Public Act 096-0421
 
SB0613 Enrolled LRB096 06678 NHT 16762 b

    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
Children's Low-cost Laptop Act.
 
    Section 5. Policy and purpose. The General Assembly finds
that the decreasing cost of computer technology makes it
possible today to equip more children than ever before with
21st century learning tools. The dramatic expansion of low-cost
computing options and the worldwide reliance on computer
technology for commerce, education, information, and social
interaction makes it ever more important to introduce computing
skills to students at an early age. Accordingly, the State
Board of Education shall establish a pilot project whereby
schools will provide a low-cost laptop computer to each
student, teacher, and relevant administrator in a
participating school and implement the use of educational
software and computer skills training in order to improve
academic achievement and the progress measures listed in
subsection (a) of Section 20 in this Act.
 
    Section 10. Definitions. In this Act:
    "Primary school" means any school with students in third,
fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, or eighth grade.
    "Low-cost laptop" means a portable personal computing
device suitable for use among primary school-aged children,
under $400 in initial cost or with a financed cost of under
$250 per year.
    "State Board" means the State Board of Education.
 
    Section 15. Pilot project; Children's Low-cost Laptop
Fund.
    (a) Subject to an appropriation made specifically for this
purpose, the State Board shall provide for the administration
of a low-cost laptop pilot project. The pilot project shall be
for a period of at least 2 years. In administering the pilot
project, the State Board shall:
        (1) select participating primary schools;
        (2) coordinate a statewide grant program for selected
    schools to purchase and distribute laptop computers and
    other technologies;
        (3) define the conditions for the distribution and use
    of grant funding;
        (4) monitor project implementation; and
        (5) evaluate the project.
    (b) The State Board may also use, for the purposes of the
pilot project, any public or private gift, grant, or donation
deposited into the State Board of Education Special Purpose
Trust Fund under Section 2-3.127a of the School Code. Pilot
project funds must be used for the following:
        (1) to purchase low-cost laptop computers;
        (2) for network infrastructure to support wireless
    access points, cables, and routers;
        (3) for replacements for any of the following low-cost
    laptop components: batteries, power cords, or other
    software and hardware;
        (4) for professional development and technical support
    for participating teachers; for the purposes of this item
    (4), "professional development" means the training of
    certified teaching professionals in the integration of
    low-cost laptop computers into the classroom curriculum;
        (5) to support necessary staff positions at the State
    Board; and
        (6) to evaluate the pilot program's effectiveness.
    The State Board may not allocate more than $100 million for
the pilot project. The pilot project must be implemented as
long as funds are available under this Section to support the
participation of at least 3 schools.
 
    Section 20. Program participation requirements. A school
may apply to the State Board to establish a low-cost laptop
pilot project grant for the entire school or for a particular
grade or classroom or classrooms.
    The State Board shall select up to 300 schools to
participate in the pilot project. At least one-third of the
participating students shall be located in the City of Chicago;
at least one-third shall be located in the area that makes up
the counties of DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will, and that
portion of Cook County that is located outside of the City of
Chicago; and at least one-third shall be located in the
remainder of the State.
    The State Board shall select the participating schools for
the pilot project based on need. In selecting participants, the
State Board shall consider each school's:
        (1) free and reduced lunch eligible student
    population;
        (2) access to educational technology resources; and
        (3) performance on standardized tests required by the
    State Board.
 
    Section 25. Reporting.
    (a) The school board of each participating school shall
send an annual progress report to the State Board no later than
September 1 of each year that the school is participating in
the pilot project. The report must include the project's effect
on:
        (1) performance on standardized tests required by the
    State Board;
        (2) school costs;
        (3) attendance rates;
        (4) teacher performance and retention;
        (5) parental involvement in education;
        (6) community support for the school; and
        (7) student technology proficiency.
    (b) With guidance from the State Board, each participating
school shall determine how the low-cost laptops are purchased,
assigned, maintained, and retained.
 
    Section 30. Repeal. This Act is repealed on August 31,
2012.
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.