Bill Text: IL HB6213 | 2011-2012 | 97th General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Amends the School Code. Requires the State Superintendent of Education to develop recommendations for school districts for administering reading instruments to diagnose student reading development and comprehension. Provides that the State Superintendent shall adopt a list of reading instruments that a district may use to diagnose student reading development and comprehension; sets forth reading instrument requirements. Requires each district to administer, at the kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade levels, a reading instrument on the list adopted by the State Superintendent. Provides that a district shall notify the parent or guardian of each student in kindergarten, 1st, or 2nd grade who is determined, on the basis of the reading instrument results, to be at risk for dyslexia or other reading difficulties. Requires the district to implement an accelerated reading instruction program that provides reading instruction to and addresses the reading deficiencies of those students and to determine the form, content, and timing of that program.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-1)

Status: (Failed) 2013-01-08 - Session Sine Die [HB6213 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2011-HB6213-Introduced.html


97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2011 and 2012
HB6213

Introduced , by Rep. Paul Evans

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
105 ILCS 5/2-3.64 from Ch. 122, par. 2-3.64

Amends the School Code. Requires the State Superintendent of Education to develop recommendations for school districts for administering reading instruments to diagnose student reading development and comprehension. Provides that the State Superintendent shall adopt a list of reading instruments that a district may use to diagnose student reading development and comprehension; sets forth reading instrument requirements. Requires each district to administer, at the kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade levels, a reading instrument on the list adopted by the State Superintendent. Provides that a district shall notify the parent or guardian of each student in kindergarten, 1st, or 2nd grade who is determined, on the basis of the reading instrument results, to be at risk for dyslexia or other reading difficulties. Requires the district to implement an accelerated reading instruction program that provides reading instruction to and addresses the reading deficiencies of those students and to determine the form, content, and timing of that program.
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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY
STATE MANDATES ACT MAY REQUIRE REIMBURSEMENT

A BILL FOR

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1 AN ACT concerning education.
2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
4 Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section
52-3.64 as follows:
6 (105 ILCS 5/2-3.64) (from Ch. 122, par. 2-3.64)
7 Sec. 2-3.64. State goals and assessment.
8 (a) Beginning in the 1998-1999 school year, the State Board
9of Education shall establish standards and periodically, in
10collaboration with local school districts, conduct studies of
11student performance in the learning areas of fine arts and
12physical development/health.
13 Beginning with the 1998-1999 school year until the
142004-2005 school year, the State Board of Education shall
15annually test: (i) all pupils enrolled in the 3rd, 5th, and 8th
16grades in English language arts (reading, writing, and English
17grammar) and mathematics; and (ii) all pupils enrolled in the
184th and 7th grades in the biological and physical sciences and
19the social sciences (history, geography, civics, economics,
20and government). Unless the testing required to be implemented
21no later than the 2005-2006 school year under this subsection
22(a) is implemented for the 2004-2005 school year, for the
232004-2005 school year, the State Board of Education shall test:

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1(i) all pupils enrolled in the 3rd, 5th, and 8th grades in
2English language arts (reading and English grammar) and
3mathematics and (ii) all pupils enrolled in the 4th and 7th
4grades in the biological and physical sciences. The maximum
5time allowed for all actual testing required under this
6paragraph shall not exceed 25 hours, as allocated among the
7required tests by the State Board of Education, across all
8grades tested.
9 Beginning no later than the 2005-2006 school year, the
10State Board of Education shall annually test: (i) all pupils
11enrolled in the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grades in
12reading and mathematics and (ii) all pupils enrolled in the 4th
13and 7th grades in the biological and physical sciences. In
14addition, the State Board of Education shall test (1) all
15pupils enrolled in the 5th and 8th grades in writing during the
162006-2007 school year; (2) all pupils enrolled in the 5th, 6th,
17and 8th grades in writing during the 2007-2008 school year; and
18(3) all pupils enrolled in the 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 8th grades in
19writing during the 2008-2009 school year and each school year
20thereafter. After the addition of grades and change in subjects
21as delineated in this paragraph and including whatever other
22tests that may be approved from time to time no later than the
232005-2006 school year, the maximum time allowed for all State
24testing in grades 3 through 8 shall not exceed 38 hours across
25those grades.
26 Beginning with the 2004-2005 school year, the State Board

