Online Tutoring for the Illinois Curriculum
One-to-one tutoring built around the Illinois Learning Standards, from kindergarten through AP coursework. Every tutor is matched to what your child is actually assessed on, including the Illinois Assessment of Readiness, the Illinois Science Assessment and the ACT in grade 11.
Standards-Aligned
IAR, ISA and ACT preparation
Recommended by parents and students for Illinois curriculum tutoring
Math Make Smart is rated 4.9 on Trustpilot. Read what families say about our certified tutors and one-to-one online lessons.
What Illinois Actually Tests
Illinois assesses through three separate instruments across a student's school career. They measure different things and are prepared for differently, so knowing which applies when is the starting point for any useful tutoring plan.
ILS
Illinois Learning Standards, K–12
IAR
ELA & mathematics, grades 3–8
ISA
Illinois Science Assessment, grades 5 and 8
ACT
Grade 11 accountability assessment
The IAR reports five performance levels, with Level 4 indicating a student has met expectations for their grade. It grew out of the PARCC assessment, which is why the question style leans towards multi-step reasoning and extended written responses rather than straightforward recall.
Illinois Junior Year Now Means the ACT
Illinois has switched its high school accountability assessment from the SAT to the ACT. The State Board announced the change in May 2024, awarding a six-year contract to ACT, and the first statewide administration took place in spring 2025. Illinois had used the SAT since 2016, and before that the ACT for around fifteen years, so this is a return rather than a novelty. Juniors sit it free during the school day.
The two tests are genuinely different, and preparation should follow the format. The ACT runs four multiple-choice sections covering English, mathematics, reading and science, scored on a 36-point scale, with roughly 215 questions in under three hours. The SAT used two sections scored between 400 and 1600 over a longer period per question. In practice the ACT rewards pace and confident recall more than the SAT did, so timing practice matters more than it used to.
The ACT also includes a science section, which the SAT did not. For families this means science reasoning now forms part of the state assessment at high school level rather than sitting only in earlier grades. Students can still take the SAT independently at their own expense if a particular university asks for it.
Subject Specialisms
Targeted support across every core subject, from elementary foundations through AP and dual credit coursework. Each subject links to a dedicated page with tutor profiles and topics covered.
Online Math Tutors
- IAR mathematics, grades 3–8
- Algebra I, Geometry & Algebra II
- ACT mathematics & AP Calculus
Online English Tutors
- IAR English language arts
- ACT English & reading sections
- Extended written response
Online Science Tutors
- ISA preparation, grades 5 and 8
- NGSS three-dimensional learning
- ACT science reasoning
Online Physics Tutors
- High school physics & NGSS practices
- AP Physics 1, 2 & C
- Math foundations for physics
Online Chemistry Tutors
- High school chemistry
- Stoichiometry & equilibrium
- AP Chemistry
Online Biology Tutors
- High school biology
- Genetics, ecology & evolution
- AP Biology
Where Students Need Help, Grade by Grade
Difficulties rarely appear where they are first noticed. These are the stages where Illinois students most often lose ground, and what tends to be behind it.
Grades K–2
Number sense, place value and reading fluency. No state testing yet, which is exactly why gaps at this stage go unnoticed until the IAR begins in grade 3.
Grades 3–5
The first IAR years. Fractions are the usual sticking point in mathematics, and grade 5 brings the first Illinois Science Assessment, which rewards reasoning over recall.
Grades 6–8
Ratios, proportional reasoning and algebraic thinking, plus the grade 8 ISA. How securely this lands determines whether Algebra I goes well, and Algebra I sets up the whole high school sequence.
Grades 9–12
Coursework, the grade 11 ACT, and AP or dual credit classes. Earlier gaps become expensive here, because the ACT is both a state requirement and a college admissions test.
One Test, Two Purposes
Illinois juniors sit a single ACT that serves as both the state accountability assessment and a genuine college admissions score. That dual role is unusual and it changes the stakes: the same sitting that satisfies a graduation requirement also produces a number a university will see.
Since 2021, Illinois public universities and community colleges have been required to operate test-optional admissions, so a score is not compulsory for application. But a strong result is still worth having, particularly for scholarship consideration, and mathematics is where most students gain or lose the most ground. Preparation that starts in sophomore year rather than the spring of junior year consistently produces better outcomes.
Explore Math TutoringThe Four ACT Sections
- English — usage, mechanics, rhetoric
- Mathematics — through Algebra II and basic trigonometry
- Reading — comprehension under time pressure
- Science — data interpretation, not memorised content
Assessment and graduation requirements are set by the Illinois State Board of Education and are periodically updated. Always confirm current requirements with your school counselor.
Why Math Make Smart Works for Illinois Students
Matched to the Right Assessment
IAR reasoning, ISA science practices and ACT pacing are three different skills. Tutors are matched to the assessment your child is actually preparing for rather than to a generic subject syllabus.
Pace as Well as Content
The ACT asks around 215 questions in under three hours, so timing is part of the skill. We build that in deliberately rather than treating it as something students pick up on their own.
Progress You Can Read
Written summaries after every session and a bi-weekly report showing which standards have been mastered and which still need attention, in the language of your child's score report.
Illinois Curriculum Questions, Answered
The questions Illinois parents ask us most often about the standards, the IAR and the move to the ACT.
Does my child take the SAT or the ACT?
The ACT. Illinois switched its statewide high school assessment from the SAT to the ACT, with the first administration in spring 2025, and juniors take it free during the school day. Students may still sit the SAT independently at their own cost if a particular university prefers it. One wrinkle worth checking locally: some districts held separate College Board arrangements during the transition, so if your school has mentioned both tests, ask which one they are administering this year.
Why did the proficiency percentages change?
Illinois updated its cut scores for the IAR, ISA and ACT beginning in 2025–26. The State Board's reasoning was that Illinois had been applying one of the strictest proficiency definitions in the country, even though Illinois students performed above the national average on NAEP, which made results look worse than the underlying learning warranted. The practical effect is that more students now fall into proficient categories. Be careful comparing this year's numbers with previous years: the measurement changed, and the switch from SAT to ACT means there is no clean high school baseline either.
What does an IAR Level 4 mean?
The IAR reports five levels, and Level 4 means a student has met expectations for their grade. Level 3 is approaching expectations, which is the one worth paying attention to, because it often reads to families as a near miss when it usually signals a specific gap rather than general weakness. The IAR descends from PARCC, so questions favour multi-step reasoning and written explanation. A student who understands the content but cannot show their thinking will underperform relative to what they know.
How should we prepare for the ACT science section?
Not by memorising science content, which is the most common mistake. The ACT science section tests whether a student can read graphs, tables and experimental descriptions quickly and draw correct conclusions from them. It rewards data interpretation and pace far more than recall. Students who are strong in biology or chemistry class sometimes score poorly here simply because they are reading too carefully. It is a skill that responds well to focused practice.
Are the Illinois Learning Standards the same as Common Core?
Largely, yes, in English language arts and mathematics, and this is where Illinois differs from states such as Texas, Florida and Virginia. Illinois adopted the Common Core State Standards into its Illinois Learning Standards, and for science it adopted the Next Generation Science Standards. That makes nationally produced materials a reasonable starting point in Illinois in a way they are not everywhere. What still needs matching is the assessment: IAR question style, ISA science practices and ACT pacing are specific to Illinois students, and that is where preparation should be targeted.
Ready to build real confidence in the Illinois curriculum?
Start with a free assessment. We'll find out where your child actually stands against the Illinois Learning Standards and match them with a tutor who knows the assessment they are preparing for.