103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
HB4265

 

Introduced 1/16/2024, by Rep. Lance Yednock and David Friess

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
105 ILCS 5/14A-32

    Amends the Gifted and Talented Children and Children Eligible for Accelerated Placement Article of the School Code. Provides that, by no later than the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year, a school district's accelerated placement policy may (instead of shall) allow for the automatic enrollment, in the following school term, of a student into the next most rigorous level of advanced coursework offered by the high school if the student exceeds (instead of meets or exceeds) State standards in English language arts, mathematics, or science on a State assessment administered under the School Code. Makes conforming changes. Effective immediately.


LRB103 35705 RJT 65781 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB4265LRB103 35705 RJT 65781 b

1    AN ACT concerning education.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section
514A-32 as follows:
 
6    (105 ILCS 5/14A-32)
7    Sec. 14A-32. Accelerated placement; school district
8responsibilities.
9    (a) Each school district shall have a policy that allows
10for accelerated placement that includes or incorporates by
11reference the following components:
12        (1) a provision that provides that participation in
13    accelerated placement is not limited to those children who
14    have been identified as gifted and talented, but rather is
15    open to all children who demonstrate high ability and who
16    may benefit from accelerated placement;
17        (2) a fair and equitable decision-making process that
18    involves multiple persons and includes a student's parents
19    or guardians;
20        (3) procedures for notifying parents or guardians of a
21    child of a decision affecting that child's participation
22    in an accelerated placement program; and
23        (4) an assessment process that includes multiple

 

 

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1    valid, reliable indicators.
2    (a-5) By no later than the beginning of the 2023-2024
3school year, a school district's accelerated placement policy
4may shall allow for the automatic enrollment, in the following
5school term, of a student into the next most rigorous level of
6advanced coursework offered by the high school if the student
7meets or exceeds State standards in English language arts,
8mathematics, or science on a State assessment administered
9under Section 2-3.64a-5 as follows:
10        (1) A student who meets or exceeds State standards in
11    English language arts may shall be automatically enrolled
12    into the next most rigorous level of advanced coursework
13    in English, social studies, humanities, or related
14    subjects.
15        (2) A student who meets or exceeds State standards in
16    mathematics may shall be automatically enrolled into the
17    next most rigorous level of advanced coursework in
18    mathematics.
19        (3) A student who meets or exceeds State standards in
20    science may shall be automatically enrolled into the next
21    most rigorous level of advanced coursework in science.
22    For a student entering grade 12, the next most rigorous
23level of advanced coursework in English language arts or
24mathematics shall be a dual credit course, as defined in the
25Dual Credit Quality Act, an Advanced Placement course, as
26defined in Section 10 of the College and Career Success for All

 

 

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1Students Act, or an International Baccalaureate course;
2otherwise, the next most rigorous level of advanced coursework
3under this subsection (a-5) may include a dual credit course,
4as defined in the Dual Credit Quality Act, an Advanced
5Placement course, as defined in Section 10 of the College and
6Career Success for All Students Act, an International
7Baccalaureate course, an honors class, an enrichment
8opportunity, a gifted program, or another program offered by
9the district.
10    A school district may use the student's most recent State
11assessment results to determine whether a student meets or
12exceeds State standards. For a student entering grade 9,
13results from the State assessment taken in grades 6 through 8
14may be used. For other high school grades, the results from a
15locally selected, nationally normed assessment may be used
16instead of the State assessment if those results are the most
17recent.
18    A school district must provide the parent or guardian of a
19student eligible for automatic enrollment under this
20subsection (a-5) with the option to instead have the student
21enroll in alternative coursework that better aligns with the
22student's postsecondary education or career goals.
23    Nothing in this subsection (a-5) may be interpreted to
24preclude other students from enrolling in advanced coursework
25per the policy of a school district.
26    (b) Further, a school district's accelerated placement

 

 

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1policy may include or incorporate by reference, but need not
2be limited to, the following components:
3        (1) procedures for annually informing the community
4    at-large, including parents or guardians, community-based
5    organizations, and providers of out-of-school programs,
6    about the accelerated placement program and the methods
7    used for the identification of children eligible for
8    accelerated placement, including strategies to reach
9    groups of students and families who have been historically
10    underrepresented in accelerated placement programs and
11    advanced coursework;
12        (2) a process for referral that allows for multiple
13    referrers, including a child's parents or guardians; other
14    referrers may include licensed education professionals,
15    the child, with the written consent of a parent or
16    guardian, a peer, through a licensed education
17    professional who has knowledge of the referred child's
18    abilities, or, in case of possible early entrance, a
19    preschool educator, pediatrician, or psychologist who
20    knows the child;
21        (3) a provision that provides that children
22    participating in an accelerated placement program and
23    their parents or guardians will be provided a written plan
24    detailing the type of acceleration the child will receive
25    and strategies to support the child;
26        (4) procedures to provide support and promote success

 

 

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1    for students who are newly enrolled in an accelerated
2    placement program;
3        (5) a process for the school district to review and
4    utilize disaggregated data on participation in an
5    accelerated placement program to address gaps among
6    demographic groups in accelerated placement opportunities;
7    and
8        (6) procedures to promote equity, which may
9    incorporate one or more of the following evidence-based
10    practices:
11            (A) the use of multiple tools to assess
12        exceptional potential and provide several pathways
13        into advanced academic programs when assessing student
14        need for advanced academic or accelerated programming;
15            (B) providing enrichment opportunities starting in
16        the early grades to address achievement gaps that
17        occur at school entry and provide students with
18        opportunities to demonstrate their advanced potential;
19            (C) the use of universal screening combined with
20        local school-based norms for placement in accelerated
21        and advanced learning programs;
22            (D) developing a continuum of services to identify
23        and develop talent in all learners ranging from
24        enriched learning experiences, such as problem-based
25        learning, performance tasks, critical thinking, and
26        career exploration, to accelerated placement and

 

 

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1        advanced academic programming; and
2            (E) providing professional learning in gifted
3        education for teachers and other appropriate school
4        personnel to appropriately identify and challenge
5        students from diverse cultures and backgrounds who may
6        benefit from accelerated placement or advanced
7        academic programming.
8    (c) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to
9determine data to be collected and disaggregated by
10demographic group regarding accelerated placement, including
11the rates of students who participate in and successfully
12complete advanced coursework, and a method of making the
13information available to the public.
14    (d) On or before November 1, 2022, following a review of
15disaggregated data on the participation and successful
16completion rates of students enrolled in an accelerated
17placement program, each school district shall develop a plan
18to expand access to its accelerated placement program and to
19ensure the teaching capacity necessary to meet the increased
20demand.
21(Source: P.A. 102-209, eff. 11-30-21 (See Section 5 of P.A.
22102-671 for effective date of P.A. 102-209); 103-263, eff.
236-30-23.)
 
24    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
25becoming law.