SB0041eng 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB0041 Engrossed LRB094 05166 RAS 35208 b

AN ACT concerning education.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section 2-3.64 as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/2-3.64) (from Ch. 122, par. 2-3.64)

Sec. 2-3.64. State goals and assessment.

(a) Beginning in the 1998-1999 school year, the State Board of Education shall establish standards and periodically, in collaboration with local school districts, conduct studies of student performance in the learning areas of fine arts and physical development/health.

Beginning with the 1998-1999 school year until the 2004-2005 school year, the State Board of Education shall annually test: (i) all pupils enrolled in the 3rd, 5th, and 8th grades in English language arts (reading, writing, and English grammar) and mathematics; and (ii) all pupils enrolled in the 4th and 7th grades in the biological and physical sciences and the social sciences (history, geography, civics, economics, and government). Unless the testing required to be implemented no later than the 2005-2006 school year under this subsection (a) is implemented for the 2004-2005 school year, for the 2004-2005 school year, the State Board of Education shall test: (i) all pupils enrolled in the 3rd, 5th, and 8th grades in English language arts (reading and English grammar) and mathematics and (ii) all pupils enrolled in the 4th and 7th grades in the biological and physical sciences. The maximum time allowed for all actual testing required under this paragraph shall not exceed 25 hours, as allocated among the required tests by the State Board of Education, across all grades tested.

Beginning no later than the 2005-2006 school year, the State Board of Education shall annually test: (i) all pupils enrolled in the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grades in reading and mathematics and (ii) all pupils enrolled in the 4th and 7th grades in the biological and physical sciences. Beginning with the 2006-2007 school year, the State Board of Education shall also annually test all pupils enrolled in the 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 8th grades in writing. After the addition of grades and change in subjects as delineated in this paragraph and including whatever other tests that may be approved from time to time no later than the 2005-2006 school year, the maximum time allowed for all State testing in grades 3 through 8 shall not exceed 38 hours across those grades.

Beginning with the 2004-2005 school year, the State Board of Education shall not test pupils under this subsection (a) in writing, physical development and health, fine arts, and the social sciences (history, geography, civics, economics, and government). The State Board of Education shall not test pupils under this subsection (a) in writing during the 2005-2006 school year.

The State Board of Education shall establish the academic standards that are to be applicable to pupils who are subject to State tests under this Section beginning with the 1998-1999 school year. However, the State Board of Education shall not establish any such standards in final form without first providing opportunities for public participation and local input in the development of the final academic standards. Those opportunities shall include a well-publicized period of public comment, public hearings throughout the State, and opportunities to file written comments. Beginning with the 1998-99 school year and thereafter, the State tests will identify pupils in the 3rd grade or 5th grade who do not meet the State standards.

If, by performance on the State tests or local assessments or by teacher judgment, a student's performance is determined to be 2 or more grades below current placement, the student shall be provided a remediation program developed by the district in consultation with a parent or guardian. Such remediation programs may include, but shall not be limited to, increased or concentrated instructional time, a remedial summer school program of not less than 90 hours, improved instructional approaches, tutorial sessions, retention in grade, and modifications to instructional materials. Each pupil for whom a remediation program is developed under this subsection shall be required to enroll in and attend whatever program the district determines is appropriate for the pupil. Districts may combine students in remediation programs where appropriate and may cooperate with other districts in the design and delivery of those programs. The parent or guardian of a student required to attend a remediation program under this Section shall be given written notice of that requirement by the school district a reasonable time prior to commencement of the remediation program that the student is to attend. The State shall be responsible for providing school districts with the new and additional funding, under Section 2-3.51.5 or by other or additional means, that is required to enable the districts to operate remediation programs for the pupils who are required to enroll in and attend those programs under this Section. Every individualized educational program as described in Article 14 shall identify if the State test or components thereof are appropriate for that student. The State Board of Education shall develop rules and regulations governing the administration of alternative tests prescribed within each student's individualized educational program which are appropriate to the disability of each student.

