HB4944eng 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB4944 Engrossed LRB093 20840 NHT 46770 b

AN ACT relating to schools.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The State Finance Act is amended by adding Section 5.625 as follows:

(30 ILCS 105/5.625 new)

Sec. 5.625. The Technology Immersion Pilot Project Fund. This Section is repealed on August 31, 2007.

Section 10. The School Code is amended by adding Section 2-3.135 as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/2-3.135 new)

Sec. 2-3.135. Technology immersion pilot project.

(a) The State Board of Education shall by rule establish a technology immersion pilot project to provide a wireless laptop computer to each student, teacher, and relevant administrator in a participating school and implement the use of software, on-line courses, and other appropriate learning technologies that have been shown to improve academic achievement and the progress measures listed in subsection (f) of this Section.

(b) The pilot project shall be for a period of at least 3 years. The State Board shall establish a procedure and develop criteria for the administration of the pilot project. In administering the pilot project, the State Board shall:

(1) select participating school districts or schools;

(2) define the conditions for the distribution and use of laptop computers and other technologies;

(3) purchase and distribute laptop computers and other technologies;

(4) enter into contracts as necessary to implement the pilot project;

(5) monitor local pilot project implementation; and

(6) conduct a final evaluation of the pilot project.

(c) The Technology Immersion Pilot Project Fund is created as a special fund in the State treasury. All money in the Technology Immersion Pilot Project Fund shall be used, subject to appropriation, by the State Board for the pilot project. To implement the pilot project, the State Board may use any funds appropriated by the General Assembly for the purposes of the pilot project as well as any gift, grant, or donation given for the pilot project. The State Board may solicit and accept a gift, grant, or donation of any kind from any source, including from a foundation, private entity, governmental entity, or institution of higher education, for the implementation of the pilot project. Funds for the pilot project may not be used for the construction of a building or other facility.

The State Board shall use pilot project funds for the following:

(1) the purchase of wireless laptop computers so that each student, teacher, and relevant administrator in a participating classroom has a wireless laptop computer for use at school and at home;

(2) the purchase of other equipment, including additional computer hardware and software;

(3) the hiring of technical support staff for school districts or schools participating in the pilot project; and

(4) the purchase of technology-based learning materials and resources.

The State Board may not allocate more than $10 million for the pilot project. The pilot project may be implemented only if sufficient funds are available under this Section for that purpose.

(d) A school district may apply to the State Board for the establishment of a technology immersion pilot project for the entire district or for a particular school or group of schools in the district.

The State Board shall select 7 school districts to participate in the pilot project. One school district shall be located in the City of Chicago, 3 school districts shall be located in the area that makes up the counties of DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will, and that portion of Cook County that is located outside of the City of Chicago, and 3 school districts shall be located in the remainder of the State.

The State Board shall select the participating districts and schools for the pilot project based on each district's or school's need for the pilot project. In selecting participants, the State Board shall consider the following criteria:

(1) whether the district or school has limited access to educational resources that could be improved through the use of wireless laptop computers and other technologies;

(2) whether the district or school has the following problems and whether those problems can be mitigated through the use of wireless laptop computers and other technologies:

(A) documented teacher shortages in critical areas;

(B) limited access to advanced placement courses;

(C) low rates of satisfactory performance on assessment instruments under Section 2-3.64 of this Code; and

(D) high dropout rates;

(3) the district's or school's readiness to incorporate technology into its classrooms;

(4) the possibility of obtaining a trained technology support staff and high-speed Internet services for the district or school; and

(5) the methods the district or school will use to measure the progress of the pilot project in the district or school in accordance with subsection (f) of this Section.

The State Board shall if possible select at least 9 schools to participate in the pilot project, with at least 3 from the school district located in the City of Chicago and one from each of the other school districts selected.

(e) Each participating school district or school shall establish a technology immersion committee to assist in developing and implementing the technology immersion pilot project.

The school board of a participating district or of a district in which a participating school is located shall appoint individuals to the committee. The committee may be composed of the following:

(1) educators;

(2) district-level administrators;

(3) community leaders;

(4) parents of students who attend a participating school; and

(5) any other individual the school board finds appropriate.

The committee shall develop an academic improvement plan that details how the pilot project should be implemented in the participating district or school. In developing the academic improvement plan, the committee shall consider (i) the educational problems in the district or school that could be mitigated through the implementation of the pilot project and (ii) the technological and nontechnological resources that are necessary to ensure the successful implementation of the pilot project.

The committee shall recommend to the school board how the pilot project funds should be used to implement the academic improvement plan. The committee may recommend annually any necessary changes in the academic improvement plan to the school board. The State Board must approve the academic improvement plan or any changes in the academic improvement plan before disbursing pilot project funds to the school board.

(f) The school board of each school district participating in the pilot project shall send an annual progress report to the State Board no later than August 1 of each year that the district is participating in the pilot project. The report must state in detail the type of plan being used in the district or school and the effect of the pilot project on the district or school, including the following:

(1) the academic progress of students who are participating in the pilot project, as measured by performance on assessment instruments;

(2) if applicable, a comparison of student progress in a school or classroom that is participating in the pilot project as compared with student progress in the schools or classrooms in the district that are not participating in the pilot project;

(3) any elements of the pilot project that contribute to improved student performance on assessment instruments administered under Section 2-3.64 of this Code or any other assessment instrument required by the State Board;

(4) any cost savings and improved efficiency relating to school personnel and the maintenance of facilities;

(5) any effect on student dropout and attendance rates;

(6) any effect on student enrollment in higher education;

(7) any effect on teacher performance and retention;

(8) any improvement in communications among students, teachers, parents, and administrators;

(9) any improvement in parental involvement in the education of the parent's child;

(10) any effect on community involvement and support for the district or school; and

(11) any increased student proficiency in technologies that will help prepare the student for becoming a member of the workforce.

(g) Each student participating in the pilot project may retain the wireless laptop computer provided under the pilot project as long as the student is enrolled in a school in a participating school district.

(h) After the expiration of the 3-year pilot project, the State Board shall review the pilot project based on the annual reports the State Board receives from the school board of participating school districts.

(i) This Section is repealed on August 31, 2007.

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