McGee Unveils Groundbreaking Test for Juniors: Prairie State Exam to Include ACT and WorkKeys

June 19, 2000

CHICAGO—Illinois high school juniors will take a new breed of state assessment next spring when the Illinois State Board of Education tests mastery of the Illinois Learning Standards by combining state-designed tests, a leading college entrance exam and an examination of skills and knowledge essential for the workplace.

State Superintendent of Education Glenn W. McGee announced today the nationally groundbreaking new Prairie State Achievement Exam (PSAE) for eleventh graders at a news conference at Dunbar Vocational Career Academy in Chicago.

The PSAE will test high school students' progress in meeting the Illinois Learning Standards in reading, writing, mathematics, science and social science. The Learning Standards encompass the skills and knowledge all students will need for success after high school.

It will also include the ACT Assessment college entrance exam and two of ACT's eight WorkKeys^® exams. Questions on the two WorkKeys assessments will measure students' mathematics and reading skills when applied to workplace situations. The WorkKeys system is used extensively by employers across the U.S., as the assessments measure skills necessary for success in the workplace.

"The Prairie State takes us to the next level in our work to make Illinois education Second to None," McGee said. "We believe it is an innovative approach to measuring the Standards, which we expect all of our students to meet or exceed."

The Learning Standards were developed to ensure that all students would receive the best education possible whether they go to college or directly to work after high school.

High school juniors must take the PSAE, which replaces the high school Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT). Students do not have to pass the PSAE to graduate.

The test, including the two ACT components, will be administered over two days in late April beginning in 2001.

The PSAE represents the first time the ACT Assessment has been integrated with other measures to create a comprehensive statewide assessment system. "I am proud and happy to be teaming up with a company of ACT's reputation," McGee said.

This groundbreaking combination of assessments will help ensure all Illinois students get the same rigorous, high quality education through grade 12 they will need to be successful after high school graduation, McGee said.

Gov. George Ryan also approved of the new test format. "Packaging the two ACT components with the PSAE gives our students more information as they consider their options for the future, whether they plan to attend a four-year university, community college, technical school or enter the workplace directly," Ryan said.

All students will benefit from the new test format, McGee said. "We believe the Learning Standards encompass the skills and knowledge all of our students need," McGee said. "If they are being taught to the Standards as every school should be doing, then the PSAE will provide a challenge our students can meet."

The new testing format will give the Prairie State more credibility with students by linking it to a nationally respected exam that is valued by educators, and workplace skills assessments valued and used by thousands of employers nationwide. That new credibility in turn will yield better, more reliable data on students' actual comprehension of the Learning Standards.

"Students will benefit in several ways from taking the ACT and WorkKeys as part of the PSAE," said Richard L. Ferguson, president of ACT, Inc. "Some students who are not considering attending college may change their minds.

"Students will also receive information from our Interest Inventory that is useful in career planning. The results from the exam will also enable students to evaluate any academic or workplace skill deficiencies and seek out help in those areas."

What's more, students will be able to take the ACT for free as part of the PSAE, meaning students for the first time will directly benefit from taking the state assessment. Next year, the fee for the ACT Assessment will be $23.

Students will be able to retake any or all of the PSAE in 12th grade to earn the best possible scores. Their final, best scores will be noted on their permanent records. Students will earn a Prairie State Achievement Award in each of the five subject areas for which they receive a qualifying score to be set by the State Board of Education.

As with all state assessments, special education students will not take the test if specifically exempted by their Individualized Education Program and limited-English-proficient students will also be exempt if they have been enrolled in bilingual education programs for less than three years.