Report Card

This is not currently measured, but a state working group is in the process of developing recommendations on an approach to measuring preschoolers' cognitive, social, emotional, physical, and developmental.

Percentage of at-risk children with access to home visiting programs, including Early Head Start and IDHS Child and Adolescent Health. 20% of Illinois children under the age of 3 are considered 'at risk'. Source: Illinois Early Childhood Asset Map. 2009. Source

This includes Illinois Pre-K and Head Start (excludes Special Ed). For this indicator and indicator #12, the “equity gap” represents a demographic breakdown of both 3 and 4 year olds in Illinois Preschool for All and Head Start programs. Source: National Institute for Early Education Research. The state of preschool 2009. Source. Source for equity gap data (Preschool for All): Illinois State Board of Education. 2009. Source for equity gap data (Head Start): Center for Law and Social Policy. Illinois Head Start by the Numbers. 2009. Source

Early childhood bilingual education data is collected by the state, and should be available in the future. Currently, there is not accurate information about how many early childhood bilingual students have access to bilingual instructors and/or instruction.

Illinois ties with 10 other states in which 100% of early years educators are qualified with a B.A. or higher. Data is unavailable for nine states. Although this metric refers to academic qualifications, a measure of the impact that educators have on child development would be preferable, but does not exist. Source: National Institute for Early Education Research. The state of preschool 2009. Source

State-reported minimum number of hours per day for half-day programs. Illinois ties with eight other states. Source: National Institute for Early Education Research. The state of preschool 2009. Source

Percent of 1, 2, and 3 year olds who have been screened for motor, language, and social development, an important tool for catching developmental problems early. Source: Illinois Department of Health and Family Services. 2010. Source

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Low income defined as 'eligible for free/reduced price school lunch'. Source: National Center for Education Statistics. The nation's report card: Reading 2009. Source

Source: National Center for Education Statistics. The nation's report card: Reading 2009. Source

Students who take and master Algebra in the 8th grade do better in high school and beyond. The data here is based on a one time report of 8th graders taking advanced Math, including Algebra 1-2 and Geometry. Data on student mastery would be preferable. Source: The Brown Center on Education Policy (Brookings Institute). The Misplaced Math Student: Lost in Eighth-Grade Algebra. 2008.

Calculated using the widely accepted Cumulative Promotion Index method. See www.advanceillinois.org/reportcard for more details. Source: Education Week, Education Counts Reference Center. 2007. Source

Percent of students meeting ACT college readiness benchmarks in all four subjects. (For information on the benchmarks, reference Source). This excludes states with less than 50% student participation in ACT tests. Illinois is the top scoring state (out of five) that requires all students to take the exam. Source: American College Testing. 2009. Source (for Illinois' results); Source (to compare Illinois with other states).

Illinois is one of a small number of states with 100% participation, making cross-state comparisons unreliable. Source: School Data for All. 2009. Link here.

Students who take advanced coursework in high school do better in college. This metric tracks students scoring 3 or higher on AP exams, in addition to students submitted for the International Baccalaureate. Source: CollegeBoard. The 6th Annual AP Report to the Nation. 2010. Source

Teachers who teach “in field” – that is, teach in the content area in which they are certified and have expertise – have greater impact. This metric notes the percentage of secondary school students taught by a teacher with an undergraduate or graduate degree in the subject they are teaching. Source: Measuring Up. 2008. Source

Amount of time on task – especially for at-risk students – may impact achievement. This metric looks at the minimum required hours and days in each state. Source: Education Commission of the States. Number of Instructional Days/Hours in the School Year. 2008. Source

School climate metrics are related to student achievement and growth. The TeLL survey we use here is not taken in all states, and Illinois administered it to an unrepresentative sample of districts in 2005. This makes state comparisons unreliable, and underscores the need for more rigorous and reliable state-level data in this area. Source: New Teacher Center. Illinois Teaching, Learning and Leading Survey: Final Report. 2008. Source

School climate metrics are related to student achievement and growth. The TeLL survey we use here is not taken in all states, and Illinois administered it to an unrepresentative sample of districts in 2005. This makes state comparisons unreliable, and underscores the need for more rigorous and reliable state-level data in this area. Source: New Teacher Center. Illinois Teaching, Learning and Leading Survey: Final Report. 2008. Source

School climate metrics are related to student achievement and growth. The TeLL survey we use here is not taken in all states, and Illinois administered it to an unrepresentative sample of districts in 2005. This makes state comparisons unreliable, and underscores the need for more rigorous and reliable state-level data in this area. Source: New Teacher Center. Illinois Teaching, Learning and Leading Survey: Final Report. 2008. Source

School climate metrics are related to student achievement and growth. The TeLL survey we use here is not taken in all states, and Illinois administered it to an unrepresentative sample of districts in 2005. This makes state comparisons unreliable, and underscores the need for more rigorous and reliable state-level data in this area. Source: New Teacher Center. Illinois Teaching, Learning and Leading Survey: Final Report. 2008. Source

Chronic truants are more likely to drop out, as average attendance at school does not provide a clear student picture. (Source: U.S. Department of Education. Truancy: A Serious Problem for Schools, Students and Society. 2001. Source) This measures students who were absent from school without valid cause for 18 or more of the last 180 school days (greater than 10%). Indeed, tracking students who miss 5% of school days in a year identifies students who are at-risk of dropping out, but the state does not collect this data. Source: Interactive Illinois Report Card. 2009. Source

Systems are currently being developed that will give us a clearer picture of how much students are learning from year to year, going beyond a simple snapshot to a richer picture of the system's effectiveness.

Source: National Center for Higher Education Management Systems. 2007. Source

Ultimately, the educational attainment of our population must improve if we are to remain economically competitive. Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

North Dakota and Wyoming are leading states, but were excluded due to small size. This measure has limited comparability across time because institutions report at different rates: Source: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). 2008. Source here.

North Dakota and Wyoming are leading states, but were excluded due to small size. This measure has limited comparability across time because institutions report at different rates: Source: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). 2008. Source here.

This includes need-based grant assistance available from the state and individual institutions. Source: NCES, IPEDS Enrollment Survey. 2008. Source

Nationally, 64% of students graduate from 4-year institutions in 6 years. This measures which institutions in Illinois come close to matching the national average, keeping in mind that some institutions serve disproportionately high-need populations. Due to gaps in 2-year prior data, data is not directly comparable. Source: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. 2008. Link here.

Nationally, 64% of students graduate from 4-year institutions in 6 years. This measures which institutions in Illinois come close to matching the national average, keeping in mind that some institutions serve disproportionately high-need populations. Due to gaps in 2-year prior data, data is not directly comparable. Source: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. 2008. Link here.

For comparability, this ranking excludes all states with a freshmen population less than10% that of Illinois. Source: National Center for Higher Education Management Systems. NCES, IPEDS Enrollment Survey. 2008. Link here.

For comparability, this ranking excludes all states with a freshmen population less than10% that of Illinois. Source: National Center for Higher Education Management Systems. NCES, IPEDS Enrollment Survey. 2008. Link here.