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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives call upon the public universities in Illinois
4to study the usefulness and fairness of standardized tests in
5their admission processes; and
 
6    WHEREAS, The ultimate goal of analyzing the use of
7standardized testing in higher education is to move to a
8test-optional admittance process; and
 
9    WHEREAS, There are clear benefits to standardized testing
10merely being an optional step in the admission process, one of
11which is increased diversity; low income students typically
12score lower than their more affluent peers, putting them at a
13disadvantage in the admissions process; in 2016, the average
14ACT composite score for a high-income student was 23.6, while
15the average composite score for low income students was 19.5;
16and
 
17    WHEREAS, After the University of Chicago made the decision
18to go test-optional, the university reported record
19enrollments of first-generation, low-income, and rural
20students; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Public universities in Illinois making the choice

 

 

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1to go test-optional would not be unique; currently, one in four
2institutions of higher education no longer require a
3standardized test score for admittance, and, in the last year
4alone, 41 schools have eliminated their standardized testing
5requirement; and
 
6    WHEREAS, A university moving to a test-optional admittance
7process is not at all synonymous with a university abandoning
8its prestige, as the standards for admittance would simply be
9shifted to the students' GPA, extracurricular activities, and
10references; a standardized test is not the only way to measure
11a student's potential; the choice to eliminate mandatory
12standardized testing from admittance processes can lead to a
13larger applicant pool for universities, thus creating a
14stronger student body; and
 
15    WHEREAS, The test-optional switch will be extremely
16beneficial to the low-income students of Illinois who have
17hopes of attending one of the State's exceptional public
18universities; therefore, be it
 
19    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
20HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
21we urge the public universities in Illinois to examine the use
22of standardized testing in their admissions processes; and be
23it further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
2delivered to all the public universities in Illinois.