State Nixes ISAT Writing Portion; Superintendent Pledges "No Change in Emphasis" - Western Springs, IL Patch

State Nixes ISAT Writing Portion; Superintendent Pledges "No Change in Emphasis" - Western Springs, IL Patch

State Nixes ISAT Writing Portion; Superintendent Pledges "No Change in Emphasis"

Grades three to eight statewide no longer participate in supplementary writing section.

By Billy Rohaly | Email the author | 3:00am

Add a comment (0 comments )

Email | Start Following | Print | |

View full size

Your photos, videos & PDFs: Add

The Illinois Standards Achievement Test, also known as the ISAT, recently removed the traditionally assigned writing section for the 2010-2011 school year.

According to the Illinois State Board of Education website, the test's "writing assessments are not part of the No Child Left Behind federal mandate, and Illinois receives no federal dollars to support the writing assessments."

District 101 Superintendent Brian Barnhart confirmed both the removal of the writing portion and explained the rationale for said removal.

"[The removal was made] to save money from a state perspective," Barnhart said. "But internally, we give common writing prompts two or three