Contact: 
Eucarol Juarez

communications@advanceillinois.org

CHICAGO, IL (October 27, 2022) - Today, the Illinois State Board of Education released its 2022 Illinois Report Card. The results, paired with recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data, confirm the historic and profound impact the events and disruptions of the past two years have had on all students, especially students from low-income households, Black and Latinx students.  What we are seeing in this newest round of data are setbacks that go far beyond normal fluctuations. And while both reports include some good news, the hard reality is that it is going to take significant and sustained support, investment, and effort to ensure all students have what they need to thrive. 

It is good news that freshman on track rates and graduation rates improved over the past year (to 86.6% and 87.3% respectively), and even better news that those increases were driven by gains among students who are Black, Latinx, and from low-income households.  It suggests that schools are working hard to engage and support students, and we applaud them.  But in districts across the state, chronic absenteeism – typically a powerful predictor of later academic success – has risen alarmingly (to 30%), especially among Black (48%), Latinx (36%), and students from low-income households (43%).   Academic proficiency also dropped significantly on the Illinois Assessments of Readiness (IAR) and SAT across demographics, and across the state.  While 2021 results previewed these declines, low participation rates made it hard to draw firm conclusions.  This new 2022 data, coupled with NAEP results, paints a much clearer and troubling picture – that students have been deeply impacted by disrupted and lost instructional time, in addition to broader loss, economic dislocation and trauma. 

It will be tempting to take comfort in the fact that fourth graders held steady in Reading and Math on the 2022 NAEP (something very few states can boast), and that Illinois students beat national averages in Math and Reading at both the fourth and eighth grade levels for the first time. And student growth numbers suggest that for many students, academic learning began rebounding in 2022.  This is better news than we might have expected. But steady NAEP proficiency in fourth grade overall masks the fact that disparities in outcomes grew by race and income, and this widening gap mirrors growing disparities on the IAR and SAT.  Taken together, the data underscores how deeply Illinois students have been impacted, how serious our equity gaps are, and, like other states, that Illinois must maintain efforts to accelerate learning generally, and intensify supports for students of color and from low-income households who have been most impacted by disrupted schooling, community trauma, and loss. 

Finally, it is worth noting that enrollment of recent graduates into postsecondary studies continues to decline, and we have not yet re-engaged all the K-12 students we lost in 2021.  In addition, we await release of the state’s kindergarten readiness data (Kindergarten Individual Development Survey), which will provide a window into how our youngest learners have been affected by pandemic-related declines in early childhood access and opportunity. 

There are indeed some bright spots in the two reports.  We can, will, and should celebrate them, as they underscore the level and impact of renewal work around the state in the wake of once-in-a-century health, safety, economic and social challenges.  But we should not lose sight of the bottom line.  Our students have been impacted in historic ways.  Our response and support – already underway and showing some early promise – must continue to be every bit as powerful and historic. 

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About Advance Illinois  
Advance Illinois is an independent policy and advocacy organization working toward a healthy public education system that enables all students to achieve success in college, career, and civic life. Since its founding in 2008, Advance Illinois has become a nationally recognized thought leader in education policy and advocacy. To learn more, visit advanceillinois.org