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1of Education shall not test pupils under this subsection (a) in
2physical development and health, fine arts, and the social
3sciences (history, geography, civics, economics, and
4government). The State Board of Education shall not test pupils
5under this subsection (a) in writing during the 2005-2006
6school year.
7 The State Board of Education shall establish the academic
8standards that are to be applicable to pupils who are subject
9to State tests under this Section beginning with the 1998-1999
10school year. However, the State Board of Education shall not
11establish any such standards in final form without first
12providing opportunities for public participation and local
13input in the development of the final academic standards. Those
14opportunities shall include a well-publicized period of public
15comment, public hearings throughout the State, and
16opportunities to file written comments. Beginning with the
171998-99 school year and thereafter, the State tests will
18identify pupils in the 3rd grade or 5th grade who do not meet
19the State standards.
20 If, by performance on the State tests or local assessments
21or by teacher judgment, a student's performance is determined
22to be 2 or more grades below current placement, the student
23shall be provided a remediation program developed by the
24district in consultation with a parent or guardian. Such
25remediation programs may include, but shall not be limited to,
26increased or concentrated instructional time, a remedial

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1summer school program of not less than 90 hours (with an
2emphasis on reading and mathematics if the student has
3performed below grade level for 2 consecutive school years),
4improved instructional approaches, tutorial sessions,
5retention in grade, and modifications to instructional
6materials. Each pupil for whom a remediation program is
7developed under this subsection shall be required to enroll in
8and attend whatever program the district determines is
9appropriate for the pupil. Districts may combine students in
10remediation programs where appropriate and may cooperate with
11other districts in the design and delivery of those programs.
12The parent or guardian of a student required to attend a
13remediation program under this Section shall be given written
14notice of that requirement by the school district a reasonable
15time prior to commencement of the remediation program that the
16student is to attend. The State shall be responsible for
17providing school districts with the new and additional funding,
18under Section 2-3.51.5 or by other or additional means, that is
19required to enable the districts to operate remediation
20programs for the pupils who are required to enroll in and
21attend those programs under this Section. Every individualized
22educational program as described in Article 14 shall identify
23if the State test or components thereof are appropriate for
24that student. The State Board of Education shall develop rules
25and regulations governing the administration of alternative
26tests prescribed within each student's individualized

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1educational program which are appropriate to the disability of
2each student.
3 All pupils who are in a State approved transitional
4bilingual education program or transitional program of
5instruction shall participate in the State tests. The time
6allotted to take the State tests, however, may be extended as
7determined by the State Board of Education by rule. Any student
8who has been enrolled in a State approved bilingual education
9program less than 3 cumulative academic years may take an
10accommodated Limited English Proficient student academic
11content assessment, as determined by the State Board of
12Education, if the student's lack of English as determined by an
13English language proficiency test would keep the student from
14understanding the regular State test. If the school district
15determines, on a case-by-case individual basis, that a Limited
16English Proficient student academic content assessment would
17likely yield more accurate and reliable information on what the
18student knows and can do, the school district may make a
19determination to assess the student using a Limited English
20Proficient student academic content assessment for a period
21that does not exceed 2 additional consecutive years, provided
22that the student has not yet reached a level of English
23language proficiency sufficient to yield valid and reliable
24information on what the student knows and can do on the regular
25State test.
26 Reasonable accommodations as prescribed by the State Board

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1of Education shall be provided for individual students in the
2testing procedure. All test procedures prescribed by the State
3Board of Education shall require: (i) that each test used for
4State and local student testing under this Section identify by
5name the pupil taking the test; (ii) that the name of the pupil
6taking the test be placed on the test at the time the test is
7taken; (iii) that the results or scores of each test taken
8under this Section by a pupil of the school district be
9reported to that district and identify by name the pupil who
10received the reported results or scores; and (iv) that the
11results or scores of each test taken under this Section be made
12available to the parents of the pupil. In addition, in each
13school year the scores attained by a student on the Prairie
14State Achievement Examination administered under subsection
15(c) of this Section and any Prairie State Achievement Awards
16received by the student shall become part of the student's
17permanent record and shall be entered on the student's
18transcript pursuant to regulations that the State Board of
19Education shall promulgate for that purpose in accordance with
20Section 3 and subsection (e) of Section 2 of the Illinois
21School Student Records Act. Beginning with the 1998-1999 school
22year and in every school year thereafter, scores received by
23students on the State assessment tests administered in grades 3
24through 8 shall be placed into students' temporary records.
25 The State Board of Education shall establish a period of
26time, to be referred to as the State test window, in each

