In school districts reported on by SE Illinois News, passing grades in English and math studies fell across the board. Results for the three largest districts in the SE Illinois News coverage area that saw decreases are below, with further details about each school district found in the table below.
In Harrisburg Community Unit School District 3, the results fell the furthest among students studying English. In 2019, 64.2 percent of students failed English. The latest district results showed 74 percent of Harrisburg Community Unit School District 3 students failed English in 2021.
Students in Wabash Community Unit School District 348 fared the worst in English, with the number of students who failed rising from 59.9 percent in 2019 to 79.6 percent in 2021.
Carmi-White County Community Unit School District 5 saw failing rates rise the most in English, from 52.3 percent in 2019 to 64 percent in 2021.
Illinois students are rated on a proficiency scale, rather than a zero to 100 system. Students who did not meet, partially met, or approached their proficiency goals are considered to have failed.
The COVID-19 had “devastating” impacts on student learning, according to a report from the Brookings Institute.
“These numbers are alarming and potentially demoralizing, especially given the heroic efforts of students to learn and educators to teach in incredibly trying times,” the report said. “There is much work to be done, and the challenges for students, educators, and parents are considerable.”
A report from Illinois Policy found while all students were affected by the pandemic, low-income and minority students saw the biggest losses in their proficiency scores.
“Among low-income high school juniors in 2021, under 16 percent scored at proficiency level in reading and fewer than 13 percent were proficient in math. This represents a nearly 15 percent and 25 percent overall proficiency decline since 2019 in each subject. Comparatively, proficiency scores in reading and math for higher-income juniors dropped around 11 percent and 16 percent, respectively.
“By the end of the 2021 school year, higher-income juniors were almost three times more likely to be proficient than low-income students.”
There are many lingering effects of students learning less due to disruptions caused by COVID-19. A McKinsey report found K-12 students were “on average five months behind in mathematics and four months behind in reading by the end of school year.”
The switch to remote learning, where students would attend classes virtually using their laptops instead of being in the classroom, was often pinpointed in reports as the biggest reason for diminishing student proficiency.
Classrooms across the U.S. moved to remote learning when the pandemic began in early 2020. However, an Inside Higher Ed investigation found it was never designed to be the long-term solution it became.
“Students talked a lot about really missing being in person with their classmates…and having those spontaneous, organic conversations and relationships,” Rayane Alamuddin of Ithaka S+R consulting said. “They miss the relationships they make in school because not only does it make them excited about learning and motivate them to stay engaged in school, but they also actually learn a lot more.”
Many school districts have returned to in-class learning, though still with some COVID-19 precautions in place.
| District | 2019 Math Failing Rates | 2021 Math Failing Rates | 2019 English Failing Rates | 2021 English Failing Rates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allendale Community Consolidated School District 17 | 67% | 75.4% | 48.2% | 57.6% |
| Carmi-White County Community Unit School District 5 | 66.1% | 74.1% | 52.3% | 64% |
| Carrier Mills Stonefort Community Unit School District 2 | 88.5% | 93.7% | 76.2% | 89% |
| Edwards County Community Unit School District 1 | 68.6% | 70.4% | 48.7% | 53% |
| Eldorado Community Unit School District 4 | 76.2% | 88.5% | 69.2% | 81.1% |
| Fairfield Public School District 112 | 69.6% | 79.6% | 64.5% | 71.5% |
| Galatia Community Unit School District 1 | 79.5% | 81.7% | 64.5% | 71.4% |
| Gallatin Community Unit School District 7 | 86.7% | 89% | 59% | 62.9% |
| Geff Community Consolidated School District 14 | 79.4% | 71.4% | 55.5% | 73.5% |
| Grayville Community Unit School District 1 | 80.1% | 87.4% | 74.1% | 86.4% |
| Hamilton County Community Unit School District 10 | 62.6% | 75.3% | 49.1% | 64.4% |
| Harrisburg Community Unit School District 3 | 89.9% | 94.5% | 64.2% | 74% |
| Jasper Community Consolidated School District 17 | 51.7% | 57.1% | 48.4% | 53.8% |
| New Hope Community Consolidated School District 6 | 38.1% | 43.8% | 26.4% | 39.1% |
| Norris City-Omaha-Enfield Community Unit School District 3 | 86.6% | 88.1% | 72.9% | 82.9% |
| Wabash Community Unit School District 348 | 75.3% | 87.5% | 59.9% | 79.6% |
| Wayne City Community Unit School District 100 | 54.9% | 58.8% | 52.7% | 59.7% |
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