IAR Scores Explained:
The New Cut Scores

The IAR has no pass or fail, but Proficient and Above Proficient meet the state's benchmark. Under the benchmarks ISBE approved on August 13, 2025, Proficient starts at 735 to 745 in ELA and 732 to 745 in math, depending on the grade. It used to be 750 for every grade and subject.

A 750 is now Proficient in every grade 3 to 8, but it is no longer the line. The new Proficient score is lower than 750 in every grade, from 732 (grade 3 math) to 745 (grades 7 and 8 math, grade 8 ELA). So some scores between about 732 and 749 that were not proficient before are proficient now.

ISBE publishes the 2026 Illinois Report Card at IllinoisReportCard.com at 9 a.m. on October 30, 2026. The media and districts received the state-level data earlier under an embargo that lifts at the same time. Your child's own score report comes through the school.

ISBE says Illinois had the toughest ELA and math benchmarks in the country, so many students who were doing well in school were labeled not proficient, while the science bar was too low. The new benchmarks are aligned to the ACT scores linked to college and career readiness. The tests themselves and the learning standards did not change.

Compare the scale score or the Student Growth Percentile, not the level. ISBE says proficiency rates cannot be compared with years before 2025, but a child's scale score and growth percentile are not affected by the new levels.

It compares your child's growth with students who started at the same level. It is a percentile, not a percent: 50 is the state average, so a 75 means your child grew more than 75% of similar students. It does not say how much your child grew.

The Illinois Science Assessment in grades 5 and 8 now uses the same four levels, and ISBE says the old science bar was too low. On the ISA scale of 700 to 900, Proficient starts at 812 and Above Proficient at 856 in both grades.

The IAR used to report five levels, from Level 1 "Did not yet meet expectations" to Level 5 "Exceeded expectations", with Level 4 "Met expectations" as proficient. Since the spring 2025 results, all Illinois state tests use four levels: Below Proficient, Approaching Proficient, Proficient and Above Proficient.

Start with the reporting categories on the score report: they show which broad areas were weakest. Then find the exact skills inside them. A full practice test built like the IAR, such as iMasterly's, scores your child in each reporting category and explains every question, so you can practice the skills that cost points. Your child's teacher can also tell you what extra support the school offers.