Bill Text: IL SB1223 | 2017-2018 | 100th General Assembly | Engrossed

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Creates the Accelerated Placement Act. Provides that any student in a school district may be referred by a teacher, administrator, gifted education specialist, guidance counselor, school psychologist, or parent or legal guardian to the principal for evaluation for possible accelerated placement. Allows accelerated placement to include, but not be limited to, early entrance to kindergarten or first grade, accelerating a student in a single subject, compacting curriculum, concurrent enrollment, credit by examination, online learning courses, Advanced Placement courses, International Baccalaureate programs, grade acceleration, grade telescoping, and early high school graduation. Sets forth evaluation and appeal guidelines. Provides for the creation of an acceleration evaluation committee to evaluate a child for accelerated placement. Sets forth procedures for accelerated placement and evaluation of the placement. Requires school districts to report certain statistics to the State Board of Education, and for the State Board to create reports regarding accelerated placement. Provides that the State Board may adopt rules to implement the Act. Effective immediately.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 12-7)

Status: (Passed) 2017-08-25 - Public Act . . . . . . . . . 100-0421 [SB1223 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2017-SB1223-Engrossed.html

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AN ACT concerning education.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
Accelerated Placement Act.
Section 5. Definitions. As used in this Act:
"Accelerated placement" means the placement of a student in
an educational setting with curriculum that is usually reserved
for students who are older or in higher grades than the
student. "Accelerated placement" shall include, but need not be
limited to, the following types of acceleration: early entrance
to kindergarten or first grade, accelerating a student in a
single subject, compacting curriculum, grade acceleration,
grade telescoping, and early high school graduation.
"State Board" means the State Board of Education.
Section 10. School district responsibilities.
(a) Each school district shall have a policy that allows
for accelerated placement that includes, but need not be
limited to, the following components:
(1) a requirement that participation in accelerated
placement is not limited to those students who have been
identified as gifted and talented, but rather is open to

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all students who demonstrate high ability and who may
benefit from accelerated placement;
(2) a transparent process for informing all families
residing in the school district about the acceleration
policy;
(3) a process for referral that ensures the fair,
objective, and systematic evaluation of referred students
and allows for multiple referrers, including a student's
parents or legal guardians; other referrers may include a
teacher, an administrator, a gifted education specialist,
a guidance counselor, a school psychologist, the student
himself or herself with the written consent of a parent or
legal guardian, a peer through a district staff member who
has knowledge of the referred child's abilities, or, in the
case of possible early entrance, a preschool educator,
pediatrician, or psychologist who knows the child;
(4) an assessment process that includes multiple
valid, reliable indicators;
(5) a reasonable and transparent timeline for
evaluation for possible accelerated placement;
(6) a decision-making process for accelerated
placement that involves multiple persons, including a
student's parents or legal guardians, rather than a sole
decision-maker; other individuals involved in the
decision-making process may include a superintendent's
designee, principal or assistant principal from the

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child's current school, current teacher of the referred
student, teacher at the grade level from the school to
which the student may be accelerated, principal or
assistant principal from the child's future school, gifted
education specialist, gifted intervention specialist,
school psychologist, or guidance counselor;
(7) a reasonable and transparent timeline for
notifying parents and students about the results of an
accelerated placement evaluation;
(8) an appeals process for decisions related to
accelerated placement;
(9) a requirement that accelerated students and their
parents or legal guardians be provided a written plan, a
copy of which will be kept in the student's cumulative
file, which shall include the type of acceleration the
student will undergo and strategies to support a successful
transition;
(10) an appropriate transition period for accelerated
placement; and
(11) a process for a parent or legal guardian of a
student to withdraw the student from accelerated placement
or request a revision of the accelerated placement.
(b) Each school district shall report to the State Board
the following data annually:
(1) the number of students evaluated for accelerated
placement, disaggregated by race and income status;

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(2) the number of students who qualified for
accelerated placement, disaggregated by race and income
status;
(3) the number of students evaluated for accelerated
placement by type of accelerated placement; and
(4) the number of students who qualified for
accelerated placement by type of accelerated placement.
Section 15. State Board Responsibilities.
(a) The State Board shall publish a report annually that
includes:
(1) the number of students evaluated for accelerated
placement for each school district, disaggregated by race
and income status;
(2) the number of students who qualified for
accelerated placement for each school district,
disaggregated by race and income status;
(3) the number of students evaluated for accelerated
placement by type of accelerated placement for each school
district; and
(4) the number of students who qualified for
accelerated placement by type of accelerated placement for
each school district.
(b) The State Board shall develop and disseminate guidance
to school districts regarding State testing for accelerated
students before January 1, 2018.

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Section 20. Rules. The State Board may adopt rules to
implement this Act.
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.