Full Text of HB2740 100th General Assembly
HB2740enr 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 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 and the Illinois Community | 9 | | College Board shall make available for qualified individuals
| 10 | | residing within the region a High School Equivalency Testing | 11 | | Program and alternative methods of credentialing, as | 12 | | identified under this Section .
For that purpose the regional | 13 | | superintendent alone or with other
regional superintendents | 14 | | may establish and supervise a testing center or
centers to | 15 | | administer the secure forms for high school equivalency testing | 16 | | to qualified persons. Such centers
shall be under the | 17 | | supervision of the regional superintendent in whose
region such | 18 | | centers are located, subject to the approval
of the
Executive | 19 | | Director of the Illinois Community College Board.
The Illinois | 20 | | Community College Board shall also establish criteria and make | 21 | | available alternative methods of credentialing throughout the | 22 | | State. | 23 | | An individual is eligible to apply to the regional |
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| 1 | | superintendent of schools
for the region in which he or she
| 2 | | resides if he or she is: (a) a person who is 17 years
of age or | 3 | | older, has maintained residence in the State of Illinois,
and | 4 | | is
not a high school graduate; (b)
a person who is successfully | 5 | | completing an
alternative education program under Section | 6 | | 2-3.81, Article 13A,
or Article 13B; or (c) a
person who is
| 7 | | enrolled in a youth education program sponsored by the Illinois | 8 | | National
Guard.
For purposes of this Section, residence is that | 9 | | abode which the applicant
considers his or her home. Applicants | 10 | | may provide as sufficient proof of such
residence and as an | 11 | | acceptable form of identification a driver's license, valid | 12 | | passport, military ID, or other form of government-issued | 13 | | national or foreign identification that shows the applicant's | 14 | | name, address, date of birth, signature, and photograph or | 15 | | other acceptable identification as may be allowed by law or as | 16 | | regulated by the Illinois Community College Board. Such | 17 | | regional superintendent shall determine if the
applicant meets | 18 | | statutory and regulatory state standards. | 19 | | If qualified the
applicant shall at the time of such | 20 | | application pay a fee established by the
Illinois Community | 21 | | College Board, which fee shall be paid into a special
fund
| 22 | | under the control and supervision of the regional | 23 | | superintendent. Such moneys
received by the regional | 24 | | superintendent shall be used, first, for the
expenses incurred
| 25 | | in administering and scoring the examination, and next for | 26 | | other educational
programs that are developed and designed by |
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| 1 | | the regional superintendent of
schools to assist those who | 2 | | successfully complete high school equivalency testing or meet | 3 | | the criteria for alternative methods of credentialing in | 4 | | furthering their academic development or
their ability to | 5 | | secure and retain gainful employment, including programs for
| 6 | | the competitive award based on test scores of college or adult | 7 | | education
scholarship grants or similar educational | 8 | | incentives. Any excess moneys shall
be paid into the institute | 9 | | fund.
| 10 | | Any applicant who has achieved the minimum passing | 11 | | standards as
established by the
Illinois Community College | 12 | | Board shall be
notified in writing by the regional | 13 | | superintendent and shall be
issued a high school equivalency | 14 | | certificate on the forms provided by the
Illinois Community | 15 | | College Board. The regional superintendent shall
then certify | 16 | | to the Illinois Community College Board
the score of the | 17 | | applicant and such other and additional information
that may be | 18 | | required by the Illinois Community College Board. The
moneys | 19 | | received therefrom shall be used in the same manner as provided
| 20 | | for in this Section.
