98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2013 and 2014
HB3077

 

Introduced , by Rep. Marcus C. Evans, Jr.

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
New Act
110 ILCS 805/3-45  from Ch. 122, par. 103-45

    Creates the Statewide Dropout Reengagement System Act. Requires the State Board of Education to create a statewide dropout reengagement system to provide appropriate educational opportunities and access to services for students ages 16 to 21 years who have dropped out of high school or are not accumulating sufficient credits to reasonably complete a high school diploma in a public school before the age of 21 years. Provides that under the system, school districts may (i) enter into a model interlocal agreement with a public community college or other public entity to provide a dropout reengagement program for eligible students of the district or (ii) enter into a model contract with a community-based organization to provide a dropout reengagement program for eligible students of the district. Requires the State Board to develop a model interlocal agreement and a model contract for the dropout reengagement system; sets forth what the agreement and contract must address. Contains provisions concerning student enrollment and rulemaking. Amends the Public Community College Act to provide that the board of trustees of a community college district may not require tuition of students enrolled in a dropout reengagement program.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

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1    AN ACT concerning education.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5Statewide Dropout Reengagement System Act.
 
6    Section 5. Findings; legislative intent.
7    (a) The General Assembly makes the following findings:
8        (1) In every school district there are older youth who
9    have become disengaged with the traditional education
10    program of public high schools. They may have failed
11    multiple classes and are far behind in accumulating credits
12    to graduate. They do not see a high school diploma as an
13    achievable goal. They may have dropped out of school
14    entirely. They are not likely to become reengaged in their
15    education by the prospect of reenrollment in a traditional
16    or even an alternative high school.
17        (2) For many years, school districts, public community
18    colleges, and community-based organizations have created
19    partnerships to provide appropriate educational programs
20    for these students. Programs such as career education
21    options and career links have successfully offered
22    individualized academic instruction, case management
23    support, and career-oriented skills in an age-appropriate

 

 

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1    learning environment to hundreds of disengaged older
2    youth. Preparation for the General Educational Development
3    test is provided but is not the end goal for these
4    students.
5        (3) In recent years, many of these partnerships have
6    ceased to operate. The laws and rules authorizing school
7    districts to contract using basic education allocations do
8    not provide sufficient guidance and instead present
9    barriers. Program providers are forced to adapt to rules
10    that were not written to address the needs of the students
11    being served. Questions and concerns about liability,
12    responsibility, and administrative burdens have caused
13    districts to reluctantly abandon their partnerships and,
14    consequently, leave hundreds of students without a viable
15    alternative for continuing their public education.
16    (b) The General Assembly intends to provide a statutory
17framework to support a statewide dropout reengagement system
18for older youth. The framework clarifies and standardizes
19funding, programs, and administration by directing the State
20Board of Education to develop model contracts and interlocal
21agreements. It is the General Assembly's intent to encourage
22school districts, public community colleges, and
23community-based organizations to participate in this system
24and provide appropriate instruction and services to reengage
25older students and help them make progress toward a meaningful
26credential and career skills.
 

 

 

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1    Section 10. Definitions. Unless the context clearly
2requires otherwise, in this Act:
3    "Dropout reengagement program" means an educational
4program that offers at least the following instruction and
5services:
6        (1) Academic instruction, including without limitation
7    General Educational Development (GED) test preparation,
8    academic skills instruction, and college and work
9    readiness preparation, that generates credits that can be
10    applied to a high school diploma from the student's school
11    district or a GED certificate and has the goal of enabling
12    the student to obtain the academic and work readiness
13    skills necessary for employment or postsecondary study. A
14    dropout reengagement program is not required to offer
15    instruction in only those subject areas where a student is
16    deficient in accumulated credits. Academic instruction
17    must be provided by teachers licensed under the School Code
18    or by instructors employed by a public community college
19    whose required credentials are established by the college.
20        (2) Case management, academic and career counseling,
21    and assistance with accessing services and resources that
22    support at-risk youth and reduce barriers to educational
23    success.
24        (3) If the program provider is a public community
25    college, the opportunity for qualified students to enroll

 

 

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1    in college courses that lead to a postsecondary degree or
2    certificate. The college may not charge an eligible student
3    tuition for such enrollment.
4    "Eligible student" means a student who meets all of the
5following qualifications:
6        (1) Is at least 16 but less than 21 years of age at the
7    beginning of the school year.
8        (2) Is not accumulating sufficient credits toward a
9    high school diploma to reasonably complete a high school
10    diploma from a public school before the age of 21 years or
11    is recommended for the program by case managers from the
12    Department of Children and Family Services or the juvenile
13    justice system.
14        (3) Is enrolled or enrolls in the school district in
15    which the student resides or is enrolled or enrolls in a
16    nonresident school district under subsection (c) of
17    Section 15 of this Act.
18    "Full-time equivalent eligible student" means an eligible
19student whose enrollment and attendance meet criteria adopted
20by the State Board specifically for dropout reengagement
21programs. The criteria shall be (1) based on the community
22college credits generated by the student if the program
23provider is a community college and (ii) based on a minimum
24amount of planned programming or instruction and minimum
25attendance by the student, rather than hours of seat time, if
26the program provider is a community-based organization.

