Low student proficiency is being hidden in Illinois. Virginia raised its expectations for students.
While other states are attacking their portion of the national epidemic of poor reading and math proficiency, Illinois is burying the problem.
Illinois approved a plan this summer to lower the scores needed to be considered proficient in reading and math on state assessments. Virginia went in the opposite direction. Its board of education just voted to raise cut scores in reading and math.
Illinois is more concerned with inflating proficiency rates than improving students’ actual performance in core subjects. Instead of addressing low proficiency, the Illinois State Board of Education is minimizing the problem by changing the definition of a struggling student.
Virginia chooses to push transparency
On Sept. 25, Virginia’s board of education unanimously voted to raise the minimum scores needed to meet proficiency standards in reading and math on Virginia’s state assessment. This showed the board of education’s “renewed commitment to rigor, transparency and higher student outcomes.”
Virginia had previously lowered standards in 2019 and 2020 under former Gov. Ralph Northam, leading Virginia to have among the largest “honesty gaps” in the nation.
“Honesty gaps” relate to the difference between student proficiency standards on state assessments and on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. While Virginia’s state assessments showed 73% of fourth graders and 72% of eighth graders proficient in reading in 2024, the national assessment revealed only 31% of fourth graders and 29% of eighth graders met NAEP’s proficiency standards.
Illinois chooses to bury student struggles and hinder transparency
While Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and his appointed school board are increasing transparency and accountability in schools, the Illinois State Board of Education’s vote in August 2025 to lower standards for Illinois students reveals Illinois education leaders are more concerned about inflating the state’s proficiency rates. They don’t want to be held accountable for improving students’ mastery of core subjects.
In 2024, 30% of Illinois fourth graders were proficient in reading on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness and 33% of eighth graders. The national exam that same year showed 30% of Illinois fourth graders met NAEP’s proficiency standards in reading and 33% of eighth graders. Unlike in Virginia, proficiency rates on Illinois’ state assessment were nearly in line with proficiency rates on the national assessment.
But Illinois parents can expect that to change following the state’s decision to lower standards on the state assessment.
According to the ISBE, the new cut scores mean student proficiency on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness will increase 12 percentage points in reading and 10 percentage points in math on the upcoming 2025 Illinois Report Card to be released in October 2025.
That means Illinois’ new cut scores threaten to create an “honesty gap” between students’ performance on state assessments and the national assessment. This is harmful to students and hinders transparency for parents.
Unintended harms are created by lowered proficiency benchmarks
It is not in students’ best interests to lower assessment standards so more students can meet proficiency benchmarks, especially in the wake of pandemic-era proficiency declines.
“Many parents are already underestimating the degree to which their children are lagging behind,” said Tom Kane, a Harvard researcher who has been tracking students’ recovery from COVID learning losses. “Lowering the proficiency cuts now will mislead them further.”
Lowering the proficiency benchmarks threatens to not only mislead parents but also to leave some students without the academic support they need. Schools use proficiency benchmarks to determine if students need extra help, said Christy Hovanetz, a senior policy fellow at ExcelinEd. Lowering the bar means some students won’t receive the help they need.
Illinois’ recent move to lower standards and bury struggling students behind inflated test scores is a disservice to families. Once again, Illinois proves a poor example. The better example is Virginia’s move towards accountability and transparency regarding student outcomes.
