Illinois moves the goalposts on reading, math and science

The return of school has us focused on education, and with that in mind we believe it’s worth weighing in on two major changes in the way the state of Illinois measures proficiency in reading, math and science. First, the scores needed to be considered “proficient” are going down for math and reading. For high schoolers, these scores come from the preACT and the ACT, a test with scores ranging from 1 at the low end to 36 on the high end. Previously, the state used SAT scores to measure high school proficiency, with proficiency standards above the national average.

Now, scoring an 18 in English language arts and a 19 in math on the ACT will count as “proficient” for high school juniors. To put that in perspective: an 18 is below the national average ACT score of 19 — and far below what selective universities such as the University of Illinois expect, where most freshmen scored between 30 and 34. For students in lower grades, the same trend holds true — proficiency scores based on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness for English and math went down, while science went up slightly. Second, it’s about to become a lot more difficult to understand how students are doing. Education reporter Becky Vevea of Chalkbeat hit the nail on the head when she wrote that, “Comparisons to achievement in past years, including to pre-pandemic performance, now will be difficult due to the shifting benchmarks.”

Yes. And while state officials make the case that this was a necessary change, we wonder cynically whether this move was about obfuscating continued declines. The Illinois State Board of Education spun the move this way: “Illinois right-sizes assessment performance levels to give families and educators more accurate data on student success.” But the state’s attempt to “right-size” expectations comes against the backdrop of already troubling results. In 2024, just 30% of fourth graders across Illinois were proficient in reading, according to the Nation’s Report Card.

No matter the reason, the reality is we’re not going to be able to easily measure how well kids are reading and doing math compared with previous school years. That’s a problem when proficiency isn’t where it needs to be. We’re cheering for students and teachers across Illinois this school year. We know life in the classroom is tough for kids and adults alike, and the process of learning is hard work. But it’s worth it — the rewards of being able to read and enjoy great books and perform challenging calculations on your own are great. This knowledge gives kids power and agency, two things they’ll need after graduation. Now is not the time to move the goalposts on test scores. It’s time to get serious about what these scores are telling us — essentially, that many of our kids need our help. Lowering expectations also won’t inspire better outcomes. On the contrary, it risks misleading parents and denying the very students who need help the support they deserve. Under these lowered thresholds, more kids will be considered proficient in reading and math than last year. That’s good for administrators who want to pad their own grades. But it doesn’t serve anyone else.

The point of the tests isn’t just to pass by any means necessary, even if that means making it easier to do so. The point is to be honest with parents and the people tasked with running our schools about how the system is doing.