SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) – A new college entrance exam is coming to Illinois. The test known as the SAT is replacing the ACT.

The Illinois State Board of Education announced Thursday it will begin negotiating a contract with the College Board, which administers the SAT. The announcement comes after a protest filed by ACT was denied.

The state’s contract with ACT expired last year.

College Board spokesman Zach Goldberg says the SAT focuses “on the few things that evidence shows matter most for college and career readiness.” He says “students are already learning in class” material tested by the SAT.
Goldberg says the College Board can be ready to offer the SAT to Illinois high school students “as early as this spring.”