YBMC Charter School Principal Ms. Tracey Polson (2023) | YBMC Charter School
YBMC Charter School Principal Ms. Tracey Polson (2023) | YBMC Charter School
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, 73.8% of McLean County's 1,773 public high school students—approximately 1,308 students—failed the math 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%), Bloomington High School (87.8%), and Leroy High School (83.6%) had the highest failure rate in McLean County, and Tri-Valley High School (53.6%) and University High School (34.4%) had the lowest.
Out of the 11 high schools in McLean County, only one school had a passing rate above 50%.
Countywide, math test failure rates rose from 70.4% in the 2022-23 school year to 73.8% in the 2023-24 school year.
Failure rates increased at six McLean County high schools in the 2023-24 school year, with the most significant increase happening at Lexington High School, where the rate jumped from 67.7% to 80%.
Statewide, failure rates were highest in Bureau County, Christian County, Gallatin County, Schuyler County, and Hamilton County, where the percentage of students who failed the math exam were 82.4%, 91.6%, 93.4%, 93.6%, and 95.2%, respectively.
YBMC Charter School and Ridgeview High School were the only McLean County high schools that saw math scores improve between the 2022-23 school year and the 2023-24 school year.
Data shows that 73.7% of Illinois students failed the 2023-24 school year state math exam, up from 73% 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 | Failure Rate in 2023-24 |
|---|---|---|---|
| YBMC Charter School | 21 | 100% | 95.3% |
| Bloomington High School | 321 | 87.8% | 87.8% |
| Leroy High School | 61 | 77.4% | 83.6% |
| Normal Community West High School | 370 | 76.1% | 81.9% |
| Ridgeview High School | 32 | 84.2% | 81.3% |
| Lexington High School | 45 | 67.7% | 80% |
| Olympia High School | 121 | 76.6% | 78.5% |
| Heyworth Junior-Senior High School | 69 | 76.6% | 76.8% |
| Normal Community High School | 501 | 63.6% | 69.8% |
| Tri-Valley High School | 69 | 47.4% | 53.6% |
| University High School | 163 | 36.5% | 34.4% |
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