The Illinois State Board of Education will now accept a composite score of 22 or better on the ACT plus Writing exam in place of the Test of Academic Proficiency/Basic Skills as long as the education department approved the exam within five years of the test’s completion.

An SAT equivalent score of 1030 will also be accepted.

The timeframe was still being determined after the state board approved the change in late June because certain considerations could have left seniors majoring the educational field, who did not previously pass the required tests, out of luck, said Doug Bower, the associate dean for the College of Education and Professional Studies.

“It takes the stress out of the testing, but it’s also $125 that they don’t have to pay,” Bower said.

Bower said students can still elect to take the $125 TAP/Basic Skills test with the closest testing location in Terra Haute, Ind.

So far Bower said students and professors have been reacting positively to the new implementation.

Students will need to complete and turn in two forms—the Score Report Verification form and the EIU Request to use ACT/SAT Score form.

“We’ve already processed right around 40 (forms),” he said.

After the two forms are processed, the department will notify the student that they have been approved and the student will then have to send their score to the state board, Bower said.

“I have talked to quite a few of the freshmen who may have had a 21 on their ACT so they are trying to make the decision of ‘do I take the TAP or do I take the ACT,’” Bower said.

To help those students who are unsure, Bower said his department has a side-by-side comparison the two exams. 

“The students can make informed decisions on which is best for them,” Bower said.

In conjunction, the education department will also be starting a free new program in Buzzard Room 2303, where students can receive help preparing for either the TAP or ACT with several education professors as well as two graduate assistants no later than after Labor Day.

The program will offer workshops, tutoring—individual and group—as well as walk-in assistance, Bower said.

“We are really excited about the opportunities we are going to have to be able help students who are just that one step away (from teaching),” Bower said.

Nike Ogunbodede can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].