Sen. Kimberly A. Lightford

Filed: 4/22/2015

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 1679

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 1679, AS AMENDED,
3by replacing everything after the enacting clause with the
4following:
 
5    "Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
6Course Access Act.
 
7    Section 5. Definitions. In this Act:
8    "Course provider" means an entity authorized by the State
9Board to offer individual courses in person, online, or a
10combination of the 2, including, but not limited to, online
11education providers, public or private elementary and
12secondary education institutions, education service agencies,
13not-for-profit providers, postsecondary education
14institutions, and vocational or technical course providers.
15    "Eligible funded student" means any eligible participating
16student who is currently enrolled in a public school or charter

 

 

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1school.
2    "Eligible participating student" means any student in
3kindergarten through grade 12 who resides in this State.
4    "Public school" means a public school or charter school.
5    "State Board" means the State Board of Education.
6    "State Course Access Catalog" means the website developed
7for the State Board of Education that provides a listing of all
8courses authorized and available to students in this State,
9detailed information about the courses to inform student
10enrollment decisions, and the ability for students to submit
11their course enrollments. The data in this Catalog shall be
12published online in an open format that may be retrieved,
13downloaded, indexed, and searched by commonly used web search
14applications. An open format shall be platform-independent,
15machine-readable, and made available to the public without
16restrictions that may impede the reuse of that information. The
17data in the Catalog shall be owned by the State Board.
18    "State Course Access Program" means the Program created
19under this Act.
 
20    Section 10. Enrollment. An eligible participating student
21may enroll in State Course Access Program courses.
22    An eligible funded student may enroll in State Course
23Access Program courses only if the courses the eligible funded
24student wants to enroll in are not offered at the eligible
25funded student's school.

 

 

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1    An eligible funded student may enroll in State Course
2Access Program courses that are funded by the Program up to the
3following levels, unless additional courses are approved by the
4school where they are enrolled:
5        (1) 2016-2017 school year: Students attending a public
6    school who choose to participate in the State Course Access
7    Program and entering the school year with credits equal to
8    the junior or senior level of high school may take up to 2
9    courses per semester.
10        (2) 2017-2018 school year: Students attending a public
11    school who choose to participate in the State Course Access
12    Program and entering the school year with credits equal to
13    the sophomore, junior, or senior level of high school may
14    take up to 2 courses per semester.
15        (3) 2018-2019 school year and all school years
16    thereafter: Students attending a public school who choose
17    to participate in the State Course Access Program and
18    entering grades 9 through 12 may take up to 2 courses per
19    semester.
20    The families of eligible funded students and other eligible
21participating students may pay to enroll in State Course Access
22Program courses above the levels specified under Section 50 of
23this Act.
24    Public and charter schools where eligible funded students
25are enrolled full time may review enrollment requests to ensure
26courses are academically appropriate, logistically feasible,

 

 

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1keep the student on track for an on-time graduation, and do not
2extend a student beyond a full-time course load. The public and
3charter schools may only reject enrollment requests for not
4doing so.
5    The public and charter schools must complete the review and
6denial process within 5 days of the student enrolling in the
7course.
8    Public and charter schools shall inform students and
9families at the time of denial of their right to appeal any
10enrollment denials in State Course Access Program courses to
11the school board, which shall provide a final enrollment
12decision within 7 calendar days.
 
13    Section 15. Provider authorization process. The State
14Board shall:
15        (1) Establish an authorization process for course
16    providers that may include multiple opportunities for
17    submission each year.
18        (2) Not later than 90 calendar days from the initial
19    submission date, authorize course providers that:
20            (A) meet the criteria established under Section 20
21        of this Act; and
22            (B) provide courses that offer the instructional
23        rigor and scope required under Section 25 of this Act.
24        (3) Not later than 90 calendar days from the initial
25    submission date, provide a written explanation to any

 

 

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1    course providers that are denied. If a course provider is
2    denied authorization, the provider may apply again in the
3    future. If a course provider is denied authorization 3
4    times, the provider will no longer be able to apply.
5        (4) Publish the process established under Section 20 of
6    this Act, including any deadlines and any guidelines
7    applicable to the submission and authorization process for
8    providers.
9    If the State Board determines that there are insufficient
10funds available for evaluating and authorizing course
11providers, it may charge applicant providers a fee up to, but
12no greater than, the amount of the costs in order to ensure
13that evaluation occurs. The State Board shall establish and
14publish a fee schedule for purposes of this Section.
 
