North Cook News

Veteran state Rep. Tom Morrison (R-Palatine) is pushing for parents to have more of a voice on the direction of their children’s education, especially when it comes to the subject of standardized testing.

“We come at this as lawmakers, former educators and parents; but on the last point, parents, I think we really need to hear from parents on this issue,” Morrison said at a recent House Elementary & Secondary Education: Administration, Licensing & Charter Schools Committee Hearing, where the hearing explored the impact of standardized testing.

In what’s being touted as the first broad examination of the lingering pandemic’s effect on academics, preliminary data recently release by the Illinois State Board of Education details that a far greater number of students across the state are now falling below English and math standards on state tests in 2021, WBEZ reported.

Overall, an average of 18% fewer students now meet grade-level standards in both subjects compared to last year, with Black, Latino and low-income students showing the greatest academic losses. In addition, enrollment at public schools was down by nearly 70,000 students, representing the largest drop to the system since 2007.

“This impact, and the disproportionate impact on our Black and Hispanic students, along with English learners, is why we continue to do everything possible to keep our students learning fully in-person this year,” state Supt. of Education Carmen Ayala told WBEZ.

Given the slippage, Morrison reasons the tests may now more important than ever.

“As has been mentioned by some of the witnesses so far, while it might not be perfect, at least it gives us something of a close to objective nature that allows parents to assess where their children are and how they’re doing,” he said of the tests. “I just hope that during the subject matter hearing that we discuss the right of parents to know what’s going on with their kids and how they are improving year after year.”

With public schools, the largest enrollment drop was felt among pre-K and kindergarten students, WBEZ reported. Overall, chronic absenteeism spiked from 17% in 2019 to 21% last year, with students considered chronically absent when they miss 10% or more of the school year with or without valid reasons.

Back in July, the Chicago Public School systems announced it plans to drop Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) maps and reading tests that have been in place for the last eight years as critical measuring sticks for students and will now allow schools to opt into at least two new assessments, Crain's Chicago Business reported.