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The Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) is the state assessment and accountability measure for Illinois students enrolled in a public school district. IAR assesses the Illinois Learning Standards incorporating the Common Core and will be administered in English language arts and mathematics to all students in grades 3-8.

New, Unified Performance Levels and Right-Sized Proficiency Benchmarks for IAR, ISA, and ACT

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has adopted new, research-informed, and right-sized assessment performance levels to give students, families, and educators better data on academic achievement and college readiness. Prior performance levels mislabeled many students in elementary and high school, often indicating that students were less academically successful and prepared for college than they actually were. The new, unified levels correct long-standing misalignment between Illinois’ state assessments and other real college and career readiness expectations.

UPDATE: September 23, 2025

IAR 2025 REPORTS NOW AVAILABLE:

The 2025 reports are available for viewing in the Illinois Administrative Platform.

  • Performance Reporting (Dynamic Reports)
  • Spreadsheets & PDFs (Static Reports)
    • IAR Preliminary Summative File
    • Content Standards Roster & Data File
    • Evidence Statement Analysis & Data File
    • Electronic Individual Student Reports (ISRs)

Expected to be posted in the platform on Oct. 13:

  • District Summary of Schools
  • School Student Roster
  • Performance Level Summary Reports

2025 IAR & ISA PROFESSIONAL LEARNING WORKSHOP:

Please join us for an interactive professional learning workshop to explore the achievement expectations that were used to establish the new cut scores for students in Grades 3-8. Learn how Performance Level Descriptors can be used as a powerful tool for supporting the use of assessment data to better inform teaching and learning. Through guided discussion and hands-on activities, participants will examine how PLDs can:

  • Clarify what students at each performance level know and can do.
  • Highlight student strengths and areas of need in your classroom.
  • Integrate state assessment data and classroom evidence to inform instruction.
  • Strengthen communication with families about student progress.

You are encouraged to send 2-3 educators who are not only eager to learn but also well-positioned to share their learning with colleagues, helping build a common understanding of how PLDs can inform practice across classrooms. Participants will leave with strategies that support stronger instruction, clearer expectations, and student growth.

There will be multiple locations offered, but materials presented will be the same across all sessions.

  • Nov. 4 - Carterville, IL
  • Nov. 5 - St. Clair, IL
  • Nov. 6 - Champaign, IL
  • Nov. 17 - Peoria, IL
  • Nov. 19 - Dixon, IL
  • Nov. 20 - Chicago Heights, IL

Select the "Register Now" button to choose the session you would like to attend:

Register Now​​

To attend Region 5, St. Clair on Nov. 5, click below:
Register Here for Region 5, St. Clair​​


Parent & Teacher Resources

Family Portal

The Parent Portal has been renamed the Family Portal. The Illinois Assessment of Readiness Family Portal is for parents/guardians to have online access to their child’s performance on the IAR tests for English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics.

The IAR Family Portal is expected to become available for use at the end of October 2025.

Parent Portal Resources:

Career and College Readiness Resources

The Illinois Assessment of Readiness for English language arts and mathematics for Grades 3-8 has been linked with the Lexile and Quantile Framework to support the development of students and determine if they are on track to graduate college and are career ready. Using the Lexile and Quantile score included on the Individual Student Report, parents and teachers can utilize the enhanced resources, tools, and capabilities through our state partnership with MetaMetrics.  
  • Lexile and Quantile Hub
    This online platform provides you with easy access to more than a dozen new and enhanced reading and mathematics tools.
  • Lexile and Quantile Growth Planner
    This planner helps parents and teachers to identify the reading and math requirements needed for a desired career for students and use them to inform goal-setting.
  • Lexile and Quantile Career Database
    This helps parents and teachers to compare and describe the reading and math requirements of career interests for students.

RESOURCES

VIDEOS

Manuals & Technology

Pearson has updated the TestNav system requirements for the 2023-2024 school year. Please review the technical bulletins and system requirement pages below to ensure your school devices are ready for the fall (if applicable) and spring administrations.

IMPORTANT:The updated TestNav app must be downloaded and installed prior to spring 2024 testing.

These test documents and materials are for the spring 2024 test administration.

IAR Key Dates
Events Date(s)
IAR Spring 2026 Testing Window - Paper Testing
 3/2/26 - 4/3/26
IAR Spring 2026 Testing Window – Online Testing​ 3/2/26 - 4/17/26
​

Test Information & Resources

Test Guides & Manuals

Policies & Tools

TEST PREPARATION

TECHNICAL REPORTS

Test Design

English Language Arts

The ELA/L summative assessment is available in Grades 3 – 8. Students read and analyze passages from real, authentic texts – both fiction and nonfiction – as well as multimedia. Students then draw upon what they’ve learned from these passages and multimedia, using that knowledge to respond in writing. These skills are critically important for students in college and the workplace.

Mathematics

The mathematics summative assessment is available in Grades 3 – 8. Students solve multi-step math problems that require reasoning and address real-world situations. This requires students to reason mathematically, make sense of quantities and their relationships to solve real-world problems, and show their understanding. Many previous assessments focused mostly on rote procedure only.

Training Presentations & Webinars

Archived Materials

2025

2024

2023

​​2022

​​2021

​​2020

​​2019

Performance Level Descriptors

Performance Level Definitions and Guidance

Level Assessment Performance within this range
Above Proficient
 … demonstrates knowledge and application of the assessed Illinois Learning Standards that is above proficient for this subject and grade. Performance in this range is strong evidence that students are prepared for the academic demands of the next grade and are progressing toward the academic expectations of the next grade, which serve as a foundation for the pursuit of college and/or a career.
Proficient … demonstrates proficient knowledge and application of the assessed Illinois Learning Standards for this subject and grade. Performance in this range is evidence that students are prepared for the academic demands of the next grade and are progressing toward the academic expectations of the next grade, which serve as a foundation for the pursuit of college and/or a career.
Approaching Proficient … demonstrates knowledge and application of the assessed Illinois Learning Standards for this subject and grade that is approaching proficient. Performance in this range is evidence that students may need additional support (the nature and manner of which must be informed by multiple sources of information) to demonstrate success with the academic demands of the next grade, which serve as a foundation for the pursuit of college and/or a career.
Below Proficient … demonstrates knowledge and application of the assessed Illinois Learning Standards that is below proficient for this subject and grade. Performance in the Level 1 range is strong evidence that students may need additional support (the nature and manner of which must be informed by multiple sources of information) to demonstrate success with the academic demands of the next grade, which serve as a foundation for the pursuit of college and/or a career.​


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