In the 2023-24 school year, 75.8% of Putnam County Community Unit School District 535 students failed the math portion of the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) test, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.
These students did not meet the required standards of the math portion of the IAR compared to the 24.2% who did.
The total number Putnam County Community Unit School District 535 students who failed their math assessments grew by 1.8% from the previous school year.
Putnam County Community Unit School District 535 roughly covers schools within Putnam County and has a main office in Granville.
The Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) measures how well students in grades 3-8 are progressing toward state standards in English language arts and mathematics.
Recent IAR data shows that while Illinois students improved slightly in the test, math performance remains below pre-pandemic levels. In 2024, 28.4% of students met math benchmarks, compared to 31.8% in 2019. However, data also indicates a significant achievement gap based on race and ethnicity.Â
The disparities were even more pronounced in math. White students achieved a proficiency rate of 38.7%, while Black students achieved 9.1% and Hispanic students 15.6%. Asian students achieved the highest proficiency rates in both subjects, hitting 68.2% in ELA and 61.4% in math.
| School | District | Students who did not meet met standards (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Putnam County Junior High School | Putnam County Community Unit School District 535 | 83.2% |
| Putnam County Elementary School | Putnam County Community Unit School District 535 | 67.7% |
