SJ0066 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SJ0066 LRB094 19016 NHT 54508 r

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The general intent and spirit of the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-110), known as NCLB, are worthy of praise; and

WHEREAS, Many of NCLB's requirements on schools have been implemented in a manner that may result in federal sanctions being placed on improving schools; and

WHEREAS, Improvement status and associated sanctions under NCLB should be differentiated based on the magnitude of the school's failure to meet adequate yearly progress (AYP) requirements; and

WHEREAS, Schools should be allowed to choose the order of initiating either school choice or supplemental services so that services can be developed or secured in response to student need; and

WHEREAS, Adequate annual funding for the necessary remediation of students who are not meeting performance standards is a necessity if states are to meet the goals of NCLB; and

WHEREAS, Appropriate flexibility for schools, particularly in states with diverse populations such as Illinois, will allow NCLB to be implemented in a way that best meets the broad needs of a state's pupils; and

WHEREAS, States should be allowed to adopt value-added models based on the growth of individual students from grade to grade, ensuring that students achieve proficiency over time, and Illinois is examining the possibility of developing such a model; and

WHEREAS, One hundred percent of students reaching state standards, while commendable and desirable, is generally recognized as not being a realistically achievable goal, and additional research should be conducted regarding a more reasonable benchmark; and

WHEREAS, A recent and commendable announcement from the U.S. Department of Education, which allowed modified assessments for students with persistent academic disabilities, has shown that common sense and flexibility can be maintained without detracting from NCLB's goal of accountability; and

WHEREAS, While still striving to reach the laudable goal of having a highly qualified teacher in every classroom, the U.S. Department of Education has begun to take appropriate steps to adjust certain regulations to accommodate the needs of rural school districts and districts attempting to fill positions in special education and hard-to-staff subjects and schools; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that we call on the Illinois congressional delegation to take action to review and amend NCLB and to encourage the U.S. Department of Education to implement regulations that (i) will permit appropriate consideration of students with special educational needs with respect to determinations of adequate yearly progress, including without limitation limited English-proficient students and special education students, (ii) will be sensitive to the needs for teachers in schools in hard-to-staff, rural, or isolated school districts and in special education, (iii) will reduce bureaucratic restrictions that stand in the way of the goals of NCLB, and (iv) will allow flexibility to the states in meeting the goals of the NCLB; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge the President and the Congress of the United States to fully fund the requirements of NCLB for the life of the Act; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to the President of the United States, to the U.S. Secretary of Education, and to each member of the Illinois congressional delegation.