Full Text of SB2840 99th General Assembly
SB2840 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
| | 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2015 and 2016 SB2840 Introduced 2/17/2016, by Sen. Ira I. Silverstein SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: |
| 105 ILCS 5/3-15.12 | from Ch. 122, par. 3-15.12 |
|
Amends the School Code. With respect to the High School Equivalency Testing Program, requires a regional superintendent of schools to waive required fees for an applicant who (i) qualifies as a homeless person, child, or youth as defined in the Education for Homeless Children Act, (ii) has not attained 25 years of age as of the date of the scheduled test, and (iii) can verify his or her status as a homeless person, child, or youth. Provides that a homeless services provider that is qualified to verify an individual's housing status, as determined by the Illinois Community College Board, and that has knowledge of the applicant's housing status may verify the applicant's status.
|
| |
| | | FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY | |
| | A BILL FOR |
|
| | | SB2840 | | LRB099 19577 NHT 43972 b |
|
| 1 | | AN ACT concerning education.
| 2 | | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
| 3 | | represented in the General Assembly:
| 4 | | Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section | 5 | | 3-15.12 as follows: | 6 | | (105 ILCS 5/3-15.12) (from Ch. 122, par. 3-15.12)
| 7 | | Sec. 3-15.12. High school equivalency testing program.
The | 8 | | regional
superintendent of schools shall make available for | 9 | | qualified individuals
residing within the region a High School | 10 | | Equivalency Testing Program.
For that purpose the regional | 11 | | superintendent alone or with other
regional superintendents | 12 | | may establish and supervise a testing center or
centers to | 13 | | administer the secure forms for high school equivalency testing | 14 | | to qualified persons. Such centers
shall be under the | 15 | | supervision of the regional superintendent in whose
region such | 16 | | centers are located, subject to the approval
of the
Executive | 17 | | Director of the Illinois Community College Board.
| 18 | | An individual is eligible to apply to the regional | 19 | | superintendent of schools
for the region in which he or she
| 20 | | resides if he or she is: (a) a person who is 17 years
of age or | 21 | | older, has maintained residence in the State of Illinois,
and | 22 | | is
not a high school graduate; (b)
a person who is successfully | 23 | | completing an
alternative education program under Section |
| | | SB2840 | - 2 - | LRB099 19577 NHT 43972 b |
|
| 1 | | 2-3.81, Article 13A,
or Article 13B; or (c) a
person who is
| 2 | | enrolled in a youth education program sponsored by the Illinois | 3 | | National
Guard.
For purposes of this Section, residence is that | 4 | | abode which the applicant
considers his or her home. Applicants | 5 | | may provide as sufficient proof of such
residence and as an | 6 | | acceptable form of identification a driver's license, valid | 7 | | passport, military ID, or other form of government-issued | 8 | | national or foreign identification that shows the applicant's | 9 | | name, address, date of birth, signature, and photograph or | 10 | | other acceptable identification as may be allowed by law or as | 11 | | regulated by the Illinois Community College Board. Such | 12 | | regional superintendent shall determine if the
applicant meets | 13 | | statutory and regulatory state standards. If qualified the
| 14 | | applicant shall at the time of such application pay a fee | 15 | | established by the
Illinois Community College Board, which fee | 16 | | shall be paid into a special
fund
under the control and | 17 | | supervision of the regional superintendent. Such moneys
| 18 | | received by the regional superintendent shall be used, first, | 19 | | for the
expenses incurred
in administering and scoring the | 20 | | examination, and next for other educational
programs that are | 21 | | developed and designed by the regional superintendent of
| 22 | | schools to assist those who successfully complete high school | 23 | | equivalency testing in furthering their academic development | 24 | | or
their ability to secure and retain gainful employment, | 25 | | including programs for
the competitive award based on test | 26 | | scores of college or adult education
scholarship grants or |
| | | SB2840 | - 3 - | LRB099 19577 NHT 43972 b |
|
| 1 | | similar educational incentives. Any excess moneys shall
be paid | 2 | | into the institute fund.
| 3 | | Any applicant who has achieved the minimum passing | 4 | | standards as
established by the
Illinois Community College | 5 | | Board shall be
notified in writing by the regional | 6 | | superintendent and shall be
issued a high school equivalency | 7 | | certificate on the forms provided by the
Illinois Community | 8 | | College Board. The regional superintendent shall
then certify | 9 | | to the Illinois Community College Board
the score of the | 10 | | applicant and such other and additional information
that may be | 11 | | required by the Illinois Community College Board. The
moneys | 12 | | received therefrom shall be used in the same manner as provided
| 13 | | for in this Section.
