Updating the previous post on ACT scores… the preliminary results from the ISAT and PSAE tell much the same story. ACT scores were released early Wednesday, and Illinois ranks first among the five states where 90 percent or more students take the test, and scores have grown each year since a dip when it became mandatory. But, improvement is coming in very small increments, with fewer than one in four Illinois graduates ready for college-level work across the subject areas and the state still lagging national averages.

Later on Wednesday, ISBE released preliminary results for the ISAT and PSAE.  ISAT scores reflected modest gains but scores at the high school were troubling.  One thing to keep in mind:  ISAT scores  are useful as growth measures, we don’t yet have a breakdown of the percentage of students who are exceeding standards vs. meeting those standards.   Given the drop in standards in the wake of No Child Left Behind, students who are meeting standards aren’t generally working at a college level.

Of particular note: achievement gaps between whites and non-whites have narrowed or stayed flat, but remain unacceptably high, especially at the high school level.

All this reminds us of the stakes as Illinois gears up to respond to Race to the Top (see next item in the update), and why it’s essential that we develop bold plans to get the most effective teachers and leaders to our most vulnerable students - given that effective teaching is the single most important factor in driving student achievement, and have a highly-effective teacher three years in a row can eliminate student achievement gaps.   It also underscores the need for smart strategies for helping our chronically failing schools.

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE)  published a breakdown of the test scores, which was presented at the board retreat Wednesday. Here’s a link to the presentation.

Coverage of the test scores included The Chicago Tribune (which published two articles, one on the ISAT/PSAE scores and another on the ACT scores), the Peoria Journal-Star, and  the Associated Press.   EdWeek has a look at ACT scores from the national perspective (article access compliments of edweek.org) Here are the press statements from ISBE and the ACT. Here is the ACT’s chart of state scores, which gives a breakdown by subject area.

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