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1school year for which State testing shall occur to meet the
2objectives of this Section. However, if the schools of a
3district are closed and classes are not scheduled during any
4week that is established by the State Board of Education as the
5State test window, the school district may (at the discretion
6of the State Board of Education) move its State test window one
7week earlier or one week later than the established State test
8window, so long as the school district gives the State Board of
9Education written notice of its intention to deviate from the
10established schedule by December 1 of the school year in which
11falls the State test window established by the State Board of
12Education for the testing.
13 (a-5) All tests administered pursuant to this Section shall
14be academically based. For the purposes of this Section
15"academically based tests" shall mean tests consisting of
16questions and answers that are measurable and quantifiable to
17measure the knowledge, skill, and ability of students in the
18subject matters covered by tests. The scoring of academically
19based tests shall be reliable, valid, unbiased and shall meet
20the guidelines for test development and use prescribed by the
21American Psychological Association, the National Council of
22Measurement and Evaluation, and the American Educational
23Research Association. Academically based tests shall not
24include assessments or evaluations of attitudes, values, or
25beliefs, or testing of personality, self-esteem, or
26self-concept. Nothing in this amendatory Act is intended, nor

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1shall it be construed, to nullify, supersede, or contradict the
2legislative intent on academic testing expressed during the
3passage of HB 1005/P.A. 90-296. Nothing in this Section is
4intended, nor shall it be construed, to nullify, supersede, or
5contradict the legislative intent on academic testing
6expressed in the preamble of this amendatory Act of the 93rd
7General Assembly.
8 The State Board of Education shall monitor the use of short
9answer questions in the math and reading assessments or in
10other assessments in order to demonstrate that the use of short
11answer questions results in a statistically significant
12improvement in student achievement as measured on the State
13assessments for math and reading or on other State assessments
14and is justifiable in terms of cost and student performance.
15 (b) It shall be the policy of the State to encourage school
16districts to continuously test pupil proficiency in the
17fundamental learning areas in order to: (i) provide timely
18information on individual students' performance relative to
19State standards that is adequate to guide instructional
20strategies; (ii) improve future instruction; and (iii)
21complement the information provided by the State testing system
22described in this Section. To assist school districts in
23testing pupil proficiency in reading in the primary grades, the
24State Board shall make optional reading inventories for
25diagnostic purposes available to each school district that
26requests such assistance. Districts that administer the

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1reading inventories may develop remediation programs for
2students who perform in the bottom half of the student
3population. Those remediation programs may be funded by moneys
4provided under the School Safety and Educational Improvement
5Block Grant Program established under Section 2-3.51.5.
6 (c) Beginning with the 2000-2001 school year, each school
7district that operates a high school program for students in
8grades 9 through 12 shall annually administer the Prairie State
9Achievement Examination established under this subsection to
10its students as set forth below. The Prairie State Achievement
11Examination shall be developed by the State Board of Education
12to measure student performance in the academic areas of
13reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social sciences.
14Beginning with the 2004-2005 school year, however, the State
15Board of Education shall not test a student in the social
16sciences (history, geography, civics, economics, and
17government) as part of the Prairie State Achievement
18Examination unless the student is retaking the Prairie State
19Achievement Examination in the fall of 2004. In addition, the
20State Board of Education shall not test a student in writing as
21part of the Prairie State Achievement Examination during the
222005-2006 school year. The State Board of Education shall
23establish the academic standards that are to apply in measuring
24student performance on the Prairie State Achievement
25Examination including the minimum examination score in each
26area that will qualify a student to receive a Prairie State

