Illinois Sen. Lightford’s teacher evaluation bill passes House and Senate

Passed bill authored by State Sen. Kimberly A. Lightford aims to revise teacher evaluation rules by changing how student growth data may be used in performance ratings, according to the Illinois General Assembly.

In the House, 73 Democrats and five Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while 31 Republicans opposed it.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, 37 Democrats and seven Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while six Republicans voted against it.

Lightford introduced the bill in the Illinois Senate on Jan. 27, 2026 during the 104th session.

The legislation, known as SB2913, was passed on May 21, 2026 during the general assembly session 104.

According to the Illinois General Assembly site, the legislature summarized the bill’s official text as follows: “Amends the Evaluation of Certified Employees Article of the School Code. Provides that, beginning July 1, 2026, if a school district and its teachers cannot reach agreement over the decision on whether to incorporate the use of data and indicators on student growth as a factor in rating teaching performance into a teacher evaluation plan and there is no collective bargaining agreement that includes or incorporates by reference the teacher evaluation plan, then the student growth component shall be removed from the teacher evaluation plan. Effective immediately.”

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill amends the School Code’s provisions on teacher evaluation plans to change how student growth data may be used. Beginning July 1, 2025, districts may, rather than must, work with teachers or their unions through a joint committee to include student growth indicators as a factor in rating teaching performance. Starting July 1, 2026, if the parties cannot agree on whether to include a student growth component and there is no collective bargaining agreement that incorporates the evaluation plan, the student growth component must be removed. The bill takes effect upon becoming law.

The bill was sponsored by Rep. Anthony DeLuca (Democrat-80th District), Sen. Doris Turner (Democrat-48th District), and Rep. Joyce Mason (Democrat-61st District), along with three other sponsors.

Bills in Illinois follow a multi-step legislative process, beginning with introduction in either the House or Senate, followed by committee review, floor debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching the governor for approval or veto. The General Assembly operates on a biennial schedule, and while typically thousands of bills are introduced each session, only a fraction successfully pass through the process to become law.

You can read more about bills and other measures here.

Lightford graduated from Western Illinois University with a BA.

Lightford, a Democrat, was elected to the Illinois State Senate in 1998 to represent the state’s 4th Senate District, replacing previous state senator Earlean Collins.

Lawmakers listed as “Not Voting” were present for the vote but did not cast a vote. Those marked as having an “Excused Absence” were not present and formally provided a reason for their absence, which was accepted.