In the 2023-24 school year, 36.6% of the students in Ball-Chatham Community Unit School District 5 passed the Math portion of the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR), according to the Illinois State Board of Education.
Of the 2,059 students in Ball-Chatham Community Unit School District 5 who took the Math portion of the test, approximately 754 (36.6%) passed.
The percentage of Ball-Chatham Community Unit School District 5 students who met or exceeded expectations on the IAR increased by 6.6% compared to the previous school year.
Ball-Chatham Community Unit School District 5 roughly covers six schools within Sangamon County and has a main office in Chatham.
The Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) measures how well students in grades 3-8 are progressing toward state standards in English language arts and mathematics.
Recent IAR data shows that while Illinois students improved slightly in the test, math performance remains below pre-pandemic levels. In 2024, 28.4% of students met math benchmarks, compared to 31.8% in 2019. However, data also indicates a significant achievement gap based on race and ethnicity.Â
The disparities were even more pronounced in math. White students achieved a proficiency rate of 38.7%, while Black students achieved 9.1% and Hispanic students 15.6%. Asian students achieved the highest proficiency rates in both subjects, hitting 68.2% in ELA and 61.4% in math.
| School | District | Students who met standards (%) | Students who exceed standards (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ball Elementary School | Ball-Chatham Community Unit School District 5 | 42.3% | 6.5% |
| Chatham Elementary School | Ball-Chatham Community Unit School District 5 | 40.1% | 6.1% |
| Glenwood Elementary School | Ball-Chatham Community Unit School District 5 | 35.4% | 5.8% |
| Glenwood Intermediate School | Ball-Chatham Community Unit School District 5 | 28.9% | 4% |
| Glenwood Middle School | Ball-Chatham Community Unit School District 5 | 26.8% | 5.9% |
