Illinois General Assembly - Full Text of HR1116
Illinois General Assembly

Previous General Assemblies

Full Text of HR1116  100th General Assembly

HR1116 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY


  

 


 
HR1116LRB100 21850 MST 40497 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The Illinois Association of Regional
3Superintendents of Schools' (IARSS) educator shortage survey
4identified a widespread concern for both teacher shortages and
5substitute teacher shortages; and
 
6    WHEREAS, The report considers five key questions from the
7survey concerning a teacher shortage which include: difficulty
8with staffing, cancelled classes, frequency of candidate
9application, quality of applicants, and content shortage
10areas; and
 
11    WHEREAS, Teacher shortage concerns were more prominent in
12the rural districts of central Illinois, but substitute teacher
13shortage concerns were most evident for Southern Illinois
14districts; and
 
15    WHEREAS, edTPA takes away from the classroom experience,
16the most valid part of the student teaching process, and
17student teachers are already observed by no less than three
18educational professionals during classroom time; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Preparation for edTPA can take time away from the
20normal curriculum of a teacher, and can detract from the
21overall student-teaching experience, shifting focus from

 

 

HR1116- 2 -LRB100 21850 MST 40497 r

1learning to teaching to pass a test; and
 
2    WHEREAS, The edTPA may favor student teachers in some
3teaching placements; some sources indicate that inner-city
4schools with low-income students or highly diverse student
5populations may present challenges that make passing the edTPA
6more difficult; also, the faculty responsible for overseeing
7and supporting student teachers may also affect test scores;
8and
 
9    WHEREAS, On top of the cost of tuition, the basic skills
10exam, and other certification requirements, this is a costly,
11unproven, and restrictive exam administered by Pearson
12Education, Inc.; the fee for taking the edTPA is $300; and
 
13    WHEREAS, There is no research or evidence to support that
14edTPA is a reliable method for evaluating or choosing teacher
15candidates; and
 
16    WHEREAS, The exam is not scored by qualified teacher
17evaluators familiar with the teacher candidate; instead,
18Pearson Education, Inc. hires temporary workers at its own
19discretion to indirectly decide who receives teaching
20licenses; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Student teachers receive no compensation for

 

 

HR1116- 3 -LRB100 21850 MST 40497 r

1hours they spend in the classroom and must also self-fund their
2participation in a teacher-certification program, which can
3present a significant burden; Pearson Education, Inc. is
4profiting from pre-service educators, many of whom will enter
5the profession in debt; therefore, be it
 
6    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
7HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
8encourage the State Board of Education to stop using edTPA as
9the teacher certification for licensure; and be it further
 
10    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
11presented to the State Superintendent, the Illinois State Board
12of Education, and Pearson Education.