Full Text of SB2840 99th General Assembly
SB2840enr 99TH 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 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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, |
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| 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 and the Illinois Community College Board shall waive | 14 | | any fees required by this Section for an applicant who meets | 15 | | all of the following criteria:
| 16 | | (1) The applicant qualifies as a homeless person, | 17 | | child, or youth as defined in the Education for Homeless | 18 | | Children Act. | 19 | | (2) The applicant has not attained 25 years of age as | 20 | | of the date of the scheduled test. | 21 | | (3) The applicant can verify his or her status as a | 22 | | homeless person, child, or youth. A homeless services | 23 | | provider that is qualified to verify an individual's | 24 | | housing status, as determined by the Illinois Community | 25 | | College Board, and that has knowledge of the applicant's | 26 | | housing status may verify the applicant's status for |
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| 1 | | purposes of this subdivision (3). | 2 | | (4) The applicant has completed a high school | 3 | | equivalency preparation course through an Illinois | 4 | | Community College Board-approved provider. | 5 | | (5) The applicant is taking the test at a testing | 6 | | center operated by a regional superintendent of schools or | 7 | | the Cook County High School Equivalency Office. | 8 | | In counties of over 3,000,000 population, a high school | 9 | | equivalency certificate
shall contain the signatures of the | 10 | | Executive Director of the Illinois Community College Board and | 11 | | the superintendent, president, or other chief
executive | 12 | | officer of the institution where high school equivalency | 13 | | testing instruction occurred and any
other signatures | 14 | | authorized by the Illinois Community College Board.
| 15 | | The regional superintendent of schools shall furnish the | 16 | | Illinois
Community College Board with any information that the | 17 | | Illinois
Community College Board requests with regard to | 18 | | testing and certificates under this
Section.
| 19 | | (Source: P.A. 98-718, eff. 1-1-15; 98-719, eff. 1-1-15; 99-78, | 20 | | eff. 7-20-15.)
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