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90_HB1325 105 ILCS 5/2-3.64 from Ch. 122, par. 2-3.64 Amends the School Code. Replaces provisions that require 3rd and 5th grade pupils who fall 2 or more grades below current grade placement on State assessment tests to participate in a remediation program developed by the school district with provisions that require 3rd and 5th grade students whose composite score on the State assessment tests in reading, writing, and math is below statewide standards to enroll in and attend 90 hours of summer school. Requires a third grade pupil who has not yet repeated third grade, who must attend summer school, and who fails to attain the required composite score by the end of the summer school session to repeat third grade. LRB9004683THpk LRB9004683THpk 1 AN ACT to amend the School Code by changing Section 2 2-3.64. 3 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 4 represented in the General Assembly: 5 Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing 6 Section 2-3.64 as follows: 7 (105 ILCS 5/2-3.64) (from Ch. 122, par. 2-3.64) 8 Sec. 2-3.64. State goals and assessment. 9 (a) Beginning in the 1992-93 school year, the State 10 Board of Education shall establish standards and annually, 11 through the 1997-1998 school year, assess the performance 12 of: (i) all pupils enrolled in the 3rd, 6th, 8th, and 10th 13 grades in language arts (reading and writing) and 14 mathematics; and (ii) all pupils enrolled in the 4th, 7th, 15 and 11th grades in the biological, physical, and social 16 sciences. Beginning in the 1995-96 school year, the State 17 Board of Education shall establish standards and periodically 18 conduct, through the 1997-1998 school year, studies of 19 student performance in the learning areas of fine arts and 20 physical development/health. Beginning with the 1998-1999 21 school year, the State Board of Education shall annually 22 assess the performance of all pupils enrolled in the 3rd and 23 5th grades in the basic subjects of reading, writing, and 24 mathematics. The State Board of Education shall establish, in 25 final form and within one year after the effective date of 26 this amendatory Act of 1996, the academic standards that are 27 to be applicable to pupils who are subject to State 28 assessment under this Section beginning with the 1998-1999 29 school year. However, the State Board of Education shall not 30 establish any such standards in final form without first 31 providing opportunities for public participation and local -2- LRB9004683THpk 1 input in the development of the final academic standards. 2 Those opportunities shall include a well-publicized period of 3 public comment, public hearings throughout the State, and 4 opportunities to file written comments. Beginning with the 5 1998-99 school year and thereafter, a pupil in grade 3 or 6 grade 5 whose composite score on the State assessment tests 7 in reading, writing, and mathematics is below a standard that 8 the State Board of Education shall by rule establish for 9 purposes of this subsection shall be enrolled in and shall 10 attend not less than 90 hours of summer school during the 11 summer school session that begins at the close of the regular 12 term of the school year in which the pupil fails to attain 13 the required composite score. If a pupil from grade 3 or 14 grade 5 who is required by the provisions of this subsection 15 to attend summer school fails to attend summer school as 16 required, the school district shall require that pupil to 17 repeat grade 3 or grade 5, as the case may be. Each school 18 district with a pupil whose grade 3 or grade 5 composite 19 score on the State assessment tests in reading, writing, and 20 mathematics is below the standard established by the State 21 Board of Education is required, unless the district is 22 operating under a full year school plan approved by the State 23 Board of Education, to provide a summer school session that 24 will enable the pupil to meet the summer school attendance 25 requirements of this subsection. Further if a pupil from 26 grade 3 who is required to attend the summer school session 27 under the provisions of this subsection attends summer school 28 but fails to attain, by the end of that summer school 29 session, a composite score on the State assessment tests in 30 reading, writing, and mathematics that is at least equal to 31 the standards established by the State Board of Education, 32 and if the pupil has not previously been required to repeat a 33 grade level, the school district shall require that pupil to 34 repeat grade 3.pupils in the 3rd grade or 5th grade who, by-3- LRB9004683THpk 1performance on the State assessment tests or by teacher2judgement, demonstrate a proficiency level comparable to the3average pupil performance 2 or more grades below current4placement shall be provided a remediation program developed5by the district in consultation with a parent or guardian.6Such remediation programs may include, but shall not be7limited to, increased or concentrated instructional time, a8remedial summer school