HB3167 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB097 08203 NHT 48328 b

97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2011 and 2012
HB3167

Introduced 2/24/2011, by Rep. Rich Brauer

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

New Act

Creates the Grow Your Own Educational Service Provider Act. Establishes the Grow Your Own Educational Service Provider Initiative to effectively recruit and prepare staff of non-profit social service agencies who also provide public or private school educational services to obtain a higher level of or additional licensure or certification. Provides that the Board of Higher Education shall administer the Initiative as a grant competition to fund consortia that will carry out Grow Your Own Educational Service Provider preparation programs. Sets forth provisions concerning the selection of grantees, expenditures under the Initiative, implementation of the Initiative, and an independent program evaluation. Provides that funding of the Initiative is subject to appropriation.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning education.

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

Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Grow Your Own Educational Service Provider Act.

Section 5. Purpose. The Grow Your Own Educational Service Provider preparation programs established under this Act shall comprise a major new statewide initiative, known as the Grow Your Own Educational Service Provider Initiative. The Initiative shall effectively recruit and prepare staff of non-profit social service agencies who also provide public or private school educational services to obtain a higher level of or additional licensure or certification.

Section 10. Definitions. In this Act:

"Accredited program" means a regionally accredited, Board-approved program authorized to prepare service providers to fulfill all of the requirements to receive a higher level of or additional licensure or certification.

"Board" means the Board of Higher Education.

"Cohort" means a group of service provider candidates who are enrolled in and share experiences in the same program and are linked by their desire to obtain a higher level of or additional licensure or certification and by their need for the services and supports offered by the Initiative.

"Community organization" means a non-profit organization that has a demonstrated capacity to train, develop, and organize parents and community leaders into a constituency that will hold the eligible school accountable for achieving high academic standards; in addition to organizations with a geographic focus, "community organization" includes general parent organizations, organizations of special education parents, and school employee unions.

"Eligible school" means a public or private elementary, middle, or secondary school in this State that utilizes staff of a non-profit social service agency to provide educational services.

"Initiative" means the Grow Your Own Educational Service Provider Initiative created under this Act.

"Paraeducator" means an individual with a history of demonstrated accomplishments in school staff positions such as teacher assistants, school-community liaisons, school clerks, and security aides.

"Parent and community leader" means an individual who has or had a child enrolled in an eligible school or schools and who has a history of active involvement in the school or who has a history of working to improve schools, including membership in a community organization.

"Program" means a Grow Your Own Educational Service Provider preparation program established by a consortium under this Act.

"Service provider" means a staff person of a non-profit social service agency who also provides public or private school educational services and is a qualified worker as defined in Article 14 of the School Code; a qualified mental retardation professional as defined in the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Code; a licensed clinical professional counselor as defined in the Professional Counselor and Clinical Professional Counselor Licensing Act; a public or private school teacher; a direct care or rehabilitation staff member of the non-profit social service agency; an educational specialist, paraeducator, or paraprofessional; a certified occupational therapy assistant; or a certified physical therapy assistant.

Section 15. Creation of Initiative. The Grow Your Own Educational Service Provider Initiative is created. The Board shall administer the Initiative as a grant competition to fund consortia that will carry out Grow Your Own Educational Service Provider preparation programs.

Section 20. Selection of grantees. The Board shall award grants to qualified consortia that reflect the distribution and diversity of eligible schools across this State. In awarding grants, the Board shall select programs that successfully address Initiative criteria and that reflect a diversity of strategies in terms of serving urban areas, serving rural areas, the nature of the participating institutions of higher education, and the nature of eligible schools on which a program is focused.

The Board shall select consortia that meet the following requirements:

(1) A consortium shall be composed of at least one 4-year institution of higher education with an accredited program, at least one eligible school or group of eligible schools, and one or more community organizations. The consortium membership may also include a 2-year institution of higher education, a school employee union, or a regional office of education.

(2) The 4-year institution of higher education participating in the consortium shall have past, demonstrated success in preparing service providers.

(3) The consortium shall focus on a clearly defined set of eligible schools that will participate in the program. The consortium shall articulate the steps that it will carry out in preparing service providers for its participating schools.

(4) A candidate in a program under the Initiative must be a service provider.

(5) The consortium shall employ effective procedures for teaching the skills and knowledge needed to prepare highly competent service providers. Professional preparation shall include on-going direct experience in target schools and evaluation of this experience.

(6) The consortium shall offer the program to cohorts of candidates, as defined in Section 10 of this Act, on a schedule that enables candidates to work full time while participating in the program and allows service providers to continue in their current positions. In any fiscal year in which an appropriation for the Initiative is made, the consortium shall guarantee that support will be available to an admitted cohort for the cohort's education for that fiscal year. At the beginning of the Initiative, programs that are already operating and existing cohorts of candidates under this model are eligible for funding.

