{"id":2548,"date":"2015-08-16T18:07:09","date_gmt":"2015-08-17T00:07:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/janetheactuary\/?p=2548"},"modified":"2016-01-05T10:45:29","modified_gmt":"2016-01-05T16:45:29","slug":"ap-in-il-an-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/janetheactuary\/2015\/08\/ap-in-il-an-update.html","title":{"rendered":"AP in IL: an update"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Back in May, I wrote about<\/a> the plan in Illinois to require that all public universities give credit for AP scores of three or higher, to eliminate the variations between universities and exams \u2014 that is, for math and science exams in particular, various of the more rigorous schools require that students earn a 4 or even a 5 in order to receive credit and placement in a higher level class, but the legislature planned to remove this discretion and require that all universities accept a score of 3.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the update: \u00a0today\u2019s Trib reports<\/a>,<\/p>\n

Beginning with the 2016-17 school year, Illinois colleges and universities must provide course credit to students who score at least a 3 on an AP exam, according to a bill signed into law this week by Gov. Bruce Rauner. . . .<\/p>\n

Some higher education officials were concerned that the law could affect academic standards by forcing colleges to give credit to students for courses they shouldn\u2019t skip. The officials were also concerned that granting students college credit could cut tuition revenues.<\/p>\n

But Charles Tucker, vice provost for undergraduate education and innovation at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, said the law allows universities and colleges to determine what kind of credit they\u2019ll offer for a score of 3, which will help maintain academic standards. McGuire said that was a compromise after hearing from higher education officials.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Now, the worry about tuition revenues falling is irksome, but it would be more irksome if this appeared to have made an impact on decision-making.<\/p>\n

But what has happened, exactly? \u00a0Here\u2019s the full text of the bill<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Sec. 30. Examination; postsecondary-level course credit.
\n(a) In this Section, \u201cinstitution of higher education\u201d\u00a0means a public university or public community college located\u00a0in this State.
\n(b) Beginning with the 2016-2017 academic year, scores of\u00a03, 4, and 5 on the College Board Advanced Placement\u00a0examinations shall be accepted for credit to satisfy degree\u00a0requirements by all institutions of higher education. Each\u00a0institution of higher education shall determine for each test\u00a0whether credit will be granted for electives, general education\u00a0requirements, or major requirements and the Advanced Placement\u00a0scores required to grant credit for those purposes.
\n(c) By the conclusion of the 2019-2020 academic year, the\u00a0Board of Higher Education, in cooperation with the Illinois\u00a0Community College Board, shall analyze the Advanced Placement\u00a0examination score course granting policy of each institution of\u00a0higher education and the research used by each institution in\u00a0determining the level of credit and the number of credits\u00a0provided for the Advanced Placement scores in accordance with\u00a0the requirements of this Section and file a report that\u00a0includes findings and recommendations to the General Assembly\u00a0and the Governor. Each institution of higher education shall\u00a0provide the Board of Higher Education and the Illinois\u00a0Community College Board with all necessary data, in accordance\u00a0with the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of\u00a01974, to conduct the analysis.
\n(d) Each institution of higher education shall publish its\u00a0updated Advanced Placement examination score course granting\u00a0policy in accordance with the requirements of this Section on\u00a0its Internet website before the beginning of the 2016-2017\u00a0academic year.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So: \u00a0the law doesn\u2019t do much, really, in the end. \u00a0Schools can retain their current policies with respect to placement, and have fulfilled the letter of the law (so far as I can tell) if they grant one unit of elective credit for each exam. \u00a0Courses of study vary in the degree to which students have room in their degree requirements for a great many electives \u2014 liberal arts degrees have so many electives that it\u2019s easy to do double majors, but, a I recall, engineering majors have very few; e.g., the mechanical engineering curriculum<\/a> at the University of Illinois provides for a total of two truly free electives (excluding those required for general education). \u00a0So this may<\/em> simply have the impact of enabling students to fill their electives with these AP-earned units.<\/p>\n

But will a \u201cminimalist\u201d university\u00a0have legislators angry at them, with funding threats, if they don\u2019t provide a full class\u2019s worth, or even a full set-of-classes\u2019 worth, of credits, for the corresponding AP test? \u00a0Will the legislators rail that they\u2019ve violated the intent of the law if they don\u2019t grant credit for the specific courses the exam is designed to replace?<\/p>\n

So I\u2019m torn: \u00a0I believe there ought to be a robust system that allows students to get credit in nontraditional ways \u2014 through credit-by-exam, through dual-credit high school classes, through work portfolios. \u00a0If we can\u2019t dislodge the college degree as the credential required by an ever-increasing number of employers for ever-increasing occupations, then minimizing the seat-time, and the full-cost credit hours, is the next-best thing. \u00a0On the other hand, I\u2019d like to see a variety of options, and am concerned that this sort of state mandate will have unintended consequences.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Back in May, I wrote about the plan in Illinois to require that all public universities give credit for AP scores of three or higher, to eliminate the variations between universities and exams \u2014 that is, for math and science exams in particular, various of the more rigorous schools require that students earn a 4 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2209,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[174,167,11],"class_list":["post-2548","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-ap","tag-high-school","tag-illinois"],"yoast_head":"\nAP in IL: an update<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Back in May, I wrote about the plan in Illinois to require that all public universities give credit for AP scores of three or higher, to eliminate the\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, 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