Most Beat Average: A Look At Elmhurst Test Scores

ELMHURST, IL – An overwhelming percentage of elementary and middle school students in Elmhurst School District 205 are achieving the average or better with a certain test, according to district numbers.

The district reported Tuesday that 80 percent of students from kindergarten to eighth grade met the average or above in reading on this fall's MAP test. For math, the rate was 79 percent.

As in most places, low-income students lagged far behind – 47 percent in reading and 42 percent in math.

The report was given at a school board meeting. It included the numbers from this fall and a year ago for each grade. Most of the percentages stayed about the same in the last year.

Board member Jim Collins said he would have liked more.

"Any kind of longitudinal data you can give us in any future presentation is extremely helpful in putting this into context," he said. "This snapshot with no historical trend line is very difficult to comprehend where we are and how we are doing."

Board President Kara Caforio noted the overall numbers.

"When we see some of our students are not meeting benchmarks, we all want to laser-focus on what will help them meet benchmarks," she said. "But I also want to acknowledge that 80 percent of our students are achieving at or above the standard (in reading)."

The results from the MAP test are different from the Illinois Assessment of Readiness. The IAR scores from 2021 show that 42 percent of District 205 students in third through eighth grades met or exceeded standards in math and English language arts.