Illinois lawmakers passed a bill on Tuesday that will allow school districts to decide whether they want to use students’ test scores in teacher, principal, and assistant principal evaluations. This would end a requirement that schools must tie teachers’ performance to students’ success.

State education officials are considering changing the state’s testing system at a time when students’ scores still lag behind pre-pandemic results.

The Illinois legislative session is scheduled to end on May 31. Lawmakers are considering several education bills and negotiating the fiscal year 2024 budget. Here is what Chalkbeat is following.

U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García, a lawmaker from Illinois, along with other Democratic lawmakers, want the U.S. Department of Education to reverse track on firings in office that serve English learners.

Illinois' switch back to the ACT has been a bumpy ride. On April 8, a technical glitch prevented 11,000 students from finishing the exam on the same day.

Illinois child care providers worry what will happen to children and families if the Trump administration cuts funding to Head Start, a federal program that provides services to low-income families.

The U.S. Department of Education demanded states certify that they are not promoting “illegal DEI” programs. The Illinois schools chief challenged the department to define which programs are illegal.

The Trump administration closed 5 out of 10 Head Start regional offices, including one in Chicago. A group of U.S. senators from the Midwest want to know what’s next for child care providers and families.

Illinois teachers unions want the state to fix tiered pension benefits this legislative session. What would a change mean?

Illinois says the federal government’s plan to rescind $77 million in COVID relief funds will impact programs in 27 school districts statewide.