Public Act 100-0421
 
SB1223 EnrolledLRB100 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.