Bill Text: IL HB3783 | 2017-2018 | 100th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Amends the School Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning a high school equivalency testing program.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Failed) 2019-01-08 - Session Sine Die [HB3783 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2017-HB3783-Introduced.html
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1 | AN ACT concerning education.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, | |||||||||||||||||||
3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section | |||||||||||||||||||
5 | 3-15.12 as follows:
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6 | (105 ILCS 5/3-15.12) (from Ch. 122, par. 3-15.12)
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7 | Sec. 3-15.12. High school equivalency testing program. The
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8 | The regional
superintendent of schools shall make available for | |||||||||||||||||||
9 | qualified individuals
residing within the region a High School | |||||||||||||||||||
10 | Equivalency Testing Program.
For that purpose the regional | |||||||||||||||||||
11 | superintendent alone or with other
regional superintendents | |||||||||||||||||||
12 | may establish and supervise a testing center or
centers to | |||||||||||||||||||
13 | administer the secure forms for high school equivalency testing | |||||||||||||||||||
14 | to qualified persons. Such centers
shall be under the | |||||||||||||||||||
15 | supervision of the regional superintendent in whose
region such | |||||||||||||||||||
16 | centers are located, subject to the approval
of the
Executive | |||||||||||||||||||
17 | Director of the Illinois Community College Board.
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18 | An individual is eligible to apply to the regional | |||||||||||||||||||
19 | superintendent of schools
for the region in which he or she
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20 | resides if he or she is: (a) a person who is 17 years
of age or | |||||||||||||||||||
21 | older, has maintained residence in the State of Illinois,
and | |||||||||||||||||||
22 | is
not a high school graduate; (b)
a person who is successfully | |||||||||||||||||||
23 | completing an
alternative education program under Section |
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1 | 2-3.81, Article 13A,
or Article 13B; or (c) a
person who is
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2 | enrolled in a youth education program sponsored by the Illinois | ||||||
3 | National
Guard.
For purposes of this Section, residence is that | ||||||
4 | abode which the applicant
considers his or her home. Applicants | ||||||
5 | may provide as sufficient proof of such
residence and as an | ||||||
6 | acceptable form of identification a driver's license, valid | ||||||
7 | passport, military ID, or other form of government-issued | ||||||
8 | national or foreign identification that shows the applicant's | ||||||
9 | name, address, date of birth, signature, and photograph or | ||||||
10 | other acceptable identification as may be allowed by law or as | ||||||
11 | regulated by the Illinois Community College Board. Such | ||||||
12 | regional superintendent shall determine if the
applicant meets | ||||||
13 | statutory and regulatory state standards. If qualified the
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14 | applicant shall at the time of such application pay a fee | ||||||
15 | established by the
Illinois Community College Board, which fee | ||||||
16 | shall be paid into a special
fund
under the control and | ||||||
17 | supervision of the regional superintendent. Such moneys
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18 | received by the regional superintendent shall be used, first, | ||||||
19 | for the
expenses incurred
in administering and scoring the | ||||||
20 | examination, and next for other educational
programs that are | ||||||
21 | developed and designed by the regional superintendent of
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22 | schools to assist those who successfully complete high school | ||||||
23 | equivalency testing in furthering their academic development | ||||||
24 | or
their ability to secure and retain gainful employment, | ||||||
25 | including programs for
the competitive award based on test | ||||||
26 | scores of college or adult education
scholarship grants or |
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1 | similar educational incentives. Any excess moneys shall
be paid | ||||||
2 | into the institute fund.
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3 | Any applicant who has achieved the minimum passing | ||||||
4 | standards as
established by the
Illinois Community College | ||||||
5 | Board shall be
notified in writing by the regional | ||||||
6 | superintendent and shall be
issued a high school equivalency | ||||||
7 | certificate on the forms provided by the
Illinois Community | ||||||
8 | College Board. The regional superintendent shall
then certify | ||||||
9 | to the Illinois Community College Board
the score of the | ||||||
10 | applicant and such other and additional information
that may be | ||||||
11 | required by the Illinois Community College Board. The
moneys | ||||||
12 | received therefrom shall be used in the same manner as provided
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13 | for in this Section.
