Illinois Joint Education Committee
P-16 Partnership for Educational Excellence, 1998-2002
The Joint Education Committee (JEC) is a statutory body composed of board members from the Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois Community College Board, the Illinois Board of Higher Education, and the Human Resource Investment Council. The JEC is charged with developing policy on matters of mutual concern to the four agencies. It met regularly during the Ryan administration and pursued a substantial agenda, driven primarily by a “P-16 Partnership for Educational Excellence” that was ratified by the three education boards in February 1999.
The P-16 Partnership agreement has one goal – to increase educational attainment in Illinois. In addition to long-term objectives, the Partnership adopted these three priorities for immediate action:
- College-Ready Kids: smoothing the transition from high school to college
- Classroom-Ready Teachers: improving the recruitment, preparation, and development of classroom teachers
- Log-on Learning: expanding the use of technology to improve educational opportunities.
In December 2002, the JEC reviewed progress on the priority items, as described below.
College–Ready Kids. Four accomplishments were cited – implementation of the Prairie State Achievement Examination, completion of the Illinois Articulation Initiative, launching of the Illinois Virtual High School, and implementation of the Illinois Learning Standards. These measures of progress were presented:
- Approximately 43% of schools have implemented the Illinois Learning Standards in their classrooms to a moderate level (Level 3 on a scale of 1 to 5); a few schools are at Level 4 and none are at Level 5.
- The number of Illinois high school graduates who were prepared for and went on to college increased by 8.4 % between 1999 and 2002.
- The number of college and university students completing certificates or degrees increased by 7.1%.
- The number of first time, full-time freshmen who graduated in 6 years rose from 52% on 1999 to 55% in 2001.
What Needs to be Done to Prepare College-Ready Kids
- Align expectations for learning across education levels. ISBE is developing a student identification system that will allow tracking of student progress across P-16+. The Illinois Learning Standards provide a basis for this agreement. They are increasingly integrated into teacher education programs, but are less familiar to faculty in general education courses.
- Design or adopt assessments of content expectations that will be useful across the levels. Researchers are currently studying the predictive validity of the PSAE for college grades in five subject areas and its suitability as a placement tool. The PSAE measures attainment of the Illinois Learning Standards.
- Increase the availability of appropriate learning opportunities, including rigorous courses needed for college preparation for all students. The Illinois Virtual High School offers rigorous courses and the number of students enrolled is increasing. Further, rigorous content modules that teach to the Illinois Learning Standards are on the drawing boards for use in traditional classrooms, as well as for IVHS.
- Provide guidance to elementary and high school students and their families about what students need to know and be able to do to enter and succeed in college.
Classroom-Ready Teachers
This area was a major focus for the JEC and most short-term goals were met.
Accomplishments:
- Illinois Professional Teaching Standards are being implemented into Illinois’ teacher education system.
- The Test of Basic Skills was upgraded to a more rigorous level and is now required for entry into teacher education programs; starting in 2004-5, teacher candidates must pass content tests prior to student teaching.
- Alternative preparation programs are held to the same program standards as those applied to traditional programs.
- A new, three-tiered certification structure that emphasizes teacher performance was implemented.
- Funds were appropriated for mentoring and induction pilot programs.
- A new Associate of Arts in Teaching degree is being developed for launch in Fall 2003; community college programs will target high need disciplines.
- A new scholarship targets students who will teach in high need disciplines.
- Incentives to pursue Master Teacher certification were increased. The number of Master Teachers rose from 87 in 1998 to 569 in 2002.
- The Illinois Education Research Council was established and is producing research for policymakers regarding teacher quality, supply and demand. The number of people completing teacher certification programs rose from 9168 in 1999 to 10,170 in 2001.
What Needs to be Done to Produce More Classroom-Ready Teachers
- Recruit more people into teaching in high need disciplines and in high need geographical areas.
- Design and implement teacher retention strategies, particularly in hard to staff schools.
- Expand efforts to improve the quality and quantity of education leaders.
- Continue efforts to improve the quality of professional development opportunities.
Log-on Learning
The three education agencies collaborated to build the Illinois Century Network on the telecommunications backbone constructed by ISBE in the 1990s. The new high speed, broadband network was in service by 2001 and is on schedule to connect every school, library, and higher education institution in the state. Its emphasis has shifted from expanding data networks to focusing on content. The Illinois Virtual High School and the Illinois Virtual Campus are now operating over the ICN, increasing the learning opportunities available to students and teachers at every level.
Accomplishments:
- The Illinois Century Network is operational
- 425 students enrolled in IVHS courses in 2001-2002 and 2700 took the AP reviews.
- Internet-based courses at Illinois institutions expanded from 15,775 during 1999-2000 to 57,803 during 2001-2002.
- The ICN supports 5,700 institutional connections in Illinois.
What Needs to be Done to Expand Log-On Learning
- Connect more educators to the ICN.
- Expand the quality and quantity of education services offered online.
- Conduct joint technology planning by the three agencies for improved e-learning services.
Source:
This summary quotes extensively from working papers and draft documents reviewed by the Joint Education Committee at its December 2002 meeting and draws on my notes of discussion by committee members. From 1998 to 2002, I served on the JEC as a member of the Illinois State Board of Education
Marilyn McConachie
Northern Illinois University
March 2003
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