less due to disruptions caused by COVID-19. A McKinsey report found K-12 students were “on average five months behind in mathematics and four months behind in reading by the end of school year.”
The switch to remote learning, where students would attend classes virtually using their laptops instead of being in the classroom, was often pinpointed in reports as the biggest reason for diminishing student proficiency.
Classrooms across the U.S. moved to remote learning when the pandemic began in early 2020. However, an Inside Higher Ed investigation found it was never designed to be the long-term solution it became.
“Students talked a lot about really missing being in person with their classmates…and having those spontaneous, organic conversations and relationships,” Rayane Alamuddin of Ithaka S+R consulting said. “They miss the relationships they make in school because not only does it make them excited about learning and motivate them to stay engaged in school, but they also actually learn a lot more.”
Many school districts have returned to in-class learning, though still with some COVID-19 precautions in place.
| District | 2019 Math Failing Rates | 2021 Math Failing Rates | 2019 English Failing Rates | 2021 English Failing Rates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amboy Community Unit School District 272 | 82.8% | 78.7% | 67.6% | 74.2% |
| Ashton Franklin Center Community Unit School District 275 | 79.7% | 82.5% | 76.1% | 78.3% |
| Byron Community Unit School District 226 | 39.9% | 52.8% | 36.1% | 48.8% |
| Chadwick-Milledgeville Community Unit School District 399 | 53.3% | 59.3% | 51.5% | 58.7% |
| Creston Community Consolidated School District 161 | 61.9% | 56.5% | 63.5% | 66.2% |
| Dakota Community Unit School District 201 | 61.2% | 69.9% | 56.9% | 63.6% |
| Dixon Unit School District 170 | 80.3% | 86.8% | 74.2% | 81.3% |
| East Coloma-Nelson Consolidated Elementary School District 20 | 71.9% | 81.2% | 63.2% | 85.4% |
| East Dubuque Community Unit School District 119 | 68.3% | 72.8% | 70.4% | 56.1% |
| Eastland Community Unit School District 308 | 55.3% | 61.5% | 50% | 53.5% |
| Erie Community Unit School District 1 | 57.5% | 64.4% | 42.3% | 60.8% |
| Eswood Community Consolidated School District 269 | 65.3% | 70.7% | 46.9% | 58.5% |
| Forrestville Valley Community Unit School District 221 | 64.4% | 74.9% | 52.3% | 56.3% |
| Freeport School District 145 | 85.2% | 88.8% | 84.2% | 88.7% |
| Galena Unit School District 120 | 50.7% | 60.8% | 61.1% | 65.7% |
| Kings Consolidated School District 144 | 58.9% | 56.9% | 41.1% | 63.8% |
| Lee Center Community Unit School District 271 | 93.8% | 90.9% | 80% | 81.8% |
| Lena Winslow Community Unit School District 202 | 57.5% | 69.5% | 37.7% | 43.7% |
| Meridian Community Unit School District 223 | 71.4% | 74.5% | 61.6% | 64.4% |
| Montmorency Community Consolidated School District 145 | 70.7% | 69.5% | 69.6% | 78.2% |
| Morrison Community Unit School District 6 | 68.4% | 77.9% | 55.5% | 69.8% |
| Orangeville Community Unit School District 203 | 67.8% | 74.4% | 48.3% | 46.6% |
| Oregon Community Unit School District 220 | 70.1% | 80.3% | 74.7% | 77.9% |
| Pearl City Community Unit School District 200 | 56.3% | 64.4% | 51.2% | 63.9% |
| Polo Community Unit School District 222 | 67.8% | 71.4% | 51.9% | 55.3% |
| Prophetstown-Lyndon-Tampico Community Unit School District 3 | 70.5% | 83.9% | 49.3% | 74.4% |
| River Bend Community Unit School District 2 | 68.7% | 79% | 59.8% | 76.1% |
| River Ridge Community Unit School District 210 | 59.4% | 69.9% | 54.5% | 62.9% |
| Rochelle Community Consolidated School District 231 | 73.7% | 86.8% | 66.9% | 81% |
| Rock Falls Elementary School District 13 | 73.4% | 81.5% | 59.7% | 75.9% |
| Scales Mound Community Unit School District 211 | 49.6% | 70.2% | 46.1% | 66.1% |
| Sterling Community Unit School District 5 | 80% | 83.5% | 68.2% | 79.5% |
| Steward Elementary School District 220 | 69.5% | - | 53.1% | - |
| Stockton Community Unit School District 206 | 54% | 64.3% | 47.5% | 56.6% |
| Warren Community Unit School District 205 | 57.9% | 68.9% | 51.7% | 51.6% |
| West Carroll Community Unit School District 314 | 83.1% | 88.7% | 77.6% | 80.6% |
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