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"I would like to commend the
Senate Education Committee for taking this step to set higher
standards for our public high schools," said Gov. Blagojevich. "We
need to build our efforts of the past two years to improve education
in our state. We have to help students help themselves succeed, both
in the classroom and outside of it, by expecting more."
To arm students with the skills and
knowledge they need after high school, the governor's Higher
Standards, Better Schools plan requires students to take an
additional year of math. Currently, Illinois students are required
to take only two years of math. Math skills are critical in today's
high-tech workplace. The governor's plan requires students to take a
third year of math and requires students to take algebra and
geometry to graduate. Right now, it is possible for a student to
graduate from an Illinois high school without ever taking algebra.
Additionally, Illinois students can
currently graduate from high school with only one year of science.
The governor's plan requires students to take an additional year of
science.
Effective writing and communication
skills are also critical to being successful in college and the
workplace, but currently, Illinois students are not required to take
a single writing-intensive class. The governor's plan changes that
by requiring two writing-intensive courses, one being an English
course. It also adds an additional year of English to ensure
students take English in each year of high school.
"We desperately need to ramp up our
high school graduation requirements," said Randy Dunn, interim state
superintendent of education. "We are sitting at the bottom of the
barrel currently, but passing this legislation to the Senate floor
is a step in the right direction. Higher graduation requirements
mean that our students will perform better not only in high school
classrooms, but also as they move on to higher education or the work
force."
The governor's comprehensive plan
includes components not included in Senate Bill 575, including
proposed funding for initiatives that go beyond increasing the base
requirements for graduation from high school.
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In addition to increasing the
requirements in math, science and English, the governor's plan
provides resources targeted toward other courses. The Higher
Standards, Better Schools plan includes financial incentives for
schools to offer more foreign language, arts, music and agriculture
education courses.
The plan also recognizes that
preparation for college and the work force requires more than just
improving the base curriculum. For college-bound students, the plan
calls for an expansion of advanced placement courses and dual
enrollment. These courses, in a wide range of subjects, give
students exposure to college-level material, giving them a jump
start on the competition when they begin college. The plan also
expands access to dual credit-dual enrollment programs at community
colleges. Thousands of high school students are already taking
community college courses, but other high schools and community
colleges need to encourage even more students to participate.
Just as schools should prepare
students for college, they should also recognize that some students
enter the work force after high school graduation. These students
need to be trained to get good jobs as soon as they finish high
school. As part of his plan, the governor is calling for improving
career and technical education services.
In addition to the $140 million in
new funding that the governor proposed in his fiscal 2006 budget,
the governor is proposing an additional $300 million in new funding
for education to help schools implement his Higher Standards, Better
Schools plan. The governor supports authorizing an increase of
positions at Illinois' existing riverboat casinos. This plan would
increase education funding without asking the hardworking people of
Illinois to shoulder the burden by paying more in sales taxes or
income taxes, and it does not bring gaming to places where it
doesn't already exist.
Senate Bill 575 now moves on to the full Senate.
[News release from the governor's
office]
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