|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1 | AN ACT regarding education.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3 | represented in the General Assembly:
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
4 | Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing
Section | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5 | 3-15.12 as follows:
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
6 | (105 ILCS 5/3-15.12) (from Ch. 122, par. 3-15.12)
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
7 | Sec. 3-15.12. High school equivalency testing program. The | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
8 | regional
superintendent of schools shall make available for | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
9 | qualified individuals
residing within the region a High School | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10 | Equivalency Testing Program.
For that purpose the regional | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
11 | superintendent alone or with other
regional superintendents | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12 | may establish and supervise a testing center or
centers to | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
13 | administer the secure forms of the high school level Test of
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
14 | General Educational Development to qualified persons. Such | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
15 | centers
shall be under the supervision of the regional | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
16 | superintendent in whose
region such centers are located, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
17 | subject to the approval
of the
Executive Director of the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
18 | Illinois Community College Board
State Superintendent of | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
19 | Education .
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
20 | An individual is eligible to apply to the regional | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
21 | superintendent of schools
for the region in which he resides if | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
22 | he is: (a) a person who is 18 years
of age or older, has | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
23 | maintained residence in the State of Illinois and is
not a high | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
24 | school graduate, but whose high school class has graduated; (b)
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
25 | a member of the armed forces of the United States on active | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
26 | duty who is 17
years of age or older and who is stationed in | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
27 | Illinois or is a legal resident
of Illinois; (c) a ward of the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
28 | Department of Corrections who is 17 years of age
or older or an | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
29 | inmate confined in any branch of the Illinois State | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
30 | Penitentiary
or in a county correctional facility who is 17 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
31 | years of age or older; (d) a
female who is 17 years of age or | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
32 | older who is unable to attend school because
she is either |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | pregnant or the mother of one or more children; (e) a male 17
| ||||||
2 | years of age or older who is unable to attend school because he | ||||||
3 | is a father of
one or more children; (f) a person who is | ||||||
4 | successfully completing an
alternative education program under | ||||||
5 | Section 2-3.81, Article 13A,
or Article 13B; (g) a
person who | ||||||
6 | is
enrolled in a youth education program sponsored by the | ||||||
7 | Illinois National
Guard; or (h) a person who is 17 years of age | ||||||
8 | or older who has been a dropout
for a period of at least one | ||||||
9 | year.
For purposes of this Section, residence is that abode | ||||||
10 | which the applicant
considers his home. Applicants may provide | ||||||
11 | as sufficient proof of such
residence a picture identification | ||||||
12 | card and two pieces of correctly addressed
and postmarked mail. | ||||||
13 | Such regional superintendent shall determine if the
applicant | ||||||
14 | meets statutory and regulatory state standards. If qualified | ||||||
15 | the
applicant shall at the time of such application pay a fee | ||||||
16 | established by the
Illinois Community College Board
State Board | ||||||
17 | of Education , which fee shall be paid into a special
fund
under | ||||||
18 | the control and supervision of the regional superintendent. | ||||||
19 | Such moneys
received by the regional superintendent shall be | ||||||
20 | used, first, for the
expenses incurred
in administering and | ||||||
21 | scoring the examination, and next for other educational
| ||||||
22 | programs that are developed and designed by the regional | ||||||
23 | superintendent of
schools to assist those who successfully | ||||||
24 | complete the high school level test of
General Education | ||||||
25 | Development in furthering their academic development or
their | ||||||
26 | ability to secure and retain gainful employment, including | ||||||
27 | programs for
the competitive award based on test scores of | ||||||
28 | college or adult education
scholarship grants or similar | ||||||
29 | educational incentives. Any excess moneys shall
be paid into | ||||||
30 | the institute fund.
| ||||||
31 | Any applicant who has achieved the minimum passing | ||||||
32 | standards as
established by the
Illinois Community College | ||||||
33 | Board
State Board of Education shall be
notified in writing by | ||||||
34 | the regional superintendent and shall be
issued a high school | ||||||
35 | equivalency certificate on the forms provided by the
State | ||||||
36 | Superintendent of Education. The regional superintendent shall
|
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | then certify to the Office of the State Superintendent of | ||||||
2 | Education
the score of the applicant and such other and | ||||||
3 | additional information
that may be required by the State | ||||||
4 | Superintendent of Education. The
moneys received therefrom | ||||||
5 | shall be used in the same manner as provided
for in this | ||||||
6 | Section.
