CHICAGO SIGNATURES ONLY PLEASE!

The reading crisis is real
In 2019, 61% of Illinois 3rd-8th graders did not meet expectations in reading on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness. The same year in Chicago Public Schools, 72% did not meet the same expectations. And as is all too often the case, the percentages are even worse for students of color.

There's a solution
Six decades of research has firmly settled the optimal methods for teaching reading. According to the National Institutes of Health, 95% of children can learn to read when evidence-based methods are used, but sadly, most teachers enter the classroom with little or no training in these methods. 

Train Illinois teachers in the science of reading
On November 20, at the IASB Delegate Assembly, you have the chance to vote on IASB Resolution #1 (see page 9), which supports key changes in teacher education and licensure, requiring that teacher candidates take at least one course in the science of how children learn to read.

Vote Yes on IASB Resolution #1 on 11/20/21
We urge you to send a delegate to the November 20 Assembly to vote YES on Resolution #1. This sets the stage for colleges of education to teach the science of reading and evidence-based instruction to future Illinois educators, supporting them and our children in the pursuit of reading and literacy for all.

At least 19 states have passed laws requiring a test for teacher candidates grounded in the science of reading. Illinois needs to be next!