HR0994HAM003 LRB095 19715 NHT 51539 a

1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE RESOLUTION 994

2     AMENDMENT NO. ___. Amend House Resolution 994 by replacing
3 everything after the heading of the resolution with the
4 following:
 
5     "WHEREAS, The Illinois Measure of Annual Growth in English
6 (IMAGE) Test was developed as a proficiency test and not as a
7 test to measure student academic achievement relative to the
8 Illinois Learning Standards (ILS); and
 
9     WHEREAS, The United States Department of Education has
10 indicated through its peer review process that the IMAGE Test
11 is no longer an acceptable academic achievement test for
12 Limited-English Proficient (LEP) students; and
 
13     WHEREAS, On February 15, 2008, the State Board of Education
14 received notification from the U.S. Department of Education
15 that the request for flexibility for LEP students made in a

 

 

HR0994HAM003 - 2 - LRB095 19715 NHT 51539 a

1 January 8th letter to the U.S. Department of Education was not
2 approved; and
 
3     WHEREAS, The State Board of Education announced that the
4 IMAGE Test will not be given in 2008 and that students with
5 limited proficiency in English will take the same assessment
6 test as English-speaking students; and
 
7     WHEREAS, Discontinuing the IMAGE Test or failing to
8 implement a similar alternative examination will negatively
9 impact students, schools, and districts throughout this State;
10 assessment data may be swayed by poor test scores of students
11 who simply do not understand English, resulting in schools or
12 districts failing to meet federal standards; and
 
13     WHEREAS, The State Board of Education has offered a short
14 term solution for 2008 that involves accommodations for the
15 Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) and the Prairie
16 State Achievement Examination (PSAE), which include timing,
17 scheduling, setting, and presentation; and
 
18     WHEREAS, The State Board of Education has proposed a 5-year
19 English Language Learner Assessment Plan and a cost analysis
20 for the development and implementation of a transadapted ISAT
21 for math and science; and
 

 

 

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1     WHEREAS, The 5-year English Language Learner Assessment
2 Plan is a working document that must be flexible to accommodate
3 changes in the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, the
4 peer review process, and new assessment requirements;
5 therefore, be it
 
6     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
7 NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
8 urge the State Board of Education to be responsible for
9 communicating the lack of comparability of LEP assessment data
10 to that of previous years to stakeholder groups and for
11 denoting this on a school district's school report card under
12 Section 10-17a of the School Code; and be it further
 
13     RESOLVED, That we urge the State Board of Education to work
14 aggressively to implement a 5-year English Language Learner
15 Assessment Plan that includes assessment measures that are
16 proven to be valid and reliable for these students; and be it
17 further
 
18     RESOLVED, That as this plan is implemented, the State Board
19 of Education recognize the importance of a comprehensive
20 communication plan and aggressively pursue a dialogue with
21 legislators, educators, students and their families,
22 communities, and other stakeholder groups; and be it further
 

 

 

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1     RESOLVED, That we urge the designation of appropriate
2 resources needed to adequately address the academic assessment
3 of LEP students; and be it further
 
4     RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
5 delivered to the State Board of Education and the U.S.
6 Department of Education.".