Dr. David Mouser Superintendent | Official Website
Dr. David Mouser Superintendent | Official Website
That's according to an analysis from McLean County Times of test scores compiled by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).
ISBE reports that in the 2023-24 school year, 64.8% of McLean County's 1,777 public high school students failed the ELA portion of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and have "minimal (or) incomplete understanding of the knowledge and skills relative to Illinois Learning Standards."
Students can achieve four proficiencies in their subjects: partially met, approaching, meets, and exceeds standards. This report concludes students who partially met or approached the standards have failed in the subject.
YBMC Charter School (95.3%), Ridgeview High School (81.3%) and Olympia High School (81%) had the highest failure rates in McLean County in the 2023-24 school year. Meanwhile, Tri-Valley High School (50.7%) and University High School (27.6%) had the lowest.
Countywide, English test failure rates rose from 64.2% in the 2022-23 school year to 64.8% in the 2023-24 school year.
The failure rate rose in five McLean County high schools in the 2023-24 school year, with the most significant increase happening at Olympia High School, where the failure rate rose by 8.8%, reaching 81% overall.
Data shows that the largest growth in failure rates occurred in Vermilion County, which increased by 20.8% to 89.7%; Clark County, which grew by 22% to 89.3%; Kendall County, which increased by 24.1% to 89.4%; Fayette County, which grew by 24.6% to 91.2%; and Shelby County, which increased by 27.3% to 92.3%.
YBMC Charter School, Ridgeview High School, Heyworth Junior-Senior High School, Lexington High School, and University High School were the McLean County high schools to see improvements between the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years.
Statewide, 67.7% of Illinois students failed the 2023-24 school year state English exam, down from 68.4% in the 2022-23 school year.
The SAT test is administered to Illinois high school sophomores "to fulfill the requirement that students take an assessment for college and career readiness in order to receive a regular high school diploma."
| High School | Student Count | Failure Rate in 2022-23 School Year | Failure Rate in 2023-24 School Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| YBMC Charter School | 21 | 100% | 95.3% |
| Ridgeview High School | 32 | 84.2% | 81.3% |
| Olympia High School | 121 | 72.2% | 81% |
| Bloomington High School | 322 | 76.1% | 76.1% |
| Leroy High School | 61 | 69.8% | 72.1% |
| Heyworth Junior-Senior High School | 69 | 73.5% | 71% |
| Normal Community West High School | 372 | 66.9% | 70.9% |
| Lexington High School | 45 | 61.3% | 60% |
| Normal Community High School | 502 | 56.8% | 59.6% |
| Tri-Valley High School | 69 | 44.9% | 50.7% |
| University High School | 163 | 45.5% | 27.6% |
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