In school districts reported on by SW Illinois News, passing grades in English and math studies fell across the board. Results for the three largest districts in the SW Illinois News coverage area that saw decreases are below, with further details about each school district found in the table below.
In Waterloo Community Unit School District 5, the results fell the furthest among students studying math. In 2019, 42.9 percent of students failed math. The latest district results showed 61.4 percent of Waterloo Community Unit School District 5 students failed math in 2021.
Students in Columbia Community Unit School District 4 fared the worst in math, with the number of students who failed rising from 38.8 percent in 2019 to 58 percent in 2021.
Du Quoin Community Unit School District 300 saw failing rates rise the most in English, from 59.5 percent in 2019 to 83.2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chester Community Unit School District 139 | 84% | 87.5% | 57.3% | 63.7% |
| Columbia Community Unit School District 4 | 38.8% | 58% | 46.7% | 62% |
| Community Consolidated School District 204 | 79.9% | 76.8% | 76.9% | 88.9% |
| Coulterville Unit School District 1 | 88.3% | 92.6% | 67.6% | 75.5% |
| Du Quoin Community Unit School District 300 | 76% | 82.2% | 59.5% | 83.2% |
| Pinckneyville School District 50 | 60.6% | 68.4% | 50.1% | 67.5% |
| Prairie Du Rocher Community Consolidated School District 134 | 77.6% | 69.9% | 76.3% | 60.3% |
| Red Bud Community Unit School District 132 | 71.6% | 80.6% | 52.3% | 64.2% |
| Sparta Community Unit School District 140 | 76.8% | 86.5% | 74.3% | 85.6% |
| Steeleville Community Unit School District 138 | 79.3% | 74.2% | 63.6% | 71.9% |
| Tamaroa School District 5 | 70.5% | 82.2% | 52.5% | 73.2% |
| Valmeyer Community Unit School District 3 | 68.7% | 78.3% | 62.9% | 76.5% |
| Waterloo Community Unit School District 5 | 42.9% | 61.4% | 37.5% | 53% |
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