HB5250 EngrossedLRB103 36148 RJT 66240 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 Sections
514A-32 and 27-22 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
4shall 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 shall be automatically enrolled into
12    the next most rigorous level of advanced coursework in
13    English, social studies, humanities, or related subjects.
14        (2) A student who meets or exceeds State standards in
15    mathematics shall be automatically enrolled into the next
16    most rigorous level of advanced coursework in mathematics.
17        (3) A student who meets or exceeds State standards in
18    science shall be automatically enrolled into the next most
19    rigorous level of advanced coursework in science.
20    (a-10) By no later than the beginning of the 2027-2028
21school year, a school district's accelerated placement policy
22shall allow for automatic eligibility, in the following school
23term, for a student to enroll in the next most rigorous level
24of advanced coursework offered by the high school if the
25student meets State standards in English language arts,
26mathematics, or science on a State assessment administered

 

 

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1under Section 2-3.64a-5 as follows:
2        (1) A student who meets State standards in English
3    language arts shall be automatically eligible to enroll in
4    the next most rigorous level of advanced coursework in
5    English, social studies, humanities, or related subjects.
6        (2) A student who meets State standards in mathematics
7    shall be automatically eligible to enroll in the next most
8    rigorous level of advanced coursework in mathematics.
9        (3) A student who meets State standards in science
10    shall be automatically eligible to enroll in the next most
11    rigorous level of advanced coursework in science.
12    (a-15) For a student entering grade 12, the next most
13rigorous level of advanced coursework in English language arts
14or mathematics shall be a dual credit course, as defined in the
15Dual Credit Quality Act, an Advanced Placement course, as
16defined in Section 10 of the College and Career Success for All
17Students Act, or an International Baccalaureate course;
18otherwise, the next most rigorous level of advanced coursework
19under this subsection (a-15) (a-5) may include a dual credit
20course, as defined in the Dual Credit Quality Act, an Advanced
21Placement course, as defined in Section 10 of the College and
22Career Success for All Students Act, an International
23Baccalaureate course, an honors class, an enrichment
24opportunity, a gifted program, or another program offered by
25the district.
26    A school district may use the student's most recent State

 

 

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1assessment results to determine whether a student meets or
2exceeds State standards. For a student entering grade 9,
3results from the State assessment taken in grades 6 through 8
4may be used. For other high school grades, the results from a
5locally selected, nationally normed assessment may be used
6instead of the State assessment if those results are the most
7recent.
8    (a-20) A school district's accelerated placement policy
9may allow for the waiver of a course or unit of instruction
10completion requirement if (i) completion of the course or unit
11of instruction is required by this Code or rules adopted by the
12State Board of Education as a prerequisite to receiving a high
13school diploma and (ii) the school district has determined
14that the student has demonstrated mastery of or competency in
15the content of the course or unit of instruction. The school
16district shall maintain documentation of this determination of
17mastery or competency for each student, that shall include
18identification of the learning standards or competencies
19reviewed, the methods of measurement used, student
20performance, the date of the determination, and identification
21of the district personnel involved in the determination
22process.
23    (a-25) A school district's accelerated placement policy
24must include a process through which the parent or guardian of
25each student who meets State standards is provided
26notification in writing of the student's eligibility for

 

 

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1enrollment in accelerated courses. This notification must
2provide details on the procedures for the parent or guardian
3to enroll or not enroll the student in accelerated courses, in
4writing, on forms the school district makes available. If no
5course selection is made by the parent or guardian in
6accordance with procedures set forth by the school district,
7the student shall be automatically enrolled in the next most
8rigorous level of coursework. A school district must provide
9the parent or guardian of a student eligible for automatic
10enrollment under this subsection (a-5) or (a-10) with the
11option to instead have the student enroll in alternative
12coursework that better aligns with the student's postsecondary
13education or career goals. If applicable, a school district
14must provide notification to a student's parent or guardian
15that the student will receive a waiver of a course or unit of
16instruction completion requirement under subsections (a-5) or
17(a-10).
18    Nothing in subsection this subsection (a-5) or (a-10) may
19be interpreted to preclude other students from enrolling in
20advanced coursework per the policy of a school district.
21    (a-30) Nothing in this Section shall prohibit the
22implementation of policies that allow for automatic enrollment
23of students who meet standards on State assessments into the
24next most rigorous level of advanced coursework offered by a
25high school.
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    (105 ILCS 5/27-22)  (from Ch. 122, par. 27-22)
25    Sec. 27-22. Required high school courses.

 

 

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1    (a) (Blank).
2    (b) (Blank).
3    (c) (Blank).
4    (d) (Blank).
5    (e) Through the 2023-2024 school year, as a prerequisite
6to receiving a high school diploma, each pupil entering the
79th grade must, in addition to other course requirements,
8successfully complete all of the following courses:
9        (1) Four years of language arts.
10        (2) Two years of writing intensive courses, one of
11    which must be English and the other of which may be English
12    or any other subject. When applicable, writing-intensive
13    courses may be counted towards the fulfillment of other
14    graduation requirements.
15        (3) Three years of mathematics, one of which must be
16    Algebra I, one of which must include geometry content, and
17    one of which may be an Advanced Placement computer science
18    course. A mathematics course that includes geometry
19    content may be offered as an integrated, applied,
20    interdisciplinary, or career and technical education
21    course that prepares a student for a career readiness
22    path.
23        (3.5) For pupils entering the 9th grade in the
24    2022-2023 school year and 2023-2024 school year, one year
25    of a course that includes intensive instruction in
26    computer literacy, which may be English, social studies,

