East Central Reporter

Test results show 22.4% of Coles County students passed the English portion of the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) test in the 2021-22 school year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

The number of Coles County students who succeeded rose by 4.7% compared to the previous school year.

Woodford County County had the highest success rate across the state, with 52.1% of its students passing the English portion of the IAR. Schools in Pulaski County County, on the other hand, performed the worst, with 92.7% of students failing to meet test requirements.

The IAR measures how well students in grades 3-8 are progressing in meeting the English Language Arts and Mathematics standards set by Illinois.

Based on their reading scores on the NAEP, public school students from Illinois managed to stay relatively on par with the national level, according to the National Center for Education and Statistics.

Assessment participation rates in 2023 are at or above the 95% testing threshold, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

School	Students who met standards (%)	Students who exceed standards (%)	Total enrollment
Arland D. Williams Junior Elementary School	29.1%	2.9%	666
Carl Sandburg Elementary School	28.1%	0.6%	529
Mattoon Middle School	21.5%	3.8%	662
Lake Crest Elementary School	21.5%	0%	187
Riddle Elementary School	19.2%	1.2%	614
Charleston Middle School	18.9%	0.8%	386
Jefferson Elementary School	14.8%	0.6%	541
Ashmore Elementary School	13.9%	0%	86