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Letter to ISBE on long-term goals for student learning

May 16, 2018

Chairman James Meeks
Dr. Tony Smith, Superintendent
Illinois State Board of Education
100 North First Street
Springfield, IL 62777

Dear Chairman Meeks and Superintendent Smith:

We are driven by the twin beliefs that all kids can learn and that we should have high expectations for our education system. With school funding reform and a new ESSA plan, Illinois is at a launching point to dramatically move the state education system towards equity and excellence for all students, all schools, and all communities.  We applaud you for developing a robust accountability system. But that progress will be hindered if Illinois districts and schools do not understand the state’s goals or believe they are credible. Like a good personal trainer, goals can help us stretch to do more than we ever thought possible.

We believe in accountability and growth. But we also believe that goals should be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Reasonable, and Time bound).  We are concerned that the current goal to achieve 90% proficiency by 2032 will only work to guide interim targets in the near term and then will diverge dramatically.  For example, the current goal structure would require third graders to improve proficiency from 37% to 57% by 2023, in 5 years.  It would also require starting next year the statewide average to be six years of academic growth in five years. This is possible, but not next year.

We urge the State Board to revisit in the next two years the 2032 proficiency goal.  We would focus attention instead on the state’s ultimate goal that 90% of students will achieve college and career readiness.  Interim goals derived from that would target three actionable levers for improvement.

  • Within the next 10 years improve third grade performance by one grade level. This would mean having third graders performing at the level of fourth graders today.

  • Within the next 10 years improve the growth rate from third through eighth grade by one grade level. This would mean achieving six years of growth in a five year span, what the best districts in Illinois are currently doing.

  • Set 90% college and career readiness as the ultimate goal. Achieving 90% college and career readiness by 2032 would include assessments, grades, and GPA  This goal still requires that most students reach proficiency, perhaps up to 70%, but it also takes into account GPA and requires students to participate in career readiness activities. Reaching 70% proficiency would put Illinois on par with the most well-educated state in the nation, Massachusetts.

As the Technical Advisory Committee has noted, ISBE should be cautious about instituting a proficiency goal of 90% by 2032. We should avoid a goal that we know we will miss before we even start. We ask that in the next two years you revisit this long-term proficiency goal and instead focus on long-term college and career readiness as the goal we seek.

Thank you for your consideration,

Carmen Ayala, Berwyn North School District 98

Laraine Bryson, Peoria, Tri-County Urban League

Dan Cox, Staunton School District

Caroline Crozier, LULAC Council 5238

Jennifer Garrison, Vandalia School District

Mary Havis, Berwyn South School District 100

Josh Kaufmann, Teach Plus Illinois

Brian Minsker, Illinois Parent Teacher Association

Ginger Ostro, Advance Illinois

Brad Skertich, Southwestern School District

James Stelter, Bensenville School District #2

Shari Runner, Chicago Urban League

Rebecca Wattleworth, Teacher, Advance Illinois Board and Educator Advisory Council Member

League of United Latin American Citizens of Illinois

Equity First Executive Alliance for Equity in Education

MINDS: Mid-Illinois Network of District Superintendents

John Gordon, Voices for Illinois Children

CC:

Ms. Ruth Cross
Ms. Lula Ford
Mr. Craig Lindvahl
Ms. Susie Morrison
Mr. Eligio Pimentel
Ms. Ceslie Price
Mr. Kevin Settle

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National leaders, Illinois communities join education event to discuss opportunities for school improvement

SPRINGFIELD (April 6, 2018) -- More than 150 attendees are expected for the Seventh Annual Legislator Forum: School Improvement from the Ground Up at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 11 at the State House Inn in Springfield. The Legislator Forum will feature how Illinois communities are collaborating with their district and schools to raise achievement for all students and spur college and career readiness and success. The event arrives as Illinois implements a new plan under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act for providing supports to schools. The work of the Illinois 60 by 25 Network, including 13 communities from across the state, will be featured as a collective impact, cross-sector model toward improved student success. The efforts of business and community stakeholders in one of those communities, Rockford, have received national recognition for developing career academies in high schools. Rev. Dr. K. Edward Copeland, Founding Governing Board Chairman, Alignment Rockford, and Board Member, Advance Illinois, Anisha Grimmett, Executive Director, Alignment Rockford, and Dr. Ehren Jarrett, Rockford Public Schools superintendent will serve as panelists. The event’s keynote speaker is Dr. Nancy Zimpher, former Chancellor of the State University of New York, the nation’s largest comprehensive system of public higher education, and a highly respected leader in collective impact. Ginger Ostro, Executive Director, Advance Illinois, will provide welcome remarks and moderate a discussion among the panelists. 

Partners for the event include Advance Illinois, Center for the Study of Education Policy at Illinois State University, Chicago Urban League, East Side Aligned, Equity First Superintendents, Illinois 60 by 25 Network, Illinois Association of School Administrators, Illinois Board of Higher Education, Illinois Community College Board, Illinois Education Association, Illinois Manufacturers Association Education Foundation, Illinois PTA, Illinois Student Assistance Commission, Illinois State Board of Education, Latino Policy Forum, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Northern Illinois Regional P-20 Network, Ounce of Prevention Fund, Quad County Urban League, Real Learning for Real Life Coalition, Springfield Urban League, Stand for Children, Tri-County Urban League, United Way, University of Chicago Urban Education Institute. 

