South Central Reporter

Results are in and 70.4% of Marion 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 Marion County rose by 2.2% 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
Patoka Elementary School	93.5%	62
Sandoval Elementary School	92.3%	91
Odin Attendance Center K-8	90.6%	85
Patoka Junior High School	89.2%	37
Sandoval Junior High School	88.7%	97
Jordan Elementary School	85.1%	114
Kell Grade School	82.2%	45
Centralia Junior High School	80.7%	586
South Central Elementary-Kinmundy School	76.6%	128
South Central Middle School	74.2%	128
Hawthorn Elementary School	71%	93
Selmaville Elementary School	71%	155
Central City Elementary School	68%	219
Raccoon Consolidated Elementary School	62.5%	144
Iuka Community Consolidated School	46.2%	143
Franklin Park Middle School	46.1%	501