Bill Text: IL HB5561 | 2015-2016 | 99th General Assembly | Chaptered
Bill Title: Amends the Public Community College Act. Creates the Accelerate College pilot program. Authorizes a community college district board of trustees to enter into an Accelerate College educational partnership agreement with any school district wholly contained within the community college district's jurisdiction. Provides that an agreement must offer a group of high school students the right to take community college courses without paying tuition for those courses. Provides for the size of the program. Allows community colleges to charge fees limited to the actual operating costs and related student activities. Provides that any coursework completed by high school students in a community college shall be transferrable to all public universities in this State on the same basis as coursework completed by community college students who have previously earned high school diplomas. Requires the Illinois Community College Board to study the effectiveness of the program and to issue an annual report. Repeals the provisions 36 months after the effective date of the amendatory Act. Amends the School Code to make conforming changes. Effective immediately.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 11-3)
Status: (Passed) 2016-07-22 - Public Act . . . . . . . . . 99-0611 [HB5561 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2015-HB5561-Chaptered.html
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Public Act 099-0611 | ||||
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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 Sections | ||||
10-20.58 and 34-18.50 as follows:
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(105 ILCS 5/10-20.58 new) | ||||
Sec. 10-20.58. Accelerate College pilot program. School | ||||
districts may enter into Accelerate College educational | ||||
partnership agreements as authorized under Section 3-42.4 of | ||||
the Public Community College Act.
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(105 ILCS 5/34-18.50 new) | ||||
Sec. 34-18.50. Accelerate College pilot program. The | ||||
district may enter into an Accelerate College educational | ||||
partnership agreement as authorized under Section 3-42.4 of the | ||||
Public Community College Act.
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Section 10. The Public Community College Act is amended by | ||||
adding Section 3-42.4 as follows:
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(110 ILCS 805/3-42.4 new) | ||||
Sec. 3-42.4. Accelerate College pilot program. | ||||
(a) As used in this Section, "district board" means a |
community college district board of trustees. | ||
(b) A district board may elect to enter into an Accelerate | ||
College educational partnership agreement with any school | ||
district wholly contained within the community college | ||
district's jurisdiction. If the district board and a school | ||
district enter into an Accelerate College educational | ||
partnership agreement, the district board must offer a group of | ||
high school students the right to take community college | ||
courses without paying tuition for those courses. | ||
(c) In the first full academic year after the effective | ||
date of this amendatory Act of the 99th General Assembly, no | ||
school district may enroll more than 45 students in college | ||
courses under an Accelerate College educational partnership | ||
agreement, and the students enrolled shall be limited to one | ||
year of community college credits. | ||
In the second full academic year after the effective date | ||
of this amendatory Act of the 99th General Assembly, no school | ||
district may enroll more than 90 students in college courses | ||
under an Accelerate College educational partnership agreement. | ||
No more than 45 of those students may be in the final year | ||
before school graduation and no more than 45 of those students | ||
may be in the second to last year before high school graduation | ||
in this academic year. | ||
In the third full academic year and more after the | ||
effective date of this amendatory Act of the 99th General | ||
Assembly, no school district may enroll more than 90 students |
in college courses under an Accelerate College educational | ||
partnership agreement. | ||
(d) Subject to the terms of its Accelerate College | ||
educational partnership agreement, the community college may | ||
limit the courses offered to high school students and may | ||
charge non-tuition fees to the students. Allowable non-tuition | ||
fees include actual operating costs of the courses taken by | ||
high school students and any student activities in which the | ||
high school student may participate at the community college. | ||
(e) Any coursework completed by high school students in a | ||
community college under this Section shall be transferrable to | ||
all public universities in this State on the same basis as | ||
coursework completed by community college students who have | ||
previously earned high school diplomas. | ||
(f) The State Board must study agreements established under | ||
this Section and, by January 1 each year after the effective | ||
date of this amendatory Act of the 99th General Assembly, | ||
deliver a report based on the State Board's findings to both | ||
the General Assembly and the Governor. | ||
The annual report must include, but is not limited to, the | ||
ongoing success or lack thereof in growing the program from the | ||
point of view of Illinois educational institutions, ongoing | ||
success or lack thereof of the students who participate in the | ||
program, and the advantage or lack thereof of authorizing the | ||
expansion of the program from one year to 2 years of | ||
college-level coursework for select groups of students. |
(g) This Section is repealed 36 months after the effective | ||
date of this amendatory Act of the 99th General Assembly.
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Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||
becoming law.
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