Public Act 0694 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB0858 Enrolled LRB095 05587 NHT 25677 b

Public Act 095-0694

AN ACT concerning education.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Public Community College Act is amended by adding Section 2.24 as follows:

(110 ILCS 805/2.24 new)

Sec. 2.24. College and Career Readiness Pilot Program.

(a) The General Assembly finds that there is a direct and significant link between students being academically prepared for college and success in postsecondary education. Many students enter college unprepared for the academic rigors of college and require noncredit remedial courses to attain skills and knowledge needed for regular, credit coursework. Remediation lengthens time to degree, imposes additional costs on students and colleges, and uses student financial aid for courses that will not count toward a degree. All high school juniors take the Prairie State Achievement Examination, which contains the ACT college assessment exam. ACT test elements and scores can be correlated to specific course placements in community colleges. Customized ACT test results can be used in collaboration with high schools to assist high school students identify areas for improvement and help them close skill gaps during their senior year. Greater college and career readiness will reduce the need for remediation, lower educational costs, shorten time to degree, and increase the overall success rate of Illinois college students.

(b) Subject to appropriation, the State Board shall create a 3-year pilot project, to be known as the College and Career Readiness Pilot Program. The goals of the program are as follows:

(1) To diagnose college readiness by developing a system to align ACT scores to specific community college courses in developmental and freshman curriculums.

(2) To reduce remediation by decreasing the need for remedial coursework in mathematics, reading, and writing at the college level through (i) increasing the number of students enrolled in a college-prep core curriculum, (ii) assisting students in improving college readiness skills, and (iii) increasing successful student transitions into postsecondary education.

(3) To align high school and college curriculums.

(4) To provide resources and academic support to students to enrich the senior year of high school through remedial or advanced coursework and other interventions.

(5) To develop an appropriate evaluation process to measure the effectiveness of readiness intervention strategies.

(c) The first year of the program created under this Section shall begin with the high school class of 2008.

(1) The State Board shall select 4 community colleges to participate in the program based on all of the following:

(A) The percentage of students in developmental coursework.

(B) Demographics of student enrollment, including socioeconomic status, race and ethnicity, and enrollments of first-generation college students.

(C) Geographic diversity.

(D) The willingness of the community college to submit developmental and introductory courses to ACT for analysis of college placement.

(E) The ability of the community college to partner with local high schools to develop college and career readiness strategies and college readiness teams.

(2) The State Board shall work with ACT to analyze up to 10 courses at each participating community college for purposes of determining student placement and college readiness.

(3) Each participating community college shall establish an agreement with a high school or schools to do all of the following:

(A) Create a data-sharing agreement.

(B) Create a Readiness Prescription for each student, showing all of the following:

(i) The readiness status for college-level work.

(ii) Course recommendations for remediation or for advanced coursework in Advanced Placement classes or dual credit and dual enrollment programs.

(iii) Additional academic support services, including tutoring, mentoring, and college application assistance.

(C) Create college and career readiness teams comprised of faculty and counselors or advisers from the community college and high school, the college and career readiness coordinator from the community college, and other members as determined by the high school and community college. The teams may include local business or civic leaders. The teams shall develop intervention strategies as follows:

(i) Use the Readiness Prescription to develop a contract with each student for remedial or advanced coursework to be taken during the senior year.

(ii) Monitor student progress.

(iii) Provide readiness support services.

(D) Retest students in the spring of 2008 to assess progress and college readiness.

(4) The State Board shall work with participating community colleges and high schools to develop an appropriate evaluation process to measure effectiveness of intervention strategies, including all of the following:

(A) Baseline data for each participating school.

(B) Baseline data for the Illinois system.

(C) Comparison of ACT scores from March 2007 to March 2008.

(D) Student enrollment in college in the fall of 2008.

(E) Placement of college and career readiness students in developmental and regular courses in the fall of 2008.

(F) Retention of college and career readiness students in the spring semester of 2009.

(5) The State Board shall work with participating community colleges and high schools to establish operational processes and a budget for college and career readiness pilot programs, including all of the following:

(A) Employment of a college and career readiness coordinator at each community college site.

(B) Establishment of a budget.

(C) Creation of college and career readiness teams, resources, and partnership agreements.

(d) The second year of the program created under this Section shall begin with the high school class of 2009. In the second year, the State Board shall have all of the following duties:

(1) Analyze courses at 3 new community college sites.

(2) Undertake intervention strategies through college and career readiness teams with students in the class of 2009.

(3) Monitor and assist college and career readiness graduates from the class of 2008 in college.

(e) The third year of the program created under this Section shall begin with the high school class of 2010. In the third year, the State Board shall have all of the following duties:

(1) Analyze courses at 5 new community college sites.

(2) Add college and career readiness teams at 3 new sites (from year 2 of the program).

(3) Undertake intervention strategies through college and career readiness teams with students of the class of 2010 at 7 sites.

(4) Monitor and assist students from the classes of 2008 and 2009 in college.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.

Effective Date: 11/5/2007