SB0665enr 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB0665 Enrolled LRB099 04291 NHT 24316 b

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 2-3.25f as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/2-3.25f) (from Ch. 122, par. 2-3.25f)

Sec. 2-3.25f. State interventions.

(a) The State Board of Education shall provide technical assistance to assist with the development and implementation of School and District Improvement Plans.

Schools or school districts that fail to make reasonable efforts to implement an approved Improvement Plan may suffer loss of State funds by school district, attendance center, or program as the State Board of Education deems appropriate.

(a-5) (Blank).

(b) If after 3 years following its placement on academic watch status a school district or school remains on academic watch status, the State Board of Education may (i) change the recognition status of the school district or school to nonrecognized or (ii) authorize the State Superintendent of Education to direct the reassignment of pupils or direct the reassignment or replacement of school district personnel who are relevant to the failure to meet adequate yearly progress criteria. If a school district is nonrecognized in its entirety, it shall automatically be dissolved on July 1 following that nonrecognition and its territory realigned with another school district or districts by the regional board of school trustees in accordance with the procedures set forth in Section 7-11 of the School Code. The effective date of the nonrecognition of a school shall be July 1 following the nonrecognition.

(b-5) The State Board of Education shall also develop a system to provide assistance and resources to lower performing school districts. At a minimum, the State Board shall identify school districts to receive priority services, to be known as priority districts. The school district shall provide the exclusive bargaining representative with a 5-day notice that the district has been identified as a priority district. In addition, the State Board may, by rule, develop other categories of low-performing schools and school districts to receive services.

Districts designated as priority districts shall be those that fall within one of the following categories:

(1) Have at least one school that is among the lowest performing 5% of schools in this State based on a 3-year average, with respect to the performance of the "all students" group for the percentage of students meeting or exceeding standards in reading and mathematics combined, and demonstrate a lack of progress as defined by the State Board of Education.

(2) Have at least one secondary school that has an average graduation rate of less than 60% over the last 3 school years.

(3) Have at least one school receiving a school improvement grant under Section 1003(g) of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.

The State Board of Education shall work with a priority district to perform a district needs assessment to determine the district's core functions that are areas of strength and weakness, unless the district is already undergoing a national accreditation process. The results from the district needs assessment shall be used by the district to identify goals and objectives for the district's improvement. The district needs assessment shall include a study of district functions, such as district finance, governance, student engagement, instruction practices, climate, community involvement, and continuous improvement.

Based on the results of the district needs assessment, the State Board of Education shall work with the district to provide technical assistance and professional development, in partnership with the district, to implement a continuous improvement plan that would increase outcomes for students. The plan for continuous improvement shall be based on the results of the district needs assessment and shall be used to determine the types of services that are to be provided to each priority district. Potential services for a district may include monitoring adult and student practices, reviewing and reallocating district resources, developing a district leadership team, providing access to curricular content area specialists, and providing online resources and professional development.

The State Board of Education may require priority districts identified as having deficiencies in one or more core functions of the district needs assessment to undergo an accreditation process as provided in subsection (d) of Section 2-3.25f-5 of this Code.

(c) All federal requirements apply to schools and school districts utilizing federal funds under Title I, Part A of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.

(Source: P.A. 97-370, eff. 1-1-12; 98-1155, eff. 1-9-15.)

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