Full Text of HB1663 95th General Assembly
HB1663 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2007 and 2008 HB1663
Introduced 2/22/2007, by Rep. Marlow H. Colvin SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: |
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105 ILCS 305/5 new |
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30 ILCS 105/5.675 new |
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Amends the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy Law. Requires the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy to establish the I-Connect Computer Technology Program to provide 6th grade students and select teachers of participating schools with personal portable computers with age-appropriate and subject-appropriate learning software, professional development, and repair and warranty services. Creates an I-Connect Computer Technology Board. Provides for a report to the Governor and the General Assembly. Amends the State Finance Act to create the I-Connect Computer Technology Fund. Effective immediately.
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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY | |
STATE MANDATES ACT MAY REQUIRE REIMBURSEMENT |
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A BILL FOR
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HB1663 |
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LRB095 07662 RAS 27814 b |
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| AN ACT concerning education.
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| Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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| represented in the General Assembly:
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| Section 5. The Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy Law | 5 |
| is amended by adding Section 5 as follows: | 6 |
| (105 ILCS 305/5 new) | 7 |
| Sec. 5. I-Connect Computer Technology Program. | 8 |
| (a) In this Section: | 9 |
| "Low-income students" means pupils aged 3 to 17, inclusive, | 10 |
| from families receiving public aid, living in institutions for | 11 |
| neglected or delinquent children, being supported in foster | 12 |
| homes with public funds, or eligible to receive free or | 13 |
| reduced-price lunches. | 14 |
| "Program" means the I-Connect Computer Technology Program. | 15 |
| "State Board" means the State Board of Education. | 16 |
| "Technology Board" means the I-Connect Computer Technology | 17 |
| Board. | 18 |
| (b) The General Assembly finds that in the modern, | 19 |
| knowledge-based economy of the 21st century, it is critical | 20 |
| that all students have access to modern educational technology. | 21 |
| The General Assembly further finds that universal access to | 22 |
| portable computers has been found to increase student | 23 |
| assessment test scores and encourage student and parent |
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HB1663 |
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LRB095 07662 RAS 27814 b |
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| collaboration in learning. As provided in Section 1 of Article | 2 |
| X of the Illinois Constitution, "A fundamental goal of the | 3 |
| People of the State is the educational development of all | 4 |
| persons to the limits of their capacities." In order to ensure | 5 |
| universal access to modern educational technology, the General | 6 |
| Assembly finds it necessary to provide students in public | 7 |
| schools with access to portable computers. | 8 |
| (c) The Academy shall establish the I-Connect Computer | 9 |
| Technology Program to provide students and teachers in selected | 10 |
| classrooms of participating schools with personal portable | 11 |
| computers with age-appropriate and subject-appropriate | 12 |
| learning software, professional development, and repair and | 13 |
| warranty services.
