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Public Act 096-0106
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| SB1796 Enrolled |
LRB096 10970 NHT 21240 b |
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AN ACT concerning education.
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Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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represented in the General Assembly:
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Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Section |
2-3.66b as follows:
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(105 ILCS 5/2-3.66b new) |
Sec. 2-3.66b. IHOPE Program. |
(a) There is established the Illinois Hope and Opportunity |
Pathways through Education (IHOPE) Program. The State Board of |
Education shall implement and administer the IHOPE Program. The |
goal of the IHOPE Program is to develop a comprehensive system |
in this State to re-enroll significant numbers of high school |
dropouts in programs that will enable them to earn their high |
school diploma. |
(b) The IHOPE Program shall award grants, subject to |
appropriation for this purpose, to educational service regions |
and a school district organized under Article 34 of this Code |
from appropriated funds to assist in establishing |
instructional programs and other services designed to |
re-enroll high school dropouts. From any funds appropriated for |
the IHOPE Program, the State Board of Education may use up to |
5% for administrative costs, including the performance of a |
program evaluation and the hiring of staff to implement and |
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administer the program. |
The IHOPE Program shall provide incentive grant funds for |
regional offices of education and a school district organized |
under Article 34 of this Code to develop partnerships with |
school districts, public community colleges, and community |
groups to build comprehensive plans to re-enroll high school |
dropouts in their regions or districts. |
Programs funded through the IHOPE Program shall allow high |
school dropouts, up to and including age 21 notwithstanding |
Section 26-2 of this Code, to re-enroll in an educational |
program in conformance with rules adopted by the State Board of |
Education. Programs may include without limitation |
comprehensive year-round programming, evening school, summer |
school, community college courses, adult education, vocational |
training, work experience, programs to enhance self-concept, |
and parenting courses. Any student in the IHOPE Program who |
wishes to earn a high school diploma must meet the |
prerequisites to receiving a high school diploma specified in |
Section 27-22 of this Code and any other graduation |
requirements of the student's district of residence. Any |
student who successfully completes the requirements for his or |
her graduation shall receive a diploma identifying the student |
as graduating from his or her district of residence. |
(c) In order to be eligible for funding under the IHOPE |
Program, an interested regional office of education or a school |
district organized under Article 34 of this Code shall develop |
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an IHOPE Plan to be approved by the State Board of Education. |
The State Board of Education shall develop rules for the IHOPE |
Program that shall set forth the requirements for the |
development of the IHOPE Plan. Each Plan shall involve school |
districts, public community colleges, and key community |
programs that work with high school dropouts located in an |
educational service region or the City of Chicago before the |
Plan is sent to the State Board for approval. No funds may be |
distributed to a regional office of education or a school |
district organized under Article 34 of this Code until the |
State Board has approved the Plan. |
(d) A regional office of education or a school district |
organized under Article 34 of this Code may operate its own |
program funded by the IHOPE Program or enter into a contract |
with other not-for-profit entities, including school |
districts, public community colleges, and not-for-profit |
community-based organizations, to operate a program. |
A regional office of education or a school district |
organized under Article 34 of this Code that receives an IHOPE |
grant from the State Board of Education may provide funds under |
a sub-grant, as specified in the IHOPE Plan, to other |
not-for-profit entities to provide services according to the |
IHOPE Plan that was developed. These other entities may include |
school districts, public community colleges, or not-for-profit |
community-based organizations or a cooperative partnership |
among these entities. |
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(e) In order to distribute funding based upon the need to |
ensure delivery of programs that will have the greatest impact, |
IHOPE Program funding must be distributed based upon the |
proportion of dropouts in the educational service region or |
school district, in the case of a school district organized |
under Article 34 of this Code, to the total number of dropouts |
in this State. This formula shall employ the dropout data |
provided by school districts to the State Board of Education. |
A regional office of education or a school district |
organized under Article 34 of this Code may claim State aid |
under Section 18-8.05 of this Code for students enrolled in a |
program funded by the IHOPE Program, provided that the State |
Board of Education has approved the IHOPE Plan and that these |
students are receiving services that are meeting the |
requirements of Section 27-22 of this Code for receipt of a |
high school diploma and are otherwise eligible to be claimed |
for general State aid under Section 18-8.05 of this Code, |
including provisions related to the minimum number of days of |
pupil attendance pursuant to Section 10-19 of this Code and the |
minimum number of daily hours of school work and any exceptions |
thereto as defined by the State Board of Education in rules. |
(f) IHOPE categories of programming may include the |
following: |
(1) Full-time programs that are comprehensive, |
year-round programs. |
(2) Part-time programs combining work and study |
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scheduled at various times that are flexible to the needs |
of students. |
(3) Online programs and courses in which students take |
courses and complete on-site, supervised tests that |
measure the student's mastery of a specific course needed |
for graduation. Students may take courses online and earn |
credit or students may prepare to take supervised tests for |
specific courses for credit leading to receipt of a high |
school diploma. |
(4) Dual enrollment in which students attend high |
school classes in combination with community college |
classes or students attend community college classes while |
simultaneously earning high school credit and eventually a |
high school diploma. |
(g) In order to have successful comprehensive programs |
re-enrolling and graduating low-skilled high school dropouts, |
programs funded through the IHOPE Program shall include all of |
the following components: |
(1) Small programs (70 to 100 students) at a separate |
school site with a distinct identity. Programs may be |
larger with specific need and justification, keeping in |
mind that it is crucial to keep programs small to be |
effective. |
(2) Specific performance-based goals and outcomes and |
measures of enrollment, attendance, skills, credits, |
graduation, and the transition to college, training, and |
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employment. |
(3) Strong, experienced leadership and teaching staff |
who are provided with ongoing professional development. |
(4) Voluntary enrollment. |
(5) High standards for student learning, integrating |
work experience, and education, including during the |
school year and after school, and summer school programs |
that link internships, work, and learning. |
(6) Comprehensive programs providing extensive support |
services. |
(7) Small teams of students supported by full-time paid |
mentors who work to retain and help those students |
graduate. |
(8) A comprehensive technology learning center with |
Internet access and broad-based curriculum focusing on |
academic and career subject areas. |
(9) Learning opportunities that incorporate action |
into study. |
(h) Programs funded through the IHOPE Program must report |
data to the State Board of Education as requested. This |
information shall include, but is not limited to, student |
enrollment figures, attendance information, course completion |
data, graduation information, and post-graduation information, |
as available. |
(i) Rules must be developed by the State Board of Education |
to set forth the fund distribution process to regional offices |