SJ0087 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SJ0087 LRB094 19908 HSS 57352 r

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, United States Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings has announced guidelines, referred to as a New Path for the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, based on a set of "common sense" principles to guide states in meeting the Act's goals; and

WHEREAS, This New Path maintains the primary elements of the Act, such as the annual testing and reporting of student subgroup data, but also emphasizes increasing individual student achievement, narrowing the achievement gap, and encouraging sound overall state education policies that ensure that progress is being made; and

WHEREAS, The United States Department of Education has recognized that schools serving certain designated subgroups, such as children who are limited English speakers and children who have disabilities, require flexibility in determining adequate yearly progress; and

WHEREAS, This type of flexibility is also needed for schools that serve other vulnerable population groups, such as high school drop-outs who return to school and who, for reasons including but not limited to their low academic achievement levels, are often confronted with multiple barriers that impede their academic progress; and

WHEREAS, Some states have requested permission to implement growth-based accountability models, also called "value-added models," which give schools credit for student improvement over time by tracking individual student achievement from year to year, and which show promise as fair, reliable, flexible, and innovative methods for measuring school and student improvement; and

WHEREAS, The United States Department of Education has responded to the states' requests by agreeing to a rigorous evaluation of growth-based accountability models and their ability to help meet the laudable goals of the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that we urge the United States Department of Education to use more flexible criteria in determining adequate yearly progress under the federal No Child Left Behind Act; and be it further

RESOLVED, That there is hereby created a No Child Left Behind Growth-Model Task Force to examine the models proposed by other states and to explore the potential for a growth model to give a clearer, fairer picture of individual student progress, such as the progress of those students in alternative schools; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall consist of (i) the Governor or his designee, (ii) the State Superintendent of Education or his designee, (iii) one member appointed by a statewide association representing principals, (iv) one member representing a charter school serving at-risk high school drop-outs who have returned to school, (v) one member appointed by an organization representing regional superintendents of schools, (vi) one member appointed by a statewide organization representing school administrators, (v) one member appointed by a statewide organization that represents both parents and teachers, (vi) one member appointed by a statewide organization representing administrators of special education, (vii) one member who is a representative from a statewide alternative education association, and (viii) an additional member appointed by the State Superintendent of Education based on the individual's knowledge of NCLB regulations or growth model research and design, or both; and that the State Board of Education shall provide such staff assistance to the Task Force as is reasonably required for the proper performance of its responsibilities; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall hold, at minimum, four meetings, with at least one meeting held in Chicago and one meeting held in Springfield, and it shall report its findings to the General Assembly on or before January 1, 2007; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Task Force is abolished upon completing its report; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be delivered to the U.S. Secretary of Education, the State Board of Education, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the President pro tempore of the United States Senate, and to each member of the Illinois Congressional delegation.