SB0223 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB094 05524 RAS 35573 b

94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2005 and 2006
SB0223

Introduced 2/2/2005, by Sen. Miguel del Valle

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

105 ILCS 5/Art. 14A heading new
105 ILCS 5/14A-5 new
105 ILCS 5/14A-10 new
105 ILCS 5/14A-15 new
105 ILCS 5/14A-20 new
105 ILCS 5/14A-25 new
105 ILCS 5/14A-30 new
105 ILCS 5/14A-35 new
105 ILCS 5/14A-40 new
105 ILCS 5/14A-45 new
105 ILCS 5/14A-50 new
105 ILCS 5/14A-55 new
105 ILCS 5/14A-60 new
105 ILCS 5/14A-65 new

Amends the School Code. Sets forth provisions concerning education programs for gifted and talented children. Includes provisions concerning early identification, eligibility, program supervision, monitoring, and oversight, school improvement plans, an advisory council, grants for services and materials, contracts for experimental projects and institutes, and professional development for teachers as it relates to the education of gifted and talented children. Grants rulemaking authority to the State Board of Education. Effective July 1, 2005.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

STATE MANDATES ACT MAY REQUIRE REIMBURSEMENT

A BILL FOR

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 adding Article 14A as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/Art. 14A heading new)

ARTICLE 14A. GIFTED AND TALENTED CHILDREN

(105 ILCS 5/14A-5 new)

Sec. 14A-5. Applicability. This Article applies beginning with the 2005-2006 school year.

(105 ILCS 5/14A-10 new)

Sec. 14A-10. Legislative findings. The General Assembly finds the following:

(1) that gifted and talented children (i) exhibit high performance capabilities in intellectual, creative, and artistic areas, (ii) possess an unusual leadership capacity, and (iii) excel in specific academic fields;

(2) that gifted and talented children require services and activities that are not ordinarily provided by schools; and

(3) that outstanding talents are present in children and youth from all cultural groups, across all economic strata, and in all areas of human endeavor.

(105 ILCS 5/14A-15 new)

Sec. 14A-15. Purpose. The purpose of this Article is to assist and encourage school districts in the development and improvement of educational programs that will increase the educational services of the public schools of Illinois for gifted and talented children as defined in Section 14A-20 of this Article. School districts shall continue to have the authority and responsibility to develop education programs for gifted and talented children in response to community needs, but must comply with the requirements established in this Article.

(105 ILCS 5/14A-20 new)

Sec. 14A-20. Gifted and talented children. For purposes of this Article, "gifted and talented children" means children and youth with outstanding talent who perform or show the potential for performing at remarkably high levels of accomplishment when compared with other children and youth of their age, experience, and environment.

(105 ILCS 5/14A-25 new)

Sec. 14A-25. Early identification; non-discrimination. In recognition of the need to have appropriate services and programs available to gifted and talented children, the State Board of Education shall support a statewide program of early identification of gifted and talented children.

Eligibility for participation in programs established pursuant to this Article shall be determined solely through identification of a child as gifted or talented. No program shall condition participation upon race, religion, sex, disability, or any factor other than the student's identification as gifted or talented.

(105 ILCS 5/14A-30 new)

Sec. 14A-30. Eligibility. For the purposes of participating in programs or services for gifted and talented children in any area of instruction, or specifically in math and language arts, school districts shall use a minimum of 3 measures, which may include without limitation scores on standardized achievement tests, observation checklists, portfolios, and currently used district assessments. Students shall qualify for participation in gifted and talented programs in any fundamental learning area, and specifically in language arts and math, by scoring in the top 5% locally in any one or all subject areas.

(105 ILCS 5/14A-35 new)

Sec. 14A-35. State supervision, monitoring, and oversight; annual reports.

(a) The State Board of Education, with the advice of the Advisory Council on Education of Gifted and Talented Children, shall be responsible for the supervision and oversight of education programs for gifted and talented children, including the establishment of standards for personnel.

(b) The State Board of Education shall designate a coordinator of programs for gifted and talented children. This coordinator shall be responsible for monitoring student academic improvement, providing leadership and technical support to school districts in gifted and talented education, assisting in the implementation and design of the language arts and math portions of the school improvement plans for the gifted and talented, monitoring the implementation of the plans for language arts and math, and overseeing the implementation of these plans.

