The percentage of District 65 students who met expectations in English Language Arts (ELA) jumped by 8.4 percentage points on the 2024 Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) — the highest gain ever at District 65. In math, there was an increase of 1.3 percentage points.
Despite these gains, only 54% of District 65 students are prepared for the next grade level and likely on track to college and career readiness in ELA. The percentage is 43% for math.
The results also show that wide achievement (or opportunity) gaps persist. For example, 72% of white students met expectations in ELA on the 2024 IAR, compared to 27% of Black students. [1]
This article explains what meeting expectations on the IAR means and provides data showing:
- District 65 students have made steady gains in both ELA and math since the pandemic, and have recouped the “learning loss” due to the pandemic in ELA, and recouped most of the learning loss in math
- High percentages of students are not prepared for the next grade level or for college and career readiness
- Significant achievement (or opportunity) gaps between racial/ethnic groups are continuing
- High percentages of Black and Hispanic students are scoring in the bottom two performance levels, suggesting they need substantial supports
- Lower percentages of eighth graders are meeting expectations in math than third graders, suggesting students are losing ground in math between third and eighth grades
- The growth rates of District 65 students are at about the statewide average
- According to a district report, there are wide variations in achievement and progress among schools
A. Background about the IAR and its measures
The Illinois State Board of Education began administering the IAR in 2019. The test, with one exception, has been administered in the spring of each year. The results for the 2024 IAR were released on Oct. 30.
The test assesses whether students are meeting the Illinois Learning Standards in ELA and math, and it measures how well school districts and communities are doing in preparing students for college and careers. The IAR is Illinois’ annual test administered in compliance with the federal Every Child Succeeds Act. PARCC was the state-mandated test before then.
While PARCC and IAR are different tests, IAR is essentially a shorter test, and the scoring is aligned.
There are five performance levels for the IAR:
• Level 5: Exceeded expectations
• Level 4: Met expectations
• Level 3: Approached expectations
• Level 2: Partially met expectations
• Level 1: Did not yet meet expectations.
ISBE says that students who met or exceeded expectations “have demonstrated readiness for the next grade level/course, and, ultimately, are likely on track for college and careers.” [2]
(When this article says a certain percentage of students met expectations, it includes both those who met and those who exceeded expectations.)
B. District 65 students’ post-pandemic gains exceed the state’s
The chart below, prepared by the RoundTable, shows the percentages of District 65 students and the percentages of students statewide who met expectations in ELA and math on the IAR in 2019 and 2021-2024.
The 2019 IAR was the last test given before the COVID-19 pandemic. The IAR was not given in 2020 due to the pandemic, and the declines shown in 2021 are attributed to the pandemic.
ELA. On the 2024 IAR, 53.5% of District 65’s students met expectations in ELA, up 8.6 percentage points from the prior year. District 65 students also scored significantly higher on the 2024 IAR than on the 2019 IAR (the pre-pandemic test).
Using this as the measure, District 65 students have recouped the learning lost in ELA due to the pandemic. [3]
Students in the state also showed significant gains on the 2024 IAR. The percentage of students in the state who met expectations in ELA on that test jumped by about six percentage points from the prior year. It appears that students statewide have also recouped the learning lost in ELA due to the pandemic.
Math. In math, 42.8% of District 65’s students met or exceeded expectations on the 2024 IAR, up 1.7 percentage points from the prior year. Statewide, the increase was 1.3 percentage points.
While District 65 students and students statewide have made steady gains in math since the 2019 IAR, each group is still below pre-pandemic levels in math. [4]
While 54% of District 65’s students met expectations in ELA in 2024, that means that 46% of the district’s students did not meet expectations in ELA, and are thus not prepared for the next grade level and not on track to college and career readiness in ELA. For math, that percentage is 57%.
C. Post-pandemic gains by subgroups
The charts below, prepared by the RoundTable, show the percentage of District 65’s white, Black, Hispanic, Asian and low-income students who met expectations on the 2019 and 2021–2024 IARs. The data is taken from ISBE’s website.
The data show three key things:
- Between 2019 and 2021, there was a significant decline in the percentage of students who met expectations in ELA and math due to the COVID pandemic. Since 2021, there have generally been significant increases in the percentages of students who met expectations in ELA, with more modest increases in math.
- Significant achievement (or opportunity) gaps persist. The percentages of Black, Hispanic and low-income students who met expectations in ELA and math are well below the percentages of white and Asian students who met expectations. For example, 27% of Black students met expectations in ELA on the 2024 IAR, compared with 73% of white students.
