Last Tuesday the Senate version of the Too Young to Test bill, SB 3986, passed in the Senate Education Committee. There is also a companion bill in the House, HB 5285, filed by chief sponsor Rep Lindsey LaPointe with the same language as the Senate version that is now moving, and it has a House Education Committee hearing this Wednesday 2/16 at 2pm.

Please put in a witness slip as a PROPONENT before the hearing! Witness slip filing instructions here.

[Note: If two bills with the same language pass in their respective chambers, eventually only a single bill would make the journey to the finish line of becoming a public act; but it is a smoother path if there is more than one live bill with the legislative language that we are supporting!]

Read our one-pager here for more detailed info about the bill.

SB 3986/HB 5285 are in part a response to the proposal the IL State Board of Education is considering to expand the high-stakes standardized testing system into K-2. State standardized testing in K-2 is not valid and reliable, not required by federal law and not wanted by the majority of teachers, parents and administrators who know that standardized testing isn't developmental appropriate for children under age 8. 

This legislation would stop that, and it would also prevent future attempts at expansion. It does have exceptions for assessments that local districts select and pay for themselves; diagnostic and screening assessments e.g. for disabilities or developmental delays; federally-required tests of English-language learners; and the existing KIDS kindergarten observational tool. It's important to assess what children know and can do, but standardized testing isn't the way to do that in these early years.

If you have another couple minutes to spare, please make two calls! 

• Call your State Rep and ask them to sign on as a co-sponsor of HB 5285
• Call your State Senator and ask them to co-sponsor SB 3986 and vote yes on the floor

Find both of their phone numbers here. (It's fine to leave a message along with your name if no one picks up!)

Suggested script: Hi, I'm a constituent and I'm calling to ask {Sen, Rep}. _____ to sign on as a co-sponsor of {SB 3986, HB 5285}, the Too Young to Test bill. The last thing we need right now in public school in the early grades is more standardized testing. We need developmentally appropriate curriculum that emphasizes exploration, inquiry and play, and supporting the physical and social needs of our youngest learners!

Let us know what you are hearing when you call! [email protected]

Witness slips and calls absolutely make a difference in letting our legislators know what their constituents care about. Your advocacy will help these bills keep moving!