Sen. Ira I. Silverstein

Filed: 4/14/2016

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 2840

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 2840 by replacing
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4    "Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section
53-15.12 as follows:
 
6    (105 ILCS 5/3-15.12)  (from Ch. 122, par. 3-15.12)
7    Sec. 3-15.12. High school equivalency testing program. The
8regional superintendent of schools shall make available for
9qualified individuals residing within the region a High School
10Equivalency Testing Program. For that purpose the regional
11superintendent alone or with other regional superintendents
12may establish and supervise a testing center or centers to
13administer the secure forms for high school equivalency testing
14to qualified persons. Such centers shall be under the
15supervision of the regional superintendent in whose region such
16centers are located, subject to the approval of the Executive

 

 

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1Director of the Illinois Community College Board.
2    An individual is eligible to apply to the regional
3superintendent of schools for the region in which he or she
4resides if he or she is: (a) a person who is 17 years of age or
5older, has maintained residence in the State of Illinois, and
6is not a high school graduate; (b) a person who is successfully
7completing an alternative education program under Section
82-3.81, Article 13A, or Article 13B; or (c) a person who is
9enrolled in a youth education program sponsored by the Illinois
10National Guard. For purposes of this Section, residence is that
11abode which the applicant considers his or her home. Applicants
12may provide as sufficient proof of such residence and as an
13acceptable form of identification a driver's license, valid
14passport, military ID, or other form of government-issued
15national or foreign identification that shows the applicant's
16name, address, date of birth, signature, and photograph or
17other acceptable identification as may be allowed by law or as
18regulated by the Illinois Community College Board. Such
19regional superintendent shall determine if the applicant meets
20statutory and regulatory state standards. If qualified the
21applicant shall at the time of such application pay a fee
22established by the Illinois Community College Board, which fee
23shall be paid into a special fund under the control and
24supervision of the regional superintendent. Such moneys
25received by the regional superintendent shall be used, first,
26for the expenses incurred in administering and scoring the

 

 

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1examination, and next for other educational programs that are
2developed and designed by the regional superintendent of
3schools to assist those who successfully complete high school
4equivalency testing in furthering their academic development
5or their ability to secure and retain gainful employment,
6including programs for the competitive award based on test
7scores of college or adult education scholarship grants or
8similar educational incentives. Any excess moneys shall be paid
9into the institute fund.
10    Any applicant who has achieved the minimum passing
11standards as established by the Illinois Community College
12Board shall be notified in writing by the regional
13superintendent and shall be issued a high school equivalency
14certificate on the forms provided by the Illinois Community
15College Board. The regional superintendent shall then certify
16to the Illinois Community College Board the score of the
17applicant and such other and additional information that may be
18required by the Illinois Community College Board. The moneys
19received therefrom shall be used in the same manner as provided
20for in this Section.
21    Any applicant who has attained the age of 17 years and
22maintained residence in the State of Illinois and is not a high
23school graduate, any person who has enrolled in a youth
24education program sponsored by the Illinois National Guard, or
25any person who has successfully completed an alternative
26education program under Section 2-3.81, Article 13A, or Article

 

 

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113B is eligible to apply for a high school equivalency
2certificate (if he or she meets the requirements prescribed by
3the Illinois Community College Board) upon showing evidence
4that he or she has completed, successfully, high school
5equivalency testing, administered by the United States Armed
6Forces Institute, official high school equivalency testing
7centers established in other states, Veterans' Administration
8Hospitals, or the office of the State Superintendent of
9Education for the Illinois State Penitentiary System and the
10Department of Corrections. Such applicant shall apply to the
11regional superintendent of the region wherein he or she has
12maintained residence, and, upon payment of a fee established by
13the Illinois Community College Board, the regional
14superintendent shall issue a high school equivalency
15certificate and immediately thereafter certify to the Illinois
16Community College Board the score of the applicant and such
17other and additional information as may be required by the
18Illinois Community College Board.
19    Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section, any
20applicant who has been out of school for at least one year may
21request the regional superintendent of schools to administer
22restricted high school equivalency testing upon written
23request of: the director of a program who certifies to the
24Chief Examiner of an official high school equivalency testing
25center that the applicant has completed a program of
26instruction provided by such agencies as the Job Corps, the

 

 

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1Postal Service Academy, or an apprenticeship training program;
2an employer or program director for purposes of entry into
3apprenticeship programs; another state's department of
4education in order to meet regulations established by that
5department of education; or a post high school educational
6institution for purposes of admission, the Department of
7Financial and Professional Regulation for licensing purposes,
8or the Armed Forces for induction purposes. The regional
9superintendent shall administer such testing, and the
10applicant shall be notified in writing that he or she is
11eligible to receive a high school equivalency certificate upon
12reaching age 17, provided he or she meets the standards
13established by the Illinois Community College Board.
14    Any test administered under this Section to an applicant
15who does not speak and understand English may at the discretion
16of the administering agency be given and answered in any
17language in which the test is printed. The regional
18superintendent of schools may waive any fees required by this
19Section in case of hardship. The regional superintendent of
20schools and the Illinois Community College Board shall waive
21any fees required by this Section for an applicant who meets
22all of the following criteria:
23        (1) The applicant qualifies as a homeless person,
24    child, or youth as defined in the Education for Homeless
25    Children Act.
26        (2) The applicant has not attained 25 years of age as

 

 

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1    of the date of the scheduled test.
2        (3) The applicant can verify his or her status as a
3    homeless person, child, or youth. A homeless services
4    provider that is qualified to verify an individual's
5    housing status, as determined by the Illinois Community
6    College Board, and that has knowledge of the applicant's
7    housing status may verify the applicant's status for
8    purposes of this subdivision (3).
9        (4) The applicant has completed a high school
10    equivalency preparation course through an Illinois
11    Community College Board-approved provider.
12        (5) The applicant is taking the test at a testing
13    center operated by a regional superintendent of schools or
14    the Cook County High School Equivalency Office.
15    In counties of over 3,000,000 population, a high school
16equivalency certificate shall contain the signatures of the
17Executive Director of the Illinois Community College Board and
18the superintendent, president, or other chief executive
19officer of the institution where high school equivalency
20testing instruction occurred and any other signatures
21authorized by the Illinois Community College Board.
22    The regional superintendent of schools shall furnish the
23Illinois Community College Board with any information that the
24Illinois Community College Board requests with regard to
25testing and certificates under this Section.
26(Source: P.A. 98-718, eff. 1-1-15; 98-719, eff. 1-1-15; 99-78,

 

 

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1eff. 7-20-15.)".