Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of HB3503

HB3503 Engrossed LRB104 10368 LNS 20443 b

AN ACT concerning education.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Illinois Instructional Mandates Overview and Alignment Act.

Section 5. Purpose. The purpose of this Act is to:

(1) Require the State Board of Education to conduct a comprehensive review of the mandated units of study whenever new standards for student learning are adopted or every 10 years, whichever happens first.

(2) Ensure that mandated instructional mandates align with current societal needs, scientific advancements, and educational best practices.

(3) Identify and address gaps in the instructional mandates to support student development.

Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Act:

"Comprehensive instructional mandates overview" refers to a systematic review and evaluation of the mandated units of study, including stakeholder engagement and analysis of instructional outcomes.

"Mandated units of study" refers to all topics and subjects required by State law to be included in public school curricula.

Section 15. Comprehensive instructional mandates overview requirements.

(a) Beginning January 1, 2026, the State Board of Education shall conduct a comprehensive review of all mandated units of study whenever new standards for student learning are adopted or every 10 years, whichever happens first.

(b) The review shall include:

(1) Alignment of mandated units of study with State and national educational standards.

(2) Identification of redundancies or overlapping content across grades and subjects.

(3) Evaluation of the inclusivity and cultural relevance of the instructional mandates.

(4) Assessment of new areas of societal or technological importance that may warrant inclusion, such as digital citizenship, artificial intelligence, and emerging global issues.

(5) A thorough study of all graduation requirements offered in State public schools to ensure that they meet the needs of students in comparison to other states.

(6) A specific evaluation of financial education and provide recommendations for potential improvement.

(7) A review of newly passed laws that mandate additional instructional topics but have not yet been implemented in the units of study. This may include, but not be limited to, assessing the feasibility, resources required, and potential impact of incorporating these topics into the instructional mandates.

(c) The State Board of Education shall include in its review a focused section titled "Encompassing National Review", which:

(1) Compares the State's instructional mandate offerings with those of other top-performing states in the nation.

(2) Identifies best practices in instructional mandate design and implementation adopted by these states.

(3) Evaluates areas where the State can improve to position itself in the top tier of state education systems.

(4) Highlights gaps in essential skills, such as financial literacy, STEM readiness, global competency, and workforce preparedness.

(d) The review process shall incorporate feedback from educators and administrators, parents and guardians, students, and subject matter experts and community organizations.

(e) The State Board of Education shall publish a public report summarizing findings and recommendations from the instructional mandates overview.

The report shall include a comparative analysis of the State's instructional mandate requirements with those of other states, highlighting the strengths and opportunities in financial education and other identified gaps.

The report shall include recommendations for implementing newly mandated instructional topics not yet incorporated into the instructional mandates.

The report shall be presented to the Governor and the General Assembly and be made publicly available on the State Board of Education's website.

Section 20. Implementation and monitoring.

(a) Following each instructional mandates overview, the State Board of Education shall, if needed:

(1) Develop an action plan to address identified gaps or areas for improvement.

(2) Provide professional development for educators on updates or changes.

(3) Monitor the implementation of instructional mandate updates and assess their impact on student outcomes.

(b) The State Board of Education shall allocate appropriate resources to support the instructional mandate review process and subsequent updates.

Section 25. State Board authority. The State Board of Education shall carry out the requirements of this Act, including stakeholder engagement activities and research initiatives.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.