Illinois schools were on the receiving end of academic scrutiny this week as the Illinois State Board of Education released their yearly Illinois Report Card.
State Superintendent of Education Tony Smith said that though “Report Card indicators mostly held steady….we must make major changes to the way we fund our public schools and fundamentally shift our approach to education.” That is a challenge state lawmakers are currently tackling as the Illinois School Funding Reform Commission continues to meet and discuss school funding in Illinois.
The annual report is an assessment of Illinois schools’ performance, including data on academic progress in areas such as Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) exam performance, graduation rates and college readiness, school finances, dropout rates, class sizes, student and teacher demographics and principal turnover.
Findings showed a stable four-year graduation rate of 86 percent, a dropout rate of 2 percent and an average class size of 21.
The report also determined that approximately 46 percent of students were “college ready,” scoring an ACT score of 21 or higher. Meanwhile, only 33 percent of students met or exceeded performance level on the PARCC.
To view your school or district snapshot, visit http://www.illinoisreportcard.com/.