SAC. The success story that is sweeping across Illinois.

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), passed by the U.S. Congress in 2001, is one of the federal government’s most sweeping changes to education in a generation. The details of the NCLB Act affect every school, every classroom, and every student in Illinois.

While the intentions of NCLB are well-meaning, school systems throughout Illinois are left on their own to find the resources needed to meet the rigorous standards of NCLB by earning passing grades on the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT).

The harsh reality is that over the next year, thousands of schools will be added to our State’s list of “Failing” schools. This stigma will adversely affect the job status of countless educators as well as the future of our State’s children.

However, there is a way to address this growing problem: The Standards-Aligned Classroom Initiative.

The Standards-Aligned Classroom Initiative (SAC) is a groundbreaking program that is currently creating countless success stories across Illinois. SAC is bringing together teachers, administrators and students to create meaningful learning targets based on the Illinois Learning Standards.

Thanks to this highly successful program, teachers are rediscovering their passion for teaching, students are finding a new sense of motivation and, most importantly, schools all over Illinois are getting the help they need to improve student test scores.

Before we can bring SAC to every classroom, we need to bring SAC to every teacher.

We invite you to support SAC’s efforts to align classroom instruction and assessment to the Illinois Learning Standards and to more deeply involve students in their own learning and assessment. Your contributions will enable local schools to send a Learning Team, or even an entire staff, through SAC training. By offering your support, you will be bringing the latest in standards-led education into the classroom and helping an entire school – and generations of students – find a better path to success.

For additional information on how you can help bring SAC into your community’s schools, please contact your local Regional Office of Education or the SAC Project Manager.