West Central Reporter

Results are in and 82.8% of Cass County students failed the ELA portion of the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) test in the 2021-22 school year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

The number of students who failed their ELA assessment in Cass County rose by 9.8% compared to the previous school year.

In comparison, schools in Pulaski County fared the worst among all Illinois counties, with 92.7% of students failing to meet test requirements.

At the other end of the spectrum, Piatt County had the highest success rate across the state, with 49.4% of its students passing the ELA portion of the IAR.

The IAR measures how well students in grades 3-8 are progressing in meeting the English Language Arts and Mathematics standards set by the state.

Based on their reading scores on the NAEP, public school students from Illinois managed to stay relatively on par with the national level, according to the National Center for Education and Statistics.

Assessment participation rates in 2023 are at or above the 95% testing threshold, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

School	Students who did not meet standards (%)	Total students tested
Gard Elementary School	95.6%	180
Beardstown Junior/Senior High School	92.4%	368
A-C Central Middle School	81.5%	92
Virginia Elementary School	59.7%	67
Virginia Junior and Senior High School	47.5%	61
A-C Central Elementary School	40.4%	47