15    Section 20. Course provider criteria. To be authorized to
16offer a course through the State Course Access Program, a
17provider must:
18        (1) Comply with all applicable anti-discrimination
19    provisions and applicable State and federal student data
20    privacy provisions, including, but not limited to, the
21    federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
22        (2) Provide an assurance that all online information
23    and resources for online or blended courses are fully
24    accessible for students of all abilities, including that:
25            (A) all of the courses submitted for approval are

 

 

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1        reviewed to ensure they meet legal accessibility
2        standards;
3            (B) the provider has created and promulgated an
4        Accessibility Online Public and Charter Schools
5        Policy;
6            (C) the provider has designated a Section 504
7        Coordinator and a Grievance Policy, and issued annual
8        notifications;
9            (D) the provider has policies and activities to
10        ensure their organizational and course websites meet
11        accessibility requirements; and
12            (E) the provider has no gateway exam or test where
13        a specific score is required to participate in the
14        Program courses beyond completion of prerequisite
15        coursework or demonstrated mastery of prerequisite
16        material.
17        (3) Demonstrate either:
18            (A) prior evidence of delivering quality outcomes
19        for students, as demonstrated by completion rates,
20        student level growth, proficiency, or other
21        quantifiable outcomes; or
22            (B) for course providers applying to offer a
23        subject or grade level for the first time, provide a
24        detailed justification, in a manner determined by the
25        State Board, of how their organization's subject
26        matter, instructional, and technical expertise will

 

 

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1        allow public and charter schools to produce successful
2        outcomes for students.
3        (4) Ensure instructional and curricular quality
4    through a detailed curriculum and student performance
5    accountability plan that aligns with and measures student
6    attainment of relevant State academic standards or other
7    relevant standards in courses without State academic
8    standards.
9        (5) Provide assurances that the course provider shall
10    provide electronically, in a manner and format determined
11    by the State Board, a detailed student record of
12    enrollment, performance, completion, and grading
13    information with the school systems where eligible
14    participating students are enrolled full time.
15    Additional criteria developed by the State Board shall be
16used to evaluate providers, and may include International
17Association for K-12 Online Learning, National Standards for
18Quality Online Teaching, National Standards for Quality Online
19Courses, Southern Regional Education Board, AdvancED, or other
20nationally recognized third party quality standards.
 
21    Section 25. Course quality reviews. The State Board shall
22establish a course review and approval process. The process may
23be implemented by the State Board or by an entity designated by
24the State Board.
25    In order to be approved and added to the State Course

 

 

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1Access Catalog, a course must:
2        (1) Be one of the following types:
3            (A) a course that satisfies high school graduation
4        requirements;
5            (B) a course identified by the State Board as
6        necessary for college-readiness;
7            (C) an Advanced Placement or International
8        Baccalaureate course;
9            (D) a music or arts course;
10            (E) a STEM course;
11            (F) a foreign language course;
12            (G) a dual credit course that allows students to
13        earn college credit or other advanced credit; or
14            (H) a vocational or technical course, including
15        apprenticeships and High School Career Exploration and
16        Readiness courses.
17        (2) Be, at a minimum, the equivalent in instructional
18    rigor and scope to a course that is provided in a
19    traditional classroom setting.
20        (3) Be aligned to relevant State academic standards or
21    industry standards.
22        (4) Possess an assessment component for determining
23    student proficiency and student growth where applicable.
24        (5) Be designed and implemented consistently with
25    criteria established by the International Association for
26    K-12 Online Learning (INACOL) National Standards for

 

 

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1    Quality Online Teaching and INACOL National Standards for
2    Quality Online Courses, the Southern Regional Education
3    Board, or AdvancED or with other nationally or
4    industry-recognized third party quality standards.
5    A course provider other than the Illinois Virtual School
6may offer an online course only if the Illinois Virtual School
7decides to not offer the course via the State Course Access
8Catalog.
 
9    Section 30. Provider and course monitoring and
10reauthorization. The initial authorization of the course
11provider and approved courses shall be for a period of 3 years.
12Providers must annually report, in such a manner as directed by
13the State Board:
14        (1) student enrollment data;
15        (2) student outcomes, growth measures when available,
16    proficiency rates, and completion rates for each subject
17    area and grade level; and
18        (3) student and parental feedback on overall
19    satisfaction and quality.
20    After the second year of the initial authorization period,
21the State Board shall conduct a thorough review of the course
22provider's activities and the academic performance of the
23students enrolled in courses offered by the course provider.
24    If the performance of the students enrolled in courses
25offered by the course provider does not meet agreed-upon

 

 

