Full Text of HB0881 94th General Assembly
HB0881enr 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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| AN ACT concerning education.
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| Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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| represented in the General Assembly:
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| Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section | 5 |
| 10-22.3a and by adding Article 14A as follows:
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| (105 ILCS 5/10-22.3a) (from Ch. 122, par. 10-22.3a)
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| Sec. 10-22.3a. To provide for or to participate in | 8 |
| provisions for insurance
protection and benefits for its | 9 |
| employees and their dependents including
but not limited to | 10 |
| retirement annuities, medical, surgical and
hospitalization | 11 |
| benefits in such types and amounts, if any, as shall be
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| determined by the board, for the purpose of aiding in securing | 13 |
| and
retaining the services of competent employees. Where | 14 |
| employee participation
in such provisions is involved, the | 15 |
| board, with the consent of the
employee, may withhold | 16 |
| deductions from the employee's salary necessary to
defray the | 17 |
| employee's share of such insurance costs. Such insurance or
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| benefits may be contracted for only with an insurance company | 19 |
| authorized to
do business in this State. Such insurance may | 20 |
| include provisions
for employees and their dependents who rely | 21 |
| on treatment by prayer or
spiritual means alone for healing, in | 22 |
| accordance with the tenets and
practice of a recognized | 23 |
| religious denomination.
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| For purposes of this Section, the term "dependent" means an | 25 |
| employee's
spouse and any unmarried child (1) under the age of | 26 |
| 19 years including (a)
an adopted child and (b) a step-child or | 27 |
| recognized child who lives with
the employee in a regular | 28 |
| parent-child relationship, or (2) under the age
of 23 who is | 29 |
| enrolled as a full-time student in any accredited school,
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| college or university. Nothing contained in this Code may | 31 |
| preclude an elected school board member from participating in a | 32 |
| group health insurance program provided to an employee of the |
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| school district that the board member serves if the board | 2 |
| member is a dependent of that employee.
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| (Source: P.A. 90-655, eff. 7-30-98.)
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| (105 ILCS 5/Art. 14A heading new)
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| ARTICLE 14A. GIFTED AND TALENTED CHILDREN | 6 |
| (105 ILCS 5/14A-5 new)
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| Sec. 14A-5. Applicability. This Article applies beginning | 8 |
| with the 2006-2007 school year. | 9 |
| (105 ILCS 5/14A-10 new)
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| Sec. 14A-10. Legislative findings. The General Assembly | 11 |
| finds the following: | 12 |
| (1) that gifted and talented children (i) exhibit high | 13 |
| performance capabilities in intellectual, creative, and | 14 |
| artistic areas, (ii) possess an exceptional leadership | 15 |
| potential, (iii) excel in specific academic fields, and | 16 |
| (iv) have the potential to be influential in business, | 17 |
| government, health care, the arts, and other critical | 18 |
| sectors of our economic and cultural environment; | 19 |
| (2) that gifted and talented children require services | 20 |
| and activities that are not ordinarily provided by schools; | 21 |
| and | 22 |
| (3) that outstanding talents are present in children | 23 |
| and youth from all cultural groups, across all economic | 24 |
| strata, and in all areas of human endeavor. | 25 |
| (105 ILCS 5/14A-15 new) | 26 |
| Sec. 14A-15. Purpose. The purpose of this Article is to | 27 |
| provide encouragement, assistance, and guidance to school | 28 |
| districts in the development and improvement of educational | 29 |
| programs for gifted and talented children as defined in Section | 30 |
| 14A-20 of this Code. School districts shall continue to have | 31 |
| the authority and flexibility to design education programs for | 32 |
| gifted and talented children in response to community needs, |
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| but these programs must comply with the requirements | 2 |
| established in Section 14A-30 of this Code by no later than | 3 |
| September 1, 2006 in order to merit approval by the State Board | 4 |
| of Education in order to qualify for State funding for the | 5 |
| education of gifted and talented children, should such funding | 6 |
| become available. | 7 |
| (105 ILCS 5/14A-20 new) | 8 |
| Sec. 14A-20. Gifted and talented children. For purposes of | 9 |
| this Article, "gifted and talented children" means
children and | 10 |
| youth with outstanding talent who perform or show the