CHICAGO (WREX) -
Schools and school districts now have to do a better job of sharing performance reports with parents and the rest of the community.
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed a law Tuesday making the changes effective immediately.
The legislation will require schools and districts to share more information about enrollment, demographics, curriculum, test scores, graduation rates and other vital information parents can use to determine if their child is receiving the best education possible.
"Every child in Illinois deserves access to a good, well-rounded education and we want every parent to know how their child's school is performing," said Governor Quinn. "Empowering parents and communities with this information increases accountability in our schools and allows us to better judge what works and what can be done better."
Schools will be required to start sharing all of the vital information in the 2013-14 school year. They will start working on implementing systems to gather all of the information right away.
The revamped report cards will help the state better evaluate the success of schools, programs and districts by allowing comparisons between similar schools across the state, as well as current and past outcomes and progress.
"The first step towards improving our schools is knowing where we stand," said Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia (D-Aurora). "Giving parents, teachers, administrators and lawmakers the information they need to make decisions about the future of our children is the responsible thing to do for our communities and our education system."
"Parents have a right to know how their child's school is performing," said Sen. Kimberly Lightford (D-Maywood). "The new report card is important from both an informational and a transparency standpoint, and will allow us to track vital information about student progress and determine what policies and practices are working and how we can do better. It's an essential tool for parents and educators alike."