(c) The State Board of Education shall, to the extent possible based on the resources available, provide all gifted and talented children in the State an opportunity to receive services and participate in appropriate programs. The State Board of Education shall also ensure that funding and other resources available for programs for gifted and talented children are spent in effective and efficient ways through program monitoring.

(d) The State Board of Education shall collect data from school districts to determine annual student achievement and progress. Evaluation procedures must indicate the process, instruments, and techniques used to measure student growth. Reports by school districts to the State Board of Education shall include information on the number of students served at specific grade levels in specific content areas and the qualifications of personnel hired to teach the students. These reports shall also include race, ethnicity, gender, and other relevant demographic data on participating students. Personnel development activities shall also be documented.

(105 ILCS 5/14A-40 new)

Sec. 14A-40. School improvement plans. The State Board of Education shall require each school district to develop, as part of its school improvement plan, a component that is related to gifted and talented children, pursuant to rules adopted by the State Board of Education. This component shall indicate how, to the extent funding and other resources are available, appropriate educational services will be made available to all gifted and talented children encompassing all grade levels and all fundamental areas of learning, but, at a minimum, it shall address language arts and mathematics. Implementation of the plan component related to gifted and talented children shall commence as soon as practicable, but no later than the start of the 2006-2007 school year. The plan shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:

(1) An identification method that complies with the definition of gifted and talented children as defined in Section 14A-20 of this Article.

(2) A commitment to proportionally increase the identification of State minority and low-income students as gifted and talented.

(3) The use of multiple criteria to identify students in each category of gifted and talented children, with at least 3 criteria in each area.

(4) Instruments that are sensitive to the inclusion of underrepresented groups, including low-income students, minority students, and English language learners.

(5) Equal rigor in identification for all categories.

(6) Identification procedures that appropriately correspond with the intended programs, curricula, and services.

(7) A process for equitable decision-making.

(8) A formal process of appeals within a district or school.

(9) A provision for communicating identification methods to the public and to parents of students annually.

(10) A provision for communicating individual results of the determination of gifted and talented status to parents of affected students annually.

(11) An educational program that provides for the grouping of children identified as gifted and talented in math and the grouping of children identified as gifted and talented in language arts for a substantial part of their instructional time in these subject matters, the contents of which shall be communicated to parents. Grouping practices may include (i) cluster grouping, (ii) self-contained gifted and talented classrooms, and (iii) flexible grouping between or across grade levels of teachers.

(12) A list and description of curriculum differentiation options, which shall include without limitation ways to accelerate and add depth and complexity to curriculum content.

(13) A differentiated curriculum for the gifted and talented that aligns with State learning standards.

(14) An emphasis on higher-level skills attainment, including problem-solving, critical thinking, creative thinking, and research skills, as embedded within relevant content areas.

(15) A provision for measuring academic growth for gifted and talented students and communicating student progress to parents.

(16) A provision for incorporating gifted and talented growth goals into annual local school improvement plans.

(17) A provision for the assignment of an administrator for the gifted and talented program (building level, district, or multi-district) to oversee the quality of programming for gifted and talented children. Training guidelines and expectations for this position shall be developed by the State Board of Education in conjunction with the Advisory Council on Education of Gifted and Talented Children and the Illinois Association for Gifted Children and shall be offered through administrator academy workshops.

(18) A provision for district gifted and talented education evaluations upon the substantiated request of a parent.

(19) A State monitoring process that ensures district compliance with program implementation and includes on-site visits, with all districts being visited at least once every 5 years or more frequently if deemed necessary to ensure compliance.

(105 ILCS 5/14A-45 new)

Sec. 14A-45. Advisory Council. There is hereby created an Advisory Council on Education of Gifted and Talented Children to consist of 7 members appointed by the State Board of Education. Members shall serve terms of 4 years. Upon the expiration of the term of a member, that member shall continue to serve until a replacement is appointed. The Council shall meet at least 4 times each year. The Council shall organize with a chairperson selected by the council members and shall meet at the call of the chairperson upon 10 days' written notice. Members of the Council shall serve without compensation but shall be entitled to reasonable amounts for expenses necessarily incurred in the performance of their duties.

