SB2337eng 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB2337 Engrossed LRB103 27217 RJT 53587 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 Sections 10-17a, 14A-17, and 14A-32 as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/10-17a) (from Ch. 122, par. 10-17a)

Sec. 10-17a. State, school district, and school report cards.

(1) By October 31, 2013 and October 31 of each subsequent school year, the State Board of Education, through the State Superintendent of Education, shall prepare a State report card, school district report cards, and school report cards, and shall by the most economical means provide to each school district in this State, including special charter districts and districts subject to the provisions of Article 34, the report cards for the school district and each of its schools. Because of the impacts of the COVID-19 public health emergency during school year 2020-2021, the State Board of Education shall have until December 31, 2021 to prepare and provide the report cards that would otherwise be due by October 31, 2021. During a school year in which the Governor has declared a disaster due to a public health emergency pursuant to Section 7 of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act, the report cards for the school districts and each of its schools shall be prepared by December 31.

(2) In addition to any information required by federal law, the State Superintendent shall determine the indicators and presentation of the school report card, which must include, at a minimum, the most current data collected and maintained by the State Board of Education related to the following:

(A) school characteristics and student demographics, including average class size, average teaching experience, student racial/ethnic breakdown, and the percentage of students classified as low-income; the percentage of students classified as English learners, the number of students who graduate from a bilingual or English learner program, and the number of students who graduate from, transfer from, or otherwise leave bilingual programs; the percentage of students who have individualized education plans or 504 plans that provide for special education services; the number and the percentage of all students in grades kindergarten through 8, disaggregated by the students demographics described in this paragraph (A), in each of the following categories: (i) those who have been assessed for placement in a gifted education program or accelerated placement, (ii) those who have enrolled in a gifted education program or in accelerated placement, and (iii) for each of categories (i) and (ii), those who received direct instruction from a teacher who holds a gifted education endorsement; the number and the percentage of all students in grades 9 through 12, disaggregated by the student demographics described in this paragraph (A), who have been enrolled in an advanced academic program; the number and percentage of all students who have been assessed for placement in a gifted education or advanced academic program and, of those students: (i) the racial and ethnic breakdown, (ii) the percentage who are classified as low-income, and (iii) the number and percentage of students who received direct instruction from a teacher who holds a gifted education endorsement and, of those students, the percentage who are classified as low-income; the percentage of students scoring at the "exceeds expectations" level on the assessments required under Section 2-3.64a-5 of this Code; the percentage of students who annually transferred in or out of the school district; average daily attendance; the per-pupil operating expenditure of the school district; and the per-pupil State average operating expenditure for the district type (elementary, high school, or unit);

(B) curriculum information, including, where applicable, Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or equivalent courses, dual credit enrollment courses, foreign language classes, computer science courses, school personnel resources (including Career Technical Education teachers), before and after school programs, extracurricular activities, subjects in which elective classes are offered, health and wellness initiatives (including the average number of days of Physical Education per week per student), approved programs of study, awards received, community partnerships, and special programs such as programming for the gifted and talented, students with disabilities, and work-study students;

(C) student outcomes, including, where applicable, the percentage of students deemed proficient on assessments of State standards, the percentage of students in the eighth grade who pass Algebra, the percentage of students who participated in workplace learning experiences, the percentage of students enrolled in post-secondary institutions (including colleges, universities, community colleges, trade/vocational schools, and training programs leading to career certification within 2 semesters of high school graduation), the percentage of students graduating from high school who are college and career ready, and the percentage of graduates enrolled in community colleges, colleges, and universities who are in one or more courses that the community college, college, or university identifies as a developmental course;

(D) student progress, including, where applicable, the percentage of students in the ninth grade who have earned 5 credits or more without failing more than one core class, a measure of students entering kindergarten ready to learn, a measure of growth, and the percentage of students who enter high school on track for college and career readiness;

(E) the school environment, including, where applicable, high school dropout rate by grade level, the percentage of students with less than 10 absences in a school year, the percentage of teachers with less than 10 absences in a school year for reasons other than professional development, leaves taken pursuant to the federal Family Medical Leave Act of 1993, long-term disability, or parental leaves, the 3-year average of the percentage of teachers returning to the school from the previous year, the number of different principals at the school in the last 6 years, the number of teachers who hold a gifted education endorsement, the process and criteria used by the district to determine whether a student is eligible for participation in a gifted education program or advanced academic program and the manner in which parents and guardians are made aware of the process and criteria, the number of teachers who are National Board Certified Teachers, disaggregated by race and ethnicity, 2 or more indicators from any school climate survey selected or approved by the State and administered pursuant to Section 2-3.153 of this Code, with the same or similar indicators included on school report cards for all surveys selected or approved by the State pursuant to Section 2-3.153 of this Code, the combined percentage of teachers rated as proficient or excellent in their most recent evaluation, and, beginning with the 2022-2023 school year, data on the number of incidents of violence that occurred on school grounds or during school-related activities and that resulted in an out-of-school suspension, expulsion, or removal to an alternative setting, as reported pursuant to Section 2-3.162;