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1performance standards at any time, the course provider shall be
2placed on probation and shall be required to submit a plan for
3improvement. The State Board shall determine the terms of
4probation, including, but not limited to, the results the
5course provider must achieve to return to good standing. Course
6providers shall have a minimum of 60 days to achieve the
7results indicated in their terms of probation. The State Board
8shall, at its sole discretion, determine if the course provider
9has met the specified results required for the course provider
10to return to good standing. If a course provider fails to
11return to good standing within the timeframe cited in its terms
12of probation, the State Board may terminate its status as a
13course provider. Course providers terminated as a result of
14being put on probation may not reapply to become a course
15provider for 2 years from the time the State Board revoked its
16status.
17    After the initial 3-year authorization period, the State
18Board may reauthorize the course provider for additional
19periods of up to 5 years after thorough review of the course
20provider's activities and the achievement of students enrolled
21in courses offered by the course provider.
22     The State Board may exclude a course provided by an
23authorized provider at any time if the State Board determines
24that:
25        (A) the course is no longer adequately aligned with the
26    State academic standards;

 

 

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1        (B) the course no longer provides a detailed and
2    quality curriculum and accountability plan; or
3        (C) the course fails to deliver outcomes as measured by
4    course completion, proficiency, or student academic growth
5    on State or nationally accepted assessments.
 
6    Section 35. Interstate course reciprocity. The State Board
7may enter into a reciprocity agreement with other states for
8the purpose of authorizing and approving high quality providers
9and courses for the State Course Access Program and the
10operation of the State Course Access Catalog.
 
11    Section 40. Responsibilities of the State Board.
12    (a) The State Board shall:
13        (1) Publish the criteria required under Section 20 of
14    this Act for courses that may be offered through the State
15    Course Access Program.
16        (2) Be responsible for creating the State Course Access
17    Catalog.
18        (3) Publish a link to the Catalog in a prominent
19    location on the State Board's website, which includes a
20    listing of courses offered by authorized providers
21    available through the Program, a detailed description of
22    the courses, and any available student completion and
23    outcome data.
24        (4) Establish and publish a timeframe or specific dates

 

 

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1    by which students are able to withdraw from a course
2    provided through the Program without the student, public
3    and charter schools, or course provider incurring a
4    penalty.
5        (5) Maintain on its official website in a prominent
6    location an informed choice report. Each report under this
7    Section must:
8            (A) be updated within 30 calendar days of
9        additional provider authorizations;
10            (B) describe each course offered through the
11        Program and include information such as course
12        requirements and the school year calendar for the
13        course, including any options for continued
14        participation outside of the standard school year
15        calendar;
16            (C) include student and parental comments and
17        feedback as detailed under Section 35 of this Act; and
18            (D) be published online in an open format that can
19        be retrieved, downloaded, indexed, and searched by
20        commonly used web search applications. An open format
21        is one that is platform-independent, machine-readable,
22        and made available to the public without restrictions
23        that would impede the reuse of that information.
24    (b) The State Board shall submit an annual report on the
25Program and the participation of entities to the Governor, the
26Chairperson and Minority Spokesperson of the Education

 

 

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1Committee of the Senate, and the Chairperson and Minority
2Spokesperson of the Elementary and Secondary Education
3Committee of the House of Representatives. The report shall at
4a minimum include the following information:
5        (1) The annual number of students participating in
6    courses authorized under this Act and the total number of
7    courses students are enrolled in.
8        (2) The number of authorized providers.
9        (3) The number of authorized courses and the number of
10    students enrolled in each course.
11        (4) The number of courses available by subject.
12        (5) The number of students enrolled in courses by
13    subject.
14        (6) Student outcome data, including completion rates,
15    student learning gains, student performance on State or
16    nationally accepted assessments, by subject and grade
17    level by provider. This outcome data should be published in
18    a manner that protects student privacy.
19    The State Board shall note any data that are not yet
20available at the time of publication and when these data will
21become available and include these data in future reports.
22    The report and underlying data shall be published online in
23an open format that can be retrieved, downloaded, indexed, and
24searched by commonly used web search applications. An open
25format is one that is platform-independent, machine-readable,
26and made available to the public without restrictions that

 

 

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1would impede the reuse of that information.
 
2    Section 45. Responsibilities of the local school district.
3    (a) A public school shall:
4        (1) State, in writing to the State Board, whether it
5    wants to participate in the State Course Access Program
6    during the 2016-2017 school year.
7        (2) Provide information by letter or email to students
8    and parents at home and by at least 2 other means, such as
9    community flyers, newspaper postings, student report
10    cards, or other methods.
11        (3) Publish information and eligibility guidelines on
12    the school and school district's web sites.
13    (b) Each local school system shall establish policies and
14procedures whereby, for each eligible participating student,
15credits earned through the course provider shall appear on each
16student's official transcript and count fully toward the
17requirements of any approved Illinois diploma.
18    (c) The State Board shall adopt rules necessary to
19implement this Section, including, but not limited to, the
20requirements of school governing authorities or local school
21systems whose students enroll in courses offered by authorized
22course providers.
23    (d) Nothing in this Act shall be construed to prevent a
24school entity from establishing its own online course or
25program in accordance with this Act.
 

