Public Act 90-0643 of the 90th General Assembly
Public Act 90-0643
HB3481 Enrolled LRB9010090THpk
AN ACT to amend the School Code by changing Section
3-15.12.
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 3-15.12 as follows:
(105 ILCS 5/3-15.12) (from Ch. 122, par. 3-15.12)
Sec. 3-15.12. High school equivalency testing program.
The regional superintendent of schools shall make available
for qualified individuals residing within the region a High
School Equivalency Testing Program. For that purpose the
regional superintendent alone or with other regional
superintendents may establish and supervise a testing center
or centers to administer the secure forms of the high school
level Test of General Educational Development to qualified
persons. Such centers shall be under the supervision of the
regional superintendent in whose region such centers are
located, subject to the approval of the State Superintendent
of Education.
An individual is eligible to apply to the regional
superintendent of schools for the region in which he resides
if he is: (a) a person who is 18 years of age or older, has
maintained residence in the State of Illinois and is not a
high school graduate, but whose high school class has
graduated; (b) a member of the armed forces of the United
States on active duty who is 17 years of age or older and who
is stationed in Illinois or is a legal resident of Illinois;
(c) a ward of the Department of Corrections who is 17 years
of age or older or an inmate confined in any branch of the
Illinois State Penitentiary or in a county correctional
facility who is 17 years of age or older; (d) a female who is
17 years of age or older who is unable to attend school
because she is either pregnant or the mother of one or more
children; (e) a male 17 years of age or older who is unable
to attend school because he is a father of one or more
children; (f) a person who is successfully completing an
alternative education program under Section 2-3.81 or Article
13A; (g) a person who is enrolled in a youth education
program sponsored by the Illinois National Guard; or (h) a
person who is 17 years of age or older who has been a dropout
for a period of at least one year. For purposes of this
Section, residence is that abode which the applicant
considers his home. Applicants may provide as sufficient
proof of such residence a picture identification card and two
pieces of correctly addressed and postmarked mail. Such
regional superintendent shall determine if the applicant
meets statutory and regulatory state standards. If qualified
the applicant shall at the time of such application pay a fee
established by the State Board of Education of $10 for tests
to be taken through June 30, 1988 and $15 for tests to be
taken thereafter, and when making application for
reexamination a fee of $2 shall be paid for each test to be
retaken, except that after June 30, 1988 a fee of $7 shall be
paid for each essay test to be retaken, which fee shall be
paid into a special fund under the control and supervision of
the regional superintendent. Such moneys received by the
regional superintendent shall be used, first, for the
expenses incurred in administering and scoring the
examination, and next for other educational programs that are
developed and designed by the regional superintendent of
schools to assist those who successfully complete the high
school level test of General Education Development in
furthering their academic development or their ability to
secure and retain gainful employment, including programs for
the competitive award based on test scores of college or
adult education scholarship grants or similar educational
incentives. Any excess moneys shall be paid into the
institute fund.
Any applicant who has achieved the minimum passing
standards as established by the State Board of Education
shall be notified in writing by the regional superintendent
and upon the payment of an additional $10 by the applicant
the regional superintendent shall be issued issue a high
school equivalency certificate on the forms provided by the
State Superintendent of Education. The regional
superintendent shall then certify to the Office of the State
Superintendent of Education the score of the applicant and
such other and additional information that may be required by
the State Superintendent of Education. The moneys received
therefrom shall be used in the same manner as provided for in
this Section.
Any applicant who has attained the age of 18 years and
maintained residence in the State of Illinois and is not a
high school graduate but whose high school class has
graduated or any ward of the Department of Corrections who
has attained the age of 17 years, any inmate confined in any
branch of the Illinois State Penitentiary or in a county
correctional facility who has attained the age of 17 years,
or any member of the armed forces of the United States on
active duty who has attained the age of 17 years and who is
stationed in Illinois or is a legal resident of Illinois, or
any female who has attained the age of 17 years and is either
pregnant or the mother of one or more children, or any male
who has attained the age of 17 years and is the father of one
or more children, or any person who has successfully
completed an alternative education program under Section
2-3.81 or Article 13A, and meets the requirements prescribed
by the State Board of Education, is eligible to apply for a
high school equivalency certificate upon showing evidence
that he has completed, successfully, the high school level
General Educational Development Tests, administered by the
United States Armed Forces Institute, official GED Centers
established in other states, or at Veterans' Administration
Hospitals or the office of the State Superintendent of
Education administered for the Illinois State Penitentiary
System and the Department of Corrections. Such applicant
shall apply to the regional superintendent of the region
wherein he has maintained residence, and upon payment of a
$10 fee established by the State Board of Education the
regional superintendent shall issue a high school equivalency
certificate, and immediately thereafter certify to the State
Superintendent of Education the score of the applicant and
such other and additional information as may be required by
the State Superintendent of Education.
Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section, any
applicant who has been out of school for at least one year
may request the regional superintendent of schools to
administer the restricted GED test upon written request of:
The director of a program who certifies to the Chief Examiner
of an official GED center that the applicant has completed a
program of instruction provided by such agencies as the Job
Corps, the Postal Service Academy or apprenticeship training
program; an employer or program director for purposes of
entry into apprenticeship programs; another State Department
of Education in order to meet regulations established by that
Department of Education, a post high school educational
institution for purposes of admission, the Department of
Professional Regulation for licensing purposes, or the Armed
Forces for induction purposes. The regional superintendent
shall administer such test and the applicant shall be
notified in writing that he is eligible to receive the
Illinois High School Equivalency Certificate upon reaching
age 18, provided he meets the standards established by the
State Board of Education.
Any test administered under this Section to an applicant
who does not speak and understand English may at the
discretion of the administering agency be given and answered
in any language in which the test is printed. The regional
superintendent of schools may waive any fees required by this
Section in case of hardship.
In counties of over 3,000,000 population a GED
certificate issued on or after July 1, 1994 shall contain the
signatures of the State Superintendent of Education, the
superintendent, president or other chief executive officer of
the institution where GED instruction occurred and any other
signatures authorized by the State Superintendent of
Education.
(Source: P.A. 88-67; 88-386; 88-670, eff. 12-2-94; 89-273,
eff. 1-1-96; 89-358, eff. 1-1-96; 89-626, eff. 8-9-96;
89-629, eff. 8-9-96.)
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.