Illinois has stopped using an alternative mathematics and reading test for English-language learners because state officials haven’t been able to convince the U.S. Department of Education the test is comparable to the state’s regular tests.
The Illinois Measure of Annual Growth in English, or IMAGE, uses simplified English to test ELLs in math and reading. Matthew Vanover, a spokesman for the Illinois board of education, said the state will eventually develop another alternative test for Illinois’ 36,000 English-learners, but in the meantime, they will take regular state tests with accommodations.
The federal Education Department has required several other states—including Arkansas and Wisconsin—to stop using their alternative tests for ELLs, but has approved such tests in North Carolina and Virginia.