 

 

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1    Section 50. Funding.
2    (a) Per-course tuition shall be determined as follows:
3        (1) The course provider shall receive per-course
4    tuition for each eligible funded student at a fair and
5    reasonable rate negotiated by the State Board and the
6    course provider that is inclusive of all required course
7    materials and transportation expenses. Course providers
8    are only responsible for providing transportation for
9    students who are enrolled in a free or reduced-price lunch
10    program. Transfers of course payments shall be made by the
11    State Board on behalf of the responsible school district in
12    which the student resides to the authorized course
13    provider.
14        (2) The course provider shall receive payment from the
15    State Board only for the courses in which an eligible
16    funded student is enrolled. The remaining funds for each
17    student shall remain with the local school system in which
18    the student is enrolled full time.
19        (3) The course provider shall accept the amount
20    specified in this Section as total tuition and fees for the
21    eligible funded student.
22        (4) The course provider may charge tuition to any other
23    eligible participating student up to an amount determined
24    by the course provider and State Board.
25    (b) Payment of tuition to course providers shall be based

 

 

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1upon student success and made as follows:
2        (1) Fifty percent of the amount of tuition to be paid
3    or transferred to the course provider shall be transferred
4    upon student enrollment in a course, and 50% shall be
5    dependent upon student success in the course.
6        (2) Student success may, in the 2016-2017 school year,
7    be measured based on course completion, but the State Board
8    may create new measures of student success by the 2017-2018
9    school year for use in courses where externally validated
10    measures are available. These measures of student
11    outcomes, based on either proficiency or growth, shall
12    include results from independent end-of-course exams,
13    Advanced Placement exams, International Baccalaureate
14    exams, receipt of industry-recognized credentials, receipt
15    of credit from institutions of higher education, or other
16    externally validated measures.
17        (3) Partial payments for delayed completions shall be
18    determined as follows: If a student does not successfully
19    complete a course according to the published course length
20    in which the course provider has received the first payment
21    pursuant to this Section, the provider shall receive 75% of
22    the tuition that is dependent upon student success, as
23    defined in Section 30 of this Act, only if the student
24    completes and receives credit for the course within one
25    additional semester.
 

 

 

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1    Section 900. The School Code is amended by changing Section
227A-5 as follows:
 
3    (105 ILCS 5/27A-5)
4    Sec. 27A-5. Charter school; legal entity; requirements.
5    (a) A charter school shall be a public, nonsectarian,
6nonreligious, non-home based, and non-profit school. A charter
7school shall be organized and operated as a nonprofit
8corporation or other discrete, legal, nonprofit entity
9authorized under the laws of the State of Illinois.
10    (b) A charter school may be established under this Article
11by creating a new school or by converting an existing public
12school or attendance center to charter school status. Beginning
13on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 93rd
14General Assembly, in all new applications to establish a
15charter school in a city having a population exceeding 500,000,
16operation of the charter school shall be limited to one campus.
17The changes made to this Section by this amendatory Act of the
1893rd General Assembly do not apply to charter schools existing
19or approved on or before the effective date of this amendatory
20Act.
21    (b-5) In this subsection (b-5), "virtual-schooling" means
22a cyber school where students engage in online curriculum and
23instruction via the Internet and electronic communication with
24their teachers at remote locations and with students
25participating at different times.

 

 

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1    From April 1, 2013 through December 31, 2016, there is a
2moratorium on the establishment of charter schools with
3virtual-schooling components in school districts other than a
4school district organized under Article 34 of this Code. This
5moratorium does not apply to a charter school with
6virtual-schooling components existing or approved prior to
7April 1, 2013 or to the renewal of the charter of a charter
8school with virtual-schooling components already approved
9prior to April 1, 2013.
10    On or before March 1, 2014, the Commission shall submit to
11the General Assembly a report on the effect of
12virtual-schooling, including without limitation the effect on
13student performance, the costs associated with
14virtual-schooling, and issues with oversight. The report shall
15include policy recommendations for virtual-schooling.
16    (c) A charter school shall be administered and governed by
17its board of directors or other governing body in the manner
18provided in its charter. The governing body of a charter school
19shall be subject to the Freedom of Information Act and the Open
20Meetings Act.
21    (d) A charter school shall comply with all applicable
22health and safety requirements applicable to public schools
23under the laws of the State of Illinois.
24    (e) Except as otherwise provided in the School Code, a
25charter school shall not charge tuition; provided that a
26charter school may charge reasonable fees for textbooks,

