As announced by State Superintendent Koch in his June 3, 2013, Weekly Message, a requirement to administer an 11th grade writing assessment was passed by legislators. Senate Bill 2555 added writing assessments in grade 11 and was sent to Governor Quinn on June 17, 2013. ISBE is working to implement the inclusion of ACT Writing into the PSAE and writing into the grade 11 IAA for spring 2014.
If implemented as planned, the spring 2014 PSAE Day 1 tests will consist of the battery of four multiple-choice ACT tests as well as the ACT Writing test. This will enable students to receive the bonus of a college-reportable ACT Plus Writing score, as long as PSAE Day 1 is administered under standard-time conditions or with ACT-Approved accommodations. PSAE Writing scores will also be reported and will be derived from the combination of ACT English and ACT Writing, as they were from spring 2007 - spring 2011. More information about ACT Writing is available on ACT’s website,
www.actstudent.org/writing/. In spring 2014, the grade 11 IAA will include a writing component similar to the IAA writing tests that were administered in spring 2011.