| 14 | | Any applicant who has attained the age of 17 years and | 15 | | maintained
residence in the State of Illinois and is not a high | 16 | | school graduate, any person who has enrolled in a youth | 17 | | education program sponsored by the Illinois National Guard, or | 18 | | any person who has successfully completed
an
alternative | 19 | | education program under Section 2-3.81,
Article 13A, or Article | 20 | | 13B is eligible to apply for a high school equivalency
| 21 | | certificate (if he or she meets the requirements prescribed by | 22 | | the Illinois Community College Board) upon showing evidence | 23 | | that he or she has completed, successfully, high school | 24 | | equivalency testing, administered by the United
States Armed | 25 | | Forces Institute, official high school equivalency testing | 26 | | centers established in other
states, Veterans' Administration |
| | | SB2840 | - 4 - | LRB099 19577 NHT 43972 b |
|
| 1 | | Hospitals, or the office of the State
Superintendent of | 2 | | Education for the Illinois State Penitentiary
System and the | 3 | | Department of Corrections. Such applicant shall apply to the
| 4 | | regional superintendent of the region wherein he or she has | 5 | | maintained residence, and,
upon payment of a fee established by | 6 | | the Illinois Community College Board,
the regional | 7 | | superintendent shall issue a high school
equivalency | 8 | | certificate and immediately thereafter certify to the Illinois | 9 | | Community College Board the score of the applicant and such | 10 | | other and
additional information as may be required by the | 11 | | Illinois Community College Board.
| 12 | | Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section, any | 13 | | applicant who has
been out of school for at least one year may | 14 | | request the regional
superintendent of schools to administer | 15 | | restricted high school equivalency testing upon
written | 16 | | request of: the director of a program who certifies to the | 17 | | Chief
Examiner of an official high school equivalency testing | 18 | | center that the applicant has completed a
program of | 19 | | instruction provided by such agencies as the Job Corps, the
| 20 | | Postal Service Academy, or an apprenticeship training program; | 21 | | an employer
or program director for purposes of entry into | 22 | | apprenticeship programs;
another state's department of | 23 | | education in order to meet regulations
established by that | 24 | | department of education; or a post high school
educational | 25 | | institution for purposes of admission, the Department of | 26 | | Financial and
Professional Regulation for licensing purposes, |
| | | SB2840 | - 5 - | LRB099 19577 NHT 43972 b |
|
| 1 | | or the Armed Forces
for induction purposes. The regional | 2 | | superintendent shall administer
such testing, and the | 3 | | applicant shall be notified in writing that he or she is
| 4 | | eligible to receive a high school equivalency certificate
upon | 5 | | reaching age 17, provided he or she meets the standards | 6 | | established by the Illinois Community College Board.
| 7 | | Any test administered under this Section to an applicant | 8 | | who does not
speak and understand English may at the discretion | 9 | | of the administering
agency be given and answered in any | 10 | | language in which the test is
printed. The regional | 11 | | superintendent of schools may waive any fees required
by this | 12 | | Section in case of hardship.
The regional superintendent of | 13 | | schools shall waive any fees required by this Section for an | 14 | | applicant who meets all of the following criteria:
| 15 | | (1) The applicant qualifies as a homeless person, | 16 | | child, or youth as defined in the Education for Homeless | 17 | | Children Act. | 18 | | (2) The applicant has not attained 25 years of age as | 19 | | of the date of the scheduled test. | 20 | | (3) The applicant can verify his or her status as a | 21 | | homeless person, child, or youth. A homeless services | 22 | | provider that is qualified to verify an individual's | 23 | | housing status, as determined by the Illinois Community | 24 | | College Board, and that has knowledge of the applicant's | 25 | | housing status may verify the applicant's status for | 26 | | purposes of this subdivision (3). |
| | | SB2840 | - 6 - | LRB099 19577 NHT 43972 b |
|
| 1 | | In counties of over 3,000,000 population, a high school | 2 | | equivalency certificate
shall contain the signatures of the | 3 | | Executive Director of the Illinois Community College Board and | 4 | | the superintendent, president, or other chief
executive | 5 | | officer of the institution where high school equivalency | 6 | | testing instruction occurred and any
other signatures | 7 | | authorized by the Illinois Community College Board.
| 8 | | The regional superintendent of schools shall furnish the | 9 | | Illinois
Community College Board with any information that the | 10 | | Illinois
Community College Board requests with regard to | 11 | | testing and certificates under this
Section.
| 12 | | (Source: P.A. 98-718, eff. 1-1-15; 98-719, eff. 1-1-15; 99-78, | 13 | | eff. 7-20-15.)
|
|