 

 

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1    "State Board" means the State Board of Education.
 
2    Section 15. Statewide dropout reengagement system.
3    (a) The State Board shall create a statewide dropout
4reengagement system to provide appropriate educational
5opportunities and access to services for students ages 16 to 21
6years who have dropped out of high school or are not
7accumulating sufficient credits to reasonably complete a high
8school diploma in a public school before the age of 21 years.
9    (b) Under the system, school districts may do either of the
10following:
11        (1) Enter into the model interlocal agreement
12    developed under Section 20 of this Act with a public
13    community college or other public entity to provide a
14    dropout reengagement program for eligible students of the
15    district.
16        (2) Enter into the model contract developed under
17    Section 20 of this Act with a community-based organization
18    to provide a dropout reengagement program for eligible
19    students of the district.
20    (c) If a school district does not enter an interlocal
21agreement or contract with a public community college, other
22public entity, or community-based organization to provide a
23dropout reengagement program for eligible students residing in
24the district, the community college, other public entity, or
25community-based organization may petition a school district

 

 

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1other than the resident school district to enroll the eligible
2students and enter into the interlocal agreement or contract
3with the petitioning entity to provide a dropout reengagement
4program for the eligible students.
5    (d) This Section does not affect the authority of school
6districts to offer dropout reengagement programs or other
7educational services to eligible students directly.
 
8    Section 20. Model interlocal agreement and contract.
9    (a) The State Board shall develop a model interlocal
10agreement and a model contract for the dropout reengagement
11system.
12    (b) The model interlocal agreement and contract shall, at a
13minimum, address the following:
14        (1) The responsibilities for identification, referral,
15    and enrollment of eligible students.
16        (2) Instruction and services to be provided by a
17    dropout reengagement program, as specified in the
18    definition of "dropout reengagement program" under Section
19    10 of this Act.
20        (3) The responsibilities for data collection and
21    reporting, including student transcripts and data required
22    for the statewide longitudinal data system.
23        (4) Administration of high school statewide student
24    assessments.
25        (5) Uniform financial reimbursement rates per

 

 

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1    full-time equivalent eligible student enrolled in a
2    dropout reengagement program, calculated and allocated as
3    a statewide annual average of the basic education
4    allocations for nonvocational students and including
5    enhancements for vocational students if eligible students
6    are enrolled in vocational courses in a program, and
7    allowing for a uniform administrative fee to be retained by
8    the district.
9        (6) The responsibilities for provision of special
10    education or related services for eligible children with
11    disabilities who have an individualized educational
12    program.
13        (7) The responsibilities for necessary accommodations
14    and plans for students qualifying under Section 504 of the
15    federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
16        (8) Minimum instructional staffing ratios for dropout
17    reengagement programs offered by community-based
18    organizations, which are not required to be the same as for
19    other basic education programs in school districts.
20        (9) Performance measures that must be reported to the
21    State Board in a common format for purposes of
22    accountability, including longitudinal monitoring of
23    student progress and postsecondary education and
24    employment.
 
25    Section 25. Student enrollment. Eligible students enrolled

 

 

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1in a dropout reengagement program under this Act are considered
2regularly enrolled students of the school district in which
3they are enrolled.
 
4    Section 90. Rules.
5    (a) The State Board shall adopt rules to implement this
6Act.
7    (b) When adopting rules under this Section and developing
8model interlocal agreements and contracts under Section 20 of
9this Act, the State Board shall consult with the Illinois
10Community College Board, the Department of Commerce and
11Economic Opportunity, colleges and community-based
12organizations that have previously offered dropout
13reengagement programs, providers of online courses and
14programs, and school districts.
 
15    Section 95. The Public Community College Act is amended by
16changing Section 3-45 as follows:
 
17    (110 ILCS 805/3-45)  (from Ch. 122, par. 103-45)
18    Sec. 3-45. Notwithstanding any provision of this Article to
19the contrary, a community college board may require tuition of
20students as provided in Section 6-4 of this Act. However, the
21board may not require tuition of students enrolled in a dropout
22reengagement program through an interlocal agreement between a
23school district and the community college under the Statewide

 

 

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1Dropout Reengagement System Act.
2(Source: P.A. 78-669.)