Higher Education Committee

Filed: 3/14/2007

 

 


 

 


 
09500HB0658ham001 LRB095 04892 RAS 32556 a

1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 658

2     AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 658 by replacing
3 everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4     "Section 5. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is
5 amended by changing Section 25 as follows:
 
6     (110 ILCS 947/25)
7     Sec. 25. State scholar program.
8     (a) An applicant is eligible to be designated a State
9 Scholar when the Commission finds the candidate:
10         (1) is a resident of this State and a citizen or
11     permanent resident of the United States;
12         (2) has successfully completed the program of
13     instruction at an approved high school, or is a student in
14     good standing at such a school and is engaged in a program
15     which in due course will be completed by the end of the
16     academic year, and in either event that the candidate's

 

 

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1     academic standing is above the class median; and that the
2     candidate has not had any university, college, normal
3     school, private junior college or public community
4     college, or other advanced training subsequent to
5     graduation from high school; and
6         (3) has superior capacity to profit by a higher
7     education.
8     (b) In determining an applicant's superior capacity to
9 profit by a higher education, the Commission shall consider the
10 candidate's scholastic record in high school and the results of
11 the examination conducted under the provisions of this Act. The
12 Commission shall establish by rule the minimum conditions of
13 eligibility in terms of the foregoing factors, and the relative
14 weight to be accorded to those factors.
15     (c) The Commission shall base its State Scholar
16 designations upon the eligibility formula prescribed in its
17 rules, except that notwithstanding those rules or any other
18 provision of this Section, a student nominated by his or her
19 school shall be designated a State Scholar if that student
20 achieves an Illinois Standard Test Score at or above the 95th
21 percentile among students taking the designated examinations
22 in Illinois that year, as determined by the Commission.
23     (d) The Commission shall obtain the results of a
24 competitive examination from the applicants this Act. The
25 examination shall provide a measure of each candidate's ability
26 to perform college work and shall have demonstrated utility in

 

 

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1 such a selection program. The Commission shall select, and
2 designate by rule, the specific examinations to be used in
3 determining the applicant's superior capacity to profit from a
4 higher education. Candidates may be asked by the Commission to
5 take those steps necessary to provide results of the designated
6 examination as part of their applications. Any nominal cost of
7 obtaining or providing the examination results shall be paid by
8 the candidate to the agency designated by the Commission to
9 provide the examination service. In the event that a candidate
10 or candidates are unable to participate in the examination for
11 financial reasons, the Commission may choose to pay the
12 examination fee on the candidate's or candidates' behalf. Any
13 notary fee which may also be required as part of the total
14 application shall be paid by the applicant.
15     (e) The Commission shall award to each State Scholar a
16 certificate or other suitable form of recognition. The decision
17 to attend a non-qualified institution of higher learning shall
18 not disqualify applicants who are otherwise fully qualified.
19     (f) The Commission shall conduct a study detailing all of
20 the following information:
21         (1) The number of students designated State Scholars in
22     2007 and 2008.
23         (2) The number of State Scholars who applied to State
24     universities in 2007 and 2008.
25         (3) The number of State Scholars who were denied
26     admittance into the State universities to which they

 

 

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1     applied in 2007 and 2008.
2     All data collected from a State university in regards to
3 the study conducted under this subsection (f) must be verified
4 by that university.
5     On or before January 1, 2009, the Commission must submit a
6 report to the General Assembly that contains the findings of
7 the study conducted under this subsection (f) and the
8 Commission's recommendations on how to make State universities
9 more accessible to State Scholars.
10
11 (Source: P.A. 87-997.)
 
12     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
13 becoming law.".