West Central Reporter

More than 5 in 10 Greene 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, 53.4% of Greene County's 683 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.

Carrollton Grade School (60.3%) had the highest failure rates in Greene County. Meanwhile, North Greene Junior/Senior High School (36.6%) had the lowest.

Countywide, English test failure rates rose from 52.2% in 2021 to 53.4% in 2023.

The failure rate rose in one Greene County high school in 2023, with the most significant increase happening at North Greene Elementary School (51.6%).

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
Carrollton Grade School	171	57.2%	61%	60.3%
Greenfield Elementary School	175	55.1%	64.1%	60%
North Greene Elementary School	225	46.4%	39%	51.6%
North Greene Junior/Senior High School	112	50.7%	51.6%	36.6%