| 21 | | The Illinois Community College Board shall establish | 22 | | alternative methods of credentialing for the issuance of high | 23 | | school equivalency certification. In addition to high school | 24 | | equivalency testing, the following alternative methods of | 25 | | receiving a high school equivalency credential shall be made | 26 | | available to qualified individuals on or after January 1, 2018: |
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| 1 | | (A) High School Equivalency based on High School | 2 | | Credit. A qualified candidate may petition to have his or | 3 | | her high school transcripts evaluated to determine what the | 4 | | candidate needs to meet criteria as established by the | 5 | | Illinois Community College Board. | 6 | | (B) High School Equivalency based on Post-Secondary | 7 | | Credit. A qualified candidate may petition to have his or | 8 | | her post-secondary transcripts evaluated to determine what | 9 | | the candidate needs to meet criteria established by the | 10 | | Illinois Community College Board. | 11 | | (C) High School Equivalency based on a Foreign Diploma. | 12 | | A qualified candidate may petition to have his or her | 13 | | foreign high school or post-secondary transcripts | 14 | | evaluated to determine what the candidate needs to meet | 15 | | criteria established by the Illinois Community College | 16 | | Board. | 17 | | (D) High School Equivalency based on Completion of a | 18 | | Competency-Based Program as approved by the Illinois | 19 | | Community College Board. The Illinois Community College | 20 | | Board shall establish guidelines for competency-based high | 21 | | school equivalency programs. | 22 | | Any applicant who has attained the age of 17 years and | 23 | | maintained
residence in the State of Illinois and is not a high | 24 | | school graduate, any person who has enrolled in a youth | 25 | | education program sponsored by the Illinois National Guard, or | 26 | | any person who has successfully completed
an
alternative |
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| 1 | | education program under Section 2-3.81,
Article 13A, or Article | 2 | | 13B is eligible to apply for a high school equivalency
| 3 | | certificate (if he or she meets the requirements prescribed by | 4 | | the Illinois Community College Board) upon showing evidence | 5 | | that he or she has completed, successfully, high school | 6 | | equivalency testing, administered by the United
States Armed | 7 | | Forces Institute, official high school equivalency testing | 8 | | centers established in other
states, Veterans' Administration | 9 | | Hospitals, or the office of the State
Superintendent of | 10 | | Education for the Illinois State Penitentiary
System and the | 11 | | Department of Corrections. Such applicant shall apply to the
| 12 | | regional superintendent of the region wherein he or she has | 13 | | maintained residence, and,
upon payment of a fee established by | 14 | | the Illinois Community College Board,
the regional | 15 | | superintendent shall issue a high school
equivalency | 16 | | certificate and immediately thereafter certify to the Illinois | 17 | | Community College Board the score of the applicant and such | 18 | | other and
additional information as may be required by the | 19 | | Illinois Community College Board.
| 20 | | Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section, any | 21 | | applicant who has
been out of school for at least one year may | 22 | | request the regional
superintendent of schools to administer | 23 | | restricted high school equivalency testing upon
written | 24 | | request of: the director of a program who certifies to the | 25 | | Chief
Examiner of an official high school equivalency testing | 26 | | center that the applicant has completed a
program of |
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| 1 | | instruction provided by such agencies as the Job Corps, the
| 2 | | Postal Service Academy, or an apprenticeship training program; | 3 | | an employer
or program director for purposes of entry into | 4 | | apprenticeship programs;
another state's department of | 5 | | education in order to meet regulations
established by that | 6 | | department of education; or a post high school
educational | 7 | | institution for purposes of admission, the Department of | 8 | | Financial and
Professional Regulation for licensing purposes, | 9 | | or the Armed Forces
for induction purposes. The regional | 10 | | superintendent shall administer
such testing, and the | 11 | | applicant shall be notified in writing that he or she is
| 12 | | eligible to receive a high school equivalency certificate
upon | 13 | | reaching age 17, provided he or she meets the standards | 14 | | established by the Illinois Community College Board.
| 15 | | Any test administered under this Section to an applicant | 16 | | who does not
speak and understand English may at the discretion | 17 | | of the administering
agency be given and answered in any | 18 | | language in which the test is
printed. The regional | 19 | | superintendent of schools may waive any fees required
by this | 20 | | Section in case of hardship.
The regional superintendent of | 21 | | schools and the Illinois Community College Board shall waive | 22 | | any fees required by this Section for an applicant who meets | 23 | | all of the following criteria:
| 24 | | (1) The applicant qualifies as a homeless person, | 25 | | child, or youth as defined in the Education for Homeless | 26 | | Children Act. |
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| 1 | | (2) The applicant has not attained 25 years of age as | 2 | | of the date of the scheduled test. | 3 | | (3) The applicant can verify his or her status as a | 4 | | homeless person, child, or youth. A homeless services | 5 | | provider that is qualified to verify an individual's | 6 | | housing status, as determined by the Illinois Community | 7 | | College Board, and that has knowledge of the applicant's | 8 | | housing status may verify the applicant's status for | 9 | | purposes of this subdivision (3). | 10 | | (4) The applicant has completed a high school | 11 | | equivalency preparation course through an Illinois | 12 | | Community College Board-approved provider. | 13 | | (5) The applicant is taking the test at a testing | 14 | | center operated by a regional superintendent of schools or | 15 | | the Cook County High School Equivalency Office. | 16 | | In counties of over 3,000,000 population, a high school | 17 | | equivalency certificate
shall contain the signatures of the | 18 | | Executive Director of the Illinois Community College Board and | 19 | | the superintendent, president, or other chief
executive | 20 | | officer of the institution where high school equivalency | 21 | | testing instruction occurred and any
other signatures | 22 | | authorized by the Illinois Community College Board.
| 23 | | The regional superintendent of schools shall furnish the | 24 | | Illinois
Community College Board with any information that the | 25 | | Illinois
Community College Board requests with regard to | 26 | | testing and certificates under this
Section.
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| 1 | | (Source: P.A. 98-718, eff. 1-1-15; 98-719, eff. 1-1-15; 99-78, | 2 | | eff. 7-20-15; 99-742, eff. 1-1-17 .)
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