- Very high percentages of Black and Hispanic students are not prepared for the next grade level and not on track to college and career readiness. For example, results on the 2024 IAR show that 27% of Black students met expectations in ELA, meaning that 73% did not meet expectations — and are thus not prepared for the next grade level or on track for college and career readiness in ELA.
D. Longer-term trends since 2015
The charts below, prepared by the RoundTable, show the percentage of white, Hispanic, Black and low-income students who met or exceeded expectations in ELA and math on the PARCC test for the years 2015 through 2018 and on the IAR test in 2019 and 2021 through 2024.
ELA: The top chart shows there were significant fluctuations due to the pandemic, and that white students are at about the same level in 2024 as in 2015. Black and Hispanic students scored significantly higher in 2024 than in 2015 — mostly due to the big jump in 2024.
Math: On the math portion of the test, there have also been significant fluctuations between 2015 and 2024. In 2024, white students scored lower than in 2015. Black and Hispanic students are at about the same level as in 2015.
E. Performance in three lower achievement levels
The charts below, prepared by the RoundTable, show the percentages of District 65 students who scored in each of the bottom three performance levels in ELA and math on the 2024 IAR.
Among other things, the charts show that very high percentages of Black, Hispanic and low-income students scored in the bottom two performance levels, meaning that they have not yet “approached” meeting learning standards for their grade level.
For example, 51% of Black students fall into the bottom two performance levels in ELA; and 38% of Hispanic students fall into the bottom two performance levels.
The percentages of Black and Hispanic students who fall into the bottom two categories are higher for math: 61% of Black students, and 46% of Hispanic students.
Students who fall into the bottom two categories may need supports.
F. Decline between third and eighth grades
The charts below, prepared by the RoundTable, show that a higher percentage of eighth graders met expectations on the 2024 IAR in ELA than third graders. On the math portion, though, a higher percentage of third graders met expectations than eighth graders — suggesting that students may be losing ground in math between third and eighth grades.
For example:
- For ELA: 61.5% of white third graders met expectations in ELA in 2024, and that percentage increased to 79.1% for eighth graders.
- For math: In contrast, 72% of white third graders met expectations in math in 2024, and the percentage decreased to 63.1% for eighth graders.
Obviously, this is not a same-student cohort analysis, but the pattern (and the long-term trends discussed below) suggests that students may be losing ground in math after third grade.
The charts also show that significant achievement gaps exist between racial/ethnic groups even at third grade. For example,
- In ELA, 62% of white third graders met expectations in third grade, compared to 23% of Black third graders.
- In math, 72% of white third graders met expectations, compared to 21% of Black third graders.
The line charts below, prepared by the RoundTable, show the percentage of all third and eighth graders who met expectations in ELA and math between 2015 and 2024.
- For ELA, the trend line from 2015 through 2023 shows that the percentage of third graders who met expectations was higher than eighth graders. Then for the first time in 2024, the percentage of eighth graders meeting standards was higher than third graders.
- For math, however, the trend from 2015 through 2024 has been constant: the percentage of students meeting standards dropped between third and eighth grades. For example, on the 2024 IAR, 50.8% of third graders met standards in math, but the percentage dropped to 41.3% for eighth graders.
The trend line suggests that students may be losing ground in math between third and eighth grades.
G. Growth percentiles are average
IAR provides growth percentiles that show the growth of students relative to the growth of other students in the state who had a similar scale score in the preceding school year(s).
A growth percentile score may range from 1 to 99, with higher numbers representing higher growth and lower numbers representing lower growth.
ISBE says a student growth percentile of 50 means the student is in the 50th percentile: 50% of students had less gain in scores over time, and 50% had a greater gain in scores over time. A score of 50 represents typical (or average) growth.
On the 2024 IAR, the growth percentile of all students in District 65 in ELA was 50.4. In math, it was 48.8. Thus, District 65 students had about the same growth as other students in the state.
The chart below, prepared by the RoundTable, shows the growth percentile of District 65 students, by subgroup, in ELA and Math on the 2024 IAR. The growth percentiles of white and Hispanic students are close to the state average. The growth percentile of Asian students is slightly above the state average. The growth percentile of Black students is slightly lower.
H. District 65’s report highlights differences in achievement by school
On Nov. 4, Donna Cross, the district’s executive eirector of research, accountability, assessment and data, and Cindy Gonzalez, performance management and assessment analyst, presented an “IAR Performance Level Summary” to the school board.
Among other things, the report shows the percentage of students who met expectations on the IAR by school and progress made between 2022 and 2024.
