99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2015 and 2016
HB6138

 

Introduced 2/11/2016, by Rep. Bill Mitchell

 

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

 

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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 that shall be accepted by this State's
19public institutions of higher education, as defined in the
20Board of Higher Education Act, for the purpose of student
21application or admissions consideration.
22    Students who are not assessed for college and career ready
23determinations may not receive a regular high school diploma
24unless the student is exempted from taking State assessments
25under subsection (d) of this Section because (i) the student's
26individualized educational program developed under Article 14

 

 

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

 

 

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

 

 

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

 

 

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

 

 

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1assessments (including whether the requirements of subsection
2(i) of this Section have been met), the time and money expended
3at the local and State levels to prepare for and administer the
4assessments, the collective results of the assessments as
5measured against the stated purpose of assessing student
6performance, and other issues involving the assessments
7identified by the Committee. The Committee shall make periodic
8recommendations to the State Superintendent of Education and
9the General Assembly concerning the assessments.
10    (k) The State Board of Education may adopt rules to
11implement this Section.
12(Source: P.A. 98-972, eff. 8-15-14; 99-30, eff. 7-10-15;
1399-185, eff. 1-1-16; revised 10-16-15.)