Public Act 099-0203
SB0665 EnrolledLRB099 04291 NHT 24316 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
2-3.25f as follows:
(105 ILCS 5/2-3.25f) (from Ch. 122, par. 2-3.25f)
Sec. 2-3.25f. State interventions.
(a) The State Board of Education shall provide technical
assistance to assist with the development and implementation of
School and District Improvement Plans.
Schools or school districts that fail to make reasonable
efforts to implement an approved Improvement Plan may suffer
loss of State funds by school district, attendance center, or
program as the State Board of Education deems appropriate.
(a-5) (Blank).
(b) If after 3 years following its placement on academic
watch status a school district or school remains on academic
watch status, the State Board of Education may (i) change the
recognition status of the school district or school to
nonrecognized or (ii) authorize the State Superintendent of
Education to direct the reassignment of pupils or direct the
reassignment or replacement of school district personnel who
are relevant to the failure to meet adequate yearly progress
criteria. If a school district is nonrecognized in its
entirety, it shall automatically be dissolved on July 1
following that nonrecognition and its territory realigned with
another school district or districts by the regional board of
school trustees in accordance with the procedures set forth in
Section 7-11 of the School Code. The effective date of the
nonrecognition of a school shall be July 1 following the
nonrecognition.
(b-5) The State Board of Education shall also develop a
system to provide assistance and resources to lower performing
school districts. At a minimum, the State Board shall identify
school districts to receive priority services, to be known as
priority districts. The school district shall provide the
exclusive bargaining representative with a 5-day notice that
the district has been identified as a priority district. In
addition, the State Board may, by rule, develop other
categories of low-performing schools and school districts to
receive services.
Districts designated as priority districts shall be those
that fall within one of the following categories:
(1) Have at least one school that is among the lowest
performing 5% of schools in this State based on a 3-year
average, with respect to the performance of the "all
students" group for the percentage of students meeting or
exceeding standards in reading and mathematics combined,
and demonstrate a lack of progress as defined by the State
Board of Education.
(2) Have at least one secondary school that has an
average graduation rate of less than 60% over the last 3
school years.
(3) Have at least one school receiving a school
improvement grant under Section 1003(g) of the federal
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.
The State Board of Education shall work with a priority
district to perform a district needs assessment to determine
the district's core functions that are areas of strength and
weakness, unless the district is already undergoing a national
accreditation process. The results from the district needs
assessment shall be used by the district to identify goals and
objectives for the district's improvement. The district needs
assessment shall include a study of district functions, such as
district finance, governance, student engagement, instruction
practices, climate, community involvement, and continuous
improvement.
Based on the results of the district needs assessment, the
State Board of Education shall work with the district to
provide technical assistance and professional development, in
partnership with the district, to implement a continuous
improvement plan that would increase outcomes for students. The
plan for continuous improvement shall be based on the results
of the district needs assessment and shall be used to determine
the types of services that are to be provided to each priority
district. Potential services for a district may include
monitoring adult and student practices, reviewing and
reallocating district resources, developing a district
leadership team, providing access to curricular content area
specialists, and providing online resources and professional
development.
The State Board of Education may require priority districts
identified as having deficiencies in one or more core functions
of the district needs assessment to undergo an accreditation
process as provided in subsection (d) of Section 2-3.25f-5 of
this Code.
(c) All federal requirements apply to schools and school
districts utilizing federal funds under Title I, Part A of the
federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.
(Source: P.A. 97-370, eff. 1-1-12; 98-1155, eff. 1-9-15.)