Encouraging efforts are underway.
A new school recognition system is being implemented that best addresses the issues of student learning and assessment. The effort, however, does not directly involve institutions of higher education. Unlike many other accountability and school improvement programs, Illinois has developed an integrated system based on legislation unanimously passed in the spring 1992 General Assembly in which the state and local schools work in a partnership to meet both the requirements of outcomes-based accountability and the goals of school improvement. A school's recognition reflects the extent to which a school demonstrates that it serves all students and that all students are learning. Fifty-three institutions of higher education offer over 900 approved teacher education programs in Illinois.