Preliminary Illinois State Achievement Tests (ISAT) scores show that the number of white and Asian students who met or exceeded test standards were far above the city-wide number (52%), while black students scored below it–a 44 percent difference between the two groups.
The numbers highlight a nation-wide achievement gap between white and minority students.
In a class action lawsuit against the Board of Education and the City of Chicago, parents upset over school closings allege that patterns of racial and economic discrimination, due to school closures and the CPS system, hurt achievement for black students.
Last year, 89 percent of white students met or exceeded test standards under the current ranking system, compared with 68 percent of black students. This year, 78 percent of white students met standards versus 44 percent of their African-American peers.
