Full Text of SB1288 101st General Assembly
SB1288 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
| | 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2019 and 2020 SB1288 Introduced 2/7/2019, by Sen. Chuck Weaver SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: |
| 105 ILCS 5/3-15.12 | from Ch. 122, par. 3-15.12 |
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Amends the School Code. Provides that Peoria Public School District 150 may contract with a third party to provide high school equivalency testing programs. Effective immediately.
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| | A BILL FOR |
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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.
The regional
| 8 | | superintendent of schools and the Illinois Community College | 9 | | Board shall make available for qualified individuals
residing | 10 | | within the region a High School Equivalency Testing Program and | 11 | | alternative methods of credentialing, as identified under this | 12 | | Section.
For that purpose the regional superintendent alone or | 13 | | with other
regional superintendents may establish and | 14 | | supervise a testing center or
centers to administer the secure | 15 | | forms for high school equivalency testing to qualified persons. | 16 | | Such centers
shall be under the supervision of the regional | 17 | | superintendent in whose
region such centers are located, | 18 | | subject to the approval
of the
Executive Director of the | 19 | | Illinois Community College Board.
The Illinois Community | 20 | | College Board shall also establish criteria and make available | 21 | | alternative methods of credentialing throughout the State. | 22 | | An individual is eligible to apply to the regional | 23 | | superintendent of schools
for the region in which he or she
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| 1 | | resides if he or she is: (a) a person who is 17 years
of age or | 2 | | older, has maintained residence in the State of Illinois,
and | 3 | | is
not a high school graduate; (b)
a person who is successfully | 4 | | completing an
alternative education program under Section | 5 | | 2-3.81, Article 13A,
or Article 13B; or (c) a
person who is
| 6 | | enrolled in a youth education program sponsored by the Illinois | 7 | | National
Guard.
For purposes of this Section, residence is that | 8 | | abode which the applicant
considers his or her home. Applicants | 9 | | may provide as sufficient proof of such
residence and as an | 10 | | acceptable form of identification a driver's license, valid | 11 | | passport, military ID, or other form of government-issued | 12 | | national or foreign identification that shows the applicant's | 13 | | name, address, date of birth, signature, and photograph or | 14 | | other acceptable identification as may be allowed by law or as | 15 | | regulated by the Illinois Community College Board. Such | 16 | | regional superintendent shall determine if the
applicant meets | 17 | | statutory and regulatory state standards. | 18 | | If qualified the
applicant shall at the time of such | 19 | | application pay a fee established by the
Illinois Community | 20 | | College Board, which fee shall be paid into a special
fund
| 21 | | under the control and supervision of the regional | 22 | | superintendent. Such moneys
received by the regional | 23 | | superintendent shall be used, first, for the
expenses incurred
| 24 | | in administering and scoring the examination, and next for | 25 | | other educational
programs that are developed and designed by | 26 | | the regional superintendent of
schools to assist those who |
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| 1 | | successfully complete high school equivalency testing or meet | 2 | | the criteria for alternative methods of credentialing in | 3 | | furthering their academic development or
their ability to | 4 | | secure and retain gainful employment, including programs for
| 5 | | the competitive award based on test scores of college or adult | 6 | | education
scholarship grants or similar educational | 7 | | incentives. Any excess moneys shall
be paid into the institute | 8 | | fund.
| 9 | | Any applicant who has achieved the minimum passing | 10 | | standards as
established by the
Illinois Community College | 11 | | Board shall be
notified in writing by the regional | 12 | | superintendent and shall be
issued a high school equivalency | 13 | | certificate on the forms provided by the
Illinois Community | 14 | | College Board. The regional superintendent shall
then certify | 15 | | to the Illinois Community College Board
the score of the | 16 | | applicant and such other and additional information
that may be | 17 | | required by the Illinois Community College Board. The
moneys | 18 | | received therefrom shall be used in the same manner as provided
| 19 | | for in this Section.
