SB3541sam001 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Sen. Toi W. Hutchinson

Filed: 4/3/2014

09800SB3541sam001 LRB098 19604 NHT 57623 a

AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 3541

AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 3541 by replacing everything after the enacting clause with the following:

"Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section 13-43.14 as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/13-43.14) (from Ch. 122, par. 13-43.14)

Sec. 13-43.14. (a) The Board shall determine the branches and courses of study and the type of schools for each facility as well as to establish special schools at various facilities or facility within said district and to establish district wide schools at one or more locations for special purposes, and is empowered to enter into agreements with local school districts for the purpose of using their facilities or coordinating facilities for a more efficient use of funds, personnel, physical plants and other combined available resources. The Board shall also determine the type of textbooks and apparatus for said schools.

(b) The Board and the Department of Corrections shall establish a pilot program in which adjudicated youth offenders or adult inmates or both who are credit deficient or in need of a non-traditional education 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 adjudicated youth offenders or adult inmates or both to take online courses provided by an AdvancED/NCA/SACS accredited online career education program and facilitated by teachers licensed by this State, which shall allow a student to earn enough credits to graduate or to receive a high school diploma and career certificate from the AdvancED/NCA/SACS accredited online career education program. The Board and the Department of Corrections shall choose 5 juvenile justice or adult facilities or a combination of both to participate in the pilot program.

The Board and the Department of Corrections 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.

The plan must also evaluate the effect of students' mobility between juvenile justice education programs and school districts on the students' educational outcomes and whether the continuity of the students' educational outcomes and whether the continuity of the student's education can be better addressed through an 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 in confined or restricted settings;

(C) responsive and rapid enrollment, ensuring juvenile offenders are placed in an educational setting immediately upon adjudication, 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 juvenile offenders with widely varying academic requirements; and

(F) providing performance-based instruction that advances students based on performance, not just instruction time.

No more than 3 years after the pilot program has been established under this Section, the Board and the Department of Corrections shall file a report with the General Assembly concerning the results of the pilot program and whether the pilot program should be expanded.

(Source: P.A. 77-1779.)

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