Bill Text: IL SB2088 | 2021-2022 | 102nd General Assembly | Engrossed

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Amends the School Code. In provisions about appointment of members by the State Superintendent of Education to a committee relating to kindergarten assessment, includes state policy advocates, early childhood administrators, and other stakeholders as members. Adds, as a goal of the Whole Child Task Force, recommending legislation, policies, and practices to prevent learning loss in students during periods of suspension and expulsion, including, but not limited to, remote instruction.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 25-0)

Status: (Passed) 2021-08-27 - Public Act . . . . . . . . . 102-0635 [SB2088 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2021-SB2088-Engrossed.html

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AN ACT concerning education.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Sections
22-90 and 2-3.64a-10 as follows:
(105 ILCS 5/2-3.64a-10)
Sec. 2-3.64a-10. Kindergarten assessment.
(a) For the purposes of this Section, "kindergarten"
includes both full-day and half-day kindergarten programs.
(b) Beginning no later than the 2021-2022 school year, the
State Board of Education shall annually assess all public
school students entering kindergarten using a common
assessment tool, unless the State Board determines that a
student is otherwise exempt. The common assessment tool must
assess multiple developmental domains, including literacy,
language, mathematics, and social and emotional development.
The assessment must be valid, reliable, and developmentally
appropriate to formatively assess a child's development and
readiness for kindergarten.
(c) Results from the assessment may be used by the school
to understand the child's development and readiness for
kindergarten, to tailor instruction, and to measure the
child's progress over time. Assessment results may also be

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used to identify a need for the professional development of
teachers and early childhood educators and to inform
State-level and district-level policies and resource
allocation.
The school shall make the assessment results available to
the child's parent or guardian.
The assessment results may not be used (i) to prevent a
child from enrolling in kindergarten or (ii) as the sole
measure used in determining the grade promotion or retention
of a student.
(d) On an annual basis, the State Board shall report
publicly, at a minimum, data from the assessment for the State
overall and for each school district. The State Board's report
must disaggregate data by race and ethnicity, household
income, students who are English learners, and students who
have an individualized education program.
(e) The State Superintendent of Education shall appoint a
committee of no more than 21 members, including consisting of
parents, teachers, school administrators, assessment experts,
and regional superintendents of schools, state policy
advocates, early childhood administrators, and other
stakeholders, to review, on an ongoing basis, the content and
design of the assessment, the collective results of the
assessment as measured against kindergarten-readiness
standards, and other issues involving the assessment as
identified by the committee.

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The committee shall make periodic recommendations to the
State Superintendent of Education and the General Assembly
concerning the assessments.
(f) The State Board may adopt rules to implement and
administer this Section.
(Source: P.A. 101-654, eff. 3-8-21.)
(105 ILCS 5/22-90)
(Section scheduled to be repealed on February 1, 2023)
Sec. 22-90. Whole Child Task Force.
(a) The General Assembly makes all of the following
findings:
(1) The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed systemic
inequities in American society. Students, educators, and
families throughout this State have been deeply affected
by the pandemic, and the impact of the pandemic will be
felt for years to come. The negative consequences of the
pandemic have impacted students and communities
differently along the lines of race, income, language, and
special needs. However, students in this State faced
significant unmet physical health, mental health, and
social and emotional needs even prior to the pandemic.
(2) The path to recovery requires a commitment from
adults in this State to address our students cultural,
physical, emotional, and mental health needs and to
provide them with stronger and increased systemic support

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and intervention.
(3) It is well documented that trauma and toxic stress
diminish a child's ability to thrive. Forms of childhood
trauma and toxic stress include adverse childhood
experiences, systemic racism, poverty, food and housing
insecurity, and gender-based violence. The COVID-19
pandemic has exacerbated these issues and brought them
into focus.
(4) It is estimated that, overall, approximately 40%
of children in this State have experienced at least one
adverse childhood experience and approximately 10% have
experienced 3 or more adverse childhood experiences.
However, the number of adverse childhood experiences is
higher for Black and Hispanic children who are growing up
in poverty. The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the number
of students who have experienced childhood trauma. Also,
the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted preexisting
inequities in school disciplinary practices that
disproportionately impact Black and Brown students.
Research shows, for example, that girls of color are
disproportionately impacted by trauma, adversity, and
abuse, and instead of receiving the care and
trauma-informed support they may need, many Black girls in
particular face disproportionately harsh disciplinary
measures.
(5) The cumulative effects of trauma and toxic stress

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adversely impact the physical health of students, as well
as their ability to learn, form relationships, and
self-regulate. If left unaddressed, these effects increase
a student's risk for depression, alcoholism, anxiety,
asthma, smoking, and suicide, all of which are risks that
disproportionately affect Black youth and may lead to a
host of medical diseases as an adult. Access to infant and
early childhood mental health services is critical to
ensure the social and emotional well-being of this State's
youngest children, particularly those children who have
experienced trauma.
(6) Although this State enacted measures through
Public Act 100-105 to address the high rate of early care
and preschool expulsions of infants, toddlers, and
preschoolers and the disproportionately higher rate of
expulsion for Black and Hispanic children, a recent study
found a wide variation in the awareness, understanding,
and compliance with the law by providers of early
childhood care. Further work is needed to implement the
law, which includes providing training to early childhood
care providers to increase their understanding of the law,
increasing the availability and access to infant and early
childhood mental health services, and building aligned
data collection systems to better understand expulsion
rates and to allow for accurate reporting as required by
the law.

