SR 483 — EDUCATION-IMAGE TEST-EXTEND

*LRB09515306NHT41294r* SR048309500SR0483 Enrolled LRB095 15306 NHT 41294 r SENATE RESOLUTION WHEREAS,NO. The Illinois Measure of Annual Growth in English (IMAGE) Test is administered to students with limited proficiency in English to measure individual student achievement relative to the Illinois Learning Standards;

483 WHEREAS, The Illinois Measure of Annual Growth in English (IMAGE) Test was developed as a proficiency test and not as a test to measure student achievement relative to the Illinois Learning Standards (ILS);

and WHEREAS, When the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) came into being, the State Board of Education attempted to modify the IMAGE Test so that it might satisfy NCLB achievement testing requirements for accountability purposes, but in the end was unsuccessful;

instead, the State Board of Education recently announced that the IMAGE Test will not be given in 2008 and that students with limited proficiency in English ("ELLs") will take the same assessment test as English-speaking students;

and WHEREAS, Discontinuing the IMAGE Test or failing to 09500SR0483 Enrolled -2- LRB095 15306 NHT 41294 r implement a similar alternative examination will negatively impact students, schools, and districts throughout the State;

therefore,and beWHEREAS, itThe RESOLVED,State BYBoard THEof SENATEEducation OFhas THEoffered NINETY-FIFTHa GENERALshort-term SR0483solution -2-for LRB0952008 15306that NHTinvolves 41294accommodations rfor ASSEMBLYthe OFIllinois THEStandards STATEAchievement OFTest ILLINOIS,(ISAT) thatand thePrairie State BoardAchievement ofExamination Education(PSAE), iswhich urgedinclude totiming requestand ascheduling, one-yearsetting, extensionand frompresentation; the U.S.

Departmenttherefore, ofbe Educationit soRESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the IMAGEState TestBoard mayof beEducation administeredto inmake 2008;a formal request to the U.S.

Department of Education that the results from the ISAT and PSAE scores for those ELLs who would otherwise have been eligible to take the IMAGE Test in 2008 and 2009 not be itused furtherto RESOLVED,calculate ThatAnnual Yearly Progress for the U.S.next 2 years;

Departmentand ofbe Educationit isfurther urgedRESOLVED, toThat grantwe theurge extension to the StateU.S. of Illinois, thereby ensuring that the most accurate assessment of student progress is obtained;

Department of Education to grant the request of the State of Illinois and benot ituse furtherresults RESOLVED,from Thatthe ifISAT and PSAE for those ELLs who would otherwise have been eligible to take the U.S.IMAGE Test in 2008 and 2009 for the next 2 years;

Departmentand ofbe Educationit grantsfurther the09500SR0483 StateEnrolled of-3- IllinoisLRB095 an15306 additionalNHT year41294 tor useRESOLVED, theThat IMAGEif Test, then the StateU.S. Board of Education is urged to develop an alternative test for use in subsequent years that will meet federal requirements;

andDepartment beof itEducation furthergrants RESOLVED,the ThatState a suitable copy of thisIllinois’s resolutionrequest, bewe deliveredurge to the State Board of Education andto thework U.S.aggressively to develop an alternative examination for ELLs that will be ready for adoption in 2 years;

and be it further RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to the State Board of Education and the U.S.