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1Achievement Award from the State in recognition of the
2student's excellent performance. Each school district that is
3subject to the requirements of this subsection (c) shall afford
4all students one opportunity to take the Prairie State
5Achievement Examination beginning as late as practical during
6the spring semester of grade 11, but in no event before March
71. The State Board of Education shall annually notify districts
8of the weeks during which this test administration shall be
9required to occur. Every individualized educational program as
10described in Article 14 shall identify if the Prairie State
11Achievement Examination or components thereof are appropriate
12for that student. Each student, exclusive of a student whose
13individualized educational program developed under Article 14
14identifies the Prairie State Achievement Examination as
15inappropriate for the student, shall be required to take the
16examination in grade 11. For each academic area the State Board
17of Education shall establish the score that qualifies for the
18Prairie State Achievement Award on that portion of the
19examination. Districts shall inform their students of the
20timelines and procedures applicable to their participation in
21every yearly administration of the Prairie State Achievement
22Examination. Students receiving special education services
23whose individualized educational programs identify the Prairie
24State Achievement Examination as inappropriate for them
25nevertheless shall have the option of taking the examination,
26which shall be administered to those students in accordance

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1with standards adopted by the State Board of Education to
2accommodate the respective disabilities of those students. A
3student who successfully completes all other applicable high
4school graduation requirements but fails to receive a score on
5the Prairie State Achievement Examination that qualifies the
6student for receipt of a Prairie State Achievement Award shall
7nevertheless qualify for the receipt of a regular high school
8diploma. In no case, however, shall a student receive a regular
9high school diploma without taking the Prairie State
10Achievement Examination, unless the student is exempted from
11taking the Prairie State Achievement Examination under this
12subsection (c) because (i) the student's individualized
13educational program developed under Article 14 of this Code
14identifies the Prairie State Achievement Examination as
15inappropriate for the student, (ii) the student is exempt due
16to the student's lack of English language proficiency under
17subsection (a) of this Section, (iii) the student is enrolled
18in a program of Adult and Continuing Education as defined in
19the Adult Education Act, (iv) the school district is not
20required to test the individual student for purposes of
21accountability under federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
22requirements, or (v) the student is otherwise identified by the
23State Board of Education through rules as being exempt from the
24assessment.
25 (d) Beginning with the 2002-2003 school year, all schools
26in this State that are part of the sample drawn by the National

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1Center for Education Statistics, in collaboration with their
2school districts and the State Board of Education, shall
3administer the biennial State academic assessments of 4th and
48th grade reading and mathematics under the National Assessment
5of Educational Progress carried out under Section 411(b)(2) of
6the National Education Statistics Act of 1994 (20 U.S.C. 9010)
7if the Secretary of Education pays the costs of administering
8the assessments.
9 (e) Beginning no later than the 2005-2006 school year,
10subject to available federal funds to this State for the
11purpose of student assessment, the State Board of Education
12shall provide additional tests and assessment resources that
13may be used by school districts for local diagnostic purposes.
14These tests and resources shall include without limitation
15additional high school writing, physical development and
16health, and fine arts assessments. The State Board of Education
17shall annually distribute a listing of these additional tests
18and resources, using funds available from appropriations made
19for student assessment purposes.
20 (e-5) The State Superintendent of Education shall develop
21recommendations for school districts for administering reading
22instruments to diagnose student reading development and
23comprehension. The State Superintendent shall adopt a list of
24reading instruments that a school district may use to diagnose
25student reading development and comprehension. Each reading
26instrument adopted by the State Superintendent must be based on

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1scientific research concerning reading skills development and
2reading comprehension.
3 Each school district shall administer, at the
4kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade levels, a reading instrument
5on the list adopted by the State Superintendent.
6 A school district shall notify the parent or guardian of
7each student in kindergarten, 1st, or 2nd grade who is
8determined, on the basis of the reading instrument results, to
9be at risk for dyslexia or other reading difficulties. The
10district shall implement an accelerated reading instruction
11program that provides reading instruction to and addresses the
12reading deficiencies of those students and shall determine the
13form, content, and timing of that program.
14 (f) For the assessment and accountability purposes of this
15Section, "all pupils" includes those pupils enrolled in a
16public or State-operated elementary school, secondary school,
17or cooperative or joint agreement with a governing body or
18board of control, a charter school operating in compliance with
19the Charter Schools Law, a school operated by a regional office
20of education under Section 13A-3 of this Code, or a public
21school administered by a local public agency or the Department
22of Human Services.
23(Source: P.A. 96-430, eff. 8-13-09; 96-1000, eff. 7-2-10;
2497-86, eff. 1-1-12.)
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