Public Act 093-0901
 
HB4944 Enrolled LRB093 20840 NHT 46770 b

    AN ACT relating to schools.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The State Finance Act is amended by adding
Section 5.625 as follows:
 
    (30 ILCS 105/5.625 new)
    Sec. 5.625. The Technology Immersion Pilot Project Fund.
This Section is repealed on August 31, 2007.
 
    Section 10. The School Code is amended by adding Section
2-3.135 as follows:
 
    (105 ILCS 5/2-3.135 new)
    Sec. 2-3.135. Technology immersion pilot project.
    (a) The State Board of Education shall by rule establish a
technology immersion pilot project to provide a wireless laptop
computer to each student, teacher, and relevant administrator
in a participating school and implement the use of software,
on-line courses, and other appropriate learning technologies
that have been shown to improve academic achievement and the
progress measures listed in subsection (f) of this Section.
    (b) The pilot project shall be for a period of at least 3
years. The State Board shall establish a procedure and develop
criteria for the administration of the pilot project. In
administering the pilot project, the State Board shall:
        (1) select participating school districts or schools;
        (2) define the conditions for the distribution and use
    of laptop computers and other technologies;
        (3) purchase and distribute laptop computers and other
    technologies;
        (4) enter into contracts as necessary to implement the
    pilot project;
        (5) monitor local pilot project implementation; and
        (6) conduct a final evaluation of the pilot project.
    (c) The Technology Immersion Pilot Project Fund is created
as a special fund in the State treasury. All money in the
Technology Immersion Pilot Project Fund shall be used, subject
to appropriation, by the State Board for the pilot project. To
implement the pilot project, the State Board may use any funds
appropriated by the General Assembly for the purposes of the
pilot project as well as any gift, grant, or donation given for
the pilot project. The State Board may solicit and accept a
gift, grant, or donation of any kind from any source, including
from a foundation, private entity, governmental entity, or
institution of higher education, for the implementation of the
pilot project. Funds for the pilot project may not be used for
the construction of a building or other facility.
    The State Board shall use pilot project funds for the
following:
        (1) the purchase of wireless laptop computers so that
    each student, teacher, and relevant administrator in a
    participating classroom has a wireless laptop computer for
    use at school and at home;
        (2) the purchase of other equipment, including
    additional computer hardware and software;
        (3) the hiring of technical support staff for school
    districts or schools participating in the pilot project;
    and
        (4) the purchase of technology-based learning
    materials and resources.
    The State Board may not allocate more than $10 million for
the pilot project. The pilot project may be implemented only if
sufficient funds are available under this Section for that
purpose.
    (d) A school district may apply to the State Board for the
establishment of a technology immersion pilot project for the
entire district or for a particular school or group of schools
in the district.
    The State Board shall select 7 school districts to
participate in the pilot project. One school district shall be
located in the City of Chicago, 3 school districts shall be
located in the area that makes up the counties of DuPage, Kane,
Lake, McHenry, Will, and that portion of Cook County that is
located outside of the City of Chicago, and 3 school districts
shall be located in the remainder of the State.
    The State Board shall select the participating districts
and schools for the pilot project based on each district's or
school's need for the pilot project. In selecting participants,
the State Board shall consider the following criteria:
        (1) whether the district or school has limited access
    to educational resources that could be improved through the
    use of wireless laptop computers and other technologies;
        (2) whether the district or school has the following
    problems and whether those problems can be mitigated
    through the use of wireless laptop computers and other
    technologies:
            (A) documented teacher shortages in critical
        areas;
            (B) limited access to advanced placement courses;
            (C) low rates of satisfactory performance on
        assessment instruments under Section 2-3.64 of this
        Code; and
            (D) high dropout rates;
        (3) the district's or school's readiness to
    incorporate technology into its classrooms;
        (4) the possibility of obtaining a trained technology
    support staff and high-speed Internet services for the
    district or school; and
        (5) the methods the district or school will use to
    measure the progress of the pilot project in the district
    or school in accordance with subsection (f) of this
    Section.
    The State Board shall if possible select at least 9 schools
to participate in the pilot project, with at least 3 from the
school district located in the City of Chicago and one from
each of the other school districts selected.
    (e) Each participating school district or school shall
establish a technology immersion committee to assist in
developing and implementing the technology immersion pilot
project.
    The school board of a participating district or of a
district in which a participating school is located shall
appoint individuals to the committee. The committee may be
composed of the following:
        (1) educators;
        (2) district-level administrators;
        (3) community leaders;
        (4) parents of students who attend a participating
    school; and
        (5) any other individual the school board finds
    appropriate.
    The committee shall develop an academic improvement plan
that details how the pilot project should be implemented in the
participating district or school. In developing the academic
improvement plan, the committee shall consider (i) the
educational problems in the district or school that could be
mitigated through the implementation of the pilot project and
(ii) the technological and nontechnological resources that are
necessary to ensure the successful implementation of the pilot
project.
    The committee shall recommend to the school board how the
pilot project funds should be used to implement the academic
improvement plan. The committee may recommend annually any
necessary changes in the academic improvement plan to the
school board. The State Board must approve the academic
improvement plan or any changes in the academic improvement
plan before disbursing pilot project funds to the school board.
    (f) The school board of each school district participating
in the pilot project shall send an annual progress report to
the State Board no later than August 1 of each year that the
district is participating in the pilot project. The report must
state in detail the type of plan being used in the district or
school and the effect of the pilot project on the district or
school, including the following:
        (1) the academic progress of students who are
    participating in the pilot project, as measured by
    performance on assessment instruments;
        (2) if applicable, a comparison of student progress in
    a school or classroom that is participating in the pilot
    project as compared with student progress in the schools or
    classrooms in the district that are not participating in
    the pilot project;
        (3) any elements of the pilot project that contribute
    to improved student performance on assessment instruments
    administered under Section 2-3.64 of this Code or any other
    assessment instrument required by the State Board;
        (4) any cost savings and improved efficiency relating
    to school personnel and the maintenance of facilities;
        (5) any effect on student dropout and attendance rates;
        (6) any effect on student enrollment in higher
    education;
        (7) any effect on teacher performance and retention;
        (8) any improvement in communications among students,
    teachers, parents, and administrators;
        (9) any improvement in parental involvement in the
    education of the parent's child;
        (10) any effect on community involvement and support
    for the district or school; and
        (11) any increased student proficiency in technologies
    that will help prepare the student for becoming a member of
    the workforce.
    (g) Each student participating in the pilot project may
retain the wireless laptop computer provided under the pilot
project as long as the student is enrolled in a school in a
participating school district.
    (h) After the expiration of the 3-year pilot project, the
State Board shall review the pilot project based on the annual
reports the State Board receives from the school board of
participating school districts.
    (i) This Section is repealed on August 31, 2007.
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.

Effective Date: 8/10/2004