That's according to a Southern Illinois News analysis of 2022 test score data compiled by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).
ISBE reports that last year, 83.1 percent of Union County's 207 public high school students failed the English language arts 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.
Shawnee High School (94.4 percent) had the highest failure rates in Union County. Dongola High School (79 percent) had the lowest.
No Union County high schools had a passing rate of more than 50 percent of students.
County-wide, English test failure rates rose from 67 percent in 2019 to 83.1 percent in 2022.
The failure rate increased at two Union County high schools in 2022, with the most significant increase happening at Cobden High School (84 percent).
Failure rates rose the most at Cook County (100 percent), Marion County (100 percent), Peoria County (100 percent), Scott County (100 percent), Tazewell County (100 percent).
Dongola High School was the only Union County high school to see English scores improve between 2019 and 2022.
Statewide, 69.1 percent of Illinois students failed the 2022 state English exam, up from 64 percent in 2019.
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 | # of Students | Failing % in 2019 | Failing % in 2021 | Failing % in 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shawnee High School | 18 | 56.3% | 94.4% | 94.4% |
| Cobden High School | 50 | 62.5% | 78% | 84% |
| Anna-Jonesboro High School | 120 | 66% | 80.7% | 81.7% |
| Dongola High School | 19 | 88% | 80% | 79% |
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