Illinois moves rightly the goalposts

The return of school has us focused on education, and with that in mind we believe it’s worth weighing in on two major changes in the way the state of Illinois measures proficiency in reading, math and science.

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First, the scores needed to be considered “proficient” are going down for math and reading. For high schoolers, these scores come from the preACT and the ACT, a test with scores ranging from | at the low end to 36 on the high end. Previously, the state used SAT scores to measure high school proficiency, with proficiency standards above the national average.

Now, scoring an [8 in English language arts and a19in math on the ACT will count as “proficient” for high school juniors. To put that in perspective: an 18 is below the national average ACT score of 19 — and far below what selective universities such as the University of Illinois expect, where most freshmen scored between 30 and 34.