State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

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[ Engrossed ][ House Amendment 001 ]


92_HJ0076

 
                                              LRB9216771NTsbA

 1                       HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

 2        WHEREAS, The United States Congress has  passed  and  the
 3    President  of  the  United  States  has  signed  into law the
 4    federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Public Law 107-110,
 5    in an attempt by the federal government to require states  to
 6    set  high  academic  standards  to further ensure outstanding
 7    public school performance; and

 8        WHEREAS, Public Law 107-110 requires State compliance and
 9    alignment of State standards in regards to student testing to
10    meet the federal student-testing requirements to qualify  for
11    federal education dollars; and

12        WHEREAS,  The  State  Board  of  Education  is or will be
13    required to submit implementation plans to ensure  compliance
14    with Public Law 107-110 regarding student testing; and

15        WHEREAS,  The  State  Board  of  Education  is or will be
16    required to submit documentation regarding the progress  made
17    to    ensure    compliance    with   Public   Law   107-110's
18    student-testing requirements; and

19        WHEREAS, The General Assembly,  working  with  educators,
20    community  groups,  and  private sector interests, has passed
21    into law many similar student-testing requirements  over  the
22    course  of  the  past  decade,  which have been and are being
23    implemented throughout the State of Illinois; and

24        WHEREAS, It is the intention of the General  Assembly  to
25    align  current State student testing programs with Public Law
26    107-110 in ways that continue the progress being made to make
27    Illinois' good public schools even better and to do so  in  a
28    deliberate,  thoughtful,  and common-sense fashion respecting
29    the appropriate State roles and responsibilities and those of
30    local  school  boards,   administrators,   teachers,   school
31    employees,  parents,  and  their  respective  local partners;
 
                            -2-               LRB9216771NTsbA
 1    therefore, be it

 2        RESOLVED,  BY  THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES   OF   THE
 3    NINETY-SECOND  GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
 4    SENATE  CONCURRING  HEREIN,  that  all   Illinois   Standards
 5    Achievement  Test  and  Prairie State Achievement Examination
 6    subject-area  testing  that  exceeds  Public  Law   107-110's
 7    requirements  be eliminated beginning with the 2002-03 school
 8    year; and be it further

 9        RESOLVED, That  Illinois  will  comply  with  Public  Law
10    107-110  by  implementing,  beginning with the 2002-03 school
11    year, testing of students in the subject areas of reading and
12    mathematics once in grades 3-5, 6-9, and  10-12;  and  be  it
13    further

14        RESOLVED,  That  Illinois  will  comply  with  Public Law
15    107-110 in the 2005-06 school year when  Public  Law  107-110
16    increases requirements by requiring annual testing of reading
17    and  mathematics  in grades 3-8 and once in grades 10-12; and
18    be it further

19        RESOLVED, That  Illinois  will  comply  with  Public  Law
20    107-110  in the 2007-2008 school year when Public Law 107-110
21    increases requirements by requiring testing of  science  once
22    in grades 3-5, 6-9, and 10-12; and be it further

23        RESOLVED,  That  the  State  Assessment System Policy and
24    Implementation  Task  Force  be  immediately  established  to
25    develop the  procedures  needed  to  implement  an  approved,
26    nationally   recognized,   referenced  test  that  meets  the
27    requirements of Public Law 107-110 and to  take  any  actions
28    necessary  to  ensure  that  the assessment system, including
29    tests,   administration,    reporting,    and    professional
30    development,  is of high quality and educationally useful and
31    understandable; and be it further
 
                            -3-               LRB9216771NTsbA
 1        RESOLVED, That the task force shall be  comprised  of  25
 2    representatives   as   follows:  one  member  of  the  Senate
 3    appointed by the President of the Senate and  one  member  of
 4    the  Senate  appointed  by the Minority Leader of the Senate;
 5    one member of the House of Representatives appointed  by  the
 6    Speaker  of  the  House  and  one  member  of  the  House  of
 7    Representatives  appointed  by  the  Minority  Leader  of the
 8    House; 8 teachers, with 4  appointed  by  Illinois  Education
 9    Association  and  4  appointed  by the Illinois Federation of
10    Teachers; 6  persons  appointed  by  the  Illinois  Statewide
11    School  Management Alliance; 4 business representatives, with
12    one each appointed by the Illinois State Chamber of Commerce,
13    Illinois   Manufacturers'   Association,   Illinois    Retail
14    Merchants  Association, and Illinois Business Roundtable; the
15    State Superintendent of Education or his or her designee; the
16    Deputy Governor of Workforce and Education; and one professor
17    appointed by the Board of Higher Education and employed in an
18    assessment research position; and be it further

19        RESOLVED, That the task force shall select 2  members  to
20    serve  as co-chairs at its initial meeting, shall meet at the
21    call of the  chairs,  and  shall  have  duties  that  include
22    conducting  a series of public hearings during the summer and
23    fall of 2002 for the purpose  of  understanding  the  student
24    testing required by Public Law 107-110; and be it further

25        RESOLVED,  That  the  task  force shall submit an initial
26    report on its findings and  recommendations  to  the  General
27    Assembly  on  December  15,  2002,  with  a  final report and
28    recommendations submitted to the General  Assembly  on  March
29    15,  2003;  and  that  upon  filing its final report the task
30    force is dissolved; and be it further

31        RESOLVED, That the timelines for implementation of Public
32    Law 107-110 and policy options to be determined by the  State
33    Board  of Education in meeting the requirements of Public Law
 
                            -4-               LRB9216771NTsbA
 1    107-110 shall come before the General  Assembly  by  May  14,
 2    2002; and be it further

 3        RESOLVED,  That  the  State  Board  of Education, being a
 4    regulatory body ultimately accountable  to  the  citizens  of
 5    Illinois through the elected members of the General Assembly,
 6    shall not adopt any rules pertaining to the implementation of
 7    Public  Law  107-110  prior  to  the final report of the task
 8    force; and be it further

 9        RESOLVED, That suitable  copies  of  this  resolution  be
10    delivered  to  the  State  Superintendent  of  Education, the
11    President of the Senate, the Minority Leader of  the  Senate,
12    the  Speaker  of  the  House of Representatives, the Minority
13    Leader of the House of  Representatives,  the  Governor,  the
14    Illinois  Education  Association,  the Illinois Federation of
15    Teachers, the Illinois Principals Association,  the  Illinois
16    Association    of   School   Administrators,   the   Illinois
17    Association  of  School  Business  Officials,  the   Illinois
18    Association  of  School Boards, the Illinois State Chamber of
19    Commerce,  the  Illinois  Manufacturers'   Association,   the
20    Illinois  Retail Merchants Association, the Illinois Business
21    Roundtable, and the Board of Higher Education.

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