IL SR0993

English Learners constituted nearly 10% of all pre-kindergarten through grade 12 students statewide in Fiscal Year 2013, with the EL population growing 33% since 2005 at an average annual rate of 4.7%

Funding for English Learner education was reduced by 6.9% from 2010 to 2013, while the EL population grew by 7% during the same period

School districts report an achievement gap between English Learner students and their peers in reading and mathematics on the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) from grades 3-8

Students who attained English proficiency through State-funded bilingual education services subsequently outperformed non-English Learner students in reading and mathematics on the ISAT in grades 6-8

Senate urges the General Assembly to fully fund the State Board of Education's request for bilingual education at $75,652,000