SB3541 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB098 19604 NHT 54798 b

98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2013 and 2014
SB3541

Introduced 2/14/2014, by Sen. Toi W. Hutchinson

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

105 ILCS 5/13-43.14

from Ch. 122, par. 13-43.14

Amends the School Code. Requires the Board of Education for the Department of Juvenile Justice School District to establish a pilot program in which students who are credit deficient or in need of a non-traditional education are provided an online alternative to earning a high school diploma. Provides that the pilot program shall allow eligible students to take online courses provided by an online career education program and taught by teachers certified by the online career education program, which shall allow a student to earn enough credits to graduate or to receive a high school diploma and career certificate from the online career education program. Requires the Board to choose 2 facilities to participate in the pilot program and develop a plan for online career education programs participating in the pilot program. Sets forth classifications of career educational programming that the plan must address, and requires the plan to evaluate the effect of students' mobility between juvenile justice education programs and school districts on the students' educational outcomes and whether the continuity of the students' educational outcomes and whether the continuity of the student's education can be better addressed through an Internet-based delivery of education that meets certain requirements. Provides for a report to the General Assembly. Effective immediately.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

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 changing Section 13-43.14 as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/13-43.14) (from Ch. 122, par. 13-43.14)

Sec. 13-43.14. (a) The Board shall determine the branches and courses of study and the type of schools for each facility as well as to establish special schools at various facilities or facility within said district and to establish district wide schools at one or more locations for special purposes, and is empowered to enter into agreements with local school districts for the purpose of using their facilities or coordinating facilities for a more efficient use of funds, personnel, physical plants and other combined available resources. The Board shall also determine the type of textbooks and apparatus for said schools.

(b) The Board shall establish a pilot program in which students who are credit deficient or in need of a non-traditional education are provided an online alternative to earning a high school diploma. The pilot program shall allow eligible students to take online courses provided by an online career education program and taught by teachers certified by the online career education program, which shall allow a student to earn enough credits to graduate or to receive a high school diploma and career certificate from the online career education program. The Board shall choose 2 facilities to participate in the pilot program.

The Board shall develop a plan for online career education programs participating in the pilot program. The plan must address the following classifications of career educational programming:

(1) Type 1. Programs that teach personal accountability skills and behaviors that are appropriate for students in all age groups and ability levels and that lead to work habits that help maintain employment and living standards.

(2) Type 2. Programs that include Type 1 program content and an orientation to the broad scope of career choices, based upon personal abilities, aptitudes, and interests, and exploring and gaining knowledge of occupational options and the level of effort required to achieve them as essential prerequisites to skill training.

(3) Type 3. Programs that include Type 1 program content and career education competencies or the prerequisites needed for entry into a specific occupation.

The plan must also evaluate the effect of students' mobility between juvenile justice education programs and school districts on the students' educational outcomes and whether the continuity of the students' educational outcomes and whether the continuity of the student's education can be better addressed through an Internet-based delivery of education that meets requirements for:

(A) delivery by an agent that is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools' Council on Accreditation and School Improvement;

(B) delivery from a secure environment that both protects and restricts Internet-access for students in confined or restricted settings;

(C) responsive and rapid enrollment, ensuring juvenile offenders are placed in an educational setting immediately upon adjudication, instead of waiting for the start of a new semester or quarter;

(D) articulating credits, issuing transcripts, and conferring certifications and diplomas, allowing existing credits toward graduation to be incorporated into the overall graduation plan;

(E) accommodating the needs of juvenile offenders with widely varying academic requirements; and

(F) providing performance-based instruction that advances students based on performance, not just instruction time.

No more than 3 years after the pilot program has been established under this Section, the Board shall file a report with the General Assembly concerning the results of the pilot program and whether the pilot program should be expanded.

(Source: P.A. 77-1779.)

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