STILL MIDDLE SCHOOL (6 - 8)

The graph displays the percentage of students who achieved scores in the following IAR performance level categories:

• Level 1 Dark Orange - did not yet meet expectations

• Level 2 Light Orange - partially met expectations

• Level 3 Yellow - approached expectations

• Level 4 Light Green - met expectations

• Level 5 Dark Green - exceeded expectations

This is a zero-based graph. The percentage of students Ready for the Next Level are shown to the right of the zero line. The percentage of students in other levels are shown to the left of the zero line.

The Illinois State Board of Education has reviewed statewide assessment results from spring 2019 and has identified a trend that may impact specific schools. Students in grades 3-8 who transitioned to online test administration for the first time in spring 2019 may have seen lower results in English language arts due to a combination of factors, including both the transition from paper and the shorter length of the Illinois Assessment of Readiness. For more information on test comparability, please see Understanding Comparability.

With the transition to the IAR, ISBE was able to set its own research agenda to ensure the validity and reliability of its assessment results. While there is an impact in the transition year that make the results more like a baseline for those schools affected, the impact abates in subsequent years as curriculum and instructional practices for that grade adapt to provide students with greater and earlier exposure to digital learning.

The Illinois Assessment of Readiness is a federally required measure of student mastery of the Illinois Learning Standards in English language arts and mathematics in grades 3 through 8 – and their readiness for what’s next.

Same Standards, Same Content. Students, families, and schools will experience essentially no difference in the assessment this year. The Illinois Assessment of Readiness measures the same standards and includes the same high-quality test questions used the last four years. Using the same content and measuring the same standards ensures comparability from year to year – an essential commitment to including growth in our support and accountability system. IAR results are also be used to measure student growth for school and district accountability.

The Illinois Assessment of Readiness reduces testing time by about one-third to six hours or less. The Illinois Assessment of Readiness measures students’ mastery of the same skills and concepts with fewer questions. It’s similar to measuring a student’s height in inches, rather than in centimeters. Centimeters provide a more precise measurement than inches, but both assess the same quality – height. Both give “comparable” information that you can use in the same way to make the same kinds of decisions.

• IAR ISBE page

• IAR Letter to Parents

• IAR Score Interpretation Guide

• IAR Score Interpretation Guide for Parents

• IAR Performance Level Cut Scores

• How do you build an assessment?

• Illinois Learning Standards

• ELA Resources

  • ELA Evidence Tables

  • ELA Task Generation Model: Understanding Claims and Reporting Categories

  • ELA Unit Times & Blueprints

  • Writing Rubrics

• ELA Resources

  • High-Level Blueprint: Mathematics PDF Document

  • Mathematics Assessment Unit Structure PDF Document

  • Mathematics Claims Structure PDF Document

  • Mathematics Task Types PDF Document

  • Grade 3 Evidence Table PDF Document

  • Grade 4 Evidence Table PDF Document

  • Grade 5 Evidence Table PDF Document

  • Grade 6 Evidence Table PDF Document

  • Grade 7 Evidence Table PDF Document

  • Grade 8 Evidence Table PDF Document