In school districts reported on by West Central Reporter, passing grades in English and math studies fell across the board. Results for the three largest districts in the West Central Reporter coverage area that saw decreases are below, with further details about each school district found in the table below.
In Jacksonville School District 117, the results fell the furthest among students studying English. In 2019, 70.7 percent of students failed English. The latest district results showed 77.7 percent of Jacksonville School District 117 students failed English in 2021.
Students in Macomb Community Unit School District 185 fared the worst in English, with the number of students who failed rising from 68 percent in 2019 to 75.6 percent in 2021.
Beardstown Community Unit School District 15 saw failing rates rise the most in English, from 89.8 percent in 2019 to 96.9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A-C Central Community Unit School District 262 | 85.3% | 91.5% | 76.7% | 84.3% |
| Beardstown Community Unit School District 15 | 92.3% | 97.5% | 89.8% | 96.9% |
| Brown County Community Unit School District 1 | 80.4% | 76.6% | 68.1% | 73.3% |
| Brussels Community Unit School District 42 | 66.7% | 82.3% | 61.2% | 73.6% |
| Bushnell Prairie City Community Unit School District 170 | 90.3% | 90.3% | 84.6% | 81.6% |
| Calhoun Community Unit School District 40 | 61.7% | 75.6% | 60% | 73.2% |
| Carrollton Community Unit School District 1 | 77.7% | 69.5% | 77.8% | 71.6% |
| Carthage Elementary School District 317 | 66.2% | 82.6% | 46.2% | 64.9% |
| Dallas Elementary School District 327 | 81.6% | 87.8% | 76.5% | 80.9% |
| Franklin Community Unit School District 1 | 78.3% | 89.1% | 59.8% | 71.9% |
| Greenfield Community Unit School District 10 | 70.3% | 84% | 68.6% | 76.3% |
| Griggsville-Perry Community Unit School District 4 | 82% | 89.5% | 73.6% | 84.5% |
| Hamilton Community Consolidated School District 328 | 65.5% | 65.5% | 49.3% | 61.3% |
| Jacksonville School District 117 | 77.1% | 80.2% | 70.7% | 77.7% |
| La Harpe Community School District 347 | 80% | 80.8% | 77.6% | 84% |
| Macomb Community Unit School District 185 | 75.9% | 82.1% | 68% | 75.6% |
| Meredosia-Chambersburg Community Unit School District 11 | 92.6% | 95% | 87.7% | 87.8% |
| Nauvoo-Colusa Community Unit School District 325 | 84.4% | 86.5% | 75.1% | 67.9% |
| North Greene Unit School District 3 | 75.5% | 85.6% | 66.4% | 77.8% |
| Pikeland Community Unit School District 10 | 87.8% | 89.7% | 65.8% | 82.8% |
| Pleasant Hill Community Unit School District 3 | 92.5% | 100% | 84.9% | 87.4% |
| Schuyler-Industry Community Unit School District 5 | 78.6% | 87.9% | 75.3% | 87.8% |
| Scott-Morgan Consolidated Unit School District 2 | 78.3% | 78.6% | 77.4% | 75.3% |
| Southeastern Community Unit School District 337 | 70.9% | 78.8% | 57.2% | 70.9% |
| Triopia Community Unit School District 27 | 53.8% | 63.1% | 62% | 73.2% |
| Virginia Community Unit School District 64 | 69.4% | 67.2% | 65.3% | 62.1% |
| Warsaw Community Unit School District 316 | 70.1% | 84.5% | 62.6% | 91.3% |
| Waverly Community Unit School District 6 | 75.2% | 84.1% | 65.4% | 82.3% |
| West Prairie Community Unit School District 103 | 83.5% | 79.8% | 68.8% | 77.8% |
| Western Community Unit School District 12 | 79.7% | 83% | 69.9% | 71.3% |
| Winchester Community Unit School District 1 | 68.8% | 69.6% | 65% | 67.3% |
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