About Advance Illinois

Founded in 2008, Advance Illinois believes all kids deserve a quality education. We are an independent policy and advocacy organization that works toward a healthy public education system that prepares students to achieve success in college, career and civic life. We are committed to an aligned education system that strives for equity, stresses college and career readiness and completion, and supports the whole child from the earliest years through adulthood. To learn more, visit www.advanceillinois.org, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

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National report shows inequity in Illinois' education funding system deeper than previously known: Report updates widely circulated data on educational inequity

CHICAGO (Feb. 27, 2018) – A new report shows that Illinois’ education funding system provides 78 cents to a low-income student for every dollar spent on a non-low-income student and remains the most regressive system in the nation. Funding Gaps 2018, released today by The Education Trust, is an update to a report that was widely circulated by Advance Illinois and other partners as part of the effort to fix Illinois’ school funding formula. The previous Funding Gaps report showed that Illinois spent 81 cents on a low-income student for every dollar spent on a non-low-income student.

“The Education Trust data has been instrumental in drawing attention to the inequity of Illinois’ funding system and galvanizing action toward a solution,” said Ginger Ostro, Executive Director of Advance Illinois. “Today’s report underscores why the school funding formula needed to be fixed.”

The report also features Advance Illinois and its campaign toward school funding reform, noting that the new formula went into effect for the 2017-2018 school year, after the education funding data reflected in this year’s analysis were collected. Data in the analysis is from 2013-2015.“It will be a number of years before these reforms are evident in the school district financial data used in these analyses,” the report states.

Advance Illinois and Funding Illinois’ Future are calling for further investment in public education in this year’s state budget. School districts will not receive $350 million in new funding for this school year until April.

“This report shows how far we still need to go before we reach equity and adequacy for funding of public education in Illinois,” said Ed Fletcher, Superintendent, Monmouth-Roseville School District 238. “Our schools don't have access to resources that are commonplace in wealthier districts such as access to instructional coaches, staff to provide interventions to struggling students, and ESL and bilingual teachers for our increasing population of English learners.”

Contacts: Bob Dolgan, bdolgan@advanceillinois.org, 773-447-1980 cell

Anna Schneider, aschneider@advanceillinois.org, 217-242-9645

About Advance Illinois

Founded in 2008, Advance Illinois believes all kids deserve a quality education. We are an independent policy and advocacy organization that works toward a healthy public education system that prepares students to achieve success in college, career and civic life. We are committed to an aligned education system that strives for equity, stresses college and career readiness and completion, and supports the whole child from the earliest years through adulthood. To learn more, visit www.advanceillinois.org, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter. 

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Education organizations announce new coalition, Teachers for Illinois' Future, to address teacher shortage and elevate the teaching profession

SPRINGFIELD (Feb. 12, 2018) – A diverse coalition of teachers, K-12 administrators, higher education institutions, and advocacy organizations have come together to call on leaders to address the state’s urgent need to increase the number of teachers and to elevate the teaching profession in 2018 and beyond.The coalition, Teachers for Illinois' Future: Investing in teachers for all students today and tomorrow, has a vision that all students, especially those who need the most, have access to the teachers they need to prepare them for college and career.Over the last decade, the supply of future Illinois teachers has tightened. This shortage varies by region and subject area and is most acute outside of the Chicagoland area in rural and suburban districts. The subjects where this shortage is most severe include special education, bilingual, high school STEM, and career and technical education. To view unfilled teacher positions by district, and to see how the shortage affects our most vulnerable students, visit coalition member Advance Illinois' interactive data visualization here.

"The supply of quality teaching candidates simply isn't meeting the demand-- especially in rural Southern Illinois. We must think outside the box to draw more people into the profession. The numbers are getting worse every year," said Chuck Lane, Superintendent of Centralia High School.

The teacher shortage is impacting all students in all regions of the state. Schools hire substitute teachers in lieu of fulltime teachers, cancel classes, and convert classes to online instruction. Tia Taylor, a Teach Plus fellow and kindergarten teacher said,?“We have failed our students when we can't provide them with a consistent, quality education.?How can we expect our students to succeed when we can't recruit and retain the teachers that they need?"

The Teachers for Illinois' Future coalition is a collaborative effort to:

  • Ensure students have the teachers they need in order to learn.

  • Support teachers' growth from exploration of profession and throughout their career.

  • Increase the respect for and the desirability of the teaching profession.

  • Provide school and program leaders with systemic flexibility to meet their students' needs.

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Teachers for Illinois’ Future is a campaign led by Advance Illinois, Association of Illinois Rural and Small Schools, Center for the Study of Education Policy at Illinois State University, Equity First Superintendents, Northern Illinois University, Roosevelt University, and Teach Plus.

Contacts: 

Bob Dolgan, Advance Illinois, Cell: 773.447.1980, Email: bdolgan@advanceillinois.org

Anna Schneider, Advance Illinois, Cell: 217.242.9645, Email: aschneider@advanceillinois.org 

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