Jason Helfer Chief Education Officer - Instruction | Twitter
Jason Helfer Chief Education Officer - Instruction | Twitter
Of the 1,198 students in Highland Community Unit School District 5 who took the ELA portion of the test, approximately 591 (49.3%) passed.
The percentage of Highland Community Unit School District 5 students who met or exceeded expectations on the IAR increased by 5.3% compared to the previous school year.
Highland Community Unit School District 5 roughly covers six schools within Madison County and has a main office in Highland.
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 met standards (%) | Students who exceed standards (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grantfork Upper Elementary School | Highland Community Unit School District 5 | 62.7% | 11.8% |
| Highland Elementary School | Highland Community Unit School District 5 | 35% | 2.8% |
| Alhambra Primary School | Highland Community Unit School District 5 | 33.3% | 2.1% |
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