All pupils who are in a State approved transitional bilingual education program or transitional program of instruction shall participate in the State tests. Any student who has been enrolled in a State approved bilingual education program less than 3 cumulative academic years may take an accommodated State test, to be known as the Illinois Measure of Annual Growth in English (IMAGE), if the student's lack of English as determined by an English language proficiency test would keep the student from understanding the regular State test. If the school district determines, on a case-by-case individual basis, that IMAGE would likely yield more accurate and reliable information on what the student knows and can do, the school district may make a determination to assess the student using IMAGE for a period that does not exceed 2 additional consecutive years, provided that the student has not yet reached a level of English language proficiency sufficient to yield valid and reliable information on what the student knows and can do on the regular State test.

Reasonable accommodations as prescribed by the State Board of Education shall be provided for individual students in the testing procedure. All test procedures prescribed by the State Board of Education shall require: (i) that each test used for State and local student testing under this Section identify by name the pupil taking the test; (ii) that the name of the pupil taking the test be placed on the test at the time the test is taken; (iii) that the results or scores of each test taken under this Section by a pupil of the school district be reported to that district and identify by name the pupil who received the reported results or scores; and (iv) that the results or scores of each test taken under this Section be made available to the parents of the pupil. In addition, in each school year the highest scores attained by a student on the Prairie State Achievement Examination administered under subsection (c) of this Section and any Prairie State Achievement Awards received by the student shall become part of the student's permanent record and shall be entered on the student's transcript pursuant to regulations that the State Board of Education shall promulgate for that purpose in accordance with Section 3 and subsection (e) of Section 2 of the Illinois School Student Records Act. Beginning with the 1998-1999 school year and in every school year thereafter, scores received by students on the State assessment tests administered in grades 3 through 8 shall be placed into students' temporary records.

The State Board of Education shall establish a period of time, to be referred to as the State test window, in each school year for which State testing shall occur to meet the objectives of this Section. However, if the schools of a district are closed and classes are not scheduled during any week that is established by the State Board of Education as the State test window, the school district may (at the discretion of the State Board of Education) move its State test window one week earlier or one week later than the established State test window, so long as the school district gives the State Board of Education written notice of its intention to deviate from the established schedule by December 1 of the school year in which falls the State test window established by the State Board of Education for the testing.

(a-5) All tests administered pursuant to this Section shall be academically based. For the purposes of this Section "academically based tests" shall mean tests consisting of questions and answers that are measurable and quantifiable to measure the knowledge, skill, and ability of students in the subject matters covered by tests. The scoring of academically based tests shall be reliable, valid, unbiased and shall meet the guidelines for test development and use prescribed by the American Psychological Association, the National Council of Measurement and Evaluation, and the American Educational Research Association. Academically based tests shall not include assessments or evaluations of attitudes, values, or beliefs, or testing of personality, self-esteem, or self-concept. Nothing in this amendatory Act is intended, nor shall it be construed, to nullify, supersede, or contradict the legislative intent on academic testing expressed during the passage of HB 1005/P.A. 90-296. Nothing in this Section is intended, nor shall it be construed, to nullify, supersede, or contradict the legislative intent on academic testing expressed in the preamble of this amendatory Act of the 93rd General Assembly.

The State Board of Education shall monitor the use of short answer questions in the math and reading assessments or in other assessments in order to demonstrate that the use of short answer questions results in a statistically significant improvement in student achievement as measured on the State assessments for math and reading or on other State assessments and is justifiable in terms of cost and student performance.

(b) It shall be the policy of the State to encourage school districts to continuously test pupil proficiency in the fundamental learning areas in order to: (i) provide timely information on individual students' performance relative to State standards that is adequate to guide instructional strategies; (ii) improve future instruction; and (iii) complement the information provided by the State testing system described in this Section. Each district's school improvement plan must address specific activities the district intends to implement to assist pupils who by teacher judgment and test results as prescribed in subsection (a) of this Section demonstrate that they are not meeting State standards or local objectives. Such activities may include, but shall not be limited to, summer school, extended school day, special homework, tutorial sessions, modified instructional materials, other modifications in the instructional program, reduced class size or retention in grade. To assist school districts in testing pupil proficiency in reading in the primary grades, the State Board shall make optional reading inventories for diagnostic purposes available to each school district that requests such assistance. Districts that administer the reading inventories may develop remediation programs for students who perform in the bottom half of the student population. Those remediation programs may be funded by moneys provided under the School Safety and Educational Improvement Block Grant Program established under Section 2-3.51.5. Nothing in this Section shall prevent school districts from implementing testing and remediation policies for grades not required under this Section.

