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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, The best way to ensure the success of high school
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| 3 | graduates is to adequately prepare them for either entering a
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| 4 | college or university or to immediately enter the workforce; | ||||||
| 5 | and
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| 6 | WHEREAS, When analyzed it was found that over half a | ||||||
| 7 | million, or one
in four, of incoming college freshman were not | ||||||
| 8 | ready for
college-level work; and
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| 9 | WHEREAS, Due to this, many students must take remedial | ||||||
| 10 | classes to
better their reading, writing, and/or mathematical | ||||||
| 11 | skills,
costing American tax payers over $7 billion a year; and
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| 12 | WHEREAS, This college readiness gap disproportionately | ||||||
| 13 | affects
low-income and minority students when compared to their | ||||||
| 14 | more
affluent and white counterparts; and | ||||||
| 15 | WHEREAS, Many students who immediately enter the workforce | ||||||
| 16 | after
high school find they lack the basic reading, writing,
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| 17 | mathematics, and other skills needed in order to have a
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| 18 | successful career; and | ||||||
| 19 | WHEREAS, The ACT College and Career Readiness Standards | ||||||
| 20 | were
specifically designed to ensure high school students have | ||||||
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| 1 | the
essential skills and knowledge needed to become effective
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| 2 | students or workers; and
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| 3 | WHEREAS, Areas that have adopted the ACT College and Career
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| 4 | Readiness Standards have seen improvements in both college and
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| 5 | career readiness; and
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| 6 | WHEREAS, It is the responsibility of the State to use | ||||||
| 7 | whatever
avenues are available to prepare its students as much | ||||||
| 8 | as
possible for entrance into postsecondary education or the
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| 9 | workforce; therefore, be it
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| 10 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 11 | HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | ||||||
| 12 | strongly urge
Illinois to adopt the ACT College and Career | ||||||
| 13 | Readiness Standards
for high school English language arts, | ||||||
| 14 | math, and science courses
to ensure Illinois high school | ||||||
| 15 | students are adequately prepared
for higher education, to enter | ||||||
| 16 | the workforce, or to follow whatever path
they may choose; and | ||||||
| 17 | be it further
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| 18 | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | ||||||
| 19 | delivered
to all members of the Illinois General Assembly and | ||||||
| 20 | the
Governor of the State of Illinois.
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