98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2013 and 2014
SB3541

 

Introduced 2/14/2014, by Sen. Toi W. Hutchinson

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
105 ILCS 5/13-43.14  from Ch. 122, par. 13-43.14

    Amends the School Code. Requires the Board of Education for the Department of Juvenile Justice School District to establish a pilot program in which students who are credit deficient or in need of a non-traditional education are provided an online alternative to earning a high school diploma. Provides that the pilot program shall allow eligible students to take online courses provided by an online career education program and taught by teachers certified by the online career education program, which shall allow a student to earn enough credits to graduate or to receive a high school diploma and career certificate from the online career education program. Requires the Board to choose 2 facilities to participate in the pilot program and develop a plan for online career education programs participating in the pilot program. Sets forth classifications of career educational programming that the plan must address, and requires the plan to evaluate the effect of students' mobility between juvenile justice education programs and school districts on the students' educational outcomes and whether the continuity of the students' educational outcomes and whether the continuity of the student's education can be better addressed through an Internet-based delivery of education that meets certain requirements. Provides for a report to the General Assembly. Effective immediately.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

SB3541LRB098 19604 NHT 54798 b

1    AN ACT concerning education.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section
513-43.14 as follows:
 
6    (105 ILCS 5/13-43.14)  (from Ch. 122, par. 13-43.14)
7    Sec. 13-43.14. (a) The Board shall determine the branches
8and courses of study and the type of schools for each facility
9as well as to establish special schools at various facilities
10or facility within said district and to establish district wide
11schools at one or more locations for special purposes, and is
12empowered to enter into agreements with local school districts
13for the purpose of using their facilities or coordinating
14facilities for a more efficient use of funds, personnel,
15physical plants and other combined available resources. The
16Board shall also determine the type of textbooks and apparatus
17for said schools.
18    (b) The Board shall establish a pilot program in which
19students who are credit deficient or in need of a
20non-traditional education are provided an online alternative
21to earning a high school diploma. The pilot program shall allow
22eligible students to take online courses provided by an online
23career education program and taught by teachers certified by

 

 

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1the online career education program, which shall allow a
2student to earn enough credits to graduate or to receive a high
3school diploma and career certificate from the online career
4education program. The Board shall choose 2 facilities to
5participate in the pilot program.
6    The Board shall develop a plan for online career education
7programs participating in the pilot program. The plan must
8address the following classifications of career educational
9programming:
10        (1) Type 1. Programs that teach personal
11    accountability skills and behaviors that are appropriate
12    for students in all age groups and ability levels and that
13    lead to work habits that help maintain employment and
14    living standards.
15        (2) Type 2. Programs that include Type 1 program
16    content and an orientation to the broad scope of career
17    choices, based upon personal abilities, aptitudes, and
18    interests, and exploring and gaining knowledge of
19    occupational options and the level of effort required to
20    achieve them as essential prerequisites to skill training.
21        (3) Type 3. Programs that include Type 1 program
22    content and career education competencies or the
23    prerequisites needed for entry into a specific occupation.
24    The plan must also evaluate the effect of students'
25mobility between juvenile justice education programs and
26school districts on the students' educational outcomes and

 

 

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1whether the continuity of the students' educational outcomes
2and whether the continuity of the student's education can be
3better addressed through an Internet-based delivery of
4education that meets requirements for:
5        (A) delivery by an agent that is fully accredited by
6    the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools' Council
7    on Accreditation and School Improvement;
8        (B) delivery from a secure environment that both
9    protects and restricts Internet-access for students in
10    confined or restricted settings;
11        (C) responsive and rapid enrollment, ensuring juvenile
12    offenders are placed in an educational setting immediately
13    upon adjudication, instead of waiting for the start of a
14    new semester or quarter;
15        (D) articulating credits, issuing transcripts, and
16    conferring certifications and diplomas, allowing existing
17    credits toward graduation to be incorporated into the
18    overall graduation plan;
19        (E) accommodating the needs of juvenile offenders with
20    widely varying academic requirements; and
21        (F) providing performance-based instruction that
22    advances students based on performance, not just
23    instruction time.
24    No more than 3 years after the pilot program has been
25established under this Section, the Board shall file a report
26with the General Assembly concerning the results of the pilot

 

 

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1program and whether the pilot program should be expanded.
2(Source: P.A. 77-1779.)
 
3    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
4becoming law.