Chief Education Officer Jason Helfer (2023) | Illinois State Board of education
Chief Education Officer Jason Helfer (2023) | Illinois State Board of education
That's according to a Chambana Sun analysis of test score data compiled by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).
ISBE reports that last year, 50.7% of Ford County's 1,093 public high school students failed the ELA portion of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and have "minimal (or) incomplete… understanding of the knowledge and skills relative to Illinois Learning Standards."
Students can achieve four proficiencies in their subjects (partially met, approaching, meets, and exceeds standards). This report concludes students who partially met or approached the standards have failed in the subject.
Clara Peterson Elementary School (56.5%), Paxton-Buckley-Loda Junior High School (54.7%) and Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley Elementary School (53.4%) had the highest failure rates in Ford County. Meanwhile, Tri-Point Junior High/Elementary (48.2%) and Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley Middle School (36.6%) had the lowest.
Countywide, English test failure rates fell from 56.1% in 2021 to 50.7% in 2023.
The failure rate rose in one Ford County high school in 2023, with the most significant increase happening at Tri Point Elementary School (52.6%).
Data shows that the highest failure rates growths were seen in Christian County (72.5%), Hancock County (73.8%), Cook County (74.1%), White County (74.1%), and Morgan County (76.7%).
Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley Elementary School and Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley Middle School were the Ford County high schools to see improvements between 2021 and 2023.
Statewide, 39.9% of Illinois students failed the 2023 state English exam, down from 64% in 2019.
The SAT test is administered to Illinois high school sophomores "to fulfill the requirement that students take an assessment for college and career readiness in order to receive a regular high school diploma."
| High School | # of Students | Failing % in 2021 | Failing % in 2022 | Failing % in 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clara Peterson Elementary School | 278 | 58% | 60.9% | 56.5% |
| Paxton-Buckley-Loda Junior High School | 263 | 55.7% | 59.1% | 54.7% |
| Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley Elementary School | 195 | 61% | 53.8% | 53.4% |
| Tri Point Elementary School | 19 | 63.2% | 39.3% | 52.6% |
| Tri-Point Junior High/Elementary | 133 | 60.2% | 61.1% | 48.2% |
| Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley Middle School | 205 | 45.5% | 37.8% | 36.6% |
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