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    AN ACT concerning education.

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


 
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    Section 5. The School Code is amended  by changing Section 
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2-3.71 as follows:
 



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    (105 ILCS 5/2-3.71)  (from Ch. 122, par. 2-3.71)



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    Sec. 2-3.71. Grants for preschool educational  programs.

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    (a) Preschool program.


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        (1) The State Board of Education shall implement and 
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    administer
a grant program under the provisions of this 
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    subsection  which shall
consist of grants to public school 
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    districts and other eligible entities, as defined by the 
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    State Board of Education, to conduct voluntary
preschool

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    educational programs for children ages 3 to 5 which include 
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    a parent
education component. A public school district 
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    which receives grants under
this subsection may 
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    subcontract with other entities that are eligible to 
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    conduct a preschool educational
program. These grants must 
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    be used to supplement, not supplant, funds received from 
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    any other source.


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        (2) (Blank).


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        (3) Any teacher of preschool children in the program 
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    authorized by this
subsection shall hold an early childhood 
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    teaching certificate.


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        (4) This paragraph (4) applies before July 1, 2006 and 
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    after June 30, 2008. The State Board of Education shall 
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    provide the primary source of
funding through 
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    appropriations for the
this program.
Such funds shall be 
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    distributed for the benefit
of children who because of 
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    their home and community environment are subject
to such 
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    language, cultural, economic and like disadvantages that 
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    they have
been determined as a result of screening 
 


 






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    procedures to be at risk of
academic failure.  Such 
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    screening procedures shall be based on criteria

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    established by the State Board of Education.


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        (4.5) This paragraph (4.5) applies from July 1, 2006 
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    through June 30, 2008.  The State Board of Education shall 
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    provide the primary source of
funding through 
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    appropriations for the program.
Such funds shall be 
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    distributed to achieve a goal of "Preschool for All 
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    Children" for the benefit
of all children whose families 
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    choose to participate in the program.  Based on available 
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    appropriations, newly funded programs shall be selected 
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    through a process giving first priority to qualified 
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    programs serving primarily at-risk children and second 
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    priority to qualified programs serving primarily children 
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    with a family income of less than 4 times the poverty 
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    guidelines updated periodically in the Federal Register by 
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    the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under the 
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    authority of 42 U.S.C. 9902(2).  For purposes of this 
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    paragraph (4.5), at-risk children are those who because of 
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    their home and community environment are subject
to such 
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    language, cultural, economic and like disadvantages to 
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    cause them to have
been determined as a result of screening 
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    procedures to be at risk of
academic failure.  Such 
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    screening procedures shall be based on criteria

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    established by the State Board of Education.
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        On or before November 1 of each fiscal year in which 
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    the General Assembly provides funding for new programs 
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    under this paragraph (4.5), the State Board of Education 
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    shall report to the General Assembly on what percentage of 
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    new funding was provided to programs serving primarily 
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    at-risk children, what percentage of new funding was 
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    provided to programs serving primarily children with a 
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    family income of less than 4 times the federal poverty 
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    level, and what percentage of new funding was provided to 
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    other programs.


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        (5) The State Board of Education shall develop and 
 


 






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    provide
 evaluation tools, including tests, that school 
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    districts and other eligible entities may use to

evaluate 
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    children for school readiness prior to age 5.  The State 
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    Board of
Education shall require school districts and other 
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    eligible entities
to obtain consent from the parents
or 
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    guardians of children before any evaluations are 
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    conducted.  The State
Board of Education shall encourage 
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    local school districts and other eligible entities to 
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    evaluate the
population of preschool children in their 
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    communities and provide preschool
programs, pursuant to 
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    this subsection, where appropriate.


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        (6) The State Board of Education shall report to the 
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    General Assembly by
July 1, 2007
1989 and every
3 years 
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    thereafter, on the results and progress of
students who 
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    were enrolled in preschool educational programs, including 
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    an
assessment of which programs have been most successful 
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    in promoting
academic excellence and alleviating academic 
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    failure.  The State Board of
Education shall assess the 
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    academic progress of all students who have been
enrolled in 
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    preschool educational programs.

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    (b) (Blank).

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(Source: P.A. 94-506, eff. 8-8-05.)

 

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    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, 
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2006.