SR0573 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0573 LRB095 20342 NHT 47642 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The goals of the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 are to raise student achievement, close the achievement gap, and ensure that each child has a highly qualified teacher; and

WHEREAS, Inadequate federal funding for the Act has put a burden on this State's local school systems to commit substantial State and local resources to implement strategies to improve student achievement; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we seek and support the following improvements to the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 in order to achieve adequate yearly progress as required under the Act:

(1) create a growth model that would recognize student cohort achievement and progress as well as progress in any subgroup, as defined by the Act, and consider tests at more than one high school grade level;

(2) establish high proficiency targets and set a reasonable timeline for schools to achieve reasonable targets;

(3) provide adequate funding at the federal and State levels to overcome the effects of poverty on academic performance and to invest in a nationwide literacy initiative to ensure that students become proficient readers; and

(4) align the Illinois Standards Achievement Test and the Prairie State Achievement Examination so that standards and proficiency levels are consistent across elementary school, middle school, and high school; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to each member of the Illinois congressional delegation, the U.S. Secretary of Education, and the State Board of Education.