The Illinois legislature has voted to require a statewide literacy plan to change the way reading is taught in public schools.
Senate Bill 2243 passed the state Senate May 19 in a 56-0 vote. The week before, it passed the House with only one no vote. The measure can now be sent to Gov. J.B. Pritzker for his signature.
Jessica Handy, executive director of education advocacy group Stand for Children Illinois, said the bill is an important milestone in a really long journey.
"There is definitely work to do as we develop this plan. And even after the plan is there, we have more work to do as districts implement new literacy instruction," she said.
Forty percent of students in the third through eighth grades in the United States lack basic reading skills, the National Assessment of Educational Progress has found. Lack of reading skills in Illinois are in line with reading levels in schools across the country, Handy said.
"Illinois is not out of sync with the rest of the country," she said.
What has changed this year is that the Illinois State Board of Education has gotten on board with the goal of coming up with a better plan to teach reading.
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