HR1119 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1119 LRB098 21377 GRL 59713 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives recognize that every student is unique and that all children learn at a different pace when compared to their peers; and

WHEREAS, The commonality between all students is the need to be amongst their peers; and

WHEREAS, Inclusive education brings all students together in one classroom and community, regardless of their strengths or weaknesses in any area, and seeks to maximize the potential of all students; and

WHEREAS, Students with disabilities can be integrated socially with their peers; and

WHEREAS, Students can create long-lasting friendships that would not be otherwise possible; these friendships can give them the skills to navigate social relationships later in life; and

WHEREAS, In a well-designed inclusion classroom, the teacher uses inclusion strategies to help students succeed academically; therefore, students encounter higher expectations, both from their peers and their teachers, as well as the positive academic role models of their classmates without disabilities; and

WHEREAS, Students with disabilities educated in an inclusive classroom have been found to score higher on literacy measures than students educated in segregated settings; and

WHEREAS, Research has shown that the majority of students without disabilities have scored higher on State standardized tests over a period of 4 years; and

WHEREAS, Research also indicates that inclusive education promotes and enhances all students' social growth within inclusive classrooms and does not negatively affect typical students' academic growth; and

WHEREAS, In an inclusion setting, students with and without disabilities learn how to work with each other, regardless of individual skills and abilities, which helps improve academic performance and the ability to succeed later in life; and

WHEREAS, All parents want their children to be accepted by their peers and have friends; inclusive settings can make this vision a reality for many children with disabilities; and

WHEREAS, The family of the disabled student can be positively affected by classroom inclusion through newly potential friendship and relationship opportunities; and

WHEREAS, When children attend classes that reflect the similarities and differences of people in the real world, they learn to appreciate diversity; and

WHEREAS, Respect and understanding grow when children of differing abilities and cultures communicate and learn together, which may be the first step in creating a more diverse workforce and world; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we encourage the Illinois State Board of Education and each school district in this State to consider the potential benefits of inclusive education for students with and without disabilities in Illinois; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to the Illinois State Board of Education and the Regional Offices of Education.