Education A State Capitals Roundup

Illinois Board Lowers Bar on English-Learners’ Test

By Sean Cavanagh — June 21, 2005 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

The Illinois board of education has unanimously approved a plan to lower the passing scores on a state accountability test that measures reading abilities of English-language learners.

Approved June 16, the changes will lower the reading cut scores on the Illinois Measure of Annual Growth in English test, or IMAGE.

That exam was designed to assess the language ability of English-language learners. Illinois officials later used the results to assess limited-English-proficient students under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. The test is given in reading and mathematics in grades 3, 5, 8, and 11.

Officials decided to review passing scores because the test is now used to hold schools and districts accountable under the 3-year-old NCLB law—a purpose for which it was not originally designed, Illinois state Superintendent of Education Randy J. Dunn said in a written report to the board.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Classroom Technology Webinar
How to Leverage Virtual Learning: Preparing Students for the Future
Hear from an expert panel how best to leverage virtual learning in your district to achieve your goals.
Content provided by Class
English-Language Learners Webinar AI and English Learners: What Teachers Need to Know
Explore the role of AI in multilingual education and its potential limitations.
Education Webinar The K-12 Leader: Data and Insights Every Marketer Needs to Know
Which topics are capturing the attention of district and school leaders? Discover how to align your content with the topics your target audience cares about most. 

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education From Our Research Center What's on the Minds of Educators, in Charts
Politics, gender equity, and technology—how teachers and administrators say these issues are affecting the field.
1 min read
Stylized illustration of a pie chart
Traci Daberko for Education Week
Education Briefly Stated: August 30, 2023
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: August 23, 2023
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated: August 16, 2023
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read