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It outlines why the former benchmarks were confusing and misaligned with classroom realities and college/career readiness. The document describes the new unified performance levels across state tests, the development process led by educators, and how families receive and interpret results, including performance levels and the Student Growth Percentile.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":35,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/healthcare/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/new-proficiency-benchmarks-what-families-need-to-know-534385/534385/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/new-proficiency-benchmarks-what-families-need-to-know-534385/534385.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Theodore","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-09","2026-10-10",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":81},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What does it mean when a child is “proficient” in Illinois?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"Being proficient means the child is on track in their learning for their grade level. It is based on the proficiency benchmark score needed on a state assessment to qualify as on track.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"Why were the old proficiency benchmarks a problem?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"Old proficiency rates did not match classroom realities and were not aligned with real college and career readiness expectations. The benchmarks were also confusing because different tests used different performance levels and naming.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"How can families interpret the Student Growth Percentile (SGP)?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"The SGP shows how much a student grew compared with peers who started at the same level, expressed as a percentile rather than a percent. It indicates whether growth is above or below the state average, which corresponds to the 50th percentile.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},534385,1792206636,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":34,"category_name":35,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":81,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":19,"language":139,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":143,"read_time":52,"preview_page_count":4},7971461740886,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_3d24733baf745e90a7e4bdd5f77d97b2","New Proficiency Benchmarks:  \nWhat Families Need to Know  \nWhat does “proficient”mean?  \nBeing proficient means your child is on track in their learning.  \nEach spring, students in Illinois take required tests:  \n• Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR)  \n• PreACT or ACT  \n• Illinois Science Assessment (ISA)  \nPerformance levels are the score ranges that divide the full spectrum of performance on the state assessment into categories. Each state decides how many levels there are, the cut scores that divide each level, and which levels qualify as “proficient.” The proficiency benchmark is the score a student needs to reach on a state assessment to be considered on track in their learning for their grade level.  \nNew, Unified Performance Levels for All State Tests  \nProficiency Benchmark  \nCut Score Cut Score Cut Score  \nWhy does proficiency matter?  \nHaving accurate data about student performance is essential for:  \nReporting  \nThe state reportshow many students at each school scored“proficient” on each test. This is known asthe proficiency rate.(Illinois publishes proficiency rates on the Illinois Report Card.)  \nAccountability  \nThe state uses proficiency rates as one of multiple measures to help decidewhich schools need extra support and funding.  \nLocal Decision-Making  \nSchools use state test scores (along with classroom performance and local assessment results) to decide if a student should get extra help, like tutoring or summer school, or opportunities for acceleration.  \nSchool Improvement  \nTeachers and principals use this data to improve teaching and learning for all students.  \n[isbe](isbe.net)[.net](isbe.net)  \nILLINOIS  \nSTATE BOARD OF  \nEDUCATION  \nWhat’s the problem with the old proficiency benchmarks?  \nFor years, Illinois’ assessment data has sent the wrong message to students, families, and educators. Proficiency rates on state assessments did not match up to realities in the classroom and did not align to real college and career readiness expectations.  \nIllinois has had the toughest benchmarks in the country for math and English language arts—meaning, many students who were doing well in school were somehow not “proficient” on state assessments.  \nIn science, the bar was too low, so many students looked “proficient” on paper, even if they hadn’t fully mastered the material.  \nWhy was that confusing?  \n• Each test had a different number of performance levels with different names.  \n• Families, students, and teachers got mixed messages about student performance and whether students were college and career ready.  \n• The performance levels did not match how well students were doing in class and on other trusted indicators of student success.  \n\n| Real Student Example\u003Cbr>East St. Louis Senior High School |  | \u003Cbr>This student is currently enrolled at Southwestern Illinois College, demonstrating how misaligned our assessment proficiency benchmarks were to what it actually takes to get into and succeed in college. |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| | • 4.0 GPA\u003Cbr>• Six dual credit courses\u003Cbr>• Consistent summer employment\u003Cbr>• Work-based learning experience\u003Cbr>• 10+ clubs and leadership activities\u003Cbr>• English language arts: 500 (“not proficient”)\u003Cbr>• Math: 530 (“not proficient”)\u003Cbr>Our assessment cut scores told them they were not proficient or college ready. If they had believed us, maybe they would not have enrolled in those AP courses or college. |  |\n\n\n| What is changing? | What is NOT changing? |\n| --- | --- |\n| • New benchmarks for proficiency that better reflect real college and career readiness expectations\u003Cbr>• Unified performance levels on all tests:\u003Cbr>• Above Proficient\u003Cbr>• Proficient\u003Cbr>• Approaching Proficient\u003Cbr>• Below Proficient | • The tests themselves\u003Cbr>• The state learning standards (what students are expected to know and be able to do) |\n\nHow did the state decide on the new benchmarks?  \nThe Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) took its time to get this right. The process began in March 2024 and ","cbCaidMfkW9D9w1W","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaidMfkW9D9w1W","pdf",517288,"English","# What Families Need to Know\n## What does “proficient” mean?\n## Why does proficiency matter?\n## What’s the problem with the old proficiency benchmarks?\n## What is changing?\n## How did the state decide on the new benchmarks?\n## When will I get my child’s score?\n## How do I interpret the Student Growth Percentile?\n## Where can I see school, district, and state results?","[{\"question\":\"What does it mean when a child is “proficient” in Illinois?\",\"answer\":\"Being proficient means the child is on track in their learning for their grade level. It is based on the proficiency benchmark score needed on a state assessment to qualify as on track.\"},{\"question\":\"Why were the old proficiency benchmarks a problem?\",\"answer\":\"Old proficiency rates did not match classroom realities and were not aligned with real college and career readiness expectations. The benchmarks were also confusing because different tests used different performance levels and naming.\"},{\"question\":\"How can families interpret the Student Growth Percentile (SGP)?\",\"answer\":\"The SGP shows how much a student grew compared with peers who started at the same level, expressed as a percentile rather than a percent. It indicates whether growth is above or below the state average, which corresponds to the 50th percentile.\"}]","New Proficiency Benchmarks - What Families Need to Know | PDF",1791598246]