74.1% of Taft Grade School students failed the ELA portion of the IAR in 2023-24 school year

Taft Grade School reported that 74.1% of its students failed the ELA portion of the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) in the 2023-24 school year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

These students did not meet the required standards of the test, compared to the 25.9% who did.

The total number of Taft Grade School students who failed their ELA assessments fell by 13.9% from the previous school year.

Taft Grade School is located within Taft School District 90, which roughly covers one school and has a main office in Lockport.

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.

Information in this story was obtained from the Illinois State Board of Education. The source data can be found here.