Prairie State Achievement Examination

The Prairie State Achievement Examination (PSAE) is a two-day standardized test taken by all High School Juniors in the U.S. state of Illinois. On the first day, students take the ACT, and on the second day, a WorkKeys examination and Illinois State Board of Education-developed science examination.^[1]. It has been required for all Illinois High School Students since 2001.^[2]

Areas of Assessment

The PSAE attempts to assess students on the following areas^[3]:

• Math
• Reading
• Science
• Writing

Exemptions

A student is required to take the PSAE to achieve a high school diploma, unless he or she meets one of the following requirements^[1]:

• The student’s Individualized Education Program is incompatible with the PSAE, and the test cannot be modified to comply. In this case, the student takes the Illinois Alternate Assessment instead.
• The student is not proficient in English. In this case the student takes the Illinois Measure of Annual Growth in English instead.
• The student is enrolled in an alternative Education program, including an adult education program, or high school equivalency certificates.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Becky McCabe, Division Administrator, Student Assessment Division (August 21, 2006). "Memorandum:2006-07 Guidance – Graduation and the Prairie State Achievement Examination" (PDF). Illinois State Board of Education. http://www.isbe.state.il.us/assessment/pdfs/psae_grad_guid_memo.pdf. Retrieved April 20, 2007. 
2. ^ Stephen M. Ponisciak (September 2005). "Understanding the Prairie State Achievement Exam" (PDF). University of Chicago. http://ccsr.uchicago.edu/publications/psae_report.pdf. Retrieved April 20, 2007. 
3. ^ "Prairie State Achievement Examination (PSAE)". Illinois State Board of Education. http://www.isbe.state.il.us/assessment/psae.htm. Retrieved April 20, 2007.