Illinois education officials are preparing to overhaul the way student proficiency in reading, writing, math, and science is reported, a change expected to significantly boost the percentage of students classified as proficient in core subjects — though science scores may see a slight decline.
State Superintendent of Education Tony Sanders said Tuesday that the change, 18 months in the making, is designed to give a more accurate reflection of student readiness for college and careers. Pending approval by the Illinois State Board of Education on Wednesday, the new scoring system will debut on the 2025 Illinois Report Card, based on this spring’s test results.
“For years, our proficiency rates have not matched the reality of student progress,” Sanders said. “They’re misaligned with what it actually means to succeed in college and career.”
Illinois has long had some of the nation’s most rigorous “cut scores” — benchmarks used to divide students into proficiency categories. Sanders said this has resulted in report cards that paint an overly grim picture, with many schools being unfairly labeled as underperforming and students being inaccurately marked as off track, despite two-thirds of high school graduates enrolling in college within a year.
Under the proposal, scores will be reported in four tiers: below proficient, approaching proficient, proficient, and above proficient. New cut scores will determine placement within those tiers.
The change affects the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (English language arts and math in grades 3–8), the Illinois Science Assessment (grades 5 and 8), and the ACT, which becomes the official state test for 11th graders this year.
Because of the new scoring structure, Sanders stressed that 2025 proficiency rates cannot be directly compared to past years. Instead, year-over-year improvement will be tracked using the Student Growth Percentile, which measures learning gains relative to peers.
The 2025 Illinois Report Card, incorporating the new system, is set to be released this fall.
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