By Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner
In another example of how education data continues to be bastardized in Illinois – we’ve documented several examples here, here and here – take the recent spin Gov. J.B. Pritzker put on Illinois’ 2022 Report Card data.
A Wirepoints’ analysis of the data found that statewide student reading proficiency dropped again in 2022 after experiencing major losses in both reading and math in 2021. The 2022 losses were widespread compared to 2021, with more than 40 percent of the state’s 850 school districts experiencing a drop in reading proficiency. Chicago Public Schools was one of those districts, with only 20 of every 100 students able to read at grade level in 2022.
Rather than give a sober, realistic assessment of the still dismal results – namely, that so few of Illinois’ children can read and do math at grade level – the governor grasped at a host of other metrics to put a spin on how well Illinois is doing. We’ll do a full assessment of his claims and the actual results in a subsequent piece, but this one focuses on what the governor says was one of Illinois’ biggest achievements: record graduation rates, especially for minorities (see appendix).
It’s not a stat the governor should be celebrating. In fact, the statistic does nothing but highlight how corrupt Illinois’ entire education system has become. Nearly 80 percent of the state’s black seniors got a diploma last year, though just 9.4 percent of black students taking the SAT could read at grade level.
For Hispanics, 85 percent walked the stage, but just 15.9 percent were proficient in reading on the SAT.
That, Gov. Pritzker says, is Illinois’ success.
Just push the kids through the system, get them out the door and then celebrate their graduation. Never mind that the overwhelming number of Illinois’ future workforce don’t have the reading skills to perform in the real world, whether in college, a trade or a career. It’s true for math as well, where statewide scores were even worse than in reading.
In fact, it’s become so perverse in Illinois that as reading scores drop to ever-more dismal levels – less than 10 out of every 100 black seniors statewide are proficient in reading – graduation rates are rising. Black and Hispanic proficiency dropped significantly from pre-Covid 2019 to 2022 and yet graduation rates rose to record levels. You can’t help but be skeptical.
If this assessment sounds partisan, dispel those thoughts. Illinois’ previous governor Bruce Rauner, a Republican, did his own version of spin and damage to the state’s education system. And it’s been politically popular for every governor from both sides of the aisle over the last three decades to pay lip service to education, pump billions more into the system and yet do nothing about actual outcomes. For a full assessment of where Illinois education stands today, read this report.
It’s time to drop the partisan debates on education and instead return the focus to parents and their children – and outcomes. The current system is unfixable and poll after poll show parents want more choices outside of the status quo. It’s time we give it to them.
Read more from Wirepoints:
- Illinois’ 2021 student outcomes collapsed during school shutdowns, Covid mitigations
- Gov. Pritzker name-calls rather than admit to Illinois’ dire educational outcomes
- Wirepoints in the Wall Street Journal: Illinois’ Shocking Report Card. The Land of Lincoln is failing its children and covering it up.
- Trapped in a death spiral: Chicago Public School spending hits record $29K per student as enrollment shrinks, outcomes plummet
Appendix
Hopefully, all media will get the message, in Illinois, too.
Ted joined Tom Miller of WJPF to talk about Illinois’ highest-in-the-nation property taxes, why lawmakers don’t want to touch the tax’s cost drivers, just how much Illinoisans’ tax burden has grown over the decades, why Gov. Pritzker failed to meet his promise to reform property taxes, and more.
Ted joined Dan and Amy to talk about the free speech controversy brewing in Wilmette due to the city’s refusal to fly a religious freedom flag, the city’s left-wing excesses and the growing culture war, the latest money spent on the illegal immigrant crisis, and more.
Weekly crime statistics from the Chicago Police Department: Report through 4/14/2024.
An uncanny number of CPS high schools score cards indicate less than 2% of students are proficient in math and evidence based reading and writing, yet 100% of CTU teachers were rated highly effective.
Ineffective school principals shuffled from one failing building to the next rather than bringing in fresh blood. Then the district and CTU have the audacity to complain about CRT and equity, citing the cities high crime rates. The failing school system is a direct cause of high crime and cyclical poverty.
Obviously, obviously, the gender gingerbread person is more important than phonics or math. To suggest otherwise is RACIST!!!
This is real stuff, actually taught in schools. IT IS PART OF THE ILLINOIS CURRICULUM.
Pritzker and Ayala are bragging about graduating more students who are less proficient. Their policies and kowtowing to Union leadership demands needlessly kept kids out of school & on screens. Based on enrollment demographics, Black children and teens in public schools were FAR more likely to have be out of school buildings – away from actual, face-to-face instruction – for far longer than their White counterparts. Do not forget: All the alleged champions of “equity” fought tooth & nail against school openings, mask choice, and and end to illegal exposure quarantines. Those of us who fought for open schools from… Read more »
This is some wackie rainbow & lollipop cool-aid talk by jb and the crew dished out in response to state abysmal report card from last week. Listen to Ayala explaining difference between “growth” and “proficiency” at about min 41–CRAZY. Listen to Lightford at about min 25–WOW.
It would be easy if you were observing from out of state to think this is hi comedy. But if your an Illinoisan your either a complete cool-aid sippen dullard (the vast majority) or COMPLETELY OUTRAGED!! Beyond belief!! Surprised wp didn’t post
https://youtu.be/XTd3IXS-xx8
Their argument is basically “we stink less than we stunk before, therefore we don’t stink.”
Quote by “Pepe Le Pew”
all while everyone involved is making obscene $livings$ while claiming to care..beyond sickening
JB and his apparatchik education machine $crew$ can get away with getting up in front of 100% Hispanic low achieving Morton West HS audience and spin “trinkets-to-the-indians” lies & fairy tails about what a great education they’re getting and not be called out by anyone in press as a systemic racists or abysmal failures on educating are kids at astronomical $prices$? But I’m 100% sure if a Bailey or rep was speaking to same audience about school choice or the abysmal facts he would be immediately commended as a systemic racist /inequitable hater by press and machine alike—OUTRAGEOUS!!
9.4 percent of black students who take the SAT read at grade level? This is troubling, because the SAT is to a degree self selecting – students don’t take it unless there they have some designs on college. It begs the question as to the scores for all students, SAT takers or not, and whether the stats differ for ACT takers, a test which is popular in the Midwest. It takes a measure of candor to deal with these stats – they often don’t contain messages people like to acknowledge. About 10 years ago a liberal school board candidate in… Read more »
The students now graduating, functionally illiterate and innnumerate, will soon be the parents that teachers will blame for the next generation of failure.
The education establishment needs to admit that current methods of teaching reading and math do not work. Go back to phonics and “old math” instead of blaming parents for your complete failure.
When Old Joe was in grade school in the 60s the nuns spent half the day on phonics. I even thought at that tender age that there had to be a better way. Alas, those penguins were onto something as I could actually read and write when I got out. I don’t remember an active shooting drill either.
Yep, spelling and geography contests as well. The entire class stood up and a spelling word or geography question was given. Get it wrong, sit down, fold your hands and say a prayer. Last one standing got a prize, a new pencil or a small box of crayons or a holy picture. No participation trophy given. Life was tough then!
Well the nuns were preparing us for a tough world. We had to do math problems up at the blackboard in front of the whole class. Long division could trip me up. If you got it wrong the whole class knew!
Forgot about the holy cards! Exactly right.