HJ0117

LRB094 19942 NHT 57274 r






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HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, The current measure of Adequate Yearly Progress 
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(AYP) under the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB 
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Act) does not provide for any accounting of students who make 
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significant progress but not enough progress to meet the 
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standard; these students are classified as not succeeding, 
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when, in actuality, in many instances they have progressed 
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beyond a year's growth; and

 
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    WHEREAS, The measuring of AYP at 47.5% leaves many children 
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behind; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Using an index to calculate AYP has the potential 
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to address some of the flaws in the NCLB Act; and

 
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    WHEREAS, An index that measures student progress allows 
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schools to show movement from one performance level to the next 
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and credits improvement in student achievement across 
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different performance levels; and

 
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    WHEREAS, Prior to a school being sanctioned under the NCLB 
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Act, a pre-AYP classification should be used to determine if 
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the school is successful; and

 
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    WHEREAS, The pre-AYP classification would be determined by 
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looking at the students as individuals, with the understanding 
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that individuals achieve at different rates; because 
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individual students do make progress, an individual student's 
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progress would be measured to determine if there had been added 
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value to his or her education; and

 
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    WHEREAS, This measure would include all students:  Regular 
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Education students, Special Education students, Limited 
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English Proficient students, and other subgroups; and

 
 


 






HJ0117
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LRB094 19942 NHT 57274 r




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    WHEREAS, This measure would provide accountability to the 
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NCLB Act and, at the same time, provide for a more precise 
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measure of the added value of education that the school has 
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provided; and
 
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    WHEREAS, Not only will this measure provide schools with a 
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more accurate level of their progress, but it would also 
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provide more specific and accurate data needed to move more 
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students toward the AYP standard; therefore, be it

 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE  HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 
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NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE 
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SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we urge the U.S. Department of 
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Education to create a pre-AYP classification; and be it further

 
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    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
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delivered to the U.S. Secretary of Education.