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Press release: Passage of HB2808 out of House committee is a victory for low-income students
CHICAGO (April 3, 2017) – The bipartisan passage of HB2808 out of the House Elementary and Secondary Education Appropriations Committee yesterday was a monumental victory for low-income children across Illinois. The Committee voted 15-1 to pass the bill, which would reform the state’s broken school funding formula, closing gaps with wealthier districts. The bill does not take money from any district and accounts for a district’s property wealth and local ability to pay for education.
HB2808 addresses the state’s ranking as worst-in-the-nation for funding equity. For every dollar spent on a non-low-income student in Illinois, 81 cents is spent on a low-income student. The bill now faces a full House vote in coming weeks before it moves forward. The House Education Task Force continues to analyze school funding issues, and the Senate is working on a similar bill. While much work remains, the members of the Fix the Formula Illinois campaign, which spans more than 200 school management groups, superintendents, educator groups and community- and faith-based organizations, remain optimistic.
“We’re rallying around a bipartisan solution in this session of the General Assembly,” said Ginger Ostro, Executive Director, Advance Illinois. “Legislators on both sides of the aisle understand this issue more than ever before and there is acknowledgement from nearly everyone that something needs to be done.”
“Our school districts can’t wait another year for change,” added Dr. Brent Clark, Executive Director, Illinois Association of School Administrators. “Inequitable and inadequate funding by the state has left schools without the resources they need to provide a high-quality education.”
HB2808 utilizes principles of the evidence-based funding model (EBM) to allocate resources. The EBM is based on the cost of 27 elements needed for a high-quality education and accounts for individual student needs while enabling local decision-making.
About Fix the Formula Illinois
Fix the Formula Illinois is a campaign of Advance Illinois, Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, Educators 4 Excellence, Equity First, Funding Illinois’ Future, High School District Organizations of Illinois, Illinois Association of School Administrators, Illinois Association of School Business Officials, Illinois Principals Association, League of United Latin American Citizens, Teach Plus Illinois and Vision 20/20.
Follow #fixtheformula on Twitter or visit www.fundingilfuture.org to receive updates about the campaign.
Press Release: Biennial report shows state’s education system has made progress in some areas, lags behind in others
CHICAGO (NOV. 30, 2016) – Low-income Illinois students remain academically well behind their wealthier peers in K-12 schooling and are less likely to complete a postsecondary degree, according to a report released today by Advance Illinois, an independent, objective voice promoting a healthy education system that prepares all students for success in college and career. Every Student Counts: The State We’re In 2016-2017 shows that only 20% of low-income Illinois 4th graders are reading proficient, 35 percentage points lower than their more-affluent peers. In 8th grade math, just 18% of low-income students are proficient, 29 percentage points lower than their more-affluent peers. The story is similar for scoring college-ready on the ACT as 20% of low-income students are college-ready, 39 percentage points lower than their wealthier peers. Low-income students are 26 percentage points behind wealthier peers in postsecondary enrollment, and 9 percentage points behind in completion.
This fifth edition of Advance Illinois’ biennial report also shows that the demographics of the state are changing. In the past 10 years, the number of school districts with a majority of students coming from low-income families has jumped from 13% to 43% and these districts exist in every part of the state. A similar trend is seen in the number of English learners, with students learning English now more than 10% of the total Illinois public school population and living all over the state.
“The terrible spread of concentrated poverty throughout Illinois exacerbates challenges for our education system,” said Ginger Ostro, Executive Director, Advance Illinois. “Our elementary performance shows some of the largest income-based disparities in the nation. Illinois must invest in its lowest-income and most vulnerable students to help them succeed and to prepare the future workforce.”
