PEORIA, Ill. – Peoria Public Schools is touting improvements made in proficiency standards in the first scores since the standards were changed.
District leaders on Monday talked about results from the Illinois School Report Card at Annie Jo Gordon Community Learning Center.
District-wide, 29% of students were proficient in English Language Arts, an increase of 12% from 2024. In the same timeframe, Math proficiency went up 7% to 18%, but Science saw an 8% decrease to 19% proficiency.
All those numbers are well-below state proficiency averages. ELA proficiency in Illinois is 52%, 38% in Math, and 45% in Science.
The numbers are the first after proficiency standards were revised by the State Board of Education. State Superintendent of Education Tony Sanders called the previous standards for ELA “the most restrictive in the country,” which he says mislabeled college ready students as not proficient.
Superintendent Dr. Sharon Desmoulin Kherat says those changes made the district look differently at what to focus on.
“If you take a look at the growth, you will see that growth has improved significantly, and even with the recalibration of the proficiency, cut scores, we have improved efficiency as well,” Kherat said.
The district graduation rate went up 1% from last year to 81% in 2025, while the state average was 89%. 86% of 9th graders are on track to graduate, also up 1% from last year. The district saw a significant increase in 8th graders passing Algebra, with 72% passing in 2025, compared to 18% in 2024.
For attendance, the district saw a 91% rate in 2025, up 1% from last year. Chronic absenteeism went down 6% from 2024, to 33% in 2025. Kherat says addressing reducing the numbers has been a focus of the district, with talking to students about why they’re absent as one strategy.
The district also saw more schools reaching Exemplary and Commendable status. One of those in Commendable status was the site of Monday morning’s briefing, Annie Jo Gordon Community Learning Center.
Principal Fabian Daniels says the school’s improvements are because of a family culture established at the school. She says that included getting the trust of a staff that previously had high turnover rates.
Daniels says the efforts included educating a student’s academic and social needs, along with engaging the student’s family members.
“When you can come into a school and an environment where you know that you don’t have to worry about your social well-being, the students can focus on their academics,” Daniels said.
For future growth, Kherat says the work is being put in place to improve for 2026. She says that includes more writing for ELA, looking into the science curriculum, and professional development amongst PPS teachers and staff.
Comments