Public Act 103-0181

HB3224 Enrolled LRB103 26755 RJT 53118 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.

(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.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon

becoming law.