Just 30% of Illinois 4th graders read at proficiency standards

By Glenn Minnis

(The Center Square) – Illinois Republican state Rep. Dan Ugaste is speaking out against a “nationwide literacy crisis” that counts Illinois among the more than 40 states where just one out of every three fourth grade students are now meeting reading proficiency standards.

Data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress report card shows that in Illinois, just 30% of fourth graders are hitting such standards. In a 2024 national exam, the state's students finished 29th in the country for the percentage of fourth graders at or above proficiency.

“This is a huge problem across the country, but it's a real problem here in Illinois,” Ugaste told The Center Square. "It's my understanding that our 8th graders are doing a bit better. It speaks to the amount of damage that was done when the schools closed during the pandemic. That's when these children would have first been in school and first learning how to read, write and do math.”

With researchers identifying third and fourth grades as being a critical period in a student’s overall academic development, school system critics like Ugaste argue that now more than ever, parents should be allowed to make use of school choice to send their children to the best school for them. Researchers stress such assessments can be early predictors for critical milestones such as future employment and overall earning potential.

Ugaste is urging parents to take immediate action.

“First and foremost, you got to do what you can to help your own kids,” he said. “Start reaching out to your legislators; start reaching out to your school boards, get involved in what's happening in your schools, what they're teaching them, how much time they're spending on things like reading and math versus other subjects. We have to be involved in our kids' education; we have to be involved in our government; we have to be involved in our communities.”

Ugaste said he’d also like to see parents demanding lawmakers in Springfield repeal some of the mandates they’ve enacted, giving local school boards and parents greater control over curriculum.

“Let the communities, the parents and the educators locally decide how much time should be spent on subjects and things of that nature,” he said. “We're trying to dictate from Springfield what they should be learning, how much recess time they should have, and all these other issues. We just need to get out of that arena.”

The legislature allowed the state's only school choice program, Invest in Kids, to expire in 2023. Invest in Kinds was a scholarship program that allowed lower-income families to use tax-credited donations to pay for private schools.

https://www.thecentersquare.co...04-b1eff240b65c.html

There was a recent report showing Illinois grade schoolers were similarly incapable at math.

What happens if you take Cook County out?

Also, 21 states have the distinction of being worse and 19 others not much better.

Illinois Snapshot

From the snapshot linked above:



Something has to be done about those Asian kids, they’re screwing up the curve for everyone else!

Of course I don’t mean that, but the Asian kids prove that the schools are not the problem with education in America. Those kids do better in every school.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: trapper189,

quote:

What happens if you take Cook County out?

I'm sure the rest of the State outperforms Cook County, so it would make a difference.

However...
The results in Illinois are indicative of the corruption and self-dealing of educrats and teacher's unions. Sure, Illinois is probably the worst of the worst.

We really could, and should, do better by our children than turning them over to government entities for their formation.

I added a bit to my post above.

Families absolutely should do better by their kids. Education starts at home. This is why, taken as a whole, certain groups excel. We Americans as a group are not sending our kids to school prepared to learn and we make a lot of excuses for that.

100%, trapper. Educating children is primarily the job of the family, not the state. Parents need to be engaged in what their children are learning. If the state schools are not cutting it, then it is the responsibility of the parent to find a better solution, either by supplementing the education at home or finding an alternative schooling path (e.g. homeschool, private school, etc.).

Whatever path is chosen, it will fail without parental involvement. If reading is not encouraged at home and the schools no longer mandate it, most kids are not going to take it upon themselves to excel at it.

quote:

“First and foremost, you got to do what you can to help your own kids,” he said. “Start reaching out to your legislators; start reaching out to your school boards, get involved in what's happening in your schools, what they're teaching them, how much time they're spending on things like reading and math versus other subjects. We have to be involved in our kids' education; we have to be involved in our government; we have to be involved in our communities.”
- Rep. Dan Ugaste

That’s ”helping your own kids? Reaching out to legislators and to your school boards?!? How about reading to your kids? Maybe helping them one-on-one at home. I hate to assume that the parents of these kids who can’t read deserve to be parents, but if the solution is legislation and school boards, then your kid will continue to struggle in reading.

quote:

Originally posted by TMats:
That’s ”helping your own kids? Reaching out to legislators and to your school boards?!?

The quote did not imply that was the only thing that would help your kids, nor suggested that by itself it would be enough.

If one has idiotic legislators and/or befuddled/DEI schoolboards setting agendas, selecting textbooks, selecting just who will be indoctrinating teaching your kids, as many do, then, yes, getting in their faces and letting them know you're paying attention would absolutely help your kids.

I would add that the stats for Cook Co are even skewed a bit more.
Mrs CPD SIG was a Chicago Public Schools Teacher for about 2 years. (She was young, naive and idealistic. But really set in real quick!)

