Kankakee Times

Nearly 5 in 10 Iroquois 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 Kankakee Times analysis of test score data compiled by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).

ISBE reports that last year, 48.1% of Iroquois County's 1,439 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.

Cissna Park Elementary School (58.7%), John L. Nash Middle School (57.8%) and Milford Grade School West Campus (54.6%) had the highest failure rates in Iroquois County. Meanwhile, Crescent City Grade School (32.6%) and Iroquois West Elementary School/Gilman (24.6%) had the lowest.

Of 12 Iroquois County high schools, seven, including Chebanse Elementary School, Iroquois West Elementary School/Thawville, and Cissna Park Junior High School had passing rates of more than 50%.

Countywide, English test failure rates fell from 53.3% in 2021 to 48.1% in 2023.

The failure rate rose in two Iroquois County high schools in 2023, with the most significant increase happening at Cissna Park Elementary School (58.7%).

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%).

Chebanse Elementary School, Iroquois West Elementary School/Thawville, and Watseka Junior High School were the Iroquois County high schools to see 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
Cissna Park Elementary School	63	48.1%	50%	58.7%
John L. Nash Middle School	277	59.7%	60.1%	57.8%
Milford Grade School West Campus	198	54.3%	60%	54.6%
Iroquois West Middle School	195	58.6%	63.7%	53.9%
Donovan Elementary School	59	58.3%	50%	52.6%
Chebanse Elementary School	122	59.7%	49.7%	48.4%
Iroquois West Elementary School/Thawville	126	59.3%	52.4%	43.7%
Cissna Park Junior High School	53	43.4%	51.7%	41.5%
Donovan Junior High School	56	37.7%	45.6%	35.7%
Watseka Junior High School	194	47.4%	45.7%	35%
Crescent City Grade School	43	47%	54.8%	32.6%
Iroquois West Elementary School/Gilman	53	31.3%	41.2%	24.6%