Waterloo Senior High School and the Waterloo Community Unity School District 5 posted some of the best PARCC scores in Metro-East this year. (Image courtesy of Waterloo Community Unity School District 5)

Many Metro-East public school districts scored well below state averages in Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) standardized achievement testing results, released Oct. 31 by the Illinois State Board of Education, as part of its Illinois Report Cards on public schools.

Statewide, testing found only 33 percent of students are fully ready for advancement to the next level of education.  That includes the five percent of Illinois students who exceeded achievement for their grade levels. Some 16 percent of students across the state failed to meet any state academic standards.

While several Metro-East school systems — including Belleville, Columbia, Freeburg, Mascoutah, Millstadt, O’Fallon, Shiloh and Swansea — posted achievement scores well above state averages, others, particularly in low-income areas, posted what appeared to be some of the lowest scores in the state.

Used by the state school board to assess compliance with its New Illinois Learning Standards, incorporating federal Common Core criteria, PARCC tests are administered to all high school and third -through-eighth-grade elementary public school students, to test proficiency in English language arts and mathematics.

Results released last month were for the 2015-16 school year; the second in which the PARCC test has been used to measure achievement in Illinois schools.  Scores posted this year, statewide and in Metro-East, were often in line with those for the 2014-15 academic year.

Monroe County school districts posted some of the region’s best scores. PARCC testing found 55 percent of Columbia Community Unit School District (CUSD) 4 students ready for the next level of education. Six percent of students exceeded achievement benchmarks. Only 3 percent did not meet any state-recognized criteria for advancement.

In nearby Waterloo CUSD 5, testing found 54 percent of students ready for the next level of education. Seven percent of Waterloo students exceeded academic expectations for their grade level, with 47 percent posting scores deem appropriate for their grade level. Only 5 percent of Waterloo students failed to meet any academic standards for their grade level.

However, a few miles north in in St. Clair County’s American Bottoms area, scores were noticeably lower. Testing in East St. Louis School District 189 found only six percent of students to be ready for advancement. No students exceeded proficiency requirements. Nearly half (47 percent) of students did not meet any state achievement standards. The school district has been under state control for six years.

In Cahokia CUSD 187, only 5 percent were found to be ready for advancement with no students meeting all of the state’s achievement criteria, but 5 percent posting scores approaching benchmarks. Forty-five percent of students failed to meet any of the criteria for advancement.  The district posted the area’s lowest English scores, with only 6 percent of students achieving proficiency.

In Brooklyn Unified District 188, only 4 percent of students were deemed ready for advancement, with 45 percent of students failing to meet any state academic standards and no students exceeding them. The district posted the area’s lowest in math scores, with no students achieving proficiency.

Above the Mississippi River bluffs, St. Clair County Schools often scored better.  In Belleville Township High School District 201, 48 percent of students were found to meet state achievement standards — with 14 percent of students exceeding the state standards.  However, 17 percent of student failed to achieve and of the state academic criteria.  Fifty-one percent of O’Fallon Township High School District 203 students meet state achievement standards with 4 percent exceeding them.  However, 8 percent of O’Fallon High School students failed to meet any state achievement standards.

In Mascoutah Community Unit District 19, 47 percent of student met state achievement standards, with 6 percent exceeding them and five percent failing to meet any of them.

In Madison County, testing in Edwardsville CUSD 7 fund 50 percent of students et state standards, with 9 percent exceeding the standards and only 7 percent failing to meet any.

However, on the other side of the county, testing in Alton Community Unity School District (CUSD) 11 found only 25 of student met state achievement standards. Two percent of students there exceeded the achievement standards. However, 22 percent met none of the state’s academic targets.

In Granite City CUSD 9 only about 14 percent of students were found fully ready for advancement. While 1 percent of Granite City student exceeded achievement levels, some 28 percent met none of the state’s achievement standards and 33 met only some.

— Many Metro-East schools post poor PARCC scores —