Many teachers in the CPS just don’t care. They know Lil Johnny cant read or write, but he gets a “C” or “D” anyway. Just enough to pass him, then kick the can down the road.
Oh, you want to tell the principal? Who do you think showed the teacher how to fudge the numbers?
No child left behind!!!!

If it’s 30% passing, then there should be at least a 374% failure rate, if my CPS Math is correct! (waiting for the laugh)
Im not seeing those numbers. Where are the numbers of kids that are held back a year or two?

Working as intended.

quote:

Originally posted by jaaron11:
Educating children is primarily the job of the family, not the state. Parents need to be engaged in what their children are learning. If the state schools are not cutting it, then it is the responsibility of the parent to find a better solution, either by supplementing the education at home or finding an alternative schooling path (e.g. homeschool, private school, etc.).

Whatever path is chosen, it will fail without parental involvement. If reading is not encouraged at home and the schools no longer mandate it, most kids are not going to take it upon themselves to excel at it.

Yes, exactly!
Being a good parent takes a lot of time and commitment.

Just for concept:

Starting at grade 7, they should make each student take an AP like test for each of the R's at the beginning and end of each school year.

If scores did not improve and/or is not the level appropriate for the school grade:
1. if student failed, hold them back or kick them out.
2. if class / teacher failed, then determine teacher competency. If teacher competent, hold the class back. If teacher incompetent, then replace teacher.

It's common for kids in Japan and Korea (maybe Taiwan?) to attend cram school, after normal school, until 10pm every day. Yes, it's mostly memorization. Yes, it's not necessarily creative / critical thinking. Yes, it's probably not the best socially balance thing to do. Yes, it doesn't mean they are smarter than us.

That being said, it still doesn't bode well for us in general at the long term macro level.

Both my boys are being homeschooled and are reading at levels easily two grades ahead.

Public schools are going to be the ruin of this country, hopefully there's enough kids being educated by private, parochial and homeschool to save us.

Not sure if I saw it here or heard it somewhere else, 100 years ago America was teaching Latin and Greek in high school, today they are teaching remedial English at Harvard.

I hear the IL politicians are addressing the tough issues though. Buddy I went to HS with (The Braves) sent me a text last week saying they have proposed to not allow Native American based mascots.

Don’t worry. Here in the 49th State, we are #49.

Alaska is 6th in spending per student. Our legislature’s solution? More money. Though no real world results correlate to spending.

Accountability in the system, collectively but especially individually, would fix it: school boards, administrators, teachers, and (particularly) parents.

But parents (in particular) can’t be bothered. They’ve got Facebook on their phone, TikTok on the tablet, and ‘reality’ TV on the flat screen.

As planned, a world of ignorant serfs……

Excuse me, I have to go. It’s time for ‘Ow! My Balls!’

quote:

What happens if you take Cook County out?

^^^^^^^^^^
Not all of Cook County sucks. Take out Chicago Public schools and the suburban schools excell.

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
Just for concept:

Starting at grade 7, they should make each student take an AP like test for each of the R's at the beginning and end of each school year.

If scores did not improve and/or is not the level appropriate for the school grade:
1. if student failed, hold them back or kick them out.
2. if class / teacher failed, then determine teacher competency. If teacher competent, hold the class back. If teacher incompetent, then replace teacher.

It's common for kids in Japan and Korea (maybe Taiwan?) to attend cram school, after normal school, until 10pm every day. Yes, it's mostly memorization. Yes, it's not necessarily creative / critical thinking. Yes, it's probably not the best socially balance thing to do. Yes, it doesn't mean they are smarter than us.

That being said, it still doesn't bode well for us in general at the long term macro level.

Won’t work.

There’s three work arounds (that I know of, I’m sure there’s more).


1) admin spoon feeds the students the questions to the test. For weeks before the test, they teach nothing but the questions on the test.

That’s the most “honorable” of the three.

2) They make it open book to promote equity.

3) if the student can’t or plain won’t take the test, a teachers aid can “assist” them in taking the test. (Read; take the test for them)

These scams have been going on in Kentucky schools for 20 years. That’s how most schools boast a “93 percent literacy” or other pointless award that they give one another.

It’s also virtually impossible to expel a student for discipline issues, or flunk one for not doing their work. It’s virtually impossible to fire teachers or school personnel for even criminal acts. They circle the wagons if anyone questions it and the teachers unions, school boards, and KEA attacks anyone and everyone that threatens their grift. And that’s if they can’t bribe the problem away.

My parents didn’t have a pot to piss in when we were little. They both were going to school full time and daddy worked 2nd shift doing welding and didn’t get home until 2:00 a.m. Both of us could read and write long before we started school. I read college-level in fifth grade. Surely at least some of those people are literate enough to teach their own kid how to read.