New law requires more details on school report cards
January 24, 2012 6:52PM
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Updated: January 25, 2012 10:04AM
Parents may have a better way to assess a school’s environment, demographics and graduation rates under a new measure signed into law Tuesday by Gov. Pat Quinn.
The law mandates that the state keep track of certain information about every school in Illinois — including teacher performance, standardized test scores and curriculum details — and make the information available to the public on school “report cards” beginning in 2013.
“The most important mission of state government is education,” Quinn said at a bill signing ceremony in Chicago. He said the measure “is an opportunity for the public, especially parents, to evaluate their school in a variety of different areas.”
The law requires the Illinois State Board of Education to prepare a statewide report along with reports for each district and every elementary, middle and high schools. The bill’s chief sponsors were state Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia, D-Aurora, and Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-Maywood.
Andrew Maloney