For the first time, The State We’re In includes projections to show what it would take at key benchmarks to reach Illinois’ “60 by 25” goal of 60% of adults holding a postsecondary degree or credential by 2025. With only 50% of adults currently meeting the goal, the state will need to make dramatic progress. Illinois’ national rankings are in the middle of the pack. In the highest-performing state, Massachusetts, 50% of 4th graders are reading at grade level, and 51% of 8th graders are at grade level in math. “Illinois needs to make more progress in the next 10 years than it has in the past 10 years to meet the state’s goal. And that means closing the gaps between low-income students and their wealthier peers,” Ostro emphasized. Projections to reach 60 by 25 include:
4th graders reading proficiently will need to grow from 35% to 45%
8th grade math proficiency will need to grow from 32% to 44%
College readiness will need to grow from 38% to 47%
Postsecondary enrollment will need to grow from 64% to 70%
Postsecondary completion will need to grow from 28% to 34%
“Education remains the best path out of poverty,” said Juan Salgado, Board Member, Advance Illinois, and President and CEO, Instituto del Progreso Latino. “Fortunately, many of the building blocks of a healthy education system are in place in Illinois, like rigorous learning standards and assessments aligned to those standards. However, Illinois needs an equitable funding system and more needs to be done to create a sensible accountability system that reflects school performance while offering strong supports and appropriate interventions for schools in need.”The report offers three recommendations, including to make sure that students have the resources they need:
Fix Illinois’ worst-in-the-nation, inequitable K-12 funding formula. The report highlights Illinois’ funding system, which according to The Education Trust ranks last for funding of low-income students.
Foster a fair, clear and supportive system through the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) to report school performance and offer supports to help schools—and all students—succeed.
Share collaborative models that inspire investment in and expansion of community-driven change. The State We’re In features promising local collaborative models from across the state, including in Aurora, East St. Louis, McHenry, Rockford and Quincy, that others can build on.
“The economic success of our state, and our citizens, hinges on our progress toward 60 by 25,” said John Edwardson, Chair, Advance Illinois, and former Chairman and CEO, CDW Corporation. “Our next generation of Illinois’ leaders is entering kindergarten today. The schools they attend must prepare them with the skills to complete the postsecondary degrees and credentials that employers demand.”
The State We're In will be released on Wednesday, Nov. 30, at a City Club of Chicago luncheon, noon, Maggiano's, 516 N. Clark. St., Chicago.
For the full The State We’re In report and additional interactive web features, please visit www.advanceillinois.org/2025 (available on Nov. 30).
About Advance Illinois
Motivated by the urgency that Illinois was not preparing its students to compete in a global marketplace, leaders from more than a dozen civic, philanthropic, business and education organizations from across the state came together to found Advance Illinois in 2008 to serve as an independent, objective voice promoting a healthy education system that prepares all students for success in college and career. Advance Illinois is equity-driven, student-centered and data-focused and positioned uniquely to provide the continuity required to successfully pass, implement, and evaluate policy change. Advance Illinois identifies, designs and advocates for policies that are grounded in nationally recognized best practices and then tailored to the needs of students in Illinois.
Press Release: Advance Illinois Applauds Signing of HB5729, the Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness Act
August 1, 2016 – Advance Illinois applauds Governor Bruce Rauner for signing HB5729, the Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness (PWR) Act, into law on July 29, 2016. HB5729 is the culmination of years of work with an array of cross-sector partners and is a transformative step toward achieving Illinois’ goal of 60% of Illinoisans having a postsecondary certificate or degree by the year 2025.
This comprehensive legislation establishes four new initiatives to smooth the transition for students from high school to college or career. It helps students avoid remedial education in community college with a jointly-designed fourth year of high school math instruction. It establishes new career and college endorsements on high school diplomas to demonstrate that students have fulfilled specific requirements for that career path. To help students plan for life after high school, the bill establishes benchmarks from 8th through 12th grade for what students should know about college and career. Finally, it allows districts to pilot updated high school graduation requirements based on what students know and can do rather than what courses they have taken.
“We are thrilled to learn that Governor Rauner has signed HB5729 into law,” said Ginger Ostro, Executive Director of Advance Illinois. “HB5729 presents an array of options that school districts may use toward college and career readiness. The provisions in this bill will better equip students for college and for a successful career as we make progress toward our 2025 goal.”