(7) The institutions of higher education participating in the consortium shall document and agree to expend the same amount of funds in implementing the program that these institutions spend per student on similar educational programs. Grants received by the consortium shall supplement and not supplant these amounts.

(8) The Board shall establish additional criteria for review of proposals, including criteria that address the following issues:

(A) Previous experience of the institutions of higher education in preparing service providers and in working with students with non-traditional backgrounds.

(B) The quality of the implementation plan, including strategies for overcoming institutional barriers to the progress of non-traditional candidates.

(C) If a community college is a participant, the nature and extent of existing articulation agreements and guarantees between the community college and the 4-year institution of higher education.

(D) The number of candidates to be educated in the planned cohort or cohorts and the capacity of the consortium for adding cohorts in future cycles.

(E) Experience of the community organization or organizations in organizing parents and community leaders to achieve school improvement and a strong relational school culture.

(F) The qualifications of the person or persons designated by the 4-year institution of higher education to be responsible for cohort support and the development of a shared learning and social environment among candidates.

(G) The consortium's plan for collective consortium decision-making, involving all consortium members, including mechanisms for candidate input.

(H) The consortium's plan for direct impact of the program on the quality of education in the eligible schools.

(I) The relevance of the curriculum to the needs of the eligible schools and positions, and the use in curriculum and instructional planning of principles for effective education for adults.

(J) The availability of classes under the program in places and times accessible to the candidates.

(K) Provision of a level of performance to be maintained by candidates as a condition of continuing in the program.

(L) The plan of the 4-year institution of higher education to ensure that candidates take advantage of existing financial aid resources before using the loan funds described in Section 25 of this Act.

(M) The availability of supportive services, including, but not limited to, transportation, technology, and technology support.

(N) A plan for continued participation of graduates of the program in a program of support for at least 2 years, including mentoring and group meetings.

(O) A plan for testing and qualitative evaluation of candidates' skills that ensures that graduates of the program are as prepared as other individuals completing the institution of higher education's accredited program for the higher level of or additional licensure or certification sought.

(P) A plan for internal evaluation that provides reports at least yearly on the progress of candidates towards obtaining a higher level of or additional licensure or certification and the impact of the program on the target schools and their communities.

(Q) Contributions from eligible schools and other consortia members to the program.

(R) Consortium commitment for sustaining the program over time, as evidenced by plans for reduced requirements for external funding, in subsequent cycles.

(S) The inclusion in the planned program of strategies derived from community organizing that will help candidates develop tools for working with parents and other community members.

Section 25. Expenditures under the Initiative.

(a) Every program under the Initiative shall implement a program of forgivable loans to cover any portion of tuition and fees of candidates under the program in excess of the candidates' grants-in-aid. All students admitted to a cohort are eligible for a forgivable student loan. Loans shall be fully forgiven if a graduate completes 5 years of service in an eligible school, with partial forgiveness for shorter periods of service. The Board shall establish standards for the approval of requests for waivers or deferrals from individuals to waive this obligation. The Board shall also define standards for the fiscal management of these loan funds.

(b) The Board shall award grants under the Initiative in such a way as to provide the required support for a cohort of candidates for any fiscal year in which an appropriation for the Initiative is made. Program budgets must show expenditures and needed funds for the entire period that candidates are expected to be enrolled.

(c) No funds under the Initiative may be used to supplant the average per-capita expenditures by the institution of higher education for candidates.

(d) Where necessary, program budgets shall include the costs of indirect expenses, such as transportation, technology, and technology support, necessary to permit candidates to maintain their class schedules. Grant funds may be used by any member of a consortium to offset such costs, and the services may be provided by the community organization or organizations, by any other member of the consortium, or by independent contractors.

(e) The institution of higher education may expend grant funds to cover the additional costs of offering classes in community settings.

(f) The community organization or organizations may receive a portion of the grant money for the expenses of recruitment, community orientation, and counseling of potential candidates, for providing space in the community, and for working with school personnel to facilitate individual work experiences and support of candidates.

(g) The eligible school may receive a portion of the grant money for expenses of supporting the work experiences of candidates and providing mentors for program graduates.

(h) One or more members of the consortium may expend funds to cover the salary of a site-based cohort coordinator.

Section 30. Implementation of Initiative. The Board shall develop guidelines and application procedures for the Initiative. The Board may, if it chooses, award a small number of planning grants during any fiscal year to potential consortia.

Section 35. Independent program evaluation. The Board shall contract for an independent evaluation of program implementation by each of its participating consortia and of the impact of each program, including the extent of candidate persistence in program enrollment, acceptance in an accredited program at a 4-year institution of higher education, completion of the higher level of or additional licensure or certification, subsequent effectiveness as a service provider, and persistence in providing public or private school educational services. The evaluation shall assess the Initiative's overall effectiveness and shall identify particular program strategies that are especially effective.

Section 40. Funding. Funding of the Initiative is subject to appropriation.

Section 45. Rules. The Board may adopt any rules necessary to carry out its responsibilities under this Act.