Public Act 095-0694
 		





SB0858 Enrolled
LRB095 05587 NHT 25677 b






    AN ACT concerning education.

 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 
represented in the General Assembly: 

 
    Section 5. The Public Community College Act is amended  by 
adding Section 2.24 as follows:
 
    (110 ILCS 805/2.24  new)
    Sec. 2.24. College and Career Readiness Pilot Program.
    (a)  The General Assembly finds that there is a direct and 
significant link between students being academically prepared 
for college and success in postsecondary education. Many 
students enter college unprepared for the academic rigors of 
college and require noncredit remedial courses to attain skills 
and knowledge needed for regular, credit coursework. 
Remediation lengthens time to degree, imposes additional costs 
on students and colleges, and uses student financial aid for 
courses that will not count toward a degree.  All high school 
juniors take the Prairie State Achievement Examination, which 
contains the ACT college assessment exam. ACT test elements and 
scores can be correlated to specific course placements in 
community colleges. Customized ACT test results can be used in 
collaboration with high schools to assist high school students 
identify areas for improvement and help them close skill gaps 
during their senior year. Greater college and career readiness 
will reduce the need for remediation, lower educational costs, 
shorten time to degree, and increase the overall success rate 
of Illinois college students.
    (b) Subject to appropriation, the State Board shall create 
a 3-year pilot project, to be known as the College and Career 
Readiness Pilot Program.  The goals of the program are as 
follows:
        (1)  To diagnose college readiness by developing a 
    system to align ACT scores to specific community college 
    courses in developmental and freshman curriculums.
        (2)  To reduce remediation by decreasing the need for 
    remedial coursework in mathematics, reading, and writing 
    at the college level through (i)  increasing the number of 
    students enrolled in a college-prep core curriculum, (ii) 
    assisting students in improving college readiness skills, 
    and (iii) increasing successful student transitions into 
    postsecondary education.
        (3)  To align high school and college curriculums.
        (4)  To provide resources and academic support to 
    students to enrich the senior year of high school through 
    remedial or advanced coursework and other interventions.
        (5)  To develop an appropriate evaluation process to 
    measure the effectiveness of readiness intervention 
    strategies.
    (c)  The first year of the program created under this 
Section shall begin with the high school class of 2008.
        (1)  The State Board shall select 4 community colleges 
    to participate in the program based on all of the 
    following:
            (A)  The percentage of students in developmental 
        coursework.
            (B)  Demographics of student enrollment, including 
        socioeconomic status, race and ethnicity, and 
        enrollments of first-generation college students.
            (C)  Geographic diversity.
            (D)  The willingness of the community college to 
        submit developmental and introductory courses to ACT 
        for analysis of college placement.
            (E)  The ability of the community college to partner 
        with local high schools to develop college and career 
        readiness strategies and college readiness teams.
        (2)  The State Board shall work with ACT to analyze up 
    to 10 courses at each participating community college for 
    purposes of determining student placement and college 
    readiness.
        (3)  Each participating community college shall 
    establish an agreement with a high school or schools to do 
    all of the following:
            (A)  Create a data-sharing agreement.
            (B)  Create a Readiness Prescription for each 
        student, showing all of the following:
                (i)  The readiness status for college-level 
            work.
                (ii)  Course recommendations for remediation or 
            for advanced coursework in Advanced Placement 
            classes or dual credit and dual enrollment 
            programs.
                (iii)  Additional academic support services, 
            including tutoring, mentoring, and college 
            application assistance.
            (C)  Create college and career readiness teams 
        comprised of faculty and counselors or advisers from 
        the community college and high school, the college and 
        career readiness coordinator from the community 
        college, and other members as determined by the high 
        school and community college. The teams may include 
        local business or civic leaders.  The teams shall 
        develop intervention strategies as follows:
                (i)  Use the Readiness Prescription to develop 
            a contract with each student for remedial or 
            advanced coursework to be taken during the senior 
            year.
                (ii)  Monitor student progress.
                (iii)  Provide readiness support services.
            (D)  Retest students in the spring of 2008 to assess 
        progress and college readiness.
        (4)  The State Board shall work with participating 
    community colleges and high schools to develop an 
    appropriate evaluation process to measure effectiveness of 
    intervention strategies, including all of the following:
            (A)  Baseline data for each participating school.
            (B)  Baseline data for the Illinois system.
            (C)  Comparison of ACT scores from March 2007 to 
        March 2008.
            (D)  Student enrollment in college in the fall of 
        2008.
            (E)  Placement of college and career readiness 
        students in developmental and regular courses in the 
        fall of 2008.
            (F)  Retention of college and career readiness 
        students in the spring semester of 2009.
        (5)  The State Board shall work with participating 
    community colleges and high schools to establish 
    operational processes and a budget for college and career 
    readiness pilot programs, including all of the following:
            (A)  Employment of a college and career readiness 
        coordinator at each community college site.
            (B)  Establishment of a budget.
            (C)  Creation of college and career readiness 
        teams, resources, and partnership agreements.
    (d)  The second year of the program created under this 
Section shall begin with the high school class of 2009.  In the 
second year, the State Board shall have all of the following 
duties:
        (1)  Analyze courses at 3 new community college sites.
        (2)  Undertake intervention strategies through college 
    and career readiness teams with students in the class of 
    2009.
        (3)  Monitor and assist college and career readiness 
    graduates from the class of 2008 in college.
    (e)  The third year of the program created under this 
Section shall begin with the high school class of 2010.  In the 
third year, the State Board shall have all of the following 
duties:
        (1)  Analyze courses at 5 new community college sites.
        (2)  Add college and career readiness teams at 3 new 
    sites (from year 2 of the program).
        (3)  Undertake intervention strategies through college 
    and career readiness teams with students of the class of 
    2010 at 7 sites.
        (4)  Monitor and assist students from the classes of 
    2008 and 2009 in college.

 

    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon 
becoming law.