All Illinois students will take same assessments

Despite pleas from about a dozen educators and parents Thursday, state officials confirmed that English learners will take the same standardized tests as their English-proficient peers this spring.

"This is not a situation that anyone's happy with, but it's the situation we're dealing with," state board of education spokesman Matthew Vanover said. "It's a reality."

In the past, students who were not proficient in English took the Illinois Measure of Annual Growth in English test, written in simpler English. This year they'll take standard tests, with some accommodations.

The federal government gave the state a final warning this fall that the test for English learners did not properly measure learning standards. The state faced a series of federal sanctions if it offered the test again this year.

Local educators have petitioned the state to administer the test for English learners anyway. They argue their schools will fail to make the grade under the No Child Left Behind law if these students are forced to take tests that weren't designed for them.

And, educators say, it's unfair to make students take a test that doesn't fairly measure their skills.

But with this year's testing about six weeks away, the state's hands are tied, state board of education Chairman Jesse Ruiz said Thursday.

"You don't plan a test over a weekend," Ruiz said.

Returning to the old test isn't an option because the state no longer has a contract with the company that administered it.

Students whose native language is not English will be allowed to take the test with accommodations, which the state posted last week. They will include extra time, more frequent breaks, test instructions written in students' native language and audio recordings in English.

"It should be noted that this is the first time Illinois will have any native languages in its assessment," Vanover said.

Educators who attended a state board meeting Thursday said they don't expect any eleventh-hour changes.

"I think the state board of education has done a very good job of really trying to put in as many accommodations as possible," said Carmen Acevedo, a member of the Illinois Advisory Council for Bilingual Education and an assistant superintendent in Plainfield District 202.

"Hopefully next year there will be other accommodations," Acevedo said. "It's not a good situation for English language learners in Illinois for at least the next two years."

The state is working on a new testing system to meet federal standards. It likely will take two years to implement.

Meantime, some educators have said they will consider excusing English learners from testing, Acevedo said.

Boycotting schools still would be penalized under No Child Left Behind if participation rates dipped below 95 percent. But some districts might prefer to fail for participation rates than academic proficiency.

"For some, that might be an easier pill to swallow," Acevedo said. "Different districts are kind of toying with the idea. But no district I'm aware of will come out and say it yet."