 

 

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1    or any other subject and which may be counted toward the
2    fulfillment of other graduation requirements.
3        (4) Two years of science.
4        (5) Two years of social studies, of which at least one
5    year must be history of the United States or a combination
6    of history of the United States and American government
7    and, beginning with pupils entering the 9th grade in the
8    2016-2017 school year and each school year thereafter, at
9    least one semester must be civics, which shall help young
10    people acquire and learn to use the skills, knowledge, and
11    attitudes that will prepare them to be competent and
12    responsible citizens throughout their lives. Civics course
13    content shall focus on government institutions, the
14    discussion of current and controversial issues, service
15    learning, and simulations of the democratic process.
16    School districts may utilize private funding available for
17    the purposes of offering civics education. Beginning with
18    pupils entering the 9th grade in the 2021-2022 school
19    year, one semester, or part of one semester, may include a
20    financial literacy course.
21        (6) One year chosen from (A) music, (B) art, (C)
22    foreign language, which shall be deemed to include
23    American Sign Language, (D) vocational education, or (E)
24    forensic speech (speech and debate). A forensic speech
25    course used to satisfy the course requirement under
26    subdivision (1) may not be used to satisfy the course

 

 

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1    requirement under this subdivision (6).
2    (e-5) Beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, as a
3prerequisite to receiving a high school diploma, each pupil
4entering the 9th grade must, in addition to other course
5requirements, successfully complete all of the following
6courses:
7        (1) Four years of language arts.
8        (2) Two years of writing intensive courses, one of
9    which must be English and the other of which may be English
10    or any other subject. If applicable, writing-intensive
11    courses may be counted toward the fulfillment of other
12    graduation requirements.
13        (3) Three years of mathematics, one of which must be
14    Algebra I, one of which must include geometry content, and
15    one of which may be an Advanced Placement computer science
16    course. A mathematics course that includes geometry
17    content may be offered as an integrated, applied,
18    interdisciplinary, or career and technical education
19    course that prepares a student for a career readiness
20    path.
21        (3.5) One year of a course that includes intensive
22    instruction in computer literacy, which may be English,
23    social studies, or any other subject and which may be
24    counted toward the fulfillment of other graduation
25    requirements.
26        (4) Two years of laboratory science.

 

 

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1        (5) Two years of social studies, of which at least one
2    year must be history of the United States or a combination
3    of history of the United States and American government
4    and at least one semester must be civics, which shall help
5    young people acquire and learn to use the skills,
6    knowledge, and attitudes that will prepare them to be
7    competent and responsible citizens throughout their lives.
8    Civics course content shall focus on government
9    institutions, the discussion of current and controversial
10    issues, service learning, and simulations of the
11    democratic process. School districts may utilize private
12    funding available for the purposes of offering civics
13    education. One semester, or part of one semester, may
14    include a financial literacy course.
15        (6) One year chosen from (A) music, (B) art, (C)
16    foreign language, which shall be deemed to include
17    American Sign Language, (D) vocational education, or (E)
18    forensic speech (speech and debate). A forensic speech
19    course used to satisfy the course requirement under
20    subdivision (1) may not be used to satisfy the course
21    requirement under this subdivision (6).
22    (e-10) Beginning with the 2028-2029 school year, as a
23prerequisite to receiving a high school diploma, each pupil
24entering the 9th grade must, in addition to other course
25requirements, successfully complete 2 years of foreign
26language courses, which may include American Sign Language. A

 

 

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1pupil may choose a third year of foreign language to satisfy
2the requirement under subdivision (6) of subsection (e-5).
3    (f) The State Board of Education shall develop and inform
4school districts of standards for writing-intensive
5coursework.
6    (f-5) If a school district offers an Advanced Placement
7computer science course to high school students, then the
8school board must designate that course as equivalent to a
9high school mathematics course and must denote on the
10student's transcript that the Advanced Placement computer
11science course qualifies as a mathematics-based, quantitative
12course for students in accordance with subdivision (3) of
13subsection (e) of this Section.
14    (g) Public Act 83-1082 does not apply to pupils entering
15the 9th grade in 1983-1984 school year and prior school years
16or to students with disabilities whose course of study is
17determined by an individualized education program.
18    Public Act 94-676 does not apply to pupils entering the
199th grade in the 2004-2005 school year or a prior school year
20or to students with disabilities whose course of study is
21determined by an individualized education program.
22    Subdivision (3.5) of subsection (e) does not apply to
23pupils entering the 9th grade in the 2021-2022 school year or a
24prior school year or to students with disabilities whose
25course of study is determined by an individualized education
26program.

 

 

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1    Subsection (e-5) does not apply to pupils entering the 9th
2grade in the 2023-2024 school year or a prior school year or to
3students with disabilities whose course of study is determined
4by an individualized education program. Subsection (e-10) does
5not apply to pupils entering the 9th grade in the 2027-2028
6school year or a prior school year or to students with
7disabilities whose course of study is determined by an
8individualized education program.
9    (h) The provisions of this Section are subject to the
10provisions of Sections 14A-32 and Section 27-22.05 of this
11Code and the Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness Act.
12    (i) The State Board of Education may adopt rules to modify
13the requirements of this Section for any students enrolled in
14grades 9 through 12 if the Governor has declared a disaster due
15to a public health emergency pursuant to Section 7 of the
16Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act.
17(Source: P.A. 102-366, eff. 8-13-21; 102-551, eff. 1-1-22;
18102-864, eff. 5-13-22; 103-154, eff. 6-30-23.)
 
19    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
20becoming law.