West Central Reporter

Nearly 6 in 10 Calhoun County public students aren't at grade level based on their performance in the English portion of the 2023 SAT.

That's according to a West Central Reporter analysis of test score data compiled by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).

ISBE reports that last year, 57.8% of Calhoun County's 249 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.

Of three Calhoun County schools, Calhoun Elementary/Junior High School (59.4%) had the highest failure rate in the county. Meanwhile, Brussels Grade School (41.2%) had the lowest.

Countywide, English test failure rates rose from 57.6% in 2021 to 57.8% in 2023.

The failure rate increased at one Calhoun County high school in 2023, with the most significant increase happening at Calhoun Elementary/Junior High School (59.4%).

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%).

No high schools in the county saw improvements between 2021 and 2023.

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
Calhoun Elementary/Junior High School	219	56.9%	56.7%	59.4%
Brussels High School	13	68.8%	92.3%	53.9%
Brussels Grade School	17	55.6%	65.2%	41.2%