(F) a school district's and its individual schools' balanced accountability measure, in accordance with Section 2-3.25a of this Code;

(G) the total and per pupil normal cost amount the State contributed to the Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois in the prior fiscal year for the school's employees, which shall be reported to the State Board of Education by the Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois;

(H) for a school district organized under Article 34 of this Code only, State contributions to the Public School Teachers' Pension and Retirement Fund of Chicago and State contributions for health care for employees of that school district;

(I) a school district's Final Percent of Adequacy, as defined in paragraph (4) of subsection (f) of Section 18-8.15 of this Code;

(J) a school district's Local Capacity Target, as defined in paragraph (2) of subsection (c) of Section 18-8.15 of this Code, displayed as a percentage amount;

(K) a school district's Real Receipts, as defined in paragraph (1) of subsection (d) of Section 18-8.15 of this Code, divided by a school district's Adequacy Target, as defined in paragraph (1) of subsection (b) of Section 18-8.15 of this Code, displayed as a percentage amount;

(L) a school district's administrative costs;

(M) whether or not the school has participated in the Illinois Youth Survey. In this paragraph (M), "Illinois Youth Survey" means a self-report survey, administered in school settings every 2 years, designed to gather information about health and social indicators, including substance abuse patterns and the attitudes of students in grades 8, 10, and 12; and

(N) whether the school offered its students career and technical education opportunities.

The school report card shall also provide information that allows for comparing the current outcome, progress, and environment data to the State average, to the school data from the past 5 years, and to the outcomes, progress, and environment of similar schools based on the type of school and enrollment of low-income students, special education students, and English learners.

As used in this subsection (2):

"Accelerated placement" has the meaning ascribed to that term in Section 14A-17 of this Code.

"Administrative costs" means costs associated with executive, administrative, or managerial functions within the school district that involve planning, organizing, managing, or directing the school district.

"Advanced academic program" means a course of study, including, but not limited to, accelerated placement, advanced placement coursework, International Baccalaureate coursework, dual credit, or any course designated as enriched or honors, that a student is enrolled in to which students are assigned based on advanced cognitive ability or advanced academic achievement compared to local age peers and in which the curriculum is substantially differentiated from the general curriculum to provide appropriate challenge and pace.

"Computer science" means the study of computers and algorithms, including their principles, their hardware and software designs, their implementation, and their impact on society. "Computer science" does not include the study of everyday uses of computers and computer applications, such as keyboarding or accessing the Internet.

"Gifted education" means educational services, including differentiated curricula and instructional methods, designed to meet the needs of gifted children as defined in Article 14A of this Code.

For the purposes of paragraph (A) of this subsection (2), "average daily attendance" means the average of the actual number of attendance days during the previous school year for any enrolled student who is subject to compulsory attendance by Section 26-1 of this Code at each school and charter school.

(3) At the discretion of the State Superintendent, the school district report card shall include a subset of the information identified in paragraphs (A) through (E) of subsection (2) of this Section, as well as information relating to the operating expense per pupil and other finances of the school district, and the State report card shall include a subset of the information identified in paragraphs (A) through (E) and paragraph (N) of subsection (2) of this Section. The school district report card shall include the average daily attendance, as that term is defined in subsection (2) of this Section, of students who have individualized education programs and students who have 504 plans that provide for special education services within the school district.

(4) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section, in consultation with key education stakeholders, the State Superintendent shall at any time have the discretion to amend or update any and all metrics on the school, district, or State report card.

(5) Annually, no more than 30 calendar days after receipt of the school district and school report cards from the State Superintendent of Education, each school district, including special charter districts and districts subject to the provisions of Article 34, shall present such report cards at a regular school board meeting subject to applicable notice requirements, post the report cards on the school district's Internet web site, if the district maintains an Internet web site, make the report cards available to a newspaper of general circulation serving the district, and, upon request, send the report cards home to a parent (unless the district does not maintain an Internet web site, in which case the report card shall be sent home to parents without request). If the district posts the report card on its Internet web site, the district shall send a written notice home to parents stating (i) that the report card is available on the web site, (ii) the address of the web site, (iii) that a printed copy of the report card will be sent to parents upon request, and (iv) the telephone number that parents may call to request a printed copy of the report card.

(6) Nothing contained in Public Act 98-648 repeals, supersedes, invalidates, or nullifies final decisions in lawsuits pending on July 1, 2014 (the effective date of Public Act 98-648) in Illinois courts involving the interpretation of Public Act 97-8.

