There's good news for high school students taking advanced placement courses: Thanks to a new law, they'll get more credit for passing AP tests than before.
Advanced placement courses end with a College Board test, and a score of 3 is a passing grade. Universities in nearby states automatically grant credit for those scores, but many Illinois colleges require higher AP test scores of 4 or 5. Representative Mark Batinick, a Plainfield Republican, says that contributes to Illinois' brain drain.
"We have a net out-migration of 16,500 higher-ed students per year. So we're losing the equivalent of two Eastern Illinois Universities annually," Batinick says. "When a student can go off to college with 15, even 20 or more credits, it's very attractive, as opposed to having to spend more time at an Illinois state school, re-taking courses that they've already proven they're proficient in."
A new law co-sponsored by Batinick requires Illinois public colleges and universities to award credit for AP scores of 3 or above. It takes effect next year.