The table below, prepared by the RoundTable, summarizes data contained in the report and shows the percentage of students in each school who met standards in ELA and math on the 2024 IAR, together with the change (i.e., the increase or decrease) in the percentage who met expectations at each school in 2024 compared to 2022.
There are wide variations among the schools. For example, at Haven Middle School, the percentage of students who met standards in ELA increased by 30.4 percentage points between 2022 and 2024. At Lincoln Elementary School, the percentage declined by 4.7%.
The district’s report also summarizes the test results at each school, as follows.
ELA: “In nearly all of our schools the percentage of Black and Multi-racial students achieving performance levels 4 or 5 has improved. Although the overall counts for Black and Multi-racial students remain low, these incremental gains are important to acknowledge and build upon.
“Similarly, Hispanic students have shown improvements in all but three schools—Lincolnwood, Willard, and Kingsley—despite also having low overall numbers. In contrast, White students are trending downward in four schools: Dewey, Lincoln, Walker, and Washington.
“These patterns highlight the importance of continuing to focus on equity and targeted support for all student groups, ensuring that even small improvements are recognized and further enhanced.”
Math: “There have been mixed results in math performance across different student groups. For Black students in the four schools—Nichols, Dewey, Orrington, and Willard – there’s a positive upward trend in the number achieving performance levels 4 or 5 over three years, despite low actual counts. This indicates a consistent improvement in this demographic.
“On the other hand, Hispanic students in nine schools generally showed an increase, but Dewey experienced a drop of 6.1 points in SY23 before recovering to 41.7% in SY24, matching their SY22 performance. However, five schools—Lincolnwood, Walker, Willard, Kingsley, and Rhodes – saw declines in Hispanic students reaching performance levels 4 or 5, which is concerning.
“For White and multi-racial students, the situation appears less favorable, with seven schools reporting declines in their performance levels in math. This suggests a need for targeted interventions to support these groups.
“Overall, while some groups are showing improvement, others are struggling, highlighting the need for continued focus on equity in educational outcomes across all student demographics.”
I. Impact of income
Extensive research shows there is a correlation between household income and standardized test scores, and that income levels impact the opportunities that a student has. [5]
In a 2013 essay titled “No Rich Child Left Behind,” education researcher Sean Reardon noted that a household’s degree of wealth and the opportunities it affords may make a significant difference. He said, “The rich now outperform the middle class by as much as the middle class outperform the poor.”
A 2020 report prepared by a task force of the California University Academic Council said, “Enormous differences in income and wealth along lines of race mean that parents have very different resources to invest in their children to prepare them for college. Among these material resources are private schools, tutoring, extracurricular classes, sports teams, educational materials (including test prep), and educational experiences like travel. And the differences in these expenditures have been growing over time, widening the expenditure and opportunity gaps between URMs [underrepresented minorities] and others.”
A 2023 report prepared by Raj Chetty and colleagues at Opportunity Insights, based at Harvard University, presented data showing how students from households at 16 different income levels scored on the ACT. For example, 64% of the students from households with an income in the top 95% in the nation scored a 22 or higher on the ACT; 19% of the students from households with incomes in the 40-50% range scored a 22 or higher; and only 8% of the students from households with incomes in the 20-30% range scored a 22 or higher. See Appendix Table 4.
According to District 65’s report card posted by ISBE, 40% of the district’s students are from low-income households, as measured by eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch. The district does not regularly report income status by race/ethnicity.
The most recent data available to the RoundTable shows that 70% of Black students attending District 65 in 2017 qualified for free lunch, and an additional 6% qualified for reduced-price lunch, for a combined total of 76%. By comparison, 6% of white students qualified for free or reduced lunch.
Several of the above achievement charts show the correlation between the scores of Black students and students from low-income households. At least one cause of the achievement gap may be the difference in opportunity provided to students from low-income households and those from higher-income households.
On Oct. 31, at 8:55 a.m., the Roundtable asked Superintendent Angel Turner, Assistant Superintendent Stacy Beardsley, David Wartkowski, Shyla Kinhal, Hannah Dillow and Melissa Messenger in an email to comment on the increases in the percentages of District 65 students meeting expectations in ELA and math on the 2024 IAR, and to provide their view on why the District had such a significant increase in ELA. The RoundTable also provided them with digital copies of two charts contained in this article, which contain multi-year data by race/ethnicity, and asked if they would comment on the data, or trends, or why the gaps continue. The Roundtable also asked that they provide their comments by noon on Nov. 4. On Oct. 31, Hannah Dillow told the RoundTable they would try to respond by that time. No one responded.
