Illinois State Board of Education
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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: August 2026

2026 IAR Reports

The 2026 preliminary reports are available in the Illinois Administrative Platform. Review the Performance Report Scoring GuidePDF Document for details on how to access the student reports.

All reporting guides can be located on the Pearson support site under the Reporting tab.​

All other district and school reports are posted in the Illinois Administration Platform. Individuals with test coordinator access can download those reports. Refer to guidance documents for interpreting those results:

The electronic versions of the Individual Student Reports are available for download in the Illinois Administrative Platform. Hard copies will be delivered to districts the last week of August and should be sent to parents and guardians as soon as possible.

2026-27 Professional Development: Interpreting the IAR & ISA Results

Join ISBE for an interactive professional learning workshop focused on moving beyond assessment scores to a deeper understanding of what student performance reveals about learning expectations and opportunities to learn.

The workshop will emphasize the role of summative assessment as one source of evidence within a coherent system of standards, curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Participants will learn how to interpret IAR and ISA results to reflect on the learning opportunities that students experienced, identify strengths and gaps in instructional systems, and consider how curriculum, instruction, and supports can be refined to better meet the needs of future students.

View workshop dates and register for the Interpreting the IAR & ISA Results workshop​. All sessions will be held 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Parent & Teacher Resources

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.

Parent Portal Resources

Summer Enrichment Activities

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 2025-2026 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 2026 testing.

IAR Key Dates
Events Date(s)
Correction Window Opens May 11, 2026
Performance Reporting Posted to the Illinois Administration Platform May 18, 2026
Preliminary Summative File (No Growth) Posted to the Illinois Administration Platform June 4, 2026
Final Summative File (With Growth) Posted to the Illinois Administration Platform July 13, 2026
Static Reports (PDFs):
  • •District Summary of Schools Report
  • •School Student Roster Report
  • •Performance Level Summary Report
  • •Electronic ISRs Posted to the Illinois Administration Platform
 July 21, 2026
More Static Reports (PDFs):
  • •Content Standards Roster & Data File Report
  • •Evidence Statement Analysis & Data File Report
 July 28, 2026
Correction Window Deadline July 31, 2026
Family Portal Opens Aug. 10, 2026
Hard Copy ISRs Delivered to Districts Aug. 28, 2026

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

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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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Contact Information