The Illinois State Board of Education released its state report card for the 2015-2016 school year yesterday. Illinois PTA has shared how to navigate the report card, and this year’s version offers some new tools and new information. This year’s report card is also mobile-friendly, an important feature since many families in Illinois only have internet access through their mobile provider. Much of the report card is translated into Spanish by clicking the “Español” at the top or bottom of the page, though some parts remain in English, primarily descriptions and embedded text on charts and buttons.

Among those new tools are a series of short videos to help you navigate the report card and use the information available. These videos are all on the main page at IllinoisReportCard.com. New information is being collected are reported this year as well, including teacher attendance and the number of high school students earning college credit through dual credit, Advanced Placement (AP), and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses.

The 2016 Illinois Report Card will serve as a benchmark as school accountability changes under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). ISBE is currently drafting its ESSA Implementation Plan, due in March 2017, which will define how school success is measured. Illinois PTA has covered ESSA and accountability in an earlier One Voice Illinois post.

Despite Illinois’s budget and education funding issues, the report card notes improvements in some areas of student performance, though many indicators remained fairly steady. Those improvements include:

  • An increase in students earning a 21 or higher ACT composite score from 45.6% to 46.4%
  • An increase in students meeting or exceeding PARCC math proficiency standards from 28.2% to 30.5%
  • An increase in statewide student attendance from 94.2% to 94.4%
  • A decrease in the high school dropout rate from 2.3% to 2.0%

Be sure to check out the report card to see how your child, your school, and your district are doing.