In 2021, the Illinois state legislature passed Public Act 102-0055 mandating a unit of instruction in media literacy in public high schools, beginning with the 2022-2023 school year. The law defines media literacy as: “the ability to access, analyze, evaluate, create, and communicate using a variety of objective forms, including, but not limited to, print, visual, audio, interactive, and digital texts.”
| Item | Description | Website URL |
|---|---|---|
| Illinois State Board of Education: Media Literacy Fact Sheet | Announcement regarding Public Act 102-0055 and resources for teaching media education in classrooms. | https://www.isbe.net/Documents/Media-Literacy-Fact-Sheet.pdf |
| Illinois Media Literacy Coalition: Informational guide | Free informational guide with a framework for adapting media literacy into high school classrooms. In this brief guide: the definition of media literacy, the rationale to teach it, as well as guiding principles on how to implement it into existing curricula. | https://ilmlc.org/declaration/ |
| NPR: News article about Illinois media literacy law | Looking for more information about the media literacy education and what this law means in Illinois? Check out NPR’s Rachel Martin’s interview with Yonty Friesem of Columbia College Chicago to learn more. | https://www.npr.org/2022/09/14/1122895362/illinois-now-requires-media-literacy-instruction-in-its-high-school-curriculum |