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14 | Any applicant who has attained the age of 17 years and | ||||||
15 | maintained
residence in the State of Illinois and is not a high | ||||||
16 | school graduate, any person who has enrolled in a youth | ||||||
17 | education program sponsored by the Illinois National Guard, or | ||||||
18 | any person who has successfully completed
an
alternative | ||||||
19 | education program under Section 2-3.81,
Article 13A, or Article | ||||||
20 | 13B is eligible to apply for a high school equivalency
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21 | certificate (if he or she meets the requirements prescribed by | ||||||
22 | the Illinois Community College Board) upon showing evidence | ||||||
23 | that he or she has completed, successfully, high school | ||||||
24 | equivalency testing, administered by the United
States Armed | ||||||
25 | Forces Institute, official high school equivalency testing | ||||||
26 | centers established in other
states, Veterans' Administration |
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1 | Hospitals, or the office of the State
Superintendent of | ||||||
2 | Education for the Illinois State Penitentiary
System and the | ||||||
3 | Department of Corrections. Such applicant shall apply to the
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4 | regional superintendent of the region wherein he or she has | ||||||
5 | maintained residence, and,
upon payment of a fee established by | ||||||
6 | the Illinois Community College Board,
the regional | ||||||
7 | superintendent shall issue a high school
equivalency | ||||||
8 | certificate and immediately thereafter certify to the Illinois | ||||||
9 | Community College Board the score of the applicant and such | ||||||
10 | other and
additional information as may be required by the | ||||||
11 | Illinois Community College Board.
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12 | Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section, any | ||||||
13 | applicant who has
been out of school for at least one year may | ||||||
14 | request the regional
superintendent of schools to administer | ||||||
15 | restricted high school equivalency testing upon
written | ||||||
16 | request of: the director of a program who certifies to the | ||||||
17 | Chief
Examiner of an official high school equivalency testing | ||||||
18 | center that the applicant has completed a
program of | ||||||
19 | instruction provided by such agencies as the Job Corps, the
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20 | Postal Service Academy, or an apprenticeship training program; | ||||||
21 | an employer
or program director for purposes of entry into | ||||||
22 | apprenticeship programs;
another state's department of | ||||||
23 | education in order to meet regulations
established by that | ||||||
24 | department of education; or a post high school
educational | ||||||
25 | institution for purposes of admission, the Department of | ||||||
26 | Financial and
Professional Regulation for licensing purposes, |
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1 | or the Armed Forces
for induction purposes. The regional | ||||||
2 | superintendent shall administer
such testing, and the | ||||||
3 | applicant shall be notified in writing that he or she is
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4 | eligible to receive a high school equivalency certificate
upon | ||||||
5 | reaching age 17, provided he or she meets the standards | ||||||
6 | established by the Illinois Community College Board.
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7 | Any test administered under this Section to an applicant | ||||||
8 | who does not
speak and understand English may at the discretion | ||||||
9 | of the administering
agency be given and answered in any | ||||||
10 | language in which the test is
printed. The regional | ||||||
11 | superintendent of schools may waive any fees required
by this | ||||||
12 | Section in case of hardship.
The regional superintendent of | ||||||
13 | schools and the Illinois Community College Board shall waive | ||||||
14 | any fees required by this Section for an applicant who meets | ||||||
15 | all of the following criteria:
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16 | (1) The applicant qualifies as a homeless person, | ||||||
17 | child, or youth as defined in the Education for Homeless | ||||||
18 | Children Act. | ||||||
19 | (2) The applicant has not attained 25 years of age as | ||||||
20 | of the date of the scheduled test. | ||||||
21 | (3) The applicant can verify his or her status as a | ||||||
22 | homeless person, child, or youth. A homeless services | ||||||
23 | provider that is qualified to verify an individual's | ||||||
24 | housing status, as determined by the Illinois Community | ||||||
25 | College Board, and that has knowledge of the applicant's | ||||||
26 | housing status may verify the applicant's status for |
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1 | purposes of this subdivision (3). | ||||||
2 | (4) The applicant has completed a high school | ||||||
3 | equivalency preparation course through an Illinois | ||||||
4 | Community College Board-approved provider. | ||||||
5 | (5) The applicant is taking the test at a testing | ||||||
6 | center operated by a regional superintendent of schools or | ||||||
7 | the Cook County High School Equivalency Office. | ||||||
8 | In counties of over 3,000,000 population, a high school | ||||||
9 | equivalency certificate
shall contain the signatures of the | ||||||
10 | Executive Director of the Illinois Community College Board and | ||||||
11 | the superintendent, president, or other chief
executive | ||||||
12 | officer of the institution where high school equivalency | ||||||
13 | testing instruction occurred and any
other signatures | ||||||
14 | authorized by the Illinois Community College Board.
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15 | The regional superintendent of schools shall furnish the | ||||||
16 | Illinois
Community College Board with any information that the | ||||||
17 | Illinois
Community College Board requests with regard to | ||||||
18 | testing and certificates under this
Section.
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19 | (Source: P.A. 98-718, eff. 1-1-15; 98-719, eff. 1-1-15; 99-78, | ||||||
20 | eff. 7-20-15; 99-742, eff. 1-1-17 .)
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