Important school test this week

High school juniors statewide will take the two-day Illinois Prairie State Achievement Exam beginning Wednesday. On the first day of testing, students take the ACT, a national college entrance exam. The ACT includes separate math, reading, science and writing tests. Students take the state science exam and WorkKeys applied math and reading tests on the second day of testing. The tests determine whether schools and school districts pass or fail under the federal No Child Left Behind law. Students also can use their ACT scores on college applications. Schools that fail year after year face progressively harsher state and federal sanctions, which can culminate in a state takeover or the removal of school board members, teachers and administrators. In the Daily Herald coverage area, 36 high schools have failed to meet standards on state tests for at least four consecutive years.