The State Board of Education shall consider recommendations for membership on the Council from organizations of educators and parents of gifted and talented children and other groups with an interest in gifted education. The members appointed shall be residents of the State and be selected on the basis of their knowledge of, or experience in, programs and problems of the education of gifted and talented children.

The State Board of Education shall seek the advice of the Council regarding all rules and policies to be adopted by the State Board relating to the education of gifted and talented children. The Council shall consider any rule proposed by the State Board of Education within 40 days after its receipt by the chairperson. The State Board of Education shall designate an employee of the State Board of Education to act as executive secretary of the Council and shall furnish all clerical assistance necessary for the performance of the Council's powers and duties.

(105 ILCS 5/14A-50 new)

Sec. 14A-50. Grants for services and materials. Subject to the availability of categorical grant funding or other funding and pursuant to rules of the State Board of Education, the State Board of Education shall make grants available to fund programs for gifted and talented children. A request-for-proposal process shall be used in awarding entitlement grants for services and materials, with carry over to the next fiscal year, under this Section. A proposal may be submitted to the State Board of Education by a school district, 2 or more cooperating school districts, a county, or 2 or more cooperating counties. The proposals shall include a statement of the qualifications and duties of the personnel required in the field of diagnostic, counseling, and consultative services and the educational materials necessary. Upon receipt, the State Board of Education shall evaluate the proposals in accordance with criteria developed by the State Board of Education that is consistent with this Article and shall award grants to the extent funding is available. Programs funded for gifted and talented children may be offered during the regular school term and may include optional summer programs. As a condition for funding, the State Board of Education shall require an annual evaluation report, including an assessment of program services and outcomes.

(105 ILCS 5/14A-55 new)

Sec. 14A-55. Contracts for experimental projects and institutes. The State Board of Education shall have the authority to enter into contracts with school districts, regional offices of education, colleges, universities, and professional organizations for the conduct of experimental projects and institutes, including summer institutes, in the field of education of gifted and talented children as defined in Section 14A-20 of this Article. These projects and institutes shall be established, subject to the availability of funds, in accordance with rules adopted by the State Board of Education. Prior to entering into a contract, the State Board of Education shall evaluate the proposal as to the soundness of the project's or institute's design, the possibility of securing productive results, the adequacy of resources to conduct the proposed project or institute, and the project's or institute's relationship to other projects and institutes already completed or in progress. The contents of these projects and institutes must be designed based on the professional standards of the Illinois Association for Gifted Children.

(105 ILCS 5/14A-60 new)

Sec. 14A-60. Rulemaking. The State Board of Education shall have the authority to adopt all rules necessary to implement and regulate the provisions this Article.

(105 ILCS 5/14A-65 new)

Sec. 14A-65. Teacher certification and professional development.

(a) Effective January 1, 2006, the State Board of Education, in collaboration with the collective bargaining entities representing teachers and the Illinois Association for Gifted Children (IAGC), shall provide a program of professional development for current teachers to ensure that all certified teachers are equipped to differentiate the curriculum for a wide range of learners with a focus on academic rigor. Training guidelines and expectations shall be developed by the State Board of Education and include novice level performance standards from the IAGC Professional Standards document. Unfunded training may be a focus of a teacher's re-certification plan.

(b) By no later than January 1, 2006, the State Board of Education shall provide a program of training in gifted and talented education for leaders at all Regional Offices of Education and Intermediate Service Centers in order to enable these entities to guide school districts in best practices in gifted and talented education. This training shall be comparable to the level of training required in special education. Training guidelines and expectations shall include experienced level content standards from the IAGC Professional Standards document.

(c) By no later than January 1, 2007, the State Board of Education shall provide a program of training in gifted and talented education for members of an external review committee that the State Board shall establish for the purpose of holding school districts accountable for the school improvement plan as it relates to the education of gifted and talented children. This training shall be comparable to the level of training required for similar committees in the field of special education. Training guidelines and expectations shall include experienced level content standards from the IAGC Professional Standards.

(d) By no later than January 1, 2006, State teacher certification requirements established by the State Board of Education shall include in all required methods classes strategies for differentiated curriculum for a wide range of learners with a focus on academic rigor. It shall include the study of characteristics of gifted and talented children and the instructional strategies needed to maximize their potential for all new teachers. Course guidelines and expectations shall be developed by the State Board of Education and include novice level performance standards from the IAGC Professional Standards document.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, 2005.