Public Act 097-0671
 
HB0605 EnrolledLRB097 03427 NHT 43464 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 Sections
10-17a and 34-88 as follows:
 
    (105 ILCS 5/10-17a)  (from Ch. 122, par. 10-17a)
    Sec. 10-17a. State, school district, and school report
cards Better schools accountability.
    (1) By October 31, 2013 and October 31 of each subsequent
school year, the State Board of Education, through the State
Superintendent of Education, shall prepare a State report card,
school district report cards, and school report cards, and
shall by the most economic means provide to Policy and Purpose.
It shall be the policy of the State of Illinois that each
school district in this State, including special charter
districts and districts subject to the provisions of Article
34, the report cards for the shall submit to parents, taxpayers
of such district, the Governor, the General Assembly, and the
State Board of Education a school district and each of its
schools report card assessing the performance of its schools
and students.
    (2) In addition to any information required by federal law,
the State Superintendent shall determine the indicators and
presentation of the school report card, which must include, at
a minimum, the most current data possessed by the State Board
of Education related to the following:
        (A) school characteristics and student demographics,
    including average class size, average teaching experience,
    student racial/ethnic breakdown, and the percentage of
    students classified as low-income; the percentage of
    students classified as limited English proficiency; the
    percentage of students who have individualized education
    plans or 504 plans that provide for special education
    services; the percentage of students who annually
    transferred in or out of the school district; the per-pupil
    operating expenditure of the school district; and the
    per-pupil State average operating expenditure for the
    district type (elementary, high school, or unit);
        (B) curriculum information, including, where
    applicable, Advanced Placement, International
    Baccalaureate or equivalent courses, dual enrollment
    courses, foreign language classes, school personnel
    resources (including Career Technical Education teachers),
    before and after school programs, extracurricular
    activities, subjects in which elective classes are
    offered, health and wellness initiatives (including the
    average number of days of Physical Education per week per
    student), approved programs of study, awards received,
    community partnerships, and special programs such as
    programming for the gifted and talented, students with
    disabilities, and work-study students;
        (C) student outcomes, including, where applicable, the
    percentage of students meeting as well as exceeding State
    standards on assessments, the percentage of students in the
    eighth grade who pass Algebra, the percentage of students
    enrolled in post-secondary institutions (including
    colleges, universities, community colleges,
    trade/vocational schools, and training programs leading to
    career certification within 2 semesters of high school
    graduation), the percentage of students graduating from
    high school who are college ready, the percentage of
    students graduating from high school who are career ready,
    and the percentage of graduates enrolled in community
    colleges, colleges, and universities who are in one or more
    courses that the community college, college, or university
    identifies as a remedial course;
        (D) student progress, including, where applicable, the
    percentage of students in the ninth grade who have earned 5
    credits or more without failing more than one core class, a
    measure of students entering kindergarten ready to learn, a
    measure of growth, and the percentage of students who enter
    high school on track for college and career readiness; and
        (E) the school environment, including, where
    applicable, the percentage of students with less than 10
    absences in a school year, the percentage of teachers with
    less than 10 absences in a school year for reasons other
    than professional development, leaves taken pursuant to
    the federal Family Medical Leave Act of 1993, long-term
    disability, or parental leaves, the 3-year average of the
    percentage of teachers returning to the school from the
    previous year, the number of different principals at the
    school in the last 6 years, 2 or more indicators from any
    school climate survey developed by the State and
    administered pursuant to Section 2-3.153 of this Code, and
    the combined percentage of teachers rated as proficient or
    excellent in their most recent evaluation.
    The school report card shall also be an index of school
performance measured against statewide and local standards and
will provide information that allows for comparing the current
outcome, progress, and environment data to the State average,
to the school data from the past 5 years, and to the outcomes,
progress, and environment of similar schools based on the type
of school and enrollment of low-income, special education, and
limited English proficiency students to make prior year
comparisons and to set future year targets through the school
improvement plan.
    (3) At the discretion of the State Superintendent, the
school district report card shall include a subset of the
information identified in paragraphs (A) through (E) of
subsection (2) of this Section, as well as information relating
to the operating expense per pupil and other finances of the
school district, and the State report card shall include a
subset of the information identified in paragraphs (A) through
(E) of subsections (2) of this Section.
