CPS elementary students’ IAR test scores show partial gains in reading and math — and also disparities
While releasing new standardized test scores Tuesday, Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez celebrated elementary students’ gains in reading and math scores that, according to the district, constitute a partial rebound from learning loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Our investments in classroom resources, support and instruction have yielded the biggest year-over-year gains since 2016,” Martinez said in a district news release. His statement credited an improvement in average Illinois Assessment of Readiness scores to the hiring of additional staff and the expansion of curriculum, student supports and teacher development in the previous school year.
Known as the IAR, the test is the state’s federally mandated measurement of students’ mastery of the Illinois Learning Standards in English language arts and math for grades three through eight in public school districts, and “their readiness for what’s next,” according to the Illinois State Board of Education.
Scores fall in five categories where Level 1 means a student’s score did not met the state’s expectations and Level 5 means a student exceeded the testing targets set by ISBE, which considers scores that meet or exceed standards as demonstrating a student’s readiness for the next grade. As required by federal law, ISBE gives schools summative designations, or grades based on IAR scores.
But experts say standardized test scores don’t provide a full picture of student readiness or school quality. CPS is implementing new guidelines this year, approved by the Board of Education, which rely on measures other than standardized tests — such as student, parent and teacher surveys — to assess the performance of district schools.
Standardized test scores are often perceived as strong and valid indicators of students’ academic performance, Elaine Allensworth, director of the UChicago Consortium on School Research told the Tribune. “The truth is, they’re partial indicators,” she said. “They give you some information, but there’s just a lot about a student’s academic preparation that can’t be measured on standardized tests.”
She said IAR scores can be used to identify students who likely need extra support, but that they’re not good indicators of whether students are on track for the next grade level or for college and career readiness.
“They are highly predictive of future test scores, but standardized test scores only partially measure the skills students need to succeed in later years of schooling or careers, and are very imprecise indicators of how students will perform in the future,” she said.
Only about a third of students in Illinois meet the state’s benchmarks, according to Allensworth. “This gives the perception that schools are failing, but achievement is higher now than it was anytime before the 2000s,” she said.
On the campaign trail, Mayor Brandon Johnson had said such exams carry a damaging assumption that public school students aren’t proficient. “How about we actually do something better than a standardized test?” he said during a campaign debate.
An initial Tribune analysis of this year’s IAR data shows the average reading and math scores among all CPS students who were tested in spring has risen from the previous school year, but had not rebounded fully to averages from 2019, the last full school year before the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2023, 26% of CPS students, on average, met or exceeded literacy targets set by ISBE, an increase of 6% from 2022. The average literacy score remains just below the pre-pandemic average of 27% in 2019. Average math scores follow a similar trend, with 18% of students meeting or exceeding standards in 2023, up from 15% last year. The average rate of students who meet or exceed state math standards in 2019 was 24%.
“Our IAR results are a testament to our incredible educators and the hard work of our amazing students,” said Chief Education Officer Bogdana Chkoumbova. “While we are proud of the important progress students made over the last year, we know that we have a long way to go to eliminate achievement gaps and we will continue to prioritize equity, support for the whole student, and a holistic approach to education that taps into the enormous talent and potential of our students.”
The data also showed some stark disparities.
While 43% of students who are not economically disadvantaged met or exceeded math standards, only 11% of economically disadvantaged students scored similarly.
About 20% of non-English learners met or exceeded math standards; among English learners, the rate was 6% to 7%.
Fewer than 4% of students with Individualized Education Plans met or exceeded math standards; for students without IEPs, the rate was 20%.
Similar or greater gaps existed in literacy scores among students who were economically disadvantaged, English learners or had IEPs.
Girls as well as Black and Hispanic students’ average rate of meeting or exceeding math benchmarks fell below the district average of 18%. Average scores for boys and Black and Hispanic students fell below the district average of 26% for meeting or exceeding literacy standards.
CPS said it provides targeted additional support and resources by adding instructional coaches, counselors and tutors at schools with the greatest needs for academic and social-emotional support. In a statement, the district also said it added more than 170 special education teachers and more than 600 special education classroom assistants since the previous school year. It also said CPS increased the Office of Diverse Learner Supports and Services budget by $120 million to provide a high-quality education for diverse learners.
