The team members of the Rock Island County Regional Office of Education would like to thank each and every person who provided support as we moved through tremendously challenging budgetary times. In November, the legislature passed SB3828 which restored compensation to Regional Superintendents and Assistant Regional Superintendents as well as school services funding for the full 2011-2012 fiscal year. Needless to say, we are pleased with the opportunity to continue to serve students, parents, teachers, paraprofessionals, substitutes, and administrators in order to enhance educational opportunities for youth. We greatly appreciated your unwavering support.
There have been several initiatives on which team members of the Regional Office of Education have been working diligently to ensure that support and resources are available to you:
- Performance Evaluation Reform Act (PERA), Senate Bill 315, Public Act 96-0861- Requires performance evaluations of administrators and teachers of a school district. The performance evaluations must comprise the inclusion of student growth data and indicators. An evaluation system which includes four category ratings will be utilized by September 1, 2012. Please log on to http://www.isbe.net/PERA/ for more information.
- Performance Evaluation Advisory Council (PEAC)- An advisory council established to provide advisement to the Illinois State Board of Education regarding recommendations for the principal, assistant principal, and teacher evaluations along with a state model for evaluations.
For more information, please log on to http://www.isbe.net/peac/.
- Illinois Educator Licensure-Senate Bill 1799; Public Act 97-0607-Creates and requires new licensure system (replaces certification to licensure) to be in effect by July 1, 2013. Beginning January 1, 2012, a new fee structure will be implemented for licensure applications, endorsements, and registrations along with an increase in fees. Please see http://www.isbe.net/certification/ for further details.
- New Illinois State Learning Standards Incorporating the Common Core – New standards in the areas of Math and English Language Arts have been adopted by the Illinois State Board of Education for grades K-12. To access further information, please log on to http://www.isbe.net/common_core/.
The Rock Island County Regional Office of Education recognizes the challenges entailed in working to integrate these initiatives. As always, the team members of the Rock Island County Regional Office of Education look forward to the opportunity to lend assistance to you by providing support and resources.
In recognition of educator’s efforts, please remember to observe Teacher Appreciation Week May 7-11, 2012 and National Teacher Day on Tuesday, May 3, 2012. This provides focus at a local and national level for teachers’ tremendous contributions to society and our youth. The Rock Island County Regional Office of Education appreciates and celebrates the contributions of our teachers ensuring the successes of each student in Rock Island County.