SR0483SAM001 LRB095 15306 NHT 46079 a

1
AMENDMENT TO SENATE RESOLUTION 483

2     AMENDMENT NO. ___. Amend Senate Resolution 483 by replacing
3 everything after the heading with the following:
 
4     "WHEREAS, The Illinois Measure of Annual Growth in English
5 (IMAGE) Test was developed as a proficiency test and not as a
6 test to measure student achievement relative to the Illinois
7 Learning Standards (ILS); and
 
8     WHEREAS, When the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB)
9 came into being, the State Board of Education attempted to
10 modify the IMAGE Test so that it might satisfy NCLB achievement
11 testing requirements for accountability purposes, but in the
12 end was unsuccessful; and
 
13     WHEREAS, The U.S. Department of Education ruled that the
14 IMAGE Test did not serve as a valid measure of assessing
15 students' abilities under federal law; and
 

 

 

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1     WHEREAS, The State Board of Education has not produced an
2 acceptable replacement test to administer to students who are
3 learning English; instead, the State Board of Education
4 recently announced that the IMAGE Test will not be given in
5 2008 and that students with limited proficiency in English
6 ("ELLs") will take the same assessment test as English-speaking
7 students; and
 
8     WHEREAS, Discontinuing the IMAGE Test or failing to
9 implement a similar alternative examination will negatively
10 impact students, schools, and districts throughout the State;
11 assessment data may be swayed by poor test scores of students
12 who simply do not understand English, resulting in schools or
13 districts failing to meet federal standards; and
 
14     WHEREAS, The State Board of Education has offered a short
15 term solution for 2008 that involves accommodations for the
16 Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) and Prairie State
17 Achievement Examination (PSAE), which include timing and
18 scheduling, setting, and presentation; therefore, be it
 
19     RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL
20 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the State Board
21 of Education to make a formal request to the U.S. Department of
22 Education that the results from the ISAT and PSAE scores for

 

 

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1 those ELLs who would otherwise have been eligible to take the
2 IMAGE Test in 2008 and 2009 not be used to calculate Annual
3 Yearly Progress for the next 2 years; and be it further
 
4     RESOLVED, That we urge the U.S. Department of Education to
5 grant the request of the State of Illinois and not use results
6 from the ISAT and PSAE for those ELLs who would otherwise have
7 been eligible to take the IMAGE Test in 2008 and 2009 for the
8 next 2 years; and be it further
 
9     RESOLVED, That if the U.S. Department of Education grants
10 the State of Illinois's request, we urge the State Board of
11 Education to work aggressively to develop an alternative
12 examination for ELLs that will be ready for adoption in 2
13 years; and be it further
 
14     RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
15 delivered to the State Board of Education and the U.S.
16 Department of Education.".