SB3540 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB098 19605 NHT 54799 b

98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2013 and 2014
SB3540

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

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

105 ILCS 5/2-3.160 new

Amends the School Code. Requires the State Board of Education to establish a pilot program in which public high school students who are credit deficient or in need of a non-traditional education are provided an online alternative to earning a high school diploma while still enrolled in their public high school. Provides that the pilot program shall allow eligible high school students to take online courses provided by an online career education program and taught by teachers certified by the online career education program while those students are attending their public high school, which shall allow a student to earn enough credits to graduate from his or her high school or to receive a high school diploma and career certificate from the online career education program. Requires the State Board to choose 5 public high schools 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 whether a 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 and rulemaking. Effective immediately.

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 5. The School Code is amended by adding Section 2-3.160 as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/2-3.160 new)

Sec. 2-3.160. Online alternative to earning high school diploma; pilot program.

(a) The State Board of Education shall establish a pilot program in which public high school students who are credit deficient or in need of a non-traditional education are provided an online alternative to earning a high school diploma while still enrolled in their public high school. The pilot program shall allow eligible high school students to take online courses provided by an online career education program and taught by teachers certified by the online career education program while those students are attending their public high school, which shall allow a student to earn enough credits to graduate from his or her high school or to receive a high school diploma and career certificate from the online career education program. The State Board shall choose 5 public high schools to participate in the pilot program.

(b) The State Board of Education shall develop a plan for online career education programs participating in the pilot program. The plan must address the following classifications of career educational programming:

(1) Type 1. Programs that teach personal accountability skills and behaviors that are appropriate for students in all age groups and ability levels and that lead to work habits that help maintain employment and living standards.

(2) Type 2. Programs that include Type 1 program content and an orientation to the broad scope of career choices, based upon personal abilities, aptitudes, and interests, and exploring and gaining knowledge of occupational options and the level of effort required to achieve them as essential prerequisites to skill training.

(3) Type 3. Programs that include Type 1 program content and career education competencies or the prerequisites needed for entry into a specific occupation.

The plan must also evaluate whether a student's education can be better addressed through an Internet-based delivery of education that meets requirements for:

(A) delivery by an agent that is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools' Council on Accreditation and School Improvement;

(B) delivery from a secure environment that both protects and restricts Internet-access for students;

(C) responsive and rapid enrollment, ensuring students are placed in an educational setting immediately, instead of waiting for the start of a new semester or quarter;

(D) articulating credits, issuing transcripts, and conferring certifications and diplomas, allowing existing credits toward graduation to be incorporated into the overall graduation plan;

(E) accommodating the needs of students with widely varying academic requirements; and

(F) providing performance-based instruction that advances students based on performance, not just instruction time.

(c) No more than 3 years after the pilot program has been established under this Section, the State Board of Education shall file a report with the General Assembly concerning the results of the pilot program and whether the pilot program should be expanded to other public high schools.

(d) The State Board of Education may adopt any rules necessary to implement this Section.

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