The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) today published the 2024 Illinois Report Card, which showed Illinois students in grades 3-8 charting the highest-ever proficiency rate in English language arts, thanks to the statewide focus on improving literacy. Illinois high schools also set a new record for the highest-ever four-year graduation rate, driven by steady gains for Black students. Students in grades 3-8 achieved a proficiency rate of 40.9 percent, the highest ever since students began taking the Illinois Assessment of Readiness in 2019. The overall state-level ELA proficiency rates now exceed pre-pandemic levels for students in every race/ethnicity group, as well as English Learners, students with IEPs, and low-income students. Black students achieved the largest year-over-year gains, seeing a 26 percent increase in the percent of students meeting or exceeding state standards.  ISBE credits these nation-leading outcomes to the work of educators statewide to implement best practices in literacy. ISBE led an effort beginning in October 2022 to develop the Illinois Comprehensive Literacy Plan. The plan guides districts in examining their local practices and data and making shifts to implement evidence-based literacy instruction for all learners.