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1 | AN ACT concerning education.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Section | ||||||
5 | 14C-13 as follows:
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6 | (105 ILCS 5/14C-13) (from Ch. 122, par. 14C-13)
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7 | Sec. 14C-13. Advisory Council. | ||||||
8 | (a) There is created an Advisory Council
on Bilingual | ||||||
9 | Education, consisting of 17 members appointed by the State
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10 | Superintendent of Education and selected, as nearly as | ||||||
11 | possible, on the
basis of experience in or knowledge of the | ||||||
12 | various programs of bilingual
education. The Council shall | ||||||
13 | advise the State Superintendent on policy and
rules pertaining | ||||||
14 | to bilingual education. The Council shall establish such
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15 | sub-committees as it deems appropriate to review bilingual | ||||||
16 | education issues
including but not limited to certification, | ||||||
17 | finance and special education.
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18 | Initial appointees shall serve terms determined by lot as | ||||||
19 | follows: 6 for
one year, 6 for 2 years and 5 for 3 years. | ||||||
20 | Successors shall serve 3-year
terms. Members annually shall | ||||||
21 | select a chairman from among their number.
Members shall | ||||||
22 | receive no compensation but may be reimbursed for necessary
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23 | expenses incurred in the performance of their duties. |
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1 | By no later than December 1, 2011, the Council shall | ||||||
2 | submit a report to the State Superintendent of Education, the | ||||||
3 | Governor, and the General Assembly addressing, at a minimum, | ||||||
4 | the following questions: | ||||||
5 | (1) whether and how the 20 child per attendance center | ||||||
6 | minimum in Section 14C-3 of this Code should be modified; | ||||||
7 | (2) whether and how educator certification | ||||||
8 | requirements in this Article 14C and applicable State | ||||||
9 | Board of Education rules should be modified; | ||||||
10 | (3) whether and how bilingual education requirements | ||||||
11 | in this Article 14C and applicable State Board of | ||||||
12 | Education rules should be modified to address differences | ||||||
13 | between elementary and secondary schools; and | ||||||
14 | (4) whether and how to allow school districts to | ||||||
15 | administer alternative bilingual education programs | ||||||
16 | instead of transitional bilingual education programs.
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17 | By no later than January 1, 2013, the Council shall submit | ||||||
18 | a report to the State Superintendent of Education, the | ||||||
19 | Governor, and the General Assembly addressing, at a minimum, | ||||||
20 | the following questions: | ||||||
21 | (i) whether and how bilingual education programs | ||||||
22 | should be modified to be more flexible and achieve a | ||||||
23 | higher success rate among Hispanic students in the | ||||||
24 | classroom and on State assessments; | ||||||
25 | (ii) whether and how bilingual education programs | ||||||
26 | should be modified to increase parental involvement |
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1 | including the use of parent academies; | ||||||
2 | (iii) whether and how bilingual education programs | ||||||
3 | should be modified to increase cultural competency through | ||||||
4 | a cultural competency program among bilingual teaching | ||||||
5 | staff; and | ||||||
6 | (iv) whether and how the bilingual parent advisory | ||||||
7 | committees within school districts can be supported in | ||||||
8 | order to increase the opportunities for parents to | ||||||
9 | effectively express their views concerning the planning, | ||||||
10 | operation, and evaluation of bilingual education programs. | ||||||
11 | Within one year of the effective date of this amendatory | ||||||
12 | Act of the 103rd General Assembly, the Council shall deliver a | ||||||
13 | report to the General Assembly on how to incentivize dual | ||||||
14 | language instruction in schools. The report shall include: (i) | ||||||
15 | expanding dual language programs and instruction, (ii) | ||||||
16 | developing a strategic plan for scaling dual language | ||||||
17 | programs, (iii) possible public-private partnerships to expand | ||||||
18 | dual language programs, (iv) potential funding mechanisms and | ||||||
19 | models, including how to leverage the use of existing State | ||||||
20 | and federal resources and how to sustain funding for dual | ||||||
21 | language programs, (v) how to build the supply of qualified | ||||||
22 | teachers for dual language programs, including potential | ||||||
23 | partnerships with private or nonprofit teacher preparation or | ||||||
24 | development programs and college teacher preparation programs, | ||||||
25 | potential alternative certification routes, exchange programs | ||||||
26 | with other countries, and financial incentives, and (vi) |
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1 | standards for measuring student progress in dual language | ||||||
2 | programs. | ||||||
3 | (b) For the purpose of this Section: | ||||||
4 | "Parent academies" means a series of parent development | ||||||
5 | opportunities delivered throughout the school year to increase | ||||||
6 | parents' ability to successfully navigate the education system | ||||||
7 | and monitor their children's education. Parent academies are | ||||||
8 | specifically designed for parents of students who are enrolled | ||||||
9 | in any of the English Language Learner programs and are to be | ||||||
10 | provided after work hours in the parents' native language. At | ||||||
11 | a minimum, parent academies shall allow participants to do the | ||||||
12 | following: | ||||||
13 | (1) understand and use their children's standardized | ||||||
14 | tests to effectively advocate for their children's | ||||||
15 | academic success; | ||||||
16 | (2) learn home strategies to increase their children's | ||||||
17 | reading proficiency; | ||||||
18 | (3) promote homework completion as a successful daily | ||||||
19 | routine; | ||||||
20 | (4) establish a positive and productive connection | ||||||
21 | with their children's schools and teachers; and | ||||||
22 | (5) build the character traits that lead to academic | ||||||
23 | success, such as responsibility, persistence, a hard-work | ||||||
24 | ethic, and the ability to delay gratification. | ||||||
25 | "Cultural competency program" means a staff development | ||||||
26 | opportunity to increase the school staffs' ability to meet the |
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1 | social, emotional, and academic needs of culturally and | ||||||
2 | linguistically diverse students and, at a minimum, allows | ||||||
3 | participants to do the following: | ||||||
4 | (i) discuss the impact that our constantly changing, | ||||||
5 | highly technological and globalist society is having on | ||||||
6 | Illinois' public education system; | ||||||
7 | (ii) analyze international, national, State, county, | ||||||
8 | district, and local students' performance data and the | ||||||
9 | achievement gaps that persistently exist between groups; | ||||||
10 | (iii) realize the benefits and challenges of reaching | ||||||
11 | proficiency in cultural competency; | ||||||
12 | (iv) engage in conversations that lead to | ||||||
13 | self-awareness and greater insight regarding diversity; | ||||||
14 | and | ||||||
15 | (v) learn strategies for building student-teacher | ||||||
16 | relationships and making instruction more comprehensible | ||||||
17 | and relevant for all students. | ||||||
18 | (Source: P.A. 97-305, eff. 1-1-12; 97-915, eff. 1-1-13.)
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