The Illinois Board of Education will be hosting a third “statewide listening tour” to gather feedback on the second draft of Illinois’ ESSA state plan, which was released this week. In addition to the tour, stakeholders can submit comments to the department’s webpage. All comments...
Coverage in the Belleville News-Democrat reports that education leaders in some districts are concerned about details in the “Illinois College and Career Ready Indicator Framework” section of the state’s plan. “I think it’s a good start and we just need to provide some feedback,” said...
Illinois’ State Superintendent of Schools Tony Smith publicly criticized the U.S. Dept. of Education “for micromanaging state agencies” and “perpetuating the same practices in the new regs.”
In an opinion piece published by US News & World Report, Illinois State Superintendent Tony Smith writes that federal “micromanagement should be cast aside” in order for ESSA to be implemented as Congress intended. Smith calls for schools to be held accountable, and for state...
Staff from the Illinois State Board of Education visited Bloomington Junior High School last week to begin its second state tour. The state Board focused its visit on sharing the first draft of its state plan and receiving feedback from communities. The final plan will...
The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) released the first draft of its ESSA state plan. In a letter, State Superintendent Tony Smith noted that this plan is not final. In fact, throughout the document, ISBE has highlighted areas where it requires feedback. In order...
The state Board of Education released findings from 11 listening sessions it held across the state on the implications of ESSA. According to the report, a major concern for administrators are “measures that compare the school’s growth to the growth rates of other schools”
House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee held a hearing on ESSA Friday morning. Board of Education and members of the teachers union spoke about changes that need to be made in the state’s education system and the plans being used to transition to the new...
In State Superintendent Tony Smith’s weekly message, he indicated the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) is working with the Regional Offices of Education to host a listening tour across the state this spring to give an opportunity to provide feedback on ESSA implementation. There...
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s primers include individual state by state accountability system fact sheets, which detail each state’s current accountability system, what could change under ESSA, and what to be asking state leaders. See details about your state here.
