Computer Technology Committee
Filed: 3/6/2008
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1 | AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 5000
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2 | AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 5000 by replacing | ||||||
3 | everything after the enacting clause with the following: | ||||||
4 | "Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the | ||||||
5 | Children's Low-cost Laptop Act. | ||||||
6 | Section 5. Policy and purpose. The General Assembly finds | ||||||
7 | that the decreasing cost of computer technology makes it | ||||||
8 | possible today to equip more children than ever before with | ||||||
9 | 21st century learning tools. The dramatic expansion of low-cost | ||||||
10 | computing options and the worldwide reliance on computer | ||||||
11 | technology for commerce, education, information, and social | ||||||
12 | interaction makes it ever more important to introduce computing | ||||||
13 | skills to students at an early age. Accordingly, the State | ||||||
14 | Board of Education shall establish a pilot project to provide a | ||||||
15 | low-cost laptop computer to each student, teacher, and relevant | ||||||
16 | administrator in a participating elementary school and |
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1 | implement the use of educational software and computer skills | ||||||
2 | training in order to improve academic achievement and the | ||||||
3 | progress measures listed in subsection (a) of Section 20 in | ||||||
4 | this Act. | ||||||
5 | Section 10. Definitions. In this Act: | ||||||
6 | "Elementary school" means any school that maintains grades | ||||||
7 | one through 6. | ||||||
8 | "Low-cost laptop" means a portable personal computer | ||||||
9 | suitable for use among elementary school-aged children, under | ||||||
10 | $400 in initial cost.
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11 | "State Board" means the State Board of Education.
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12 | Section 15. Pilot project; Elementary Students' Low-cost | ||||||
13 | Laptop Fund.
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14 | (a) The State Board shall establish a procedure and develop | ||||||
15 | criteria for the administration of a low-cost laptop pilot | ||||||
16 | project. The pilot project shall be for a period of at least 2 | ||||||
17 | years. In administering the pilot project, the State Board | ||||||
18 | shall: | ||||||
19 | (1) select participating elementary schools; | ||||||
20 | (2) define the conditions for the distribution and use | ||||||
21 | of laptop computers and other technologies; | ||||||
22 | (3) coordinate a statewide grant program to purchase | ||||||
23 | and distribute laptop computers and other technologies; | ||||||
24 | (4) monitor local pilot project implementation; and |
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1 | (5) conduct a final evaluation of the pilot project. | ||||||
2 | (b) The Elementary Students' Low-Cost Laptop Fund is | ||||||
3 | created as a special fund in the State treasury. All money in | ||||||
4 | this Fund shall be used, subject to appropriation, by the State | ||||||
5 | Board for the pilot project. To implement the pilot project, | ||||||
6 | the State Board may use any funds appropriated by the General | ||||||
7 | Assembly for the purposes of the pilot project, as well as any | ||||||
8 | gift, grant, or donation given for the pilot project. The State | ||||||
9 | Board may solicit and accept a gift, grant, or donation of any | ||||||
10 | kind from any source, including from a foundation, private | ||||||
11 | entity, governmental entity, or institution of higher | ||||||
12 | education, for the implementation of the pilot project. Funds | ||||||
13 | for the pilot project may not be used for the construction of a | ||||||
14 | building or other facility.
The State Board shall use pilot | ||||||
15 | project funds for the following: | ||||||
16 | (1) low-cost laptop computers; | ||||||
17 | (2) replacements for any of the following low-cost | ||||||
18 | laptop components: batteries, power cords, or other | ||||||
19 | software and hardware; and | ||||||
20 | (3) the hiring of staff to administer professional | ||||||
21 | development and technical support for participating | ||||||
22 | teachers; for the purposes of this item (3), "professional | ||||||
23 | development" means the training of certified teaching | ||||||
24 | professionals in the integration of low-cost laptop | ||||||
25 | computers into the classroom curriculum.
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26 | The State Board may not allocate more than $100 million for |
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1 | the pilot project. The pilot project may be implemented only if | ||||||
2 | sufficient funds are available under this Section for that | ||||||
3 | purpose. | ||||||
4 | Section 20. Program participation requirements.
A school | ||||||
5 | or district may apply to the State Board for the establishment | ||||||
6 | of a low-cost laptop pilot project grant for an entire school | ||||||
7 | or for a particular grade or group of classrooms in a school. | ||||||
8 | The State Board shall select up to 300 schools to | ||||||
9 | participate in the pilot project. At least one-third of the | ||||||
10 | selected schools shall be located in the City of Chicago; at | ||||||
11 | least one-third shall be located in the area that makes up the | ||||||
12 | counties of DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will, and that portion | ||||||
13 | of Cook County that is
located outside of the City of Chicago; | ||||||
14 | and at least one-third shall be located in the remainder of the | ||||||
15 | State.
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16 | The State Board shall select the participating districts or | ||||||
17 | schools for the pilot project based on each district's or | ||||||
18 | school's need for the pilot project. In selecting participants, | ||||||
19 | the State Board shall consider each school's: | ||||||
20 | (1) free and reduced lunch eligible student | ||||||
21 | population; | ||||||
22 | (2) access to educational technology resources; | ||||||
23 | (3) rate of satisfactory performance on standardized | ||||||
24 | tests; | ||||||
25 | (4) readiness to incorporate technology into its |
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1 | classrooms; | ||||||
2 | (5) availability of technology support staff and | ||||||
3 | professional development funds; and | ||||||
4 | (6) planned methods of measuring the progress of the | ||||||
5 | pilot project. | ||||||
6 | Section 25. Reporting.
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7 | (a) The school board of each school participating in the | ||||||
8 | pilot project shall send an annual progress report to the State | ||||||
9 | Board no later than August 1 of each year that the school is | ||||||
10 | participating in the pilot project. The report must include the | ||||||
11 | project's effect on: | ||||||
12 | (1) academic progress of students who are | ||||||
13 | participating in the pilot project, as measured by
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14 | performance on assessment instruments; | ||||||
15 | (2) student progress in schools or classrooms | ||||||
16 | participating in the pilot project as compared with
student | ||||||
17 | progress in schools or classrooms not participating; | ||||||
18 | (3) student performance on assessment instruments | ||||||
19 | required by the State Board; | ||||||
20 | (4) school cost savings on textbook or other purchases | ||||||
21 | replaced by laptop abilities; | ||||||
22 | (5) attendance rates; | ||||||
23 | (6) teacher performance and retention; | ||||||
24 | (7) communications among students, teachers, parents, | ||||||
25 | and administrators; |
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1 | (8) parental involvement in education; | ||||||
2 | (9) community involvement and support for the school; | ||||||
3 | and | ||||||
4 | (10) student proficiency in technologies or "computer | ||||||
5 | literacy". | ||||||
6 | (b) Each school or district participating in the grant | ||||||
7 | pilot project shall determine how the low-cost laptops are | ||||||
8 | assigned and retained. | ||||||
9 | (c) After the expiration of the pilot project, the State | ||||||
10 | Board shall review the project based on the annual reports the | ||||||
11 | State Board receives from the school board of participating | ||||||
12 | school districts. | ||||||
13 | Section 30. Repeal. This Act is repealed on August 31, | ||||||
14 | 2011. | ||||||
15 | Section 90. The State Finance Act is amended by adding | ||||||
16 | Section 5.708 as follows: | ||||||
17 | (30 ILCS 105/5.708 new) | ||||||
18 | Sec. 5.708. The Elementary Students' Low-cost Laptop Fund. | ||||||
19 | This Section is repealed on August 31, 2011.
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20 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
21 | becoming law.".
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