Research and Toolkit Components Government Alliance for Racial Equity Toolkit RELN DARE Tool CUE Equity Impact Analysis Tool Seattle Public Schools Equity Impact Toolkit EAWG Glossary Peralta Online Equity Toolkit District 65 Equity Impact Rubric

State Superintendent of Education Dr. Carmen I. Ayala Issues Statement on Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading Standards SPRINGFIELD – State Superintendent of Education Dr. Carmen I. Ayala issued the following statement today in support of the proposed Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading Standards: “Culturally responsive teaching and leading helped me improve the reading and math skills of every one of our student groups when I was a district superintendent and to achieve double-digit growth among my students of color,” said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Carmen I. Ayala. “Cultural responsiveness is inclusive of all of the experiences our educators, students, and families [...]

  ACCESS test for English Learners pushed from possible start date of Jan. 4 to no sooner than March 15 SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) announced today that it has delayed the opening of the 2021 spring assessment window to at least March 15, in response to requests from school districts and stakeholders. The delayed start provides the greatest possible flexibility for schools. The original administration window for the ACCESS test, which measures the proficiency of English Learners in reading, writing, speaking and listening, would have allowed schools to begin testing as early as Jan. 4. ISBE’s action today [...]

CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING AND LEADING STANDARDS ENSURE EDUCATORS FROM ALL BACKGROUNDS CAN TEACH ILLINOIS’ INCREASINGLY DIVERSE STUDENTS ​SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois State Board of Education today adopted new Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading Standards to prepare future educators to teach diverse students. ISBE’s Diverse and Learner Ready Teacher (DLRT) Network developed the standards, which educator preparation programs in colleges and universities will integrate into their course content and field experiences. The standards aim to foster classroom and school environments in which every student feels that they belong. This feeling of belonging is critical to improving academic and behavioral outcomes for Illinois’ increasingly diverse students. More than 52 [...]

Congratulations to Veronica Rodriguez, a multilingual teacher at Juliette Low Elementary School in Community Consolidated School District 59, (Elk Grove Village), who was recently named by ISBE as the 2021 Bilingual Teacher of the Year. According to the ISBE site, Veronica is quick to point out two educators who were influential in her success school -- one in junior high and another in high school. She believes each teacher was instrumental in paving the way for the opportunities she was afforded in attending college and later becoming a teacher. She understands more than most the idea of paying it forward and [...]

IDPH has created this guidance document to help educators navigate the world of Covid-19: COVID-19 INTERIM EXCLUSION GUIDANCE Decision Tree for Symptomatic Individuals in Pre-K, K-12 Schools and Day Care Programs.  Check out the decision tree here.

The Illinois State Board of Education has announced the llinois Virtual Instructional Coach and Building Mentor Program to support beginning teachers in these challenging circumstances. The Illinois State Board of Education engaged the Illinois Education Association and the Illinois Federation of Teachers to design a comprehensive program that will offer every participating district’s new teachers wraparound professional support. For more information, check out this document.