Carbondale Reporter

A second, multi-venue stop on Illinois’ Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Listening Tour will include stops in Carbondale, plus three nearby school districts, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) said.

The tour package was first proposed to the ISBE in August. With leaders and constituents actively refining the draft proposal together, the new school-performance evaluation plan, originating from ESSA, will come before the board again for a vote this fall. The new standards aim to weigh grades and graduation rates more heavily in gauges of school performance.

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The listening tour has four dates scheduled this month, with all meetings scheduled for 4:30-6:30 p.m.: Sept. 19 in District 165 at Carbondale Community High School, 330 S. Giant City Road; Sept. 20 in Effingham CUSD 40 at Effingham High School, 1301 W. Grove Ave.; Sept. 21 in Quincy Public School District 172 at Baldwin Intermediate School, 3000 Maine St.; and Sept. 22 in Peoria School District 150 at Woodruff Career and Technical Center, 1800 NE Perry).

Previously the tour highlighted a general summary of ESSA, featuring ample opportunities for citizen input. This second round focuses on sharing the existing draft and obtaining public feedback. All individuals and groups are welcome to contribute.

“I encourage parents, teachers, principals, superintendents, community and business leaders to take advantage of this time and share their thinking on the opportunities and areas of concern in ESSA,” said State Superintendent of Education Tony Smith. “ISBE will continue to meet with staff and stakeholders to contemplate the numerous ideas collected and shared throughout these meetings.”

The Every Student Succeeds Act’s mission is to consider “the whole child” when planning placement and curriculum, allowing for supports to accommodate all learning types and needs. ESSA became a Federal law Dec. 10, 2015.