Dr. Donna Leak Vice-Chair - Flossmoor | firststudentinc.com
Dr. Donna Leak Vice-Chair - Flossmoor | firststudentinc.com
The students' overall failure rate in the subject in Lee County rose by 14.5% compared to the previous school year.
In comparison, schools in Alexander County fared the worst among all Illinois counties, with 87.3% of students failing to meet test requirements.
At the other end of the spectrum, Woodford County had the highest success rate across the state, with 60.7% of its students passing the ELA 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Jefferson Elementary School | 85.1% | 147 |
| Steward Elementary School | 77.8% | 36 |
| Paw Paw Elementary School | 72.2% | 43 |
| Ashton-Franklin Center Elementary School | 64.7% | 144 |
| Madison School | 63.8% | 365 |
| Reagan Middle School | 60.7% | 563 |
| Amboy Junior High School | 59.8% | 201 |
| Paw Paw Junior High School | 59.2% | 27 |
| Amboy Central Elementary School | 49.5% | 95 |
| Ashton-Franklin Center High School | 45.4% | 64 |
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