Governor addresses State Board of Education to emphasize importance of strong accountability standards

Standards part of plan submitted to federal government under Every Student Succeeds Act

CHICAGO – Governor Bruce Rauner today addressed the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) meeting to advocate for more rigorous standards to prioritize equity and closing achievement gaps.

As part of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) each state is required to submit a plan to the U.S. Department of Education on how they are prioritizing equity and supporting teachers.

“Strengthening our schools is one of the reasons I ran for Governor. We need strong schools in every neighborhood and in every community,” Governor Rauner said. “Under ESSA, we have a real opportunity to set high and attainable standards for Illinois to ensure our students are receiving a high-quality education.”

Governor Rauner asked ISBE to consider four topics as it develops Illinois’ ESSA plan:

1. Hold students to rigorous standards that make them competitive in the international economy.
2. Prioritize equity and closing achievement gaps to ensure students who start out behind do not stay behind.
3. Ensure college and career readiness for all students so we can help more youth reach their 25th birthday ready to be engaged citizens with meaningful and rewarding careers.
4. Ensure transparency for families and the public– parents should understand how their child and their child’s school is doing and taxpayers should know how their federal and state funds are being spent and with what outcomes.

“The plan submitted to the federal government should focus on closing achievement gaps in order to lay an adequate foundation for college and career readiness,” Governor Rauner added. “By working together, we can ensure every student, every school and every district has a strategy to ensure student success no matter where they live.”

Video of the meeting will be posted here.

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