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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Literacy is not only critical for individuals'
3ability to earn income, secure housing, participate in their
4healthcare, support their children's education, pursue
5happiness, and navigate the world but also collectively
6foundational to our community and democracy; and
 
7    WHEREAS, The World Literacy Foundation found that low
8literacy is a major contributor to inequality and increases
9the likelihood of poor physical and mental health, workplace
10accidents, misuse of medication, participation in crime, and
11welfare dependency, all of which have substantial additional
12social and economic costs; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Fifty percent of Illinois' third graders met,
14exceeded, or approached learning standards in English language
15arts according to the Illinois Assessment of Readiness with
16the other half of students not meeting or partially meeting
17standards; this represents a ten percentage point swing from
18the 2019 pre-pandemic rates when 60 percent of students met,
19exceeded, or approached learning standards; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Thirty-three percent of Illinois' fourth graders
21achieved proficient or advanced reading scores on the 2022
22National Assessment of Educational Progress with another 29

 

 

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1percent meeting basic reading proficiency and the remaining 38
2percent scoring below basic reading proficiency; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Research from the Annie E. Casey Institute found
4that students who are not proficient readers in third grade
5are four times more likely not to finish high school; if those
6students are from low-income families, they are more than six
7times more likely not to finish high school; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Research consistently finds that a diverse,
9well-trained, and expanding pool of teachers, in conjunction
10with curricula responsive to the strengths and needs of
11diverse student populations, improves educational outcomes for
12all students; and
 
13    WHEREAS, An appropriate curriculum blends the learning
14needs of students with their developmental needs and increases
15in complexity with every new stage of childhood; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Oral language development is a prerequisite for
17reading and writing that is nurtured from birth through
18talking, reading, story-telling, singing, nursery rhymes, and
19other language exposure and, as younger children develop,
20through intentional dialogue with rich vocabulary; home
21visiting programs, access to books, high-quality childcare and
22preschool, and lived experiences strengthen students'

 

 

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1opportunity to build oracy skills, vocabulary, and background
2knowledge, leading to higher-level cognitive thinking; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Reading builds new neural pathways in the brain
4as people, usually children, learn to connect the sounds in
5language to letters on a page to the meaning of the text;
6however, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to literacy,
7as learners will require different dosages within different
8areas of literacy instruction to meet their individual needs;
9and
 
10    WHEREAS, Reading and writing have a reciprocal
11relationship as each strengthens the other, and students
12benefit when their instruction is closely intertwined; and
 
13    WHEREAS, English learners benefit from a comprehensive
14literacy approach that recognizes the value of multilingualism
15by enveloping all areas of literacy instruction with a deep
16focus on oral language development and encouraging students to
17make connections between English and their home language; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Teachers deserve the tools to be knowledgeable
19about the cultural practices and language system of the
20children they serve, including those children who speak
21language variations of English, such as African-American
22English (AAE); AAE has a linguistic structure that is a

 

 

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1systematic and rule-governed variation of General American
2English (GAE); and
 
3    WHEREAS, Research shows that direct, systematic,
4cumulative, and explicit reading instruction that is focused
5on the foundational reading skills of phonemic awareness,
6phonics or decoding, spelling or encoding, vocabulary
7development that includes morphology, oral language
8development, reading fluency, and reading comprehension that
9includes syntax and building background or content knowledge,
10is highly effective in teaching young children to read; and
 
11    WHEREAS, High literacy achievement across all demographic
12groups is an essential indicator of educational equity within
13the State of Illinois; strengthening early literacy
14instruction and supports for students in Illinois will pay
15dividends in the future by empowering students, providing the
16skills they will need to graduate, find fulfilling careers,
17and be productive members of their communities and of our
18democracy; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Ensuring that every child has access to
20high-quality, research-aligned, developmentally-appropriate
21reading instruction implemented using a comprehensive approach
22is a foundational component of Illinois' public education
23system and a responsibility shared among federal, state, and

 

 

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1local education agencies; and
 
2    WHEREAS, The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) held
3a literacy summit on October 25, 2022 to bring education
4professionals and advocates across Illinois together to share
5ideas and best practices to support literacy development for
6Illinois' children while also recognizing the complexity of
7literacy development and potential pitfalls of adopting
8incomplete or simplistic policy solutions; therefore, be it
 
9    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL
10ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the Illinois
11State Board of Education to share findings from the literacy
12summit held on October 25, 2022 as progress towards promoting
13research-aligned, developmentally-appropriate literacy
14practices across grades and subject areas, developing a
15comprehensive literacy plan through continued collaboration
16with other relevant agencies and stakeholders, supporting
17alignment of early childhood programs, curriculum, educator
18training, professional development, and student supports to
19Illinois' standards, and ensuring that closing literacy
20opportunity gaps among demographic groups be prioritized; and
21be it further
 
22    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
23presented to ISBE with our appreciation for the agency's

 

 

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1efforts to advance literacy and with our support for the
2continuation of such efforts.