    (4) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this
Section, in consultation with key education stakeholders, the
State Superintendent shall at any time have the discretion to
amend or update any and all metrics on the school, district, or
State report card.
    (2) Reporting Requirements. Each school district shall
prepare a report card in accordance with the guidelines set
forth in this Section which describes the performance of its
students by school attendance centers and by district and the
district's financial resources and use of financial resources.
    (5) Annually, no more than 30 calendar days after receipt
of the school district and school report cards from the State
Superintendent of Education, each school district, including
special charter districts and districts subject to the
provisions of Article 34, shall present such Such report cards
card shall be presented at a regular school board meeting
subject to applicable notice requirements, post the report
cards posted on the school district's Internet web site, if the
district maintains an Internet web site, make the report cards
made available to a newspaper of general circulation serving
the district, and, upon request, send the report cards sent
home to a parent (unless the district does not maintain an
Internet web site, in which case the report card shall be sent
home to parents without request). If the district posts the
report card on its Internet web site, the district shall send a
written notice home to parents stating (i) that the report card
is available on the web site, (ii) the address of the web site,
(iii) that a printed copy of the report card will be sent to
parents upon request, and (iv) the telephone number that
parents may call to request a printed copy of the report card.
In addition, each school district shall submit the completed
report card to the office of the district's Regional
Superintendent which shall make copies available to any
individuals requesting them.
    The report card shall be completed and disseminated prior
to October 31 in each school year. The report card shall
contain, but not be limited to, actual local school attendance
center, school district and statewide data indicating the
present performance of the school, the State norms and the
areas for planned improvement for the school and school
district.
    (3) (a) The report card shall include the following
applicable indicators of attendance center, district, and
statewide student performance: percent of students who exceed,
meet, or do not meet standards established by the State Board
of Education pursuant to Section 2-3.25a; composite and subtest
means on nationally normed achievement tests for college bound
students; student attendance rates; chronic truancy rate;
dropout rate; graduation rate; and student mobility, turnover
shown as a percent of transfers out and a percent of transfers
in.
    (b) The report card shall include the following
descriptions for the school, district, and State: average class
size; amount of time per day devoted to mathematics, science,
English and social science at primary, middle and junior high
school grade levels; number of students taking the Prairie
State Achievement Examination under subsection (c) of Section
2-3.64, the number of those students who received a score of
excellent, and the average score by school of students taking
the examination; pupil-teacher ratio; pupil-administrator
ratio; operating expenditure per pupil; district expenditure
by fund; average administrator salary; and average teacher
salary. The report card shall also specify the amount of money
that the district receives from all sources, including without
limitation subcategories specifying the amount from local
property taxes, the amount from general State aid, the amount
from other State funding, and the amount from other income.
    (c) The report card shall include applicable indicators of
parental involvement in each attendance center. The parental
involvement component of the report card shall include the
percentage of students whose parents or guardians have had one
or more personal contacts with the students' teachers during
the school year concerning the students' education, and such
other information, commentary, and suggestions as the school
district desires. For the purposes of this paragraph, "personal
contact" includes, but is not limited to, parent-teacher
conferences, parental visits to school, school visits to home,
telephone conversations, and written correspondence. The
parental involvement component shall not single out or identify
individual students, parents, or guardians by name.
    (d) The report card form shall be prepared by the State
Board of Education and provided to school districts by the most
efficient, economic, and appropriate means.
(Source: P.A. 95-331, eff. 8-21-07.)
 
    (105 ILCS 5/34-88)  (from Ch. 122, par. 34-88)
    Sec. 34-88. District and school report cards School
reports. The board shall, in accordance with Section 10-17a of
the School Code, annually present and disseminate the school
district and school report cards prepared by the State
Superintendent of Education. Each attendance center shall
prepare a report card in accordance with the guidelines
established in paragraphs (b) and (c) of subsection (3) of
Section 10-17a which describes the performance of its schools
and students. This report card shall be transmitted to the
general superintendent who shall present report cards from each
of the attendance centers within the district to the board.
    The board shall make available to a newspaper of general
circulation serving the district a report which provides
information detailing the performance of the district.
(Source: P.A. 89-15, eff. 5-30-95.)
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect January
1, 2012.