99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2015 and 2016
SB0244

 

Introduced 1/28/2015, by Sen. John J. Cullerton

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
105 ILCS 5/2-3.64a-5

    Amends the School Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning State goals and assessment.


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A BILL FOR

 

SB0244LRB099 03142 NHT 23150 b

1    AN ACT concerning education.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section
52-3.64a-5 as follows:
 
6    (105 ILCS 5/2-3.64a-5)
7    Sec. 2-3.64a-5. State goals and assessment.
8    (a) For the the assessment and accountability purposes of
9this Section, "students" includes those students enrolled in a
10public or State-operated elementary school, secondary school,
11or cooperative or joint agreement with a governing body or
12board of control, a charter school operating in compliance with
13the Charter Schools Law, a school operated by a regional office
14of education under Section 13A-3 of this Code, or a public
15school administered by a local public agency or the Department
16of Human Services.
17    (b) The State Board of Education shall establish the
18academic standards that are to be applicable to students who
19are subject to State assessments under this Section. The State
20Board of Education shall not establish any such standards in
21final form without first providing opportunities for public
22participation and local input in the development of the final
23academic standards. Those opportunities shall include a

 

 

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1well-publicized period of public comment and opportunities to
2file written comments.
3    (c) Beginning no later than the 2014-2015 school year, the
4State Board of Education shall annually assess all students
5enrolled in grades 3 through 8 in English language arts and
6mathematics.
7    Beginning no later than the 2017-2018 school year, the
8State Board of Education shall annually assess all students in
9science at one grade in grades 3 through 5, at one grade in
10grades 6 through 8, and at one grade in grades 9 through 12.
11    The State Board of Education shall annually assess schools
12that operate a secondary education program, as defined in
13Section 22-22 of this Code, in English language arts and
14mathematics. The State Board of Education shall administer no
15more than 3 assessments, per student, of English language arts
16and mathematics for students in a secondary education program.
17One of these assessments shall include a college and career
18ready determination.
19    Students who are not assessed for college and career ready
20determinations may not receive a regular high school diploma
21unless the student is exempted from taking State assessments
22under subsection (d) of this Section because (i) the student's
23individualized educational program developed under Article 14
24of this Code identifies the State assessment as inappropriate
25for the student, (ii) the student is enrolled in a program of
26adult and continuing education, as defined in the Adult

 

 

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1Education Act, (iii) the school district is not required to
2assess the individual student for purposes of accountability
3under federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 requirements,
4(iv) the student has been determined to be an English language
5learner, referred to in this Code as a student with limited
6English proficiency, and has been enrolled in schools in the
7United States for less than 12 months, or (v) the student is
8otherwise identified by the State Board of Education, through
9rules, as being exempt from the assessment.
10    The State Board of Education shall not assess students
11under this Section in subjects not required by this Section.
12    Districts shall inform their students of the timelines and
13procedures applicable to their participation in every yearly
14administration of the State assessments. The State Board of
15Education shall establish periods of time in each school year
16during which State assessments shall occur to meet the
17objectives of this Section.
18    (d) Every individualized educational program as described
19in Article 14 shall identify if the State assessment or
20components thereof are appropriate for the student. The State
21Board of Education shall develop rules governing the
22administration of an alternate assessment that may be available
23to students for whom participation in this State's regular
24assessments is not appropriate, even with accommodations as
25allowed under this Section.
26    Students receiving special education services whose

 

 

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1individualized educational programs identify them as eligible
2for the alternative State assessments nevertheless shall have
3the option of taking this State's regular assessment that
4includes a college and career ready determination, which shall
5be administered in accordance with the eligible accommodations
6appropriate for meeting these students' respective needs.
7    All students determined to be an English language learner,
8referred to in this Code as a student with limited English
9proficiency, shall participate in the State assessments,
10excepting those students who have been enrolled in schools in
11the United States for less than 12 months. Such students may be
12exempted from participation in one annual administration of the
13English language arts assessment. Any student determined to be
14an English language learner, referred to in this Code as a
15student with limited English proficiency, shall receive
16appropriate assessment accommodations, including language
17supports, which shall be established by rule. Approved
18assessment accommodations must be provided until the student's
19English language skills develop to the extent that the student
20is no longer considered to be an English language learner,
21referred to in this Code as a student with limited English
22proficiency, as demonstrated through a State-identified
23English language proficiency assessment.
24    (e) The results or scores of each assessment taken under
25this Section shall be made available to the parents of each
26student.

 

 

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1    In each school year, the scores attained by a student on
2the State assessment that includes a college and career ready
3determination must be placed in the student's permanent record
4and must be entered on the student's transcript pursuant to
5rules that the State Board of Education shall adopt for that
6purpose in accordance with Section 3 of the Illinois School
7Student Records Act. In each school year, the scores attained
8by a student on the State assessments administered in grades 3
9through 8 must be placed in the student's temporary record.
10    (f) All schools shall administer an academic assessment of
11English language proficiency in oral language (listening and
12speaking) and reading and writing skills to all children
13determined to be English language learners, referred to in
14Section 14C-3 of this Code as children with limited
15English-speaking ability.
16    (g) All schools in this State that are part of the sample
17drawn by the National Center for Education Statistics, in
18collaboration with their school districts and the State Board
19of Education, shall administer the biennial academic
20assessments under the National Assessment of Educational
21Progress carried out under Section 411(b)(2) of the federal
22National Education Statistics Act of 1994 (20 U.S.C. 9010) if
23the U.S. Secretary of Education pays the costs of administering
24the assessments.
25    (h) Subject to available funds to this State for the
26purpose of student assessment, the State Board of Education

 

 

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1shall provide additional assessments and assessment resources
2that may be used by school districts for local assessment
3purposes. The State Board of Education shall annually
4distribute a listing of these additional resources.
5    (i) For the purposes of this subsection (i), "academically
6based assessments" means assessments consisting of questions
7and answers that are measurable and quantifiable to measure the
8knowledge, skills, and ability of students in the subject
9matters covered by the assessments. All assessments
10administered pursuant to this Section must be academically
11based assessments. The scoring of academically based
12assessments shall be reliable, valid, and fair and shall meet
13the guidelines for assessment development and use prescribed by
14the American Psychological Association, the National Council
15on Measurement in Education, and the American Educational
16Research Association.
17    The State Board of Education shall review the use of all
18assessment item types in order to ensure that they are valid
19and reliable indicators of student performance aligned to the
20learning standards being assessed and that the development,
21administration, and scoring of these item types are justifiable
22in terms of cost.
23    (j) The State Superintendent of Education shall appoint a
24committee of no more than 21 members, consisting of parents,
25teachers, school administrators, school board members,
26assessment experts, regional superintendents of schools, and

 

 

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1citizens, to review the State assessments administered by the
2State Board of Education. The Committee shall select one of its
3members as its chairperson. The Committee shall meet on an
4ongoing basis to review the content and design of the
5assessments (including whether the requirements of subsection
6(i) of this Section have been met), the time and money expended
7at the local and State levels to prepare for and administer the
8assessments, the collective results of the assessments as
9measured against the stated purpose of assessing student
10performance, and other issues involving the assessments
11identified by the Committee. The Committee shall make periodic
12recommendations to the State Superintendent of Education and
13the General Assembly concerning the assessments.
14    (k) The State Board of Education may adopt rules to
15implement this Section.
16(Source: P.A. 98-972, eff. 8-15-14.)