Since the adoption of the Illinois Learning Standards (ILS) in 1997, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has advocated for schools to become “standards-led.” An initial study of the status of ILS implementation conducted by the University of Illinois found a majority of districts to be in a stage of moderate implementation, characterized by an increased focus on and overall awareness of the importance of implementation (DeStefano & Prestine, 2002). Since the initial study, ISBE has published various resources (e.g., the performance descriptors) to help increase levels of ILS implementation.

To garner a better understanding of the progress of standards implementation across Illinois, ISBE has contracted with the University of Illinois to conduct another four year evaluation. Our evaluation will seek to determine if ILS resources, in conjunction with districts’ efforts, have impacted standards implementation.