Bill Text: IL SB3540 | 2013-2014 | 98th General Assembly | Amended

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Bill Title: Amends the School Code. Requires the State Board of Education to establish a pilot program in which public high school students who are credit deficient or in need of a non-traditional education are provided an online alternative to earning a high school diploma while still enrolled in their public high school. Provides that the pilot program shall allow eligible high school students to take online courses provided by an online career education program and taught by teachers certified by the online career education program while those students are attending their public high school, which shall allow a student to earn enough credits to graduate from his or her high school or to receive a high school diploma and career certificate from the online career education program. Requires the State Board to choose 5 public high schools to participate in the pilot program and develop a plan for online career education programs participating in the pilot program. Sets forth classifications of career educational programming that the plan must address, and requires the plan to evaluate whether a student's education can be better addressed through an Internet-based delivery of education that meets certain requirements. Provides for a report to the General Assembly and rulemaking. Effective immediately.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Failed) 2015-01-13 - Session Sine Die [SB3540 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2013-SB3540-Amended.html

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Sen. Toi W. Hutchinson

Filed: 4/3/2014

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AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 3540
AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 3540 by replacing
everything after the enacting clause with the following:
"Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Section
2-3.160 as follows:
(105 ILCS 5/2-3.160 new)
Sec. 2-3.160. Online alternative to earning high school
diploma; pilot program.
(a) The State Board of Education shall establish a pilot
program in which public high school students who are credit
deficient or in need of a non-traditional education in order to
graduate on time are provided an opportunity to earn a
vocational online high school diploma as an alternative to
earning an in-residence high school diploma or high school
equivalency certificate. The pilot program shall allow
eligible high school students to take online courses provided

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by an AdvancED/NCA/SACS accredited online career education
program and facilitated by teachers licensed in this State
while those students are attending their public high school,
which shall allow a student to earn enough credits to graduate
from his or her high school or to receive a high school diploma
and career certificate from the AdvancED/NCA/SACS accredited
online career education program. The State Board shall choose 5
public high schools to participate in the pilot program.
(b) The State Board of Education shall develop a plan for
online career education programs participating in the pilot
program. The plan must address the following classifications of
career educational programming:
(1) Type 1. Programs that teach personal
accountability skills and behaviors that are appropriate
for students in all age groups and ability levels and that
lead to work habits that help maintain employment and
living standards.
(2) Type 2. Programs that include Type 1 program
content and an orientation to the broad scope of career
choices, based upon personal abilities, aptitudes, and
interests, and exploring and gaining knowledge of
occupational options and the level of effort required to
achieve them as essential prerequisites to skill training.
(3) Type 3. Programs that include Type 1 program
content and career education competencies or the
prerequisites needed for entry into a specific occupation.

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The plan must also evaluate whether a student's education
can be better addressed through a State licensed
teacher-facilitated, Internet-based delivery of education that
meets requirements for:
(A) delivery by an agent that is fully accredited by
AdvancED, the unified organization of the North Central
Association Commission on Accreditation and School
Improvement (NCA CASI), and the Southern Association of
Colleges and Schools' Council on Accreditation and School
Improvement (SACS CASI);
(B) delivery from a secure environment that both
protects and restricts Internet-access for students;
(C) responsive and rapid enrollment, ensuring students
are placed in an educational setting immediately, instead
of waiting for the start of a new semester or quarter;
(D) articulating credits, issuing transcripts, and
conferring certifications and diplomas, allowing existing
credits toward graduation to be incorporated into the
overall graduation plan;
(E) accommodating the needs of students with widely
varying academic requirements; and
(F) providing performance-based instruction that
advances students based on performance, not just
instruction time.
(c) No more than 3 years after the pilot program has been
established under this Section, the State Board of Education

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shall file a report with the General Assembly concerning the
results of the pilot program and whether the pilot program
should be expanded to other public high schools.
(d) The State Board of Education may adopt any rules
necessary to implement this Section.
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.".