Footnotes
[1] Educational Opportunities. In a nationwide study published in September 2019, Sean Reardon, Professor of Poverty and Inequality in Education at Stanford University, and his co-authors say, “We examine racial test score gaps because they reflect racial differences in access to educational opportunities.
“By ‘educational opportunities,’ we mean all experiences in a child’s life, from birth onward, that provide opportunities for her to learn, including experiences in children’s homes, childcare settings, neighborhoods, peer groups, and their schools. This implies that test score gaps may result from unequal opportunities either in or out of school; they are not necessarily the result of differences in school quality, resources, or experiences.”
In that spirit, the scores reported in this article measure how well School District 65 and the Evanston community as a whole are providing equitable opportunities to the children in Evanston.
[2] Corresponding Percentile Ranks on IAR and NAEP. In 2019, before the pandemic, the benchmark scores to meet expectations on the IAR corresponded to the 62nd percentile in ELA, and to the 68th percentile in math. So, in that year, about 38% of the students in the state met standards in ELA and 32% in math. While these percentages may seem low, they are comparable to the percentages of Illinois students who met the “proficiency” level on the 2019 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP, the nation’s report card).
In 2019, about 35% of the fourth and eighth graders in Illinois met the proficiency level in ELA on NAEP test, and about 36% met that level in math.
[3] COVID impact: One way that has been used to measure the impact of the COVID pandemic on student learning is to compare how District 65 students did on the 2019 IAR test, and how they did on the 2021–2024 IAR tests.
The 2019 IAR was administered before the outbreak of the pandemic. But because of the pandemic, IAR was not administered in 2020. District 65 was closed for in-person learning during the 2020-21 school year until Feb. 16, 2021, when a limited number of students were permitted to return for in-person learning for a partial or full day. Students who needed supports were given a priority. The 2021 IAR was given to only 46% of the district’s third- through eighth graders — those who had returned for in-person learning, many of whom needed supports. It is unclear if that group of students was a representative sample of all of the district’s third through eighth graders.
District 65 was open for in-person learning for the entire 2021-22 school year.
[4] National Study re Learning Loss. As of January 2024, School District 65 students lagged behind students in other school districts in recovering the learning lost in math during the COVID pandemic, according to a special report published by the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University and the Education Opportunity Project at Stanford University.
In 2019, District 65 students on average scored 1.851 grade levels above the national average in math. Four years later in 2023, District 65 students on average scored only 0.903 grade levels above the national average, a drop of almost a full grade level, according to the Harvard/Stanford study.
The decline in math for District 65 students is significantly more than the average drop of students in Illinois and the average drop of students in about 7,500 other school districts in the study. Between 2019 and 2023, the average decline of students in Illinois school districts was -0.2 grade levels in math, and on a more national basis it was -0.36 grade levels, according to the Harvard/Stanford study.
[4] Better predictors. Several recent studies found that standardized tests are better predictors than high school grade point averages (GPAs). A study conducted by the Task Force of California University Academic Council found that “standardized test scores aid in predicting important aspects of student success, including undergraduate grade point average (UGPA), retention, and completion. At [University of California], test scores are currently better predictors of first-year GPA than high school grade point average (HSGPA), and about as good at predicting first-year retention, UGPA, and graduation.”
The Task Force also found, “In fact, test scores are better predictors of success for students who are Underrepresented Minority students (URMs), who are first-generation, or whose families are low-income.”
The Task Force added, “California high schools vary greatly in grading standards, and that grade inflation is part of why the predictive power of HSGPA has decreased since the last UC study.”
At page 83, the Task Force considered studies about whether there was bias in the SAT and said, “So, in three of four cases (math for both racial/ethnic comparisons and verbal for Latino/white comparisons) no evidence of racial bias emerges. In the fourth case, black/white comparison on the SAT verbal test, some evidence of bias exists, but the bias is against white students on some questions against black students in other cases. Furthermore, our analysis of the results suggests that for this one, the effects are far too small to explain much of the SAT gap in test scores between black and white students.”
A 2023 report prepared by Raj Chetty and colleagues at Opportunity Insights based at Harvard University The report, at p. 45, also concluded, “Students with higher SAT/ACT scores have substantially better post-college outcomes,” and “SAT and ACT scores “remain strongly predictive of outcomes” after college.
Analysis: Some good news on District 65 test results, but big gaps in achievement persist is from Evanston RoundTable, Evanston's most trusted source for unbiased, in-depth journalism.