IL Superintendent of Education Tony Sanders (2023) | Institute of Education Sciences
IL Superintendent of Education Tony Sanders (2023) | Institute of Education Sciences
That's according to a Southern Illinois News analysis of test score data compiled by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).
ISBE reports that last year, 50.9% of Alexander County's 279 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.
Egyptian Junior High School (65.5%) had the highest failure rates in Alexander County. Meanwhile, Cairo Junior/Senior High School (41.5%) had the lowest.
Countywide, English test failure rates rose from 46.9% in 2021 to 50.9% in 2023.
The failure rate rose in three Alexander County high schools in 2023, with the most significant increase happening at Cairo Elementary School (49.5%).
Data shows that the highest failure rates growths were seen in Christian County (72.5%), Hancock County (73.8%), Cook County (74.1%), White County (74.1%), and Morgan County (76.7%).
Egyptian Elementary School was the only Alexander County high school to see improvements between 2021 and 2023.
Statewide, 39.9% of Illinois students failed the 2023 state English exam, down from 64% 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 2021 | Failing % in 2022 | Failing % in 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Egyptian Junior High School | 58 | 49.4% | 59.7% | 65.5% |
| Cairo Elementary School | 97 | 38.3% | 36.9% | 49.5% |
| Egyptian Elementary School | 83 | 52% | 47.9% | 47% |
| Cairo Junior/Senior High School | 41 | 45.5% | 40% | 41.5% |
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