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(7) Many educators and schools in this State have
embraced and implemented evidenced-based restorative
justice and trauma-responsive and culturally relevant
practices and interventions. However, the use of these
interventions on students is often isolated or is
implemented occasionally and only if the school has the
appropriate leadership, resources, and partners available
to engage seriously in this work. It would be malpractice
to deny our students access to these practices and
interventions, especially in the aftermath of a
once-in-a-century pandemic.
(b) The Whole Child Task Force is created for the purpose
of establishing an equitable, inclusive, safe, and supportive
environment in all schools for every student in this State.
The task force shall have all of the following goals, which
means key steps have to be taken to ensure that every child in
every school in this State has access to teachers, social
workers, school leaders, support personnel, and others who
have been trained in evidenced-based interventions and
restorative practices:
(1) To create a common definition of a
trauma-responsive school, a trauma-responsive district,
and a trauma-responsive community.
(2) To outline the training and resources required to
create and sustain a system of support for
trauma-responsive schools, districts, and communities and

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to identify this State's role in that work, including
recommendations concerning options for redirecting
resources from school resource officers to classroom-based
support.
(3) To identify or develop a process to conduct an
analysis of the organizations that provide training in
restorative practices, implicit bias, anti-racism, and
trauma-responsive systems, mental health services, and
social and emotional services to schools.
(4) To provide recommendations concerning the key data
to be collected and reported to ensure that this State has
a full and accurate understanding of the progress toward
ensuring that all schools, including programs and
providers of care to pre-kindergarten children, employ
restorative, anti-racist, and trauma-responsive
strategies and practices. The data collected must include
information relating to the availability of trauma
responsive support structures in schools as well as
disciplinary practices employed on students in person or
through other means, including during remote or blended
learning. It should also include information on the use
of, and funding for, school resource officers and other
similar police personnel in school programs.
(5) To recommend an implementation timeline, including
the key roles, responsibilities, and resources to advance
this State toward a system in which every school,

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district, and community is progressing toward becoming
trauma-responsive.
(6) To seek input and feedback from stakeholders,
including parents, students, and educators, who reflect
the diversity of this State.
(7) To recommend legislation, policies, and practices
to prevent learning loss in students during periods of
suspension and expulsion, including, but not limited to,
remote instruction.
(c) Members of the Whole Child Task Force shall be
appointed by the State Superintendent of Education. Members of
this task force must represent the diversity of this State and
possess the expertise needed to perform the work required to
meet the goals of the task force set forth under subsection
(a). Members of the task force shall include all of the
following:
(1) One member of a statewide professional teachers'
organization.
(2) One member of another statewide professional
teachers' organization.
(3) One member who represents a school district
serving a community with a population of 500,000 or more.
(4) One member of a statewide organization
representing social workers.
(5) One member of an organization that has specific
expertise in trauma-responsive school practices and

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experience in supporting schools in developing
trauma-responsive and restorative practices.
(6) One member of another organization that has
specific expertise in trauma-responsive school practices
and experience in supporting schools in developing
trauma-responsive and restorative practices.
(7) One member of a statewide organization that
represents school administrators.
(8) One member of a statewide policy organization that
works to build a healthy public education system that
prepares all students for a successful college, career,
and civic life.
(9) One member of a statewide organization that brings
teachers together to identify and address issues critical
to student success.
(10) One member of the General Assembly recommended by
the President of the Senate.
(11) One member of the General Assembly recommended by
the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
(12) One member of the General Assembly recommended by
the Minority Leader of the Senate.
(13) One member of the General Assembly recommended by
the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives.
(14) One member of a civil rights organization that
works actively on issues regarding student support.
(15) One administrator from a school district that has

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actively worked to develop a system of student support
that uses a trauma-informed lens.
(16) One educator from a school district that has
actively worked to develop a system of student support
that uses a trauma-informed lens.
(17) One member of a youth-led organization.
(18) One member of an organization that has
demonstrated expertise in restorative practices.
(19) One member of a coalition of mental health and
school practitioners who assist schools in developing and
implementing trauma-informed and restorative strategies
and systems.
(20) One member of an organization whose mission is to
promote the safety, health, and economic success of
children, youth, and families in this State.
(21) One member who works or has worked as a
restorative justice coach or disciplinarian.
(22) One member who works or has worked as a social
worker.
(23) One member of the State Board of Education.
(24) One member who represents a statewide principals'
organization.
(25) One member who represents a statewide
organization of school boards.
(26) One member who has expertise in pre-kindergarten
education.

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(27) One member who represents a school social worker
association.
(28) One member who represents an organization that
represents school districts in both the south suburbs and
collar counties.
(29) One member who is a licensed clinical
psychologist who (A) has a doctor of philosophy in the
field of clinical psychology and has an appointment at an
independent free-standing children's hospital located in
Chicago, (B) serves as associate professor at a medical
school located in Chicago, and (C) serves as the clinical
director of a coalition of voluntary collaboration of
organizations that are committed to applying a trauma lens
to their efforts on behalf of families and children in the
State.
(30) One member who represents a west suburban school
district.
(d) The Whole Child Task Force shall meet at the call of
the State Superintendent of Education or his or her designee,
who shall serve as as the chairperson. The State Board of
Education shall provide administrative and other support to
the task force. Members of the task force shall serve without
compensation.
(e) The Whole Child Task Force shall submit a report of its
findings and recommendations to the General Assembly, the
Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, the State Board of

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Education, and the Governor on or before February 1, 2022.
Upon submitting its report, the task force is dissolved.
(f) This Section is repealed on February 1, 2023.
(Source: P.A. 101-654, eff. 3-8-21.)