(Source: P.A. 101-68, eff. 1-1-20; 101-81, eff. 7-12-19; 101-654, eff. 3-8-21; 102-16, eff. 6-17-21; 102-294, eff. 1-1-22; 102-539, eff. 8-20-21; 102-558, eff. 8-20-21; 102-594, eff. 7-1-22; 102-813, eff. 5-13-22.)

(105 ILCS 5/14A-17)

Sec. 14A-17. Accelerated placement; advanced academic program. 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.

"Advanced academic program" means a course of study, including, but not limited to, accelerated placement, advanced placement coursework, International Baccalaureate coursework, dual credit, or any course designated as enriched or honors, that a student is enrolled in based on the student's advanced cognitive ability or advanced academic achievement compared to local age peers and in which the curriculum is substantially differentiated from the general curriculum to provide appropriate challenge and pace.

(Source: P.A. 100-421, eff. 7-1-18.)

(105 ILCS 5/14A-32)

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.

(a-5) By no later than the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year, a school district's accelerated placement policy 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 meets or exceeds State standards in English language arts, mathematics, or science on a State assessment administered under Section 2-3.64a-5 as follows:

(1) A student who meets or exceeds State standards in English language arts shall be automatically enrolled into the next most rigorous level of advanced coursework in English, social studies, humanities, or related subjects.

(2) A student who meets or exceeds State standards in mathematics shall be automatically enrolled into the next most rigorous level of advanced coursework in mathematics.

(3) A student who meets or exceeds State standards in science shall be automatically enrolled into the next most rigorous level of advanced coursework in science.

For a student entering grade 12, the next most rigorous level of advanced coursework in English language arts or mathematics shall be a dual credit course, as defined in the Dual Credit Quality Act, an Advanced Placement course, as defined in Section 10 of the College and Career Success for All Students Act, or an International Baccalaureate course; otherwise, the next most rigorous level of advanced coursework under this subsection (a-5) may include a dual credit course, as defined in the Dual Credit Quality Act, an Advanced Placement course, as defined in Section 10 of the College and Career Success for All Students Act, an International Baccalaureate course, an honors class, an enrichment opportunity, a gifted program, or another program offered by the district.

A school district may use the student's most recent State assessment results to determine whether a student meets or exceeds State standards. For a student entering grade 9, results from the State assessment taken in grades 6 through 8 may be used. For other high school grades, the results from a locally selected, nationally normed assessment may be used instead of the State assessment if those results are the most recent.

A school district must provide the parent or guardian of a student eligible for automatic enrollment under this subsection (a-5) with the option to instead have the student enroll in alternative coursework that better aligns with the student's postsecondary education or career goals.

Nothing in this subsection (a-5) may be interpreted to preclude other students from enrolling in advanced coursework per the policy of a school district.

(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, community-based organizations, and providers of out-of-school programs, about the accelerated placement program and the methods used for the identification of children eligible for accelerated placement, including strategies to reach groups of students and families who have been historically underrepresented in accelerated placement programs and advanced coursework;

(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;

(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;

(4) procedures to provide support and promote success for students who are newly enrolled in an accelerated placement program; and

(5) a process for the school district to review and utilize disaggregated data on participation in an accelerated placement program to address gaps among demographic groups in accelerated placement opportunities; and .

(6) procedures to promote equity, which may incorporate one or more of the following evidence-based practices:

(A) the use of multiple tools to assess exceptional potential and provide several pathways into advanced academic programs when assessing student need for advanced academic or accelerated programming;

(B) providing enrichment opportunities starting in the early grades to address achievement gaps that occur at school entry and provide students with opportunities to demonstrate their advanced potential;

(C) the use of universal screening combined with local school-based norms for placement in accelerated and advanced learning programs;

(D) developing a continuum of services to identify and develop talent in all learners ranging from enriched learning experiences, such as problem-based learning, performance tasks, critical thinking, and career exploration, to accelerated placement and advanced academic programming; and

(E) providing professional learning in gifted education for teachers and other appropriate school personnel to appropriately identify and challenge students from diverse cultures and backgrounds who may benefit from accelerated placement or advanced academic programming.

(c) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to determine data to be collected and disaggregated by demographic group regarding accelerated placement, including the rates of students who participate in and successfully complete advanced coursework, and a method of making the information available to the public.

(d) On or before November 1, 2022, following a review of disaggregated data on the participation and successful completion rates of students enrolled in an accelerated placement program, each school district shall develop a plan to expand access to its accelerated placement program and to ensure the teaching capacity necessary to meet the increased demand.

(Source: P.A. 101-654, eff. 3-8-21; 102-209, eff. 11-30-21 (See Section 5 of P.A. 102-671 for effective date of P.A. 102-209).)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.