99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2015 and 2016
HB0306

 

Introduced , by Rep. Will Guzzardi

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
105 ILCS 5/2-3.64a-5

    Amends the School Code. With respect to the administration of State assessments, provides that a student is not required to take a particular State assessment if that student's parent or guardian requests, in writing, that the student be excused from taking the State assessment. Requires the State Board of Education, by rule, to (i) determine the form of the request, (ii) ensure that no student, teacher, school, or school district is negatively impacted, through grades or evaluations, due to a student being excused from taking a State assessment, and (iii) ensure that students who are excused from taking a State assessment are offered supervised instructional or enrichment opportunities during the time the State assessment is being administered. Effective immediately.


LRB099 00235 NHT 20240 b

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB0306LRB099 00235 NHT 20240 b

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 assessment and accountability purposes of this
9Section, "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

 

 

HB0306- 2 -LRB099 00235 NHT 20240 b

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.
19    Students who are not assessed for college and career ready
20determinations may not receive a regular high school diploma
21unless the student is excused from taking a State assessment
22under subsection (c-5) of this Section or the student is
23exempted from taking State assessments under subsection (d) of
24this Section because (i) the student's individualized
25educational program developed under Article 14 of this Code
26identifies the State assessment as inappropriate for the

 

 

HB0306- 3 -LRB099 00235 NHT 20240 b

1student, (ii) the student is enrolled in a program of adult and
2continuing education, as defined in the Adult Education Act,
3(iii) the school district is not required to assess the
4individual student for purposes of accountability under
5federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 requirements, (iv) the
6student has been determined to be an English language learner,
7referred to in this Code as a student with limited English
8proficiency, and has been enrolled in schools in the United
9States for less than 12 months, or (v) the student is otherwise
10identified by the State Board of Education, through rules, as
11being exempt from 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    (c-5) A student is not required to take a particular State
21assessment under this Section if that student's parent or
22guardian requests, in writing, that the student be excused from
23taking the State assessment. The State Board of Education
24shall, by rule, (i) determine the form of the request; (ii)
25ensure that no student, teacher, school, or school district is
26negatively impacted, through grades or evaluations, due to a

 

 

HB0306- 4 -LRB099 00235 NHT 20240 b

1student being excused from taking a State assessment; and (iii)
2ensure that students who are excused from taking a State
3assessment are offered supervised instructional or enrichment
4opportunities during the time the State assessment is being
5administered.
6    (d) Every individualized educational program as described
7in Article 14 shall identify if the State assessment or
8components thereof are appropriate for the student. The State
9Board of Education shall develop rules governing the
10administration of an alternate assessment that may be available
11to students for whom participation in this State's regular
12assessments is not appropriate, even with accommodations as
13allowed under this Section.
14    Students receiving special education services whose
15individualized educational programs identify them as eligible
16for the alternative State assessments nevertheless shall have
17the option of taking this State's regular assessment that
18includes a college and career ready determination, which shall
19be administered in accordance with the eligible accommodations
20appropriate for meeting these students' respective needs.
21    All students determined to be an English language learner,
22referred to in this Code as a student with limited English
23proficiency, shall participate in the State assessments,
24excepting those students who have been enrolled in schools in
25the United States for less than 12 months. Such students may be
26exempted from participation in one annual administration of the

 

 

HB0306- 5 -LRB099 00235 NHT 20240 b

1English language arts assessment. Any student determined to be
2an English language learner, referred to in this Code as a
3student with limited English proficiency, shall receive
4appropriate assessment accommodations, including language
5supports, which shall be established by rule. Approved
6assessment accommodations must be provided until the student's
7English language skills develop to the extent that the student
8is no longer considered to be an English language learner,
9referred to in this Code as a student with limited English
10proficiency, as demonstrated through a State-identified
11English language proficiency assessment.
12    (e) The results or scores of each assessment taken under
13this Section shall be made available to the parents of each
14student.
15    In each school year, the scores attained by a student on
16the State assessment that includes a college and career ready
17determination must be placed in the student's permanent record
18and must be entered on the student's transcript pursuant to
19rules that the State Board of Education shall adopt for that
20purpose in accordance with Section 3 of the Illinois School
21Student Records Act. In each school year, the scores attained
22by a student on the State assessments administered in grades 3
23through 8 must be placed in the student's temporary record.
24    (f) All schools shall administer an academic assessment of
25English language proficiency in oral language (listening and
26speaking) and reading and writing skills to all children

 

 

HB0306- 6 -LRB099 00235 NHT 20240 b

1determined to be English language learners, referred to in
2Section 14C-3 of this Code as children with limited
3English-speaking ability.
4    (g) All schools in this State that are part of the sample
5drawn by the National Center for Education Statistics, in
6collaboration with their school districts and the State Board
7of Education, shall administer the biennial academic
8assessments under the National Assessment of Educational
9Progress carried out under Section 411(b)(2) of the federal
10National Education Statistics Act of 1994 (20 U.S.C. 9010) if
11the U.S. Secretary of Education pays the costs of administering
12the assessments.
13    (h) Subject to available funds to this State for the
14purpose of student assessment, the State Board of Education
15shall provide additional assessments and assessment resources
16that may be used by school districts for local assessment
17purposes. The State Board of Education shall annually
18distribute a listing of these additional resources.
19    (i) For the purposes of this subsection (i), "academically
20based assessments" means assessments consisting of questions
21and answers that are measurable and quantifiable to measure the
22knowledge, skills, and ability of students in the subject
23matters covered by the assessments. All assessments
24administered pursuant to this Section must be academically
25based assessments. The scoring of academically based
26assessments shall be reliable, valid, and fair and shall meet

 

 

HB0306- 7 -LRB099 00235 NHT 20240 b

1the guidelines for assessment development and use prescribed by
2the American Psychological Association, the National Council
3on Measurement in Education, and the American Educational
4Research Association.
5    The State Board of Education shall review the use of all
6assessment item types in order to ensure that they are valid
7and reliable indicators of student performance aligned to the
8learning standards being assessed and that the development,
9administration, and scoring of these item types are justifiable
10in terms of cost.
11    (j) The State Superintendent of Education shall appoint a
12committee of no more than 21 members, consisting of parents,
13teachers, school administrators, school board members,
14assessment experts, regional superintendents of schools, and
15citizens, to review the State assessments administered by the
16State Board of Education. The Committee shall select one of its
17members as its chairperson. The Committee shall meet on an
18ongoing basis to review the content and design of the
19assessments (including whether the requirements of subsection
20(i) of this Section have been met), the time and money expended
21at the local and State levels to prepare for and administer the
22assessments, the collective results of the assessments as
23measured against the stated purpose of assessing student
24performance, and other issues involving the assessments
25identified by the Committee. The Committee shall make periodic
26recommendations to the State Superintendent of Education and

 

 

HB0306- 8 -LRB099 00235 NHT 20240 b

1the General Assembly concerning the assessments.
2    (k) The State Board of Education may adopt rules to
3implement this Section.
4(Source: P.A. 98-972, eff. 8-15-14.)
 
5    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
6becoming law.