Accountability — Coordinates school and district accreditation and recognition, including private school accreditation and private business and vocational school licensure. Contact for supplemental educational services providers for schools in academic difficulty.

Certification — Assures that high-quality professional development is available statewide and that educators renew certificates in a timely manner; special focus on school and district leadership. Processes and issues teacher and schools administrator certificates; coordinates candidate testing for state certification. Conducts statewide recruitment efforts; conducts program review and approval for college teacher preparation programs, develops standards for educators, coordinates induction and mentoring, and National Board certification.

Career Development & Preparation — Develops and provides programs that infuse workplace and career preparation into the K-12 school curriculum by integrating with and complementing the Illinois Learning Standards; Coordinates partnerships with regional workforce entities and higher education, occupational skills standards and transition programs that smooth students' pathways from high school to advanced education and training. Works to promote agricultural education.

Curriculum & Instruction — Develops and provides materials and guidance regarding the Illinois Learning Standards use in the classroom. Learning areas include English language arts, mathematics, science, social sciences, fine arts, physical development and health, and foreign languages. Promotion of Reading First action in Illinois.

Data Analysis & Progress Reporting — Analyzes data for policy and planning; coordinates annual reporting on progress related to Board goals and legislative requirements.

Early Childhood — Develops and provides materials and support for the Illinois Early Learning Standards and their use in early childhood programs, and for programs that focus on children from birth to eight years old, early intervention for at-risk students, pre-Kindergarten programs, early literacy, and partnerships among schools, communities and service providers.

English Language Learning — Supports programs for students (bilingual, immigrant, migrant, and refugee) acquiring knowledge and skills in the English language, including, but limited to: Transitional Bilingual Education (TBE), Transitional Programs of Instruction (TPI), Federal NCLB/Title III Language Instruction Programs for Limited English Proficient Students (LIPLEP) and Emergency Immigrant Education Program (IEP); Refugee Children School Impact Grant (RCSIG) and Migrant Education Program (MEP). DELL also sponsors a Visiting Teacher Exchange Program (VTEP) with the Spain Ministry of Education where additioinal teachers can be recruited by school districts for cultural exchanges and a Title II Bilingual Transition To Teaching (BTTT) alternative teacher training program.

Federal Grants & Programs — Provides services and support to districts with schools in academic difficulty. Contact for public school choice information for schools in academic difficulty. Contact for Summer Bridges program.

Student Assessment — Administers the state student assessment system, including the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT), Prairie State Achievement Examination (PSAE), the Illinois Measure of Annual Growth in English (IMAGE), the Illinois Consumer Education Proficiency Test (ICEPT), the Illinois Alternate Assessment (IAA); and coordinates Illinois’ participation in the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP).