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92_HJ0076eng
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1 HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 76
2 WHEREAS, The United States Congress has passed and the
3 President of the United States has signed into law the
4 federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Public Law 107-110,
5 in an attempt by the federal government to require states to
6 set high academic standards to further ensure outstanding
7 public school performance; and
8 WHEREAS, Public Law 107-110 requires State compliance and
9 alignment of State standards in regards to student testing to
10 meet the federal student-testing requirements to qualify for
11 federal education dollars; and
12 WHEREAS, The State Board of Education is or will be
13 required to submit implementation plans to ensure compliance
14 with Public Law 107-110 regarding student testing; and
15 WHEREAS, The State Board of Education is or will be
16 required to submit documentation regarding the progress made
17 to ensure compliance with Public Law 107-110's
18 student-testing requirements; and
19 WHEREAS, Illinois has exceeded these requirements,
20 including, but not limited to, the testing of science, social
21 sciences, and writing; and
22 WHEREAS, The General Assembly, working with educators,
23 community groups, and private sector interests, has passed
24 into law many similar student-testing requirements over the
25 course of the past decade, which have been and are being
26 implemented throughout the State of Illinois; and
27 WHEREAS, There is some concern about the current testing
28 process; and
29 WHEREAS, It is the intention of the General Assembly to
30 align current State student testing programs with Public Law
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1 107-110 in ways that continue the progress being made to make
2 Illinois' good public schools even better and to do so in a
3 deliberate, thoughtful, and common-sense fashion respecting
4 the appropriate State roles and responsibilities and those of
5 local school boards, administrators, teachers, school
6 employees, parents, and their respective local partners;
7 therefore, be it
8 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
9 NINETY-SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
10 SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that current testing under the
11 Illinois Standards Achievement Test and Prairie State
12 Achievement Examination shall be continued; and be it further
13 RESOLVED, That the State Board of Education shall not
14 pursue activities designed to expand that testing without
15 legislative approval; and be it further
16 RESOLVED, That the State Board of Education must make
17 recommendations, in conjunction with the task force to be
18 established under this resolution, designed to maximize the
19 federal moneys available under Public Law 107-110; and be it
20 further
21 RESOLVED, That Illinois will comply with Public Law
22 107-110 in the 2005-06 school year when Public Law 107-110
23 increases requirements by requiring annual testing of reading
24 and mathematics in grades 3-8 and once in grades 10-12; and
25 be it further
26 RESOLVED, That Illinois will comply with Public Law
27 107-110 in the 2007-2008 school year when Public Law 107-110
28 increases requirements by requiring testing of science once
29 in grades 3-5, 6-9, and 10-12; and be it further
30 RESOLVED, That the State Assessment System Policy and
31 Implementation Task Force be immediately established to
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1 develop, with careful consideration, the procedures needed to
2 implement an approved test or tests that meet the
3 requirements of Public Law 107-110 and to take any actions
4 necessary to ensure that the assessment system, including
5 tests, administration, reporting, and professional
6 development, is of high quality and educationally useful and
7 understandable; and be it further
8 RESOLVED, That the task force shall be comprised of 17
9 representatives as follows: one member of the Senate
10 appointed by the President of the Senate and one member of
11 the Senate appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate;
12 one member of the House of Representatives appointed by the
13 Speaker of the House and one member of the House of
14 Representatives appointed by the Minority Leader of the
15 House; 4 teachers, with 2 appointed by the Illinois Education
16 Association and 2 appointed by the Illinois Federation of
17 Teachers; 5 persons appointed by the Illinois Statewide
18 School Management Alliance; 2 business representatives,
19 appointed jointly by the Illinois State Chamber of Commerce,
20 Illinois Manufacturers' Association, Illinois Retail
21 Merchants Association, and Illinois Business Roundtable; one
22 person appointed by the Board of Higher Education; and the
23 State Superintendent of Education or his or her designee; and
24 be it further
25 RESOLVED, That the task force shall select 2 members to
26 serve as co-chairs at its initial meeting, shall meet at the
27 call of the chairs, and shall have duties that include
28 conducting a series of public hearings during the summer and
29 fall of 2002 for the purpose of understanding the student
30 testing required by Public Law 107-110; and be it further
31 RESOLVED, That the task force shall submit an initial
32 report on its findings and recommendations to the General
33 Assembly on December 15, 2002, with a final report and
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1 recommendations submitted to the General Assembly on March
2 15, 2003; and that upon filing its final report the task
3 force is dissolved; and be it further
4 RESOLVED, That the timelines for implementation of Public
5 Law 107-110 and policy options to be determined by the State
6 Board of Education in meeting the requirements of Public Law
7 107-110 shall come before the General Assembly by May 31,
8 2002; and be it further
9 RESOLVED, That the State Board of Education, being a
10 regulatory body ultimately accountable to the citizens of
11 Illinois through the elected members of the General Assembly,
12 shall not adopt any rules pertaining to the implementation of
13 Public Law 107-110 prior to the final report of the task
14 force; and be it further
15 RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
16 delivered to the State Superintendent of Education, the
17 President of the Senate, the Minority Leader of the Senate,
18 the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Minority
19 Leader of the House of Representatives, the Governor, the
20 Illinois Education Association, the Illinois Federation of
21 Teachers, the Illinois Principals Association, the Illinois
22 Association of School Administrators, the Illinois
23 Association of School Business Officials, the Illinois
24 Association of School Boards, the Illinois State Chamber of
25 Commerce, the Illinois Manufacturers' Association, the
26 Illinois Retail Merchants Association, the Illinois Business
27 Roundtable, and the Board of Higher Education.
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