HJ0098

LRB095 19046 NHT 45227 r






1

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION


 
2
    WHEREAS, The U.S. Department of Education has indicated 
3
through its peer review process that the Illinois Measure of 
4
Annual Growth in English (IMAGE)  reading test is no longer an 
5
acceptable achievement test for English Language Learner (ELL)  
6
students; and

 
7
    WHEREAS, The State Board of Education made a decision to 
8
eliminate the use of the IMAGE test; instead, ELL students will 
9
have to take the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) and 
10
the Prairie State Achievement Examination (PSAE); and

 
11
    WHEREAS, School districts were informed of this decision in 
12
November; and

 
13
    WHEREAS, The impact of this decision will mean that ELL 
14
students will be taking tests that are inappropriate to measure 
15
their academic performance because the ISAT was never developed 
16
for an ELL population; the ISAT was never normed on an ELL 
17
population; and, by definition, students receiving English as a 
18
Second Language (ESL) services (students who score 3 or lower 
19
on the ACCESS test, the State-required English language 
20
proficiency assessment) are not able to work at grade-level 
21
standards; and


 
 


 






HJ0098
- 2 -
LRB095 19046 NHT 45227 r




1
    WHEREAS, The Illinois Advisory Council on Bilingual 
2
Education has made the following recommendations to the State 
3
Board of Education:
4
        (1)  to not penalize schools and districts that do not 
5
    make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in 2008 solely because 
6
    of the ELL subgroup;
7
        (2)  to include ELL students only in participation 
8
    calculations;
9
        (3)  to not include ELL students' scores on the reading 
10
    and math tests in AYP calculations for up to 2 years from 
11
    the time the student enters the Illinois school system; and
12
        (4)  to exempt ELL students who have a composite score 
13
    of  3  or less on the ACCESS test from the State content 
14
    assessments for one year; therefore, be it

 
15
    RESOLVED, BY THE  HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 
16
NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE 
17
SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we  encourage the U.S. Department 
18
of Education to approve the request made by the State Board of 
19
Education in its letter dated January 8, 2008 with respect to 
20
the IMAGE test; and be it further

 
21
    RESOLVED, That students scoring 3 or lower on the ACCESS 
22
test should not be required to take the ISAT and PSAE or 
23
participate in the State's testing program until a new and 
24
appropriate assessment can be developed by the State Board of 
 


 






HJ0098
- 3 -
LRB095 19046 NHT 45227 r




1
Education; and be it further

 
2
    RESOLVED, That should the U.S. Department of Education not 
3
approve the State Board of Education's request, that the State 
4
Board of Education still not require testing of students 
5
receiving an ACCESS score of 3 or lower; and be it further
 
6
    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be 
7
delivered to the U.S. Department of Education, the State Board 
8
of Education, and each member of the Illinois congressional 
9
delegation.