South Central Reporter

In the 2023-24 school year, 48.7% of Southwestern Community Unit School District 9 students failed the ELA 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 ELA portion of the IAR compared to the 51.3% who did.

The total number Southwestern Community Unit School District 9 students who failed their ELA assessments fell by 4.2% from the previous school year.

Southwestern Community Unit School District 9 roughly covers schools within Macoupin County and has a main office in Brighton.

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. 

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 (%)
Southwestern Middle School	Southwestern Community Unit School District 9	62.7%
Shipman Elementary School	Southwestern Community Unit School District 9	48.7%
Medora Intermediate School	Southwestern Community Unit School District 9	34%