SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), with assistance from Regional Offices of Education, is hosting a second listening tour to collect feedback on the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
The first draft of the Illinois ESSA State Plan was presented at the August State Board of Education meeting. Feedback is essential as staff and stakeholders work together to refine the initial draft. It will then be posted again for review later this fall before being brought before the Board for its vote. ISBE and Partners for Each and Every Child have also produced a Reader’s Guide to help better understand and form questions regarding the ESSA State Plan draft.
One more stop has been added to the end of the tour, making it a total of 14 meetings being held between Sept. 6 and Oct. 5. The second week includes meetings to be held in Bloomington and Mundelein. Both meetings will take place from 4:30-6:30 p.m.
| Date | District | Location |
|---|
|
Tuesday, September 13
| Bloomington School District 87 | Bloomington Junior High School
901 N. Colton Ave., Bloomington |
|
Thursday, September 15
| Mundelein High School District 120 | Mundelein High School
1350 W. Hawley St., Mundelein |
The first listening tour, which occurred in April and May, focused on an overview of ESSA and ideas and questions from meeting participants. The second round of meetings will focus on sharing the substance of the draft and receiving feedback from the field. Individuals and groups are encouraged to read the plan and express their thoughts at these meetings.
“I encourage parents, teachers, principals, superintendents, community and business leaders to take advantage of this time and share their thinking on the opportunities and areas of concern in ESSA,” said State Superintendent of Education Tony Smith, Ph.D. “ISBE will continue to meet with staff and stakeholders to contemplate the numerous ideas collected and shared throughout these meetings.”
The Every Student Succeeds Act presents the state and school districts with a significant opportunity to better serve all students. It allows individuals to consider what is meant by “the whole child” and determine the type of programming that will support every student’s strengths and needs. ESSA allows states to design supports for students that consider their unique settings. The collective task is to develop a final Illinois State Plan that can best ensure that every student succeeds. The new law takes effect in phases over the next two school years. For more information regarding ESSA, please visit ourESSA page.
