Chair of the Board Dr. Steven Isoye (2023) | Illinois State Board of education
Chair of the Board Dr. Steven Isoye (2023) | Illinois State Board of education
That's according to a Macon Reporter analysis of test score data compiled by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).
ISBE reports that last year, 45.6% of Macon County's 6,120 public high school students failed the ELA portion of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and have "minimal (or) incomplete… understanding of the knowledge and skills relative to Illinois Learning Standards."
Students can achieve four proficiencies in their subjects (partially met, approaching, meets, and exceeds standards). This report concludes students who partially met or approached the standards have failed in the subject.
Robertson Charter School (56.4%), Argenta-Oreana Elementary School (55%) and Meridian Middle School (53.9%) had the highest failure rates in Macon County. Meanwhile, Maroa-Forsyth Middle School (34.5%) and Hope Academy (25.5%) had the lowest.
Of 23 Macon County high schools, 15, including Dennis Elementary School, Michael E. Baum Elementary School, and Maroa-Forsyth Grade School had passing rates of more than 50%.
Countywide, English test failure rates fell from 49.2% in 2021 to 45.6% in 2023.
The failure rate rose in 10 Macon County high schools in 2023, with the most significant increase happening at Stephen Decatur Middle School (44.2%).
Data shows that the highest failure rates growths were seen in Christian County (72.5%), Hancock County (73.8%), Cook County (74.1%), White County (74.1%), and Morgan County (76.7%).
Statewide, 39.9% of Illinois students failed the 2023 state English exam, down from 64% in 2019.
The SAT test is administered to Illinois high school sophomores "to fulfill the requirement that students take an assessment for college and career readiness in order to receive a regular high school diploma."
| High School | # of Students | Failing % in 2021 | Failing % in 2022 | Failing % in 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robertson Charter School | 195 | 47.9% | 65% | 56.4% |
| Argenta-Oreana Elementary School | 182 | 56.5% | 46.5% | 55% |
| Meridian Middle School | 206 | 50.2% | 57.6% | 53.9% |
| Mt. Zion Intermediate School | 529 | 57% | 54.4% | 53.7% |
| Montessori Academy for Peace | 353 | 53.8% | 54% | 52.7% |
| Johns Hill Magnet School | 433 | 46.9% | 51.9% | 52.5% |
| Meridian Elementary School | 183 | 53% | 52.2% | 50.3% |
| Argenta-Oreana Middle School | 196 | 56.4% | 61.1% | 50% |
| Dennis Elementary School | 374 | 49.2% | 45.9% | 48.2% |
| Michael E. Baum Elementary School | 139 | 52.5% | 48% | 48.2% |
| Maroa-Forsyth Grade School | 279 | 53.4% | 47.4% | 45.1% |
| Stephen Decatur Middle School | 434 | 42.3% | 31.9% | 44.2% |
| Mt. Zion Junior High School | 388 | 53.4% | 53% | 43.9% |
| Mt. Zion Elementary School | 167 | 46.4% | 43.4% | 42.6% |
| Muffley Elementary School | 212 | 46% | 41.1% | 42.5% |
| South Shores Elementary School | 177 | 37.9% | 37.6% | 42.4% |
| American Dreamer STEM Academy | 248 | 41.7% | 37.4% | 41.1% |
| Franklin Grove Elementary School | 246 | 26.5% | 34.4% | 40.2% |
| Warrensburg-Latham Middle School | 227 | 56.5% | 56.4% | 39.2% |
| Parsons Accelerated School | 220 | 45.2% | 37.8% | 39.1% |
| Warrensburg-Latham Elementary School | 174 | 58.3% | 41.7% | 39.1% |
| Maroa-Forsyth Middle School | 252 | 53.2% | 47.3% | 34.5% |
| Hope Academy | 306 | 28.9% | 26.4% | 25.5% |
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