program of not less than 90 hours,9improved instructional approaches, tutorial sessions,10retention in grade, and modifications to instructional11materials. Each pupil for whom a remediation program is12developed under this subsection shall be required to enroll13in and attend whatever program the district determines is14appropriate for the pupil.Districts may combine students in 15 providing a summer school session as required in this 16 subsectionremediation programswhere appropriate and may 17 cooperate with other districts in the design and delivery of 18 a required summer school sessionthose programs. The parent 19 or guardian of a student required to attend a summer school 20 sessionremediation programunder this Section shall be given 21 written notice of that requirement by the school district a 22 reasonable time prior to commencement ofthe remediation23programthat sessionthe student is to attend. The State 24 shall be responsible for providing school districts with the 25 new and additional funding, under Section 2-3.51.5 or by 26 other or additional means, that is required to enable the 27 districts to operate summer school sessionsremediation28programsfor the pupils who are required to enroll in and 29 attend those sessionsprogramsunder this Section. Every 30 individualized educational program as described in Article 14 31 shall identify if the State test or components thereof are 32 appropriate for that student. For those pupils for whom the 33 State test or components thereof are not appropriate, the 34 State Board of Education shall develop rules and regulations -4- LRB9004683THpk 1 governing the administration of alternative assessments 2 prescribed within each student's individualized educational 3 program which are appropriate to the disability of each 4 student. All pupils who are in a State approved transitional 5 bilingual education program or transitional program of 6 instruction shall participate in the State assessment. Any 7 student who has been enrolled in a State approved bilingual 8 education program less than 3 academic years shall be 9 exempted if the student's lack of English as determined by an 10 English language proficiency test would keep the student from 11 understanding the test, and that student's district shall 12 have an alternative assessment program in place for that 13 student. The State Board of Education shall appoint a task 14 force of concerned parents, teachers, school administrators 15 and other professionals to assist in identifying such 16 alternative assessment programs. Reasonable accommodations as 17 prescribed by the State Board of Education shall be provided 18 for individual students in the assessment procedure. All 19 assessment procedures prescribed by the State Board of 20 Education shall require: (i) that each test used for State 21 and local student assessment testing under this Section 22 identify by name the pupil taking the test; (ii) that the 23 name of the pupil taking the test be placed on the test at 24 the time the test is taken; (iii) that the results or scores 25 of each test taken under this Section by a pupil of the 26 school district be reported to that district and identify by 27 name the pupil who received the reported results of scores; 28 and (iv) that the results or scores of each test taken under 29 this Section be made available to the parents of the pupil. 30 In addition, beginning with the 1998-1999 school year and in 31 each school year thereafter, all scores received by a student 32 on the Illinois Goals and Assessment Program tests 33 administered by the State Board of Education under this 34 Section and, beginning with the 1999-2000 school year and in -5- LRB9004683THpk 1 each school year thereafter, on the Prairie State Achievement 2 Examination administered under subsection (c) of this Section 3 shall become part of the student's permanent record and shall 4 be entered therein pursuant to regulations that the State 5 Board of Education shall promulgate for that purpose in 6 accordance with Section 3 and subsection (e) of Section 2 of 7 the Illinois School Student Records Act. The State Board of 8 Education shall establish a common month in each school year 9 for which State testing shall occur to meet the objectives of 10 this Section. However, if the schools of a district are 11 closed and classes are not scheduled during any week that is 12 established by the State Board of Education as the week of 13 the month when State testing under this Section shall occur, 14 the school district may administer the required State testing 15 at any time up to 2 weeks following the week established by 16 the State Board of Education for the testing, so long as the 17 school district gives the State Board of Education written 18 notice of its intention to deviate from the established 19 schedule by January 2 of the year in which falls the week 20 established by the State Board of Education for the testing. 21 The maximum time allowed for all actual testing required 22 under this subsection during the school year shall not exceed 23 25 hours as allocated among the required tests by the State 24 Board of Education. 