East Central Reporter

In the 2023-24 school year, 33.4% of the students in Stewardson-Strasburg Community Unit School District 5A passed the Math portion of the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR), according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Of the 171 students in Stewardson-Strasburg Community Unit School District 5A who took the Math portion of the test, approximately 57 (33.4%) passed.

The percentage of Stewardson-Strasburg Community Unit School District 5A students who met or exceeded expectations on the IAR increased by 6.7% compared to the previous school year.

Stewardson-Strasburg Community Unit School District 5A roughly covers two schools within Shelby County and has a main office in Strasburg.

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 (%)
Stewardson-Strasburg Elementary School	Stewardson-Strasburg Community Unit School District 5A	32.2%	1.2%