| 20 | | The Illinois Community College Board shall establish | 21 | | alternative methods of credentialing for the issuance of high | 22 | | school equivalency certification. In addition to high school | 23 | | equivalency testing, the following alternative methods of | 24 | | receiving a high school equivalency credential shall be made | 25 | | available to qualified individuals on or after January 1, 2018: | 26 | | (A) High School Equivalency based on High School |
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| 1 | | Credit. A qualified candidate may petition to have his or | 2 | | her high school transcripts evaluated to determine what the | 3 | | candidate needs to meet criteria as established by the | 4 | | Illinois Community College Board. | 5 | | (B) High School Equivalency based on Post-Secondary | 6 | | Credit. A qualified candidate may petition to have his or | 7 | | her post-secondary transcripts evaluated to determine what | 8 | | the candidate needs to meet criteria established by the | 9 | | Illinois Community College Board. | 10 | | (C) High School Equivalency based on a Foreign Diploma. | 11 | | A qualified candidate may petition to have his or her | 12 | | foreign high school or post-secondary transcripts | 13 | | evaluated to determine what the candidate needs to meet | 14 | | criteria established by the Illinois Community College | 15 | | Board. | 16 | | (D) High School Equivalency based on Completion of a | 17 | | Competency-Based Program as approved by the Illinois | 18 | | Community College Board. The Illinois Community College | 19 | | Board shall establish guidelines for competency-based high | 20 | | school equivalency programs. | 21 | | Any applicant who has attained the age of 17 years and | 22 | | maintained
residence in the State of Illinois and is not a high | 23 | | school graduate, any person who has enrolled in a youth | 24 | | education program sponsored by the Illinois National Guard, or | 25 | | any person who has successfully completed
an
alternative | 26 | | education program under Section 2-3.81,
Article 13A, or Article |
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| 1 | | 13B is eligible to apply for a high school equivalency
| 2 | | certificate (if he or she meets the requirements prescribed by | 3 | | the Illinois Community College Board) upon showing evidence | 4 | | that he or she has completed, successfully, high school | 5 | | equivalency testing, administered by the United
States Armed | 6 | | Forces Institute, official high school equivalency testing | 7 | | centers established in other
states, Veterans' Administration | 8 | | Hospitals, or the office of the State
Superintendent of | 9 | | Education for the Illinois State Penitentiary
System and the | 10 | | Department of Corrections. Such applicant shall apply to the
| 11 | | regional superintendent of the region wherein he or she has | 12 | | maintained residence, and,
upon payment of a fee established by | 13 | | the Illinois Community College Board,
the regional | 14 | | superintendent shall issue a high school
equivalency | 15 | | certificate and immediately thereafter certify to the Illinois | 16 | | Community College Board the score of the applicant and such | 17 | | other and
additional information as may be required by the | 18 | | Illinois Community College Board.
| 19 | | Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section, any | 20 | | applicant who has
been out of school for at least one year may | 21 | | request the regional
superintendent of schools to administer | 22 | | restricted high school equivalency testing upon
written | 23 | | request of: the director of a program who certifies to the | 24 | | Chief
Examiner of an official high school equivalency testing | 25 | | center that the applicant has completed a
program of | 26 | | instruction provided by such agencies as the Job Corps, the
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| 1 | | Postal Service Academy, or an apprenticeship training program; | 2 | | an employer
or program director for purposes of entry into | 3 | | apprenticeship programs;
another state's department of | 4 | | education in order to meet regulations
established by that | 5 | | department of education; or a post high school
educational | 6 | | institution for purposes of admission, the Department of | 7 | | Financial and
Professional Regulation for licensing purposes, | 8 | | or the Armed Forces
for induction purposes. The regional | 9 | | superintendent shall administer
such testing, and the | 10 | | applicant shall be notified in writing that he or she is
| 11 | | eligible to receive a high school equivalency certificate
upon | 12 | | reaching age 17, provided he or she meets the standards | 13 | | established by the Illinois Community College Board.
| 14 | | Any test administered under this Section to an applicant | 15 | | who does not
speak and understand English may at the discretion | 16 | | of the administering
agency be given and answered in any | 17 | | language in which the test is
printed. The regional | 18 | | superintendent of schools may waive any fees required
by this | 19 | | Section in case of hardship.
The regional superintendent of | 20 | | schools and the Illinois Community College Board shall waive | 21 | | any fees required by this Section for an applicant who meets | 22 | | all of the following criteria:
| 23 | | (1) The applicant qualifies as a homeless person, | 24 | | child, or youth as defined in the Education for Homeless | 25 | | Children Act. | 26 | | (2) The applicant has not attained 25 years of age as |
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| 1 | | of the date of the scheduled test. | 2 | | (3) The applicant can verify his or her status as a | 3 | | homeless person, child, or youth. A homeless services | 4 | | provider that is qualified to verify an individual's | 5 | | housing status, as determined by the Illinois Community | 6 | | College Board, and that has knowledge of the applicant's | 7 | | housing status may verify the applicant's status for | 8 | | purposes of this subdivision (3). | 9 | | (4) The applicant has completed a high school | 10 | | equivalency preparation course through an Illinois | 11 | | Community College Board-approved provider. | 12 | | (5) The applicant is taking the test at a testing | 13 | | center operated by a regional superintendent of schools or | 14 | | the Cook County High School Equivalency Office. | 15 | | In counties of over 3,000,000 population, a high school | 16 | | equivalency certificate
shall contain the signatures of the | 17 | | Executive Director of the Illinois Community College Board and | 18 | | the superintendent, president, or other chief
executive | 19 | | officer of the institution where high school equivalency | 20 | | testing instruction occurred and any
other signatures | 21 | | authorized by the Illinois Community College Board.
| 22 | | Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, | 23 | | Peoria Public School District 150 may contract with a third | 24 | | party to provide high school equivalency testing programs under | 25 | | this Section. | 26 | | The regional superintendent of schools shall furnish the |
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| 1 | | Illinois
Community College Board with any information that the | 2 | | Illinois
Community College Board requests with regard to | 3 | | testing and certificates under this
Section.
| 4 | | (Source: P.A. 99-78, eff. 7-20-15; 99-742, eff. 1-1-17; | 5 | | 100-130, eff. 1-1-18 .)
| 6 | | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | 7 | | becoming law.
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