Not long ago, I wrote about a plan <\/a>afoot in my local school district\/community college district to expand dual-enrollment classes from a few specialized vocational-type classes (CNA, computer networking) to a set of classes intended to meet general education requirements, the rigor of which I found questionable: \u00a0Speech Communication, Introduction to Visual Art, Physical Science (for non-majors), and two math courses for non-STEM majors, each of which appeared to be no more rigorous than any standard 12th grade math course. \u00a0I had said at the time that, though I didn\u2019t like the application, I liked the overall concept, and would like to see, instead of AP classes, true college-rigor classes taught via dual enrollment* so that success doesn\u2019t hinge on a single exam: \u00a0for composition and history, for math, and for the sciences, where, in particular, if you look at lists of what scores colleges accept, the need to ensure that a student truly understands the material and is ready to move on to the next level, means that colleges are much more demanding about what level score they accept for credit. \u00a0I subtitled this post \u201cHigher Education Bubble Sign or Reynold\u2019s Law\u201d because of Glenn Reynolds\/Instapundit\u2019s observation that giving someone the trappings of middle-classness doesn\u2019t give them the abilities and the traits that allow them to succeed.<\/p>\n (*Tangential comment: \u00a0by comparison, German bachelor degree programs are three years long, because the expectation is that the gymnasium<\/em> coursework is rigorous enough that the typical American freshman year, consisting of a series of introductory and general-education courses, isn\u2019t necessary. \u00a0But that\u2019s another post.)<\/p>\n But apparently the Illinois state legislature doesn\u2019t see it this way. \u00a0According to this morning\u2019s Tribune<\/a>\u00a0(see here for non-subscriber link<\/a>):<\/p>\n College standards for granting credit for AP tests vary widely. The tests are scored on a 5-point scale, but while some colleges and universities will award credit for scores as low as 2, others require the top score of 5 in certain subjects, according to the College Board, which administers the program. At some schools, the standards vary by subject, while the University of Illinois has different thresholds for different campuses.<\/p>\n To standardize the criteria, lawmakers are considering passing a law to require public universities and colleges in Illinois to give course credit for scores of 3 or better.<\/p>\n The idea met resistance from higher education officials who feared it would lower academic standards, and a similar bill died in the legislature last year. But this year, the proposal appears to be gaining momentum.<\/p>\n The state House passed the measure by an overwhelming, bipartisan 90-22 vote. Last week, the Senate higher education committee approved the bill unanimously. It is expected to go before the Senate for a vote this week.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n There\u2019s a nifty graphic at the link, which shows the score requirement at each of the Illinois public universities and Chicago area community colleges; it is true that the most prevalent requirement is a 3, but not consistently.<\/p>\n Universities, of course, aren\u2019t pleased with this state intervention, and are trying to at least modify the bill to allow them to grant elective credit, rather than directly substituting for specific requirements, especially when a class is a prerequisite and students are at risk of failing the next class in the sequence without adequate preparation.<\/p>\n And it\u2019s my understanding that there are some universities, Ivy League ones in particular, that don\u2019t accept any AP credit, whether this is because they think no AP class is of sufficient rigor, ever, or because they simply don\u2019t want to lose tuition revenue, I don\u2019t know, and, in any case, I think it\u2019s improbable that Illinois state colleges have the latter, tuition-collection concern in mind.<\/p>\n What it all comes down to is this: it\u2019s foolish to take away from universities the discretion to determine that for any given AP test, based on their evaluation, a higher score is needed to grant the proposed credit \u2014 that is, if a university education is about learning rather than just accruing credits. \u00a0On the other hand, if it is just about the credits, then hooray for the legislature!<\/p>\n Sunday morning update: \u00a0Hi, instapundit readers! \u00a0Here\u2019s a comment from Glenn\u2019s link, from user BobRog:<\/p>\n