Jacobs Tests Scores Drop During COVID

ALGONQUIN, IL — State education officials have released the first Illinois school report cards since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results show declines in standardized test results among students at Jacobs High School.

The school-level assessments follow last month's release of preliminary statewide data, which showed declining academic proficiency for schools across the state.

According to data from the Illinois State Board of Education, three percent fewer Jacobs students met grade-level English standards and 16 percent fewer students met math standards in 2021 as compared to 2019, the last time the school report cards were completed. Throughout Community Unit School District 300, the percentage of juniors who met or exceeded standards on the Scholastic Aptitude Test, or SAT, fell in both English and math.

Even with the decline in SAT numbers, the vast majority of Jacobs High School students pursued post-secondary education at a two- or four-year college. Within a year after graduating in 2021, 82 percent headed to college compared to 78 percent that took the same path in 2019. That is well above the state average of 69 percent.

Here is a look at how other area schools fared on their SATs and college acceptance rate:

• Huntley High School students saw a slight increase in its English language arts SAT scores, which rose from 51 percent of students meeting or exceeding standards in 2019 compared to 52 percent hitting that benchmark in 2021. Math scores saw a slight decrease with 48 percent meeting or exceeding standards in 2019 compared to 46 percent in 2021.
  A lower percentage of students enrolled in college after graduating in 2021 compared to 2019. In 2021, 76 percent of Huntley High School students enrolled in a two- or four-year college within a year after graduating compared to 80 percent in 2019.
• Dundee-Crown High School English language arts SAT scores dropped from 24 percent meeting or exceeding standards in 2019 to 22 percent hitting that goal in 2021. Math scores dropped as well with 24 percent meeting or exceeding standards in 2019 and only 20 percent meeting or exceeding standards in 2021.
  The percentage of students enrolling in post-secondary education remained low at Dundee-Crown compared to area school ands statewide averages. In 2021, 56 percent of students enrolled in a two- or four-year college, which was one percentage point decrease compared to 2019. The state average is 69 percent and 70 percent of District 300 students headed to college in 2021.

For students who started high school in 2017, Jacobs' four-year graduation rate was 96 percent, compared to a rate of 93 percent at Dundee-Crown High School and 94 percent at Huntley High School.

Carmen Ayala, state education superintendent, praised teachers and administrators across the state for their dedication to Illinois students in a statement announcing the new report cards.

“Assessment data gives local communities more insight into the impact of the pandemic on their students and what they need to recover," Ayala said.

“We are confident that the full return to safe, in-person learning and the significant state and federal investment in our schools will provide the conditions for all our students to thrive in the coming years," she added. "Every school district has had a unique experience during the pandemic, with different strengths and challenges."