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| (d) Subject to appropriation, beginning with the 2007-2008 | 15 |
| school year and each school year thereafter, each student | 16 |
| entering the 6th grade who attends a public school | 17 |
| participating in the Program shall receive a portable computer. | 18 |
| Additionally, each participating school may designate a | 19 |
| reasonable number of classroom teachers and other teachers to | 20 |
| receive portable computers. Portable computers shall be | 21 |
| delivered to each school district and shall be the property of | 22 |
| that school district. School districts are responsible for | 23 |
| distributing the computers to students and for establishing | 24 |
| rules for student use of the computers. Each portable computer | 25 |
| must include software and other learning technologies capable | 26 |
| of being used in a classroom environment. |
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LRB095 07662 RAS 27814 b |
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| (e) Each school participating in the Program shall receive | 2 |
| teacher technology training and professional development. | 3 |
| Teachers that take part in technology training courses, | 4 |
| seminars, or other related courses of instruction may credit | 5 |
| that time towards their continuing professional development | 6 |
| requirement, pursuant to Section 21-14 of the School Code. | 7 |
| Professional development provided in accordance with this | 8 |
| Section must be sufficient to ensure the optimal use of | 9 |
| software and other learning technologies associated with using | 10 |
| the portable computer. | 11 |
| (f) The Academy shall work with the selected schools to | 12 |
| develop appropriate plans for external and internal network | 13 |
| infrastructure improvements. | 14 |
| (g) The Academy may enter into contracts or memorandums of | 15 |
| understanding with private parties and other State agencies to | 16 |
| carry out its functions under this Section. When entering into | 17 |
| any contracts or memorandums of understanding permitted by this | 18 |
| Section, the Academy shall give preference to proposals that | 19 |
| (i) maintain the lowest achievable cost, (ii) provide the best | 20 |
| available product or service in its class, and (iii) are | 21 |
| responsive to local technology and educational concerns. | 22 |
| (h) There is created the I-Connect Computer Technology | 23 |
| Board. The Technology Board shall be comprised of 10 members as | 24 |
| follows: the Lieutenant Governor; 5 members appointed by the | 25 |
| Governor, including at least one Regional Superintendent of | 26 |
| Schools; one member appointed by the chairman of the Board of |
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| Higher Education; one member appointed by the chairman of the | 2 |
| State Board of Education; one member appointed by the president | 3 |
| of Illinois Computing Educators; and one member appointed by | 4 |
| the Illinois Principals Association. | 5 |
| (i) Each of the Governor's appointees must have a | 6 |
| background in at least one of the following areas: | 7 |
| (1) Computer technical support. | 8 |
| (2) Education administration at the grade K through 12 | 9 |
| level. | 10 |
| (3) Teaching 6th through 12th grade students. | 11 |
| (4) The Illinois Century Network or other means of | 12 |
| accessing the Internet in schools. | 13 |
| Members shall serve 4-year terms, except that members | 14 |
| appointed to fill a vacancy shall serve for the remainder of | 15 |
| the vacated term. Vacancies shall be filled in the same manner | 16 |
| as the initial appointment. | 17 |
| Technology Board members shall receive no compensation | 18 |
| other than reimbursement for necessary travel expenses that | 19 |
| shall be reimbursed through the Academy. | 20 |
| (j) When selecting schools to participate in the Program, | 21 |
| the Academy and the Technology Board shall ensure that at least | 22 |
| 30% of the funds for the portable computers and infrastructure | 23 |
| be used for schools located in the City of Chicago, at least | 24 |
| 30% for schools in suburban Cook, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will, | 25 |
| and DuPage Counties, and at least 30% for schools in the | 26 |
| remainder of the State. The remainder of the funds for portable |
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| computers and infrastructure may be allocated at the discretion | 2 |
| of the Academy and the Technology Board. The Academy shall | 3 |
| separately allocate necessary funds to administer the Program, | 4 |
| provide professional development, and provide all other | 5 |
| services required under this Section. Nothing in this Section | 6 |
| shall be construed to limit the number of schools that may | 7 |
| apply to participate in the Program. | 8 |
| (k) The Technology Board shall select Program participants | 9 |
| based on the following criteria: | 10 |
| (1) the ability of an applicant school to effectively | 11 |
| fulfill the Program goals; | 12 |
| (2) the ability of an applicant school to integrate the | 13 |
| portable computers into existing academic improvement | 14 |
| plans; | 15 |
| (3) the ability of an applicant school to enhance the | 16 |
| professional development of participating teachers; and | 17 |
