Full Text of HR1313 095th General Assembly
HR1313 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, The Illinois Measure of Annual Growth in English | 3 |
| (IMAGE) Test was developed as a proficiency test and not as a | 4 |
| test to measure student achievement relative to the Illinois | 5 |
| Learning Standards (ILS); and | 6 |
| WHEREAS, The United States Department of Education has | 7 |
| indicated through its peer review process that the IMAGE Test | 8 |
| is no longer an acceptable achievement test for English | 9 |
| Language Learner (ELL) students; and | 10 |
| WHEREAS, On February 15, 2008, the State Board of Education | 11 |
| received notification from the U.S. Department of Education | 12 |
| that the request for flexibility for ELL students made in a | 13 |
| January 8th letter to the U.S. Department of Eduction was not | 14 |
| approved; and | 15 |
| WHEREAS, The State Board of Education has not produced an | 16 |
| acceptable replacement test to administer to students who are | 17 |
| learning English; instead, the State Board of Education | 18 |
| announced that the IMAGE Test will not be given in 2008 and | 19 |
| that students with limited proficiency in English will take the | 20 |
| same assessment test as English-speaking students; and | 21 |
| WHEREAS, Discontinuing the IMAGE Test or failing to |
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| implement a similar alternative examination will negatively | 2 |
| impact students, schools, and districts throughout this State; | 3 |
| assessment data may be swayed by poor test scores of students | 4 |
| who simply do not understand English, resulting in schools or | 5 |
| districts failing to meet federal standards; and | 6 |
| WHEREAS, The State Board of Education has offered a short | 7 |
| term solution for 2008 that involves accommodations for the | 8 |
| Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) and the Prairie | 9 |
| State Achievement Examination (PSAE), which include timing, | 10 |
| scheduling, setting, and presentation; and | 11 |
| WHEREAS, The State Board of Education has proposed a 5-year | 12 |
| English Language Learner Assessment Plan and a cost analysis | 13 |
| for the development and implementation of a transadapted ISAT | 14 |
| for math and science; and | 15 |
| WHEREAS, The 5-year English Language Learner Assessment | 16 |
| Plan is a working document that must be flexible to accommodate | 17 |
| changes in the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, the | 18 |
| peer review process, and new assessment requirements; | 19 |
| therefore, be it | 20 |
| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 21 |
| NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 22 |
| urge the State Board of Education to be responsible for |
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| communicating the lack of comparability of ELL assessment data | 2 |
| to that of previous years to stakeholder groups and for | 3 |
| denoting this on a school district's school report card under | 4 |
| Section 10-17a of the School Code; and be it further | 5 |
| RESOLVED, That we urge the State Board of Education to work | 6 |
| aggressively to implement the 5-year English Language Learner | 7 |
| Assessment Plan; and be it further | 8 |
| RESOLVED, That as this plan is implemented, the State Board | 9 |
| of Education recognize the importance of a comprehensive | 10 |
| communication plan and aggressively pursue a dialogue with | 11 |
| legislators, educators, students and their families, | 12 |
| communities, and other stakeholder groups; and be it further | 13 |
| RESOLVED, That we urge the designation of appropriate | 14 |
| resources needed to adequately address the assessment of ELL | 15 |
| students; and be it further | 16 |
| RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 17 |
| delivered to the State Board of Education and the U.S. | 18 |
| Department of Education.
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