On Illinois's ACT, Grade 11 ELA is reported on a scale from 1 to 36 (2025 and 2026), and each score falls into one of 4 performance levels. Reaching Proficient, at 18 or above, is the state's proficiency line.
| Level | Score range | What it means | Statewide 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below Proficient | 1–12 | The lowest level, well below the state standard | 21% |
| Approaching Proficient | 13–17 | Approaching the state standard | 29% |
| Proficient | 18–26 | Meeting the state standard (the proficiency line) | 41% |
| Above Proficient | 27–36 | The highest level, above the state standard | 9% |
Statewide in 2026, about 50% of the students counted for Grade 11 ELA reached Proficient or Above Proficient. The bar above shows the share at each level (left = lowest).
SAT (2018 to 2024): the SAT that Illinois gave in school each spring to every 11th grader, counting the 11th graders who received a valid score. Reading and Writing is the SAT's Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section score. Some 12th graders also took it because they had no valid 11th-grade score (about 2,000 to 7,000 a year); they are not counted here (from 2022, ISBE's own spreadsheet download adds them to its school, district and state figures). From 2025: the 11th graders who took the ACT, the 10th graders who took the PreACT Secure and the 9th graders who took the PreACT 9 Secure that spring, each counted in its own grade. Students who take the alternate assessment (DLM-AA) are not included. There was no test in 2020.
More on who is counted, and how: see how we count.
A score's meaning depends on where it lands in the ranges above, and on how it compares to other students who took the same test. Our free tool turns a Grade 11 ELA score into an estimated percentile versus the school, district and the whole state, so you can see where a score stands, not just its level.
Look up a Grade 11 ELA percentile →