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1     AN ACT concerning education.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
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 whereby
15 schools will provide a low-cost laptop computer to each
16 student, teacher, and relevant administrator in a
17 participating school and implement the use of educational
18 software and computer skills training in order to improve
19 academic achievement and the progress measures listed in
20 subsection (a) of Section 20 in this Act.
 
21     Section 10. Definitions. In this Act:
22     "Primary school" means any school with students in third,

 

 

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1 fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, or eighth grade.
2     "Low-cost laptop" means a portable personal computing
3 device suitable for use among primary school-aged children,
4 under $400 in initial cost or with a financed cost of under
5 $250 per year.
6     "State Board" means the State Board of Education.
 
7     Section 15. Pilot project; Children's Low-cost Laptop
8 Fund.
9     (a) Subject to an appropriation made specifically for this
10 purpose, the State Board shall provide for the administration
11 of a low-cost laptop pilot project. The pilot project shall be
12 for a period of at least 2 years. In administering the pilot
13 project, the State Board shall:
14         (1) select participating primary schools;
15         (2) coordinate a statewide grant program for selected
16     schools to purchase and distribute laptop computers and
17     other technologies;
18         (3) define the conditions for the distribution and use
19     of grant funding;
20         (4) monitor project implementation; and
21         (5) evaluate the project.
22     (b) The State Board may also use, for the purposes of the
23 pilot project, any public or private gift, grant, or donation
24 deposited into the State Board of Education Special Purpose
25 Trust Fund under Section 2-3.127a of the School Code. Pilot

 

 

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1 project funds must be used for the following:
2         (1) to purchase low-cost laptop computers;
3         (2) for network infrastructure to support wireless
4     access points, cables, and routers;
5         (3) for replacements for any of the following low-cost
6     laptop components: batteries, power cords, or other
7     software and hardware;
8         (4) for professional development and technical support
9     for participating teachers; for the purposes of this item
10     (4), "professional development" means the training of
11     certified teaching professionals in the integration of
12     low-cost laptop computers into the classroom curriculum;
13         (5) to support necessary staff positions at the State
14     Board; and
15         (6) to evaluate the pilot program's effectiveness.
16     The State Board may not allocate more than $100 million for
17 the pilot project. The pilot project must be implemented as
18 long as funds are available under this Section to support the
19 participation of at least 3 schools.
 
20     Section 20. Program participation requirements. A school
21 may apply to the State Board to establish a low-cost laptop
22 pilot project grant for the entire school or for a particular
23 grade or classroom or classrooms.
24     The State Board shall select up to 300 schools to
25 participate in the pilot project. At least one-third of the

 

 

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1 participating students shall be located in the City of Chicago;
2 at least one-third shall be located in the area that makes up
3 the counties of DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will, and that
4 portion of Cook County that is located outside of the City of
5 Chicago; and at least one-third shall be located in the
6 remainder of the State.
7     The State Board shall select the participating schools for
8 the pilot project based on need. In selecting participants, the
9 State Board shall consider each school's:
10         (1) free and reduced lunch eligible student
11     population;
12         (2) access to educational technology resources; and
13         (3) performance on standardized tests required by the
14     State Board.
 
15     Section 25. Reporting.
16     (a) The school board of each participating school shall
17 send an annual progress report to the State Board no later than
18 September 1 of each year that the school is participating in
19 the pilot project. The report must include the project's effect
20 on:
21         (1) performance on standardized tests required by the
22     State Board;
23         (2) school costs;
24         (3) attendance rates;
25         (4) teacher performance and retention;

 

 

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1         (5) parental involvement in education;
2         (6) community support for the school; and
3         (7) student technology proficiency.
4     (b) With guidance from the State Board, each participating
5 school shall determine how the low-cost laptops are purchased,
6 assigned, maintained, and retained.
 
7     Section 30. Repeal. This Act is repealed on August 31,
8 2012.
 
9     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
10 becoming law.