Quincy Reporter

In the 2023-24 school year, 29.4% of the students in Payson Community Unit School District 1 passed the ELA portion of the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR), according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Of the 194 students in Payson Community Unit School District 1 who took the ELA portion of the test, approximately 57 (29.4%) passed.

The percentage of Payson Community Unit School District 1 students who met or exceeded expectations on the IAR increased by 0.4% compared to the previous school year.

Payson Community Unit School District 1 roughly covers two schools within Adams County and has a main office in Payson.

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. 

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 (%)
Seymour Elementary School	Payson Community Unit School District 1	31%	4.3%
Seymour High School	Payson Community Unit School District 1	16.7%	3.8%