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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives recognize that every student is unique and that
4all children learn at a different pace when compared to their
5peers; and
 
6    WHEREAS, The commonality between all students is the need
7to be amongst their peers; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Inclusive education brings all students together
9in one classroom and community, regardless of their strengths
10or weaknesses in any area, and seeks to maximize the potential
11of all students; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Students with disabilities can be integrated
13socially with their peers; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Students can create long-lasting friendships that
15would not be otherwise possible; these friendships can give
16them the skills to navigate social relationships later in life;
17and
 
18    WHEREAS, In a well-designed inclusion classroom, the
19teacher uses inclusion strategies to help students succeed
20academically; therefore, students encounter higher

 

 

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1expectations, both from their peers and their teachers, as well
2as the positive academic role models of their classmates
3without disabilities; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Students with disabilities educated in an
5inclusive classroom have been found to score higher on literacy
6measures than students educated in segregated settings; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Research has shown that the majority of students
8without disabilities have scored higher on State standardized
9tests over a period of 4 years; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Research also indicates that inclusive education
11promotes and enhances all students' social growth within
12inclusive classrooms and does not negatively affect typical
13students' academic growth; and
 
14    WHEREAS, In an inclusion setting, students with and without
15disabilities learn how to work with each other, regardless of
16individual skills and abilities, which helps improve academic
17performance and the ability to succeed later in life; and
 
18    WHEREAS, All parents want their children to be accepted by
19their peers and have friends; inclusive settings can make this
20vision a reality for many children with disabilities; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, The family of the disabled student can be
2positively affected by classroom inclusion through newly
3potential friendship and relationship opportunities; and
 
4    WHEREAS, When children attend classes that reflect the
5similarities and differences of people in the real world, they
6learn to appreciate diversity; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Respect and understanding grow when children of
8differing abilities and cultures communicate and learn
9together, which may be the first step in creating a more
10diverse workforce and world; therefore, be it
 
11    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
12NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
13we encourage the Illinois State Board of Education and each
14school district in this State to consider the potential
15benefits of inclusive education for students with and without
16disabilities in Illinois; and be it further
 
17    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
18delivered to the Illinois State Board of Education and the
19Regional Offices of Education.