The New Illinois Learning Standards

Incorporating the Common Core

Fewer, clearer, higher
Internationally benchmarked
21st Century Skills
Evidence‐based

The Illinois State Board of Education has adopted new Math and English Language Arts standards for K‐12 education known as the New Illinois State Learning Standards Incorporating the Common Core. The goal is to better prepare Illinois students for success in college and the workforce in a competitive global economy.

Why new standards?

• Our expectations for what students must know and be able to demonstrate were different in 1997 when Illinois adopted the current standards.
• The new standards aim to provide clear, consistent academic benchmarks with “fewer, clearer and higher” academic standards for essential learning and skills. The standards were developed while considering the standards of top performing countries and the strengths of current state standards.
• The 2010 state standards provide benchmarks for academic progress (skills and knowledge) that students should have at the conclusion of each grade level. This will allow teachers to establish the best approach to help their students meet those standards.
• Students and parents will clearly understand the knowledge students are expected to attain each year.

What about assessments?

An UPDATED powerpoint is now available from PARCC highlighting the refined assessment design.  The information below is excerpted directly from the powerpoint.  New PowerPoint slides on PARCC are available on the PARCC website at http://www.parcconline.org/about-parcc.

PARCC Goals:

1. Create high-quality assessments
2. Build a pathway to college and career readiness for all students
3. Support educators in the classroom
4. Develop 21st century, technology-based assessments
5. Advance accountability at all levels

To address these priority purposes, PARCC will develop an assessment system comprised of four components. Each component will be computer-delivered and will leverage technology to incorporate innovations.

1. Two summative assessment components designed to
1. Make “college and career readiness” and “on-track” determinations
2. Measure the full range of standards and full performance continuum
3. Provide data for accountability uses, including measures of growth
2. Two interim assessment components designed to
1. Generate timely information for informing instruction, interventions, and professional development during the school year
2. In ELA/literacy, a third formative component will assess students’ speaking and listening skills

Summative Assessment Components:

• Performance-Based Assessment (PBA) administered as close to the end of the school year as possible. The ELA/literacy PBA will focus on writing effectively when analyzing text. The mathematics PBA will focus on applying skills, concepts, and understandings to solve multi-step problems requiring abstract reasoning, precision, perseverance, and strategic use of tools.
  
  
• End-of-Year Assessment (EOY) administered after approx. 90% of the school year.  The ELA/literacy EOY will focus on reading comprehension.  The mathematics EOY will be comprised of innovative, machine-scorable items

Interim Assessment Components:

• Early Assessment designed to be an indicator of student knowledge and skills so that instruction, supports and professional development can be tailored to meet student needs
  
  
• Mid-Year Assessment comprised of performance-based items and tasks, with an emphasis on hard-to-measure standards.  After study, individual states may consider including as a summative component
  
  
  Access the entire PARCC Update Summary Document

• The target date for implementation of the new assessment is the 2014‐15 school year.

For more information on the Common Core State Standards, log onto www.corestandards.org.