Three years after Illinois changed how science would be taught and tested, performance data still isn't available because schools haven't seen science exam scores. Illinois officials say that science testing and scoring hasn't gone smoothly, largely due to state budget woes.
Illinois adopted the updated Next Generation Science Standards in 2014. A new exam wasn't created by 2015 testing time, resulting in no test or scores that year. Scores still haven't been released for the new exam called the Illinois Science Assessment taken in 2016. Students have already taken the spring 2017 exam.
State Board of Education spokeswoman Jackie Matthews says the budget crisis delayed the agency's partnership with Southern Illinois University Carbondale to score exams. The 2016 scores are expected to be released this summer.
