SB1223enr 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB1223 Enrolled LRB100 07839 MLM 17908 b

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 changing the heading of Article 14A and Sections 14A-15, 14A-25, and 14A-35 and by adding Sections 14A-17 and 14A-32 as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/Art. 14A heading)

ARTICLE 14A. GIFTED AND TALENTED CHILDREN AND CHILDREN ELIGIBLE

FOR ACCELERATED PLACEMENT

(Source: P.A. 94-151, eff. 7-8-05; 94-410, eff. 8-2-05.)

(105 ILCS 5/14A-15)

Sec. 14A-15. Purpose. The purpose of this Article is to provide encouragement, assistance, and guidance to school districts in the development and improvement of educational programs for gifted and talented children and children eligible for accelerated placement as defined in Sections Section 14A-20 and 14A-17 of this Code. School districts shall continue to have the authority and flexibility to design education programs for gifted and talented children in response to community needs, but these programs must comply with the requirements established in Section 14A-30 of this Code by no later than September 1, 2006 in order to merit approval by the State Board of Education in order to qualify for State funding for the education of gifted and talented children, should such funding become available.

(Source: P.A. 94-151, eff. 7-8-05; 94-410, eff. 8-2-05.)

(105 ILCS 5/14A-17 new)

Sec. 14A-17. Accelerated placement. For purposes of this Article, "accelerated placement" means the placement of a child in an educational setting with curriculum that is usually reserved for children who are older or in higher grades than the child. "Accelerated placement" under this Article or other school district-adopted policies shall include, but need not be limited to, the following types of acceleration: early entrance to kindergarten or first grade, accelerating a child in a single subject, and grade acceleration.

(105 ILCS 5/14A-25)

Sec. 14A-25. Non-discrimination. Eligibility for participation in programs established pursuant to this Article shall be determined solely through identification of a child as gifted, or talented, or eligible for accelerated placement. No program or placement shall condition participation upon race, religion, sex, disability, or any factor other than the identification of the child as gifted, or talented, or eligible for placement.

(Source: P.A. 94-151, eff. 7-8-05; 94-410, eff. 8-2-05.)

(105 ILCS 5/14A-32 new)

Sec. 14A-32. Accelerated placement; school district responsibilities.

(a) Each school district shall have a policy that allows for accelerated placement that includes or incorporates by reference the following components:

(1) a provision that provides that participation in accelerated placement is not limited to those children who have been identified as gifted and talented, but rather is open to all children who demonstrate high ability and who may benefit from accelerated placement;

(2) a fair and equitable decision-making process that involves multiple persons and includes a student's parents or guardians;

(3) procedures for notifying parents or guardians of a child of a decision affecting that child's participation in an accelerated placement program; and

(4) an assessment process that includes multiple valid, reliable indicators.

(b) Further, a school district's accelerated placement policy may include or incorporate by reference, but need not be limited to, the following components:

(1) procedures for annually informing the community at-large, including parents or guardians, about the accelerated placement program and the methods used for the identification of children eligible for accelerated placement;

(2) a process for referral that allows for multiple referrers, including a child's parents or guardians; other referrers may include licensed education professionals, the child, with the written consent of a parent or guardian, a peer, through a licensed education professional who has knowledge of the referred child's abilities, or, in case of possible early entrance, a preschool educator, pediatrician, or psychologist who knows the child; and

(3) a provision that provides that children participating in an accelerated placement program and their parents or guardians will be provided a written plan detailing the type of acceleration the child will receive and strategies to support the child.

(c) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to determine data to be collected regarding accelerated placement and a method of making the information available to the public.

(105 ILCS 5/14A-35)

Sec. 14A-35. Administrative functions of the State Board of Education for gifted and talented children programs.

(a) The State Board of Education must designate a staff person who shall be in charge of educational programs for gifted and talented children. This staff person shall, at a minimum, (i) be responsible for developing an approval process for educational programs for gifted and talented children by no later than September 1, 2006, (ii) receive and maintain the written descriptions of all programs for gifted and talented children in the State, (iii) collect and maintain the annual growth in learning data submitted by a school, school district, or cooperative of school districts, (iv) identify potential funding sources for the education of gifted and talented children, and (v) serve as the main contact person at the State Board of Education for program supervisors and other school officials, parents, and other stakeholders regarding the education of gifted and talented children.

(b) Subject to the availability of funds for these purposes, the State Board of Education may perform a variety of additional administrative functions with respect to the education of gifted and talented children, including, but not limited to, supervision, quality assurance, compliance monitoring, and oversight of local programs, analysis of performance outcome data submitted by local educational agencies, the establishment of personnel standards, and a program of personnel development for teachers and administrative personnel in the education of gifted and talented children.

(Source: P.A. 94-151, eff. 7-8-05; 94-410, eff. 8-2-05.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, 2018.