HJ0045 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HJ0045 LRB099 11069 MST 31462 r

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The future well-being of Illinois and the United States relies on a high-quality public education system; and

WHEREAS, After the No Child Left Behind Act passed in 2002, the United States went from 18th in the world in math on the Programme for International Student Assessment to 31st place in 2009; and

WHEREAS, The No Child Left Behind Act has been shown to widen the gaps and inequities among student populations; and

WHEREAS, School systems across the county have been spending growing amounts of time, money, and resources on high-stakes standardized testing; and

WHEREAS, Since the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act, annual State spending on standardized tests rose from $423 million to almost $1.1 billion in 2008, according to the Pew Center on the States; and

WHEREAS, Student performance on standardized tests is used to make major decisions affecting individual students, educators, and schools; and

WHEREAS, Over-reliance on high-stakes standardized testing is undermining educational quality and equity in public schools; and

WHEREAS, Over-reliance on standardized testing hampers innovation, creativity, and deep subject-matter knowledge; and

WHEREAS, Over-emphasis on standardized testing has caused too many schools to narrow their curriculum and teach to the test; and

WHEREAS, A national 2007 study by the Center on Education Policy reported that since 2001, 44% of school districts had reduced time spent on science, social studies, and the arts by an average of 145 minutes per week in order to focus on reading and math; and

WHEREAS, Over-emphasis on standardized testing can reduce interest in learning, push students out of school, drive excellent teachers out of the profession, and undermine school climate; and

WHEREAS, It is widely recognized that standardized testing is an inadequate and often unreliable measure of both student learning and educator effectiveness; and

WHEREAS, English language learners and students with disabilities must take the same test as other students with little or no accommodations; and

WHEREAS, High-stakes standardized testing has negative effects for students from all backgrounds, and especially for low-income students, English language learners, children of color, and those with disabilities; and

WHEREAS, The structure of the systems in which students learn must change in order to foster engaging school experiences that promote knowledge; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we strongly urge Congress and President Obama's administration to reexamine public school accountability systems; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage Congress and President Obama's administration to develop a system based on multiple forms of assessment which does not require extensive testing and more accurately reflects the broad range of student learning; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we call on Congress and President Obama's Administration to overhaul the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, currently known as the "No Child Left Behind Act", reduce testing mandates, promote multiple forms of evidence of student learning and school quality in accountability, and not mandate any fixed role for the use of student test scores in evaluating educators; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to President Barack Obama and each member of the Illinois congressional delegation.