Public Act 103-0854
 
HB5276 EnrolledLRB103 36939 RJT 67053 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
14-8.03 as follows:
 
    (105 ILCS 5/14-8.03)  (from Ch. 122, par. 14-8.03)
    Sec. 14-8.03. Transition services.
    (a) For purposes of this Section:
    "Independent living skills" may include, without
limitation, personal hygiene, health care, fitness, food
preparation and nutrition, home management and safety,
dressing and clothing care, financial management and wellness,
self-esteem, self-advocacy, self-determination, community
living, housing options, public safety, leisure and
recreation, and transportation.
    "Transition services" means a coordinated set of
activities for a child with a disability that (i) is designed
to be within a results-oriented process that is focused on
improving the academic and functional achievement of the child
with a disability to facilitate the child's movement from
school to post-school activities, including post-secondary
education, which may include for-credit courses, career and
technical education, and non-credit courses and instruction,
vocational education, integrated employment (including
supported employment), continuing and adult education, adult
services, independent living, or community participation; (ii)
is based on the individual child's needs, taking into account
the child's strengths, preferences, and interests; and (iii)
includes instruction, related services, community experiences,
the development of employment and other post-school adult
living objectives, and, if appropriate, acquisition of daily
living skills, benefits counseling and planning, work
incentives education, and the provision of a functional
vocational evaluation. Transition services for a child with a
disability may be special education, if provided as specially
designed instruction, or a related service if required to
assist a child with a disability to benefit from special
education.
    (a-5) Beginning no later than the first individualized
education plan (IEP) in effect when the student turns age 14
1/2 (or younger if determined appropriate by the IEP Team) and
updated annually thereafter, the IEP must include (i)
measurable post-secondary goals based upon age-appropriate
transition assessments and other information available
regarding the student that are related to training, education,
employment, and independent living skills and (ii) the
transition services needed to assist the student in reaching
those goals, including courses of study.
    As a component of transition planning, the school district
shall provide the student and the parent or guardian of the
student with information about the school district's career
and technical education (CTE) opportunities and postsecondary
CTE opportunities. The CTE information shall include a list of
programming options, the scope and sequence of study for
pursuing those options, and the locations of those options. A
student in high school with an IEP may enroll in the school
district's CTE program at any time if participation in a CTE
program is consistent with the student's transition goals.
    The student and the parent or guardian of the student
shall be provided with information about dual credit courses
offered by the school district. The information shall include
courses offered by the school district for dual credit under
Section 16 of the Dual Credit Quality Act and courses in which
the student may enroll for high school credit only under
Section 16.5 of the Dual Credit Quality Act. The information
shall include the criteria for entry into any dual credit
course in which the student or the parent or guardian of the
student indicates interest. If the student is enrolled in a
dual credit course for dual credit or for high school credit
only, the student's participation in the course shall be
included as part of the student's transition IEP activities.
    The student's transition plan shall include consideration
of the student's assistive technology needs, such as assistive
technology evaluations, devices, and services, related to the
student's transition goals for employment, education or
training, and independent living, both while the student is
participating in transition-related activities and in
post-school activities. The student's transition plan shall
also include consideration of the availability and
accessibility of appropriate assistive technology devices and
services for the student once in the post-school environment.
    (b) Transition planning must be conducted as part of the
IEP process and must be governed by the procedures applicable
to the development, review, and revision of the IEP, including
notices to the parents and student, parent and student
participation, and annual review. To appropriately assess and
develop IEP transition goals and transition services for a
child with a disability, additional participants may be
necessary and may be invited by the school district, parent,
or student to participate in the transition planning process.
Additional participants may include without limitation a
representative from the Department of Human Services or
another State agency, a case coordinator, or persons
representing other public or community agencies or services,
such as adult service providers, disability services
coordinators of public community colleges, and a CTE
coordinator. The IEP shall identify each person responsible
for coordinating and delivering transition services. If the
IEP team determines that the student requires transition
services from a public or private entity outside of the school
district, the IEP team shall identify potential outside
resources, assign one or more IEP team members to contact the
appropriate outside entities, make the necessary referrals,
provide any information and documents necessary to complete
the referral, follow up with the entity to ensure that the
student has been successfully linked to the entity, and
monitor the student's progress to determine if the student's
IEP transition goals and benchmarks are being met. The
student's IEP shall indicate one or more specific time periods
during the school year when the IEP team shall review the
services provided by the outside entity and the student's
progress in such activities. The public school's
responsibility for delivering educational services does not
extend beyond the time the student leaves school or when the
student's eligibility ends due to age under this Article.
    (c) A school district shall submit annually a summary of
each eligible student's IEP transition goals and transition
services resulting from the IEP Team meeting to the
appropriate local Transition Planning Committee. If students
with disabilities who are ineligible for special education
services request transition services, local public school
districts shall assist those students by identifying
post-secondary school goals, delivering appropriate education
services, and coordinating with other agencies and services
for assistance.
(Source: P.A. 102-516, eff. 8-20-21; 103-181, eff. 6-30-23.)
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.

Effective Date: 8/9/2024