According to Advance Illinois’ The State We’re In 2014, just 37% of Illinois students who enroll in postsecondary education go on to graduate and approximately half of Illinois high school students who enroll in a community college require remedial education. Many students are not graduating with necessary skills to gain meaningful employment or enroll in credit bearing courses in college. Employers report that recent high school graduates often lack critical skills necessary to succeed in high-demand and growing occupational areas, and that they are unable to find qualified workers to meet their industry needs.
“The provisions in HB5729 were developed in partnership with an array of stakeholders, including legislators, the Illinois State Board of Education, and the business community,” said Rep. Kelly Burke (D-Oak Lawn), who sponsored the legislation in the House. "Aligning school districts, colleges, and employers will lead to the development and implementation of a robust and coordinated postsecondary education and career readiness system in Illinois."
The PWR Act provides a detailed framework for aligning the needs of colleges and employers with high school instruction in Illinois. Each of the four provisions of the bill has individual implementation timelines. Advance Illinois will be working with the Illinois State Board of Education and stakeholder advisory committees to implement the new law. Most provisions of the law will be implemented by 2020.
“Too often the expectations for what it means to be prepared for college and career are inconsistent and unclear, and students in Illinois are graduating from high school unprepared for their future,” said Sen. Daniel Biss (D-Skokie), who sponsored the legislation in the Senate. "HB5729 enables sensible curriculum choices, like offering math instruction for high school students that decreases the need for remedial classes in college.
"The following partners collaborated on the development and eventual passage of HB 5729 in recent years: the Illinois P-20 Council, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, ED-RED, Illinois Education Association, Illinois Association of Vocational Agriculture Teachers, Illinois Community College Board, Illinois Manufacturers Association Education Foundation, Illinois PTA, Illinois State Board of Education, Illinois Student Assistance Commission, Education Systems Center at Northern Illinois University, Large Unit District Association, Ready Nation, School Management Alliance, Stand for Children, and Vision 20/20.
“We’ve partnered with Advance Illinois to support high schools and community colleges from across our state that have been leaders in preparing their students for college and careers,” said Jonathan Furr, Executive Director of Education Systems Center at Northern Illinois University. “HB5729 enables this important work to scale for the benefit of all students in Illinois.”
Advance Illinois Statement: Shift from PARCC in High Schools is a Short-Term Solution
July 20, 2016: Last week, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) announced that for the 2016-2017 school year, SAT would replace the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) for high school assessment. This decision brings Illinois into compliance with federal law, provides certainty to school districts about the test they will use this spring and ensures that all students have access to a free college entrance exam. ISBE has stated that students in grades 3-8 will continue to take the PARCC assessment, which is aligned with Illinois Learning Standards and the Common Core.
Advance Illinois’ goal is to ensure that high school assessments help demonstrate whether students are on track for college and career. While the SAT has taken steps to align with the Common Core, we do not yet know precisely how or if the SAT will meet the longer-term needs of a high school assessment: to show student academic growth, inform instruction and provide for college placement. We will continue to focus on these issues as we work with the state to implement provisions of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in 2017.
Advance Illinois Statement on the Signing of the Every Student Succeeds Act into Law
December 10, 2015: Today, President Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) into law ushering in a new day for the education system in our country.ESSA replaces the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). While flawed and in need of overhaul, NCLB did shine a light on how well we are doing in educating our students and pointed out where we suffer from achievement gaps based on race and income.ESSA calls on Illinois to continue moving forward in improving results for all our students by shifting the focus to states to develop their own high-quality accountability systems. How Illinois answers that call matters greatly.Illinois now must develop a more robust and refined accountability system, one that prioritizes schools in need, attends to all students, and anticipates the supports students need to succeed. Advance Illinois will work to ensure that any new system is designed to help accelerate student progress and continues to shine a light on all students.ESSA is based on the belief that all students can succeed. The ball is now in our court to deliver. Advance Illinois will work with the state and other stakeholders and will continue to advocate for policies and practices that support that ideal.