25 (a-5) The State Board of Education shall review the 26 current assessment testing schedule applicable under 27 subsection (a) on the effective date of this amendatory Act 28 of 1996 and submit a plan to the General Assembly, on or 29 before December 31, 1996, to increase the effectiveness of 30 the State assessment tests administered under that subsection 31 with respect to student diagnosis and to reduce the amount of 32 classroom time spent administering those tests. The General 33 Assembly may enact the recommendations made by the State 34 Board of Education to maximize effectiveness and minimize the -6- LRB9004683THpk 1 hours and grade levels of testing. 2 (b) It shall be the policy of the State to encourage 3 school districts to continuously assess pupil proficiency. 4 Each district's school improvement plan must address specific 5 activities the district intends to implement to assist pupils 6 who by teacher judgement and assessment results as prescribed 7 in subsection (a) of this Section demonstrate that they are 8 not meeting State goals or local objectives. Such activities 9 may include, but shall not be limited to, summer school, 10 extended school day, special homework, tutorial sessions, 11 modified instructional materials, other modifications in the 12 instructional program, reduced class size or retention in 13 grade. To assist school districts in assessing pupil 14 proficiency in reading in the primary grades, the State Board 15 shall make optional reading inventories for diagnostic 16 purposes available to each school district that requests such 17 assistance. Districts that administer the reading 18 inventories may develop remediation programs for students who 19 perform in the bottom half of the student population. Those 20 remediation programs may be funded by moneys provided under 21 the School Safety and Educational Improvement Block Grant 22 Program established under Section 2-3.51.5. Nothing in this 23 Section shall prevent school districts from implementing 24 testing and remediation policies for grades not required 25 under this Section. 26 (c) Beginning with the 1999-2000 school year, each 27 school district that operates a high school program for 28 students in grades 9 through 12 shall administer a Prairie 29 State Achievement Examination each year to its 12th grade 30 students. The Prairie State Achievement Examination shall 31 measure student performance in the 5 fundamental academic 32 areas of reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social 33 studies. The State Board of Education shall establish the 34 academic standards that are to apply in measuring student -7- LRB9004683THpk 1 performance on the Prairie State Achievement Examination in 2 those 5 fundamental academic areas, including the minimum 3 examination score that will qualify for purposes of this 4 Section as a score that is excellent. A student whose score 5 on the Prairie State Achievement Examination is determined to 6 be excellent by the State Board of Education shall receive 7 the Prairie State Achievement Award from the State in 8 recognition of the student's excellent performance. Each 12th 9 grade student, exclusive of a student whose individualized 10 educational program developed under Article 14 does not 11 identify the Prairie State Achievement Examination as 12 appropriate for the student, shall be required to take the 13 examination, which each school district shall administer to 14 its 12th grade students in January of each school year. The 15 Prairie State Achievement Examination shall be administered 16 by each school district a second time, in March of each 17 school year, for those 12th grade students who fail to 18 receive a score on the January examination that would qualify 19 them to receive the Prairie State Achievement Award and who 20 elect to take the March examination for the purpose of 21 attempting to earn a score that will qualify them to receive 22 that award. Students who will graduate from high school 23 before entering grade 12 shall take the Prairie State 24 Achievement Examination during the school year in which they 25 will graduate from high school. Students receiving special 26 education services whose individualized educational programs 27 do not identify the Prairie State Achievement Examination as 28 appropriate for them nevertheless shall have the option of 29 taking the examination, which shall be administered to those 30 students in accordance with standards adopted by the State 31 Board of Education to accommodate the respective disabilities 32 of those students. A student who successfully completes all 33 other applicable high school graduation requirements but 34 fails to receive a score on the Prairie State Achievement -8- LRB9004683THpk 1 Examination that qualifies the student for receipt of the 2 Prairie State Achievement Award shall nevertheless qualify 3 for the receipt of a regular high school diploma. 4 (Source: P.A. 88-192; 88-227; 88-670, eff. 12-2-94; 88-686, 5 eff. 1-24-95; 89-610, eff. 8-6-96.)