| ||||||
7 | Any applicant who has attained the age of 18 years and | ||||||
8 | maintained
residence in the State of Illinois and is not a high | ||||||
9 | school graduate but
whose high school class has graduated or | ||||||
10 | any ward of the Department of
Corrections who has attained the | ||||||
11 | age of 17 years, any inmate confined in any
branch of the | ||||||
12 | Illinois State Penitentiary or in a county correctional | ||||||
13 | facility
who has attained the age of 17 years, or any member of | ||||||
14 | the armed forces of the
United States on active duty who has | ||||||
15 | attained the age of 17 years and who is
stationed in Illinois | ||||||
16 | or is a legal resident of Illinois, or any female who has
| ||||||
17 | attained the age of 17 years and is either pregnant or the | ||||||
18 | mother of one or
more children, or any male who has attained | ||||||
19 | the age of 17 years and is the
father of one or more children, | ||||||
20 | or any person who has successfully completed
an
alternative | ||||||
21 | education program under Section 2-3.81,
Article 13A, or Article | ||||||
22 | 13B and meets
the requirements prescribed by the
State Board of | ||||||
23 | Education, is eligible to apply for a high school equivalency
| ||||||
24 | certificate upon showing evidence that he has completed, | ||||||
25 | successfully, the high
school level General Educational | ||||||
26 | Development Tests, administered by the United
States Armed | ||||||
27 | Forces Institute, official GED Centers established in other
| ||||||
28 | states, or at Veterans' Administration Hospitals or the office | ||||||
29 | of the State
Superintendent of Education administered for the | ||||||
30 | Illinois State Penitentiary
System and the Department of | ||||||
31 | Corrections. Such applicant shall apply to the
regional | ||||||
32 | superintendent of the region wherein he has maintained | ||||||
33 | residence, and
upon payment of a fee established by the State | ||||||
34 | Board of Education
the regional superintendent shall issue a | ||||||
35 | high school
equivalency certificate, and immediately | ||||||
36 | thereafter certify to the State
Superintendent of Education the |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | score of the applicant and such other and
additional | ||||||
2 | information as may be required by the State Superintendent of
| ||||||
3 | Education.
| ||||||
4 | Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section, any | ||||||
5 | applicant who has
been out of school for at least one year may | ||||||
6 | request the regional
superintendent of schools to administer | ||||||
7 | the restricted GED test upon
written request of: The director | ||||||
8 | of a program who certifies to the Chief
Examiner of an official | ||||||
9 | GED center that the applicant has completed a
program of | ||||||
10 | instruction provided by such agencies as the Job Corps, the
| ||||||
11 | Postal Service Academy or apprenticeship training program; an | ||||||
12 | employer
or program director for purposes of entry into | ||||||
13 | apprenticeship programs;
another State Department of Education | ||||||
14 | in order to meet regulations
established by that Department of | ||||||
15 | Education, a post high school
educational institution for | ||||||
16 | purposes of admission, the Department of
Professional | ||||||
17 | Regulation for licensing purposes, or the Armed Forces
for | ||||||
18 | induction purposes. The regional superintendent shall | ||||||
19 | administer
such test and the applicant shall be notified in | ||||||
20 | writing that he is
eligible to receive the Illinois High School | ||||||
21 | Equivalency Certificate
upon reaching age 18, provided he meets | ||||||
22 | the standards established by the
State Board of Education.
| ||||||
23 | Any test administered under this Section to an applicant | ||||||
24 | who does not
speak and understand English may at the discretion | ||||||
25 | of the administering
agency be given and answered in any | ||||||
26 | language in which the test is
printed. The regional | ||||||
27 | superintendent of schools may waive any fees required
by this | ||||||
28 | Section in case of hardship.
| ||||||
29 | In counties of over 3,000,000 population a GED certificate
| ||||||
30 | issued on or after July 1, 1994 shall contain the signatures of | ||||||
31 | the State
Superintendent of Education, the superintendent, | ||||||
32 | president or other chief
executive officer of the institution | ||||||
33 | where GED instruction occurred and any
other signatures | ||||||
34 | authorized by the State Superintendent of Education.
| ||||||
35 | The regional superintendent of schools shall furnish the | ||||||
36 | Illinois
Community College Board with any information that the |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | Illinois
Community College Board requests with regard to | ||||||
2 | testing under this
Section.
| ||||||
3 | (Source: P.A. 92-42, eff. 1-1-02.)
| ||||||
4 | Section 10. The Public Community College Act is amended by
| ||||||
5 | adding Section 2-21 as follows:
| ||||||
6 | (110 ILCS 805/2-21 new)
| ||||||
7 | Sec. 2-21. High school equivalency testing. On the | ||||||
8 | effective date
of this amendatory Act of the 93rd General | ||||||
9 | Assembly, all powers and
duties of the State Board of Education | ||||||
10 | and State Superintendent of
Education with regard to high | ||||||
11 | school equivalency testing under the
School Code shall be | ||||||
12 | transferred to the Illinois Community College
Board. The | ||||||
13 | Illinois Community College Board may adopt any rules
necessary | ||||||
14 | to carry out its responsibilities under the School Code with
| ||||||
15 | regard to high school equivalency testing. All rules, | ||||||
16 | standards, and
procedures adopted by the State Board of | ||||||
17 | Education under the
School Code with regard to high school | ||||||
18 | equivalency testing shall
continue in effect as the rules, | ||||||
19 | standards, and procedures of the
Illinois Community College | ||||||
20 | Board, until they are modified by the
Illinois Community | ||||||
21 | College Board.
|