Illinois Valley Times

Results are in and 66.9% of Grundy County students failed the ELA portion of the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) test in the 2021-22 school year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

The number of students who failed their ELA assessment in Grundy County rose by 21.1% compared to the previous school year.

In comparison, schools in Pulaski County fared the worst among all Illinois counties, with 92.7% of students failing to meet test requirements.

At the other end of the spectrum, Piatt County had the highest success rate across the state, with 49.4% of its students passing the ELA portion of the IAR.

The IAR measures how well students in grades 3-8 are progressing in meeting the English Language Arts and Mathematics standards set by the state.

Based on their reading scores on the NAEP, public school students from Illinois managed to stay relatively on par with the national level, according to the National Center for Education and Statistics.

Assessment participation rates in 2023 are at or above the 95% testing threshold, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

School	Students who did not meet standards (%)	Total students tested
Braceville Elementary School	94.4%	72
White Oak Elementary	88%	349
Coal City Elementary School	80.3%	132
Shabbona Middle School	79.1%	339
Minooka Junior High School	77.4%	1,047
Mazon-Verona-Kinsman Middle School	76.8%	125
Gardner Elementary School	76.3%	97
Aux Sable Elementary School	76%	258
Minooka Intermediate School	71.2%	1,015
Mazon-Verona-Kinsman Elementary School	69.7%	66
Minooka Elementary School	69.4%	216
Jones Elementary School	68.2%	236
South Wilmington Grade School	67.9%	53
Nettle Creek Elementary School	61.3%	62
Walnut Trails Elementary School	57%	221
Saratoga Elementary School	47.1%	454
Coal City Intermediate School	39.9%	308
Coal City Middle School	32.5%	480