(c) Beginning with the 2000-2001 school year, each school district that operates a high school program for students in grades 9 through 12 shall annually administer the Prairie State Achievement Examination established under this subsection to its students as set forth below. The Prairie State Achievement Examination shall be developed by the State Board of Education to measure student performance in the academic areas of reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social sciences. Beginning with the 2004-2005 school year, however, the State Board of Education shall not test a student in writing and the social sciences (history, geography, civics, economics, and government) as part of the Prairie State Achievement Examination unless the student is retaking the Prairie State Achievement Examination in the fall of 2004. In addition, the State Board of Education shall not test a student in writing as part of the Prairie State Achievement Examination during the 2005-2006 school year. The State Board of Education shall establish the academic standards that are to apply in measuring student performance on the Prairie State Achievement Examination including the minimum examination score in each area that will qualify a student to receive a Prairie State Achievement Award from the State in recognition of the student's excellent performance. Each school district that is subject to the requirements of this subsection (c) shall afford all students 2 opportunities to take the Prairie State Achievement Examination beginning as late as practical during the second semester of grade 11, but in no event before March 1. The State Board of Education shall annually notify districts of the weeks during which these test administrations shall be required to occur. Every individualized educational program as described in Article 14 shall identify if the Prairie State Achievement Examination or components thereof are appropriate for that student. Each student, exclusive of a student whose individualized educational program developed under Article 14 identifies the Prairie State Achievement Examination as inappropriate for the student, shall be required to take the examination in grade 11. For each academic area the State Board of Education shall establish the score that qualifies for the Prairie State Achievement Award on that portion of the examination. Any student who fails to earn a qualifying score for a Prairie State Achievement Award in any one or more of the academic areas on the initial test administration or who wishes to improve his or her score on any portion of the examination shall be permitted to retake such portion or portions of the examination during grade 12. Districts shall inform their students of the timelines and procedures applicable to their participation in every yearly administration of the Prairie State Achievement Examination. Students receiving special education services whose individualized educational programs identify the Prairie State Achievement Examination as inappropriate for them nevertheless shall have the option of taking the examination, which shall be administered to those students in accordance with standards adopted by the State Board of Education to accommodate the respective disabilities of those students. A student who successfully completes all other applicable high school graduation requirements but fails to receive a score on the Prairie State Achievement Examination that qualifies the student for receipt of a Prairie State Achievement Award shall nevertheless qualify for the receipt of a regular high school diploma. In no case, however, shall a student receive a regular high school diploma without taking the Prairie State Achievement Examination, unless the student is exempted from taking the Prairie State Achievement Examination under this subsection (c) because the student's individualized educational program developed under Article 14 of this Code identifies the Prairie State Achievement Examination as inappropriate for the student, (ii) the student is exempt due to the student's lack of English language proficiency under subsection (a) of this Section, or (iii) the student is enrolled in a program of Adult and Continuing Education as defined in the Adult Education Act.

(d) Beginning with the 2002-2003 school year, all schools in this State that are part of the sample drawn by the National Center for Education Statistics, in collaboration with their school districts and the State Board of Education, shall administer the biennial State academic assessments of 4th and 8th grade reading and mathematics under the National Assessment of Educational Progress carried out under Section m11(b)(2) of the National Education Statistics Act of 1994 (20 U.S.C. 9010) if the Secretary of Education pays the costs of administering the assessments.

(e) Beginning no later than the 2005-2006 school year, subject to available federal funds to this State for the purpose of student assessment, the State Board of Education shall provide additional tests and assessment resources that may be used by school districts for local diagnostic purposes. These tests and resources shall include without limitation additional high school writing, physical development and health, and fine arts assessments. The State Board of Education shall annually distribute a listing of these additional tests and resources, using funds available from appropriations made for student assessment purposes.

(f) For the assessment and accountability purposes of this Section, "all pupils" includes those pupils enrolled in a public or State-operated elementary school, secondary school, or cooperative or joint agreement with a governing body or board of control, a charter school operating in compliance with the Charter Schools Law, a school operated by a regional office of education under Section 13A-3 of this Code, or a public school administered by a local public agency or the Department of Human Services.

(Source: P.A. 92-604, eff. 7-1-02; 93-426, eff. 8-5-03; 93-838, eff. 7-30-04; 93-857, eff. 8-3-04; revised 10-25-04.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, 2005.