Grades for Illinois education up slightly, but still low

Only one-third of Illinois students are proficient in reading at 3rd grade, begin high school academically on-track to graduate and leave high school ready for college, according to the latest Advance Illinois report on education in Illinois.

As students get older, the picture continues to be bleak. Students who don’t meet at least three college readiness standards on the ACT have only a 15 percent chance of graduating from college, according to research. Because of lack of preparation, fewer than 30 percent of Illinois students who go to college will graduate, the report projects...