Post date: Feb 28, 2017 2:32:17 AM
HB0230 passed out of the higher education committee on February 15, 2017. Ad Hoc opposes this bill because, though it does not threaten homeschoolers directly, if it passes, it will make it much more difficult for homeschoolers to be admitted to any of the Illinois public universities.
We urge you to call your representative and convey your opposition to this bill. Or send a letter like the following:
In Illinois a homeschool is a private school. It is rarely accredited because becoming so would include requirements that simply do not make sense for facilities that serve so few students.
HB0230 would give automatic admission to the public universities to the top ten percent of graduates from only accredited high schools. This leaves all the homeschoolers and also students from those other small private high schools that do not pursue accreditation to compete for the smaller fraction of freshman slots that are left.
Homeschool students are often very well prepared for college work, and the results show it. Universities around the country have devised ways to judge their academic potential up until now and have done so successfully.
We understand that HB0230’s goal is to equalize the opportunity for a college education throughout the state, but in neglecting to specify any way for the small nonaccredited private school students (which would include homeschoolers) to benefit from automatic admission, you will be putting them at an extreme disadvantage.
Other states have written similar Uniform Admission Policies, but have included alternative standards for students coming from atypical school settings.
Please do not pass HB0230 as it is written now.