In school districts reported on by Illinois Valley Times, passing grades in English and math studies fell across the board. Results for the three largest districts in the Illinois Valley Times coverage area that saw decreases are below, with further details about each school district found in the table below.
In Coal City Community Unit School District 1, the results fell the furthest among students studying English. In 2019, 38.8 percent of students failed English. The latest district results showed 47 percent of Coal City Community Unit School District 1 students failed English in 2021.
Students in Ottawa Elementary School District 141 fared the worst in math, with the number of students who failed rising from 73.5 percent in 2019 to 83.3 percent in 2021.
Streator Elementary School District 44 saw failing rates rise the most in math, from 78.9 percent in 2019 to 91.3 percent in 2021.
Illinois students are rated on a proficiency scale, rather than a zero to 100 system. Students who did not meet, partially met, or approached their proficiency goals are considered to have failed.
The COVID-19 had “devastating” impacts on student learning, according to a report from the Brookings Institute.
“These numbers are alarming and potentially demoralizing, especially given the heroic efforts of students to learn and educators to teach in incredibly trying times,” the report said. “There is much work to be done, and the challenges for students, educators, and parents are considerable.”
A report from Illinois Policy found while all students were affected by the pandemic, low-income and minority students saw the biggest losses in their proficiency scores.
“Among low-income high school juniors in 2021, under 16 percent scored at proficiency level in reading and fewer than 13 percent were proficient in math. This represents a nearly 15 percent and 25 percent overall proficiency decline since 2019 in each subject. Comparatively, proficiency scores in reading and math for higher-income juniors dropped around 11 percent and 16 percent, respectively.
“By the end of the 2021 school year, higher-income juniors were almost three times more likely to be proficient than low-income students.”
There are many lingering effects of students learning less due to disruptions caused by COVID-19. A McKinsey report found K-12 students were “on average five months behind in mathematics and four months behind in reading by the end of school year.”
The switch to remote learning, where students would attend classes virtually using their laptops instead of being in the classroom, was often pinpointed in reports as the biggest reason for diminishing student proficiency.
Classrooms across the U.S. moved to remote learning when the pandemic began in early 2020. However, an Inside Higher Ed investigation found it was never designed to be the long-term solution it became.
“Students talked a lot about really missing being in person with their classmates…and having those spontaneous, organic conversations and relationships,” Rayane Alamuddin of Ithaka S+R consulting said. “They miss the relationships they make in school because not only does it make them excited about learning and motivate them to stay engaged in school, but they also actually learn a lot more.”
Many school districts have returned to in-class learning, though still with some COVID-19 precautions in place.
| District | 2019 Math Failing Rates | 2021 Math Failing Rates | 2019 English Failing Rates | 2021 English Failing Rates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allen-Otter Creek Community Consolidated School District 65 | 84.6% | 80% | 69.3% | 83.3% |
| Bureau Valley Community Unit School District 340 | 77.8% | 78.6% | 66.1% | 67.1% |
| Coal City Community Unit School District 1 | 51.8% | 51.6% | 38.8% | 47% |
| Community Unit School District 2 | 74.9% | 77.1% | 79.9% | 69.9% |
| Dalzell School District 98 | 51.5% | 67.5% | 37.2% | 27.9% |
| Deer Park Community Consolidated School District 82 | 70.9% | 76.8% | 52.6% | 66.7% |
| Depue Community Unit School District 103 | 90.3% | 97.9% | 72.3% | 82.2% |
| Dimmick Community Consolidated School District 175 | 60.3% | 66.7% | 48.3% | 62.7% |
| Earlville Community Unit School District 9 | 70.5% | 78.9% | 58.2% | 77.5% |
| Grand Ridge Community Consolidated School District 95 | 57.9% | 68.8% | 44.3% | 54.3% |
| La Moille Community Unit School District 303 | 83.5% | 92.8% | 87.6% | 96.4% |
| La Salle Elementary School District 122 | 95.6% | 96.5% | 87.1% | 86.4% |
| Ladd Community Consolidated School District 94 | 74.1% | 88.9% | 66.7% | 83.9% |
| Leland Community Unit School District 1 | 74.8% | 81.7% | 78.2% | 83.5% |
| Lostant Community Unit School District 425 | 65.3% | 70.6% | 45.6% | 67.6% |
| Malden Community Consolidated School District 84 | 79.3% | 81.1% | 69% | 62.1% |
| Marseilles Elementary School District 150 | 81.1% | 86.7% | 80.8% | 87.8% |
| Mendota Community Consolidated School District 289 | 70.1% | 90.3% | 61.1% | 77.8% |
| Miller Township Community Consolidated School District 210 | 72.1% | 71.4% | 48.3% | 59.9% |
| Oglesby Elementary School District 125 | 84.5% | 87.6% | 73.1% | 86.7% |
| Ohio Community Consolidated School District 17 | 55.3% | 73.2% | 57.5% | 68.3% |
| Ottawa Elementary School District 141 | 73.5% | 83.3% | 67.2% | 70.3% |
| Peru Elementary School District 124 | 74.1% | 79.6% | 54.8% | 70.5% |
| Princeton Elementary School District 115 | 76.1% | 79.3% | 62.5% | 69.4% |
| Putnam County Community Unit School District 535 | 78% | 86.4% | 69.6% | 78.6% |
| Seneca Community Consolidated School District 170 | 63.3% | 68.9% | 51% | 61.5% |
| Spring Valley Community Consolidated School District 99 | 76.8% | 93% | 68.2% | 79.1% |
| Streator Elementary School District 44 | 78.9% | 91.3% | 76.6% | 84.7% |
| Tonica Community Consolidated School District 79 | 86.4% | 85% | 79.2% | 77.8% |
| Wallace Community Consolidated School District 195 | 57.3% | 71.8% | 47.4% | 64.2% |
| Waltham Community Consolidated School District 185 | 68% | 71.2% | 45.4% | 46.9% |
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