Prairie State Wire

Colleges and universities in Illinois can no longer require standardized testing scores on admission applications under a new law that went into effect as of the first of the year. 

Jim Dodge, a former long-time Orland Park Trustee and 2018 Republican nominee for State Treasurer, believes that decision should be left up to the school, not politicians.

"Universities should dictate policy, they know best about what it means for quality of education and prospects for the student," Dodge told the Prairie State Wire. "The last thing we need is for this to become something controlled by Democrats and politicians."

The decision by lawmakers to eliminate the requirement came four years after a math professor at the University of Illinois wrote an article where she expressed her belief that math is racist, stating "mathematics itself operates as Whiteness," the National Review reported. Dodge doesn't know if standardized testing should be considered "racist" too.

"I will say they have their value and what they measure is understanding of a subject," he stated. "It comes back to how well are we educating kids in Illinois."

It appears the state can do better in that regard. According to data from the Illinois State Board of Education, over the last two years the number of 3rd to 11th graders in Illinois who met grade-level standards dropped by 18% in math and 17% in English. WBEZ reported that only 23% of Chicago 11th graders met grade-level standards for rating and only 21% met the same level for math. 

"The real question needs to be why aren't all demographics able to do well on these tests? Again, it comes down to the quality of education these kids are receiving and if they are being prepared for what comes next," Dodge said.

For some students, what's next could be higher education. Now they'll no longer be required to include standardized test scores on applications for state-run colleges and universities under House Bill 0226, or the Higher Education Fair Admissions Act.

The bill was passed in both the House and Senate last May and signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-Ill.) in July. 

An organization called FairTest found more than 1,000 colleges and universities across the country have removed the ACT or SAT score requirement in order to be accepted, according to an article published on Test Prep Advisor. The article noted schools that have eliminated the requirement believed the tests "favor students from privileged backgrounds." A study from the National Association for College Admission Counseling discovered schools without the requirement were also more "diverse."