 

 

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1instructional materials, and student activities.
2    (f) A charter school shall be responsible for the
3management and operation of its fiscal affairs including, but
4not limited to, the preparation of its budget. An audit of each
5charter school's finances shall be conducted annually by an
6outside, independent contractor retained by the charter
7school. To ensure financial accountability for the use of
8public funds, on or before December 1 of every year of
9operation, each charter school shall submit to its authorizer
10and the State Board a copy of its audit and a copy of the Form
11990 the charter school filed that year with the federal
12Internal Revenue Service. In addition, if deemed necessary for
13proper financial oversight of the charter school, an authorizer
14may require quarterly financial statements from each charter
15school.
16    (g) A charter school shall comply with all provisions of
17this Article; the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act; all
18federal and State laws and rules applicable to public schools
19that pertain to special education and the instruction of
20English language learners, referred to in this Code as
21"children of limited English-speaking ability"; and its
22charter. A charter school is exempt from all other State laws
23and regulations in this Code governing public schools and local
24school board policies; however a charter school is not exempt
25from , except the following:
26        (1) Sections 10-21.9 and 34-18.5 of this Code regarding

 

 

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1    criminal history records checks and checks of the Statewide
2    Sex Offender Database and Statewide Murderer and Violent
3    Offender Against Youth Database of applicants for
4    employment;
5        (2) Sections 24-24 and 34-84A of this Code regarding
6    discipline of students;
7        (3) the Local Governmental and Governmental Employees
8    Tort Immunity Act;
9        (4) Section 108.75 of the General Not For Profit
10    Corporation Act of 1986 regarding indemnification of
11    officers, directors, employees, and agents;
12        (5) the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act;
13        (6) the Illinois School Student Records Act;
14        (7) Section 10-17a of this Code regarding school report
15    cards;
16        (8) the P-20 Longitudinal Education Data System Act;
17    and
18        (9) Section 27-23.7 of this Code regarding bullying
19    prevention; .
20        (10) (9) Section 2-3.162 2-3.160 of this the School
21    Code regarding student discipline reporting; and .
22        (11) The Course Access Act.
23    The change made by Public Act 96-104 to this subsection (g)
24is declaratory of existing law.
25    (h) A charter school may negotiate and contract with a
26school district, the governing body of a State college or

 

 

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1university or public community college, or any other public or
2for-profit or nonprofit private entity for: (i) the use of a
3school building and grounds or any other real property or
4facilities that the charter school desires to use or convert
5for use as a charter school site, (ii) the operation and
6maintenance thereof, and (iii) the provision of any service,
7activity, or undertaking that the charter school is required to
8perform in order to carry out the terms of its charter.
9However, a charter school that is established on or after the
10effective date of this amendatory Act of the 93rd General
11Assembly and that operates in a city having a population
12exceeding 500,000 may not contract with a for-profit entity to
13manage or operate the school during the period that commences
14on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 93rd
15General Assembly and concludes at the end of the 2004-2005
16school year. Except as provided in subsection (i) of this
17Section, a school district may charge a charter school
18reasonable rent for the use of the district's buildings,
19grounds, and facilities. Any services for which a charter
20school contracts with a school district shall be provided by
21the district at cost. Any services for which a charter school
22contracts with a local school board or with the governing body
23of a State college or university or public community college
24shall be provided by the public entity at cost.
25    (i) In no event shall a charter school that is established
26by converting an existing school or attendance center to

 

 

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1charter school status be required to pay rent for space that is
2deemed available, as negotiated and provided in the charter
3agreement, in school district facilities. However, all other
4costs for the operation and maintenance of school district
5facilities that are used by the charter school shall be subject
6to negotiation between the charter school and the local school
7board and shall be set forth in the charter.
8    (j) A charter school may limit student enrollment by age or
9grade level.
10    (k) If the charter school is approved by the Commission,
11then the Commission charter school is its own local education
12agency.
13(Source: P.A. 97-152, eff. 7-20-11; 97-154, eff. 1-1-12;
1497-813, eff. 7-13-12; 98-16, eff. 5-24-13; 98-639, eff. 6-9-14;
1598-669, eff. 6-26-14; 98-739, eff. 7-16-14; 98-783, eff.
161-1-15; 98-1059, eff. 8-26-14; 98-1102, eff. 8-26-14; revised
1710-14-14.)
 
18    Section 999. Effective date. This Act takes effect January
191, 2016.".