| (4) the percentage of low-income students who attend | 18 |
| the applicant school. | 19 |
| (l) All Program participants must comply with requests from | 20 |
| the Academy and the Technology Board for information relating | 21 |
| to the annual report requirements of the Program. | 22 |
| (m) All participating schools shall designate at least one | 23 |
| teacher or administrator who shall be the liaison to the | 24 |
| Academy and the Technology Board and have the primary | 25 |
| responsibility for ensuring that computers are being used and | 26 |
| maintained. |
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| (n) No later than 30 days after the Technology Board | 2 |
| reaches a majority of members appointed, an application shall | 3 |
| be developed by the Technology Board and mailed to the | 4 |
| principal of every public school in this State that educates | 5 |
| 6th grade students. The application shall without limitation | 6 |
| contain all of the following: | 7 |
| (1) A deadline for returning the application for | 8 |
| entrance into the Program. | 9 |
| (2) An inquiry into the adequacy of the applicant | 10 |
| school's infrastructure to manage the
computers. | 11 |
| (3) The name of the applicant school's liaison to the | 12 |
| Academy and the Technology Board as required under this | 13 |
| Section. | 14 |
| (4) Any additional information deemed necessary by the | 15 |
| Technology Board. | 16 |
| (o) By no later than July 1 of each year, the Technology | 17 |
| Board, in conjunction with the Academy, must submit an annual | 18 |
| report to the Governor and the General Assembly on the progress | 19 |
| of the Program. The report must include without limitation all | 20 |
| of the following: | 21 |
| (1) The number of students who received portable | 22 |
| computers through the Program. | 23 |
| (2) An accounting of all State, local, and federal | 24 |
| funds used in the prior year and funds sought for the | 25 |
| coming year. | 26 |
| (3) A projection for the cost of implementing the |
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| Program in the next school year. | 2 |
| (4) The identification of software included with the | 3 |
| computers. | 4 |
| (5) The academic progress of the students using the | 5 |
| computers. | 6 |
| (6) If available, a comparison of academic progress | 7 |
| between those students using the computers in a specific | 8 |
| curriculum and those who are not. | 9 |
| (7) The quality and quantity of increased student | 10 |
| proficiency with technology. | 11 |
| (8) Teacher involvement and performance. | 12 |
| (9) Of those students taking the computers home, the | 13 |
| number of households in which a person other than the | 14 |
| student uses the computer. | 15 |
| (10) Recommendations for Program improvement. | 16 |
| (p) The I-Connect Computer Technology Fund is created as a | 17 |
| special fund in the State treasury. All funds deposited into | 18 |
| the I-Connect Computer Technology Fund shall be used, subject | 19 |
| to appropriation, by the Academy for the purposes of this | 20 |
| Section. | 21 |
| (q) The Academy may use any funds appropriated by the | 22 |
| General Assembly for the purposes of the Program as well as any | 23 |
| gift, grant, or donation given for the Program. The Academy and | 24 |
| the Technology Board may solicit and accept a gift, grant, or | 25 |
| donation of any kind from any source, including a foundation, | 26 |
| private entity, governmental entity, or institution of higher |
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| education, for the implementation and administration of the | 2 |
| Program. | 3 |
| (r) The State Board shall give preference to the Program | 4 |
| when allocating any funds it receives from any federal program | 5 |
| for educational technology. The State Board shall consult with | 6 |
| the Technology Board on funding decisions for any such | 7 |
| appropriation. | 8 |
| (s) The Academy shall use no less than 40% and no more than | 9 |
| 50% of allocated funds for the Program, but no more than | 10 |
| $5,000,000, to provide continuing support for schools | 11 |
| participating in the technology immersion pilot project | 12 |
| created under Section 2-3.135 of the School Code. | 13 |
| (t) It is the sole duty of school districts, school | 14 |
| administrators, and school teachers to make decisions relating | 15 |
| to the use of portable computers provided under the Program, | 16 |
| including the determination of (i) the standards for allowing | 17 |
| students to take computers off of school property, (ii) the | 18 |
| courses or curricula best suited for the computers, and (iii) | 19 |
| the use of particular software or learning technologies.
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| Section 90. The State Finance Act is amended by adding | 21 |
| Section 5.675 as follows: | 22 |
| (30 ILCS 105/5.675 new) | 23 |
| Sec. 5.675. The I-Connect Computer Technology Fund.
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| Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon |
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HB1663 |
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LRB095 07662 RAS 27814 b |
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| becoming law.
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