Illinois Compiled Statutes 105 ILCS 5 School Code. Section 2-3.153

    (105 ILCS 5/2-3.153)

    Sec. 2-3.153. Survey of learning conditions.

    (a) The State Board of Education shall select for statewide administration an instrument to provide feedback from, at a minimum, students in grades 6 through 12 and teachers on the instructional environment within a school after giving consideration to the recommendations of the Performance Evaluation Advisory Council made pursuant to subdivision (6) of subsection (a) of Section 24A-20 of this Code. Subject to appropriation to the State Board of Education for the State's cost of development and administration and, subject to subsections (b) and (c) of this Section, each school district shall administer, at least biennially, the instrument in every public school attendance center by a date specified by the State Superintendent of Education, and data resulting from the instrument's administration must be provided to the State Board of Education. The survey component that requires completion by the teachers must be administered during teacher meetings or professional development days or at other times that would not interfere with the teachers' regular classroom and direct instructional duties. The State Superintendent, following consultation with teachers, principals, and other appropriate stakeholders, shall publicly report on selected indicators of learning conditions resulting from administration of the instrument at the individual school, district, and State levels and shall identify whether the indicators result from an anonymous administration of the instrument. If in any year the appropriation to the State Board of Education is insufficient for the State's costs associated with statewide administration of the instrument, the State Board of Education shall give priority to districts with low-performing schools and a representative sample of other districts.

    (b) A school district may elect to use, on a district-wide basis and at the school district's sole cost and expense, an alternate survey of learning conditions instrument pre-approved by the State Superintendent under subsection (c) of this Section in lieu of the statewide survey instrument selected under subsection (a) of this Section, provided that:

        (1) the school district notifies the State Board of

    Education, on a form provided by the State Superintendent, of its intent to administer an alternate instrument on or before a date established by the State Superintendent for the 2014-2015 school year and August 1 of each subsequent school year during which the instrument will be administered;

        (2) the notification submitted to the State Board

    under paragraph (1) of this subsection (b) must be accompanied by a certification signed by the president of the local teachers' exclusive bargaining representative and president of the school board indicating that the alternate survey has been agreed to by the teachers' exclusive bargaining representative and the school board;

        (3) the school district's administration of the

    alternate instrument, including providing to the State Board of Education data and reports suitable to be published on school report cards and the State School Report Card Internet website, is performed in accordance with the requirements of subsection (a) of this Section; and

        (4) the alternate instrument is administered each

    school year that the statewide survey instrument is administered; if the statewide survey is not administrated in a given school year, the school district is not required to provide the alternative instrument in that given school year.

    (c) The State Superintendent, in consultation with teachers, principals, superintendents, and other appropriate stakeholders, shall administer an approval process through which at least 2, but not more than 3, alternate survey of learning conditions instruments will be approved by the State Superintendent following a determination by the State Superintendent that each approved instrument:

        (1) meets all requirements of subsection (a) of this

    Section;

        (2) provides a summation of indicator results of the

    alternative survey by a date established by the State Superintendent in a manner that allows the indicator results to be included on school report cards pursuant to Section 10-17a of this Code by October 31 of the school year following the instrument's administration;

        (3) provides summary reports for each district and

    attendance center intended for parents and community stakeholders;

        (4) meets scale reliability requirements using

    accepted testing measures;

        (5) provides research-based evidence linking

    instrument content to one or more improved student outcomes; and

        (6) has undergone and documented testing to prove

    validity.The State Superintendent shall periodically review and update the list of approved alternate survey instruments, provided that at least 2, but no more than 3, alternate survey instruments shall be approved for use during any school year.

    (d) Nothing contained in this amendatory Act of the 98th General Assembly repeals, supersedes, invalidates, or nullifies final decisions in lawsuits pending on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 98th General Assembly in Illinois courts involving the interpretation of Public Act 97-8.

(Source: P.A. 97-8, eff. 6-13-11; 97-813, eff. 7-13-12; 98-648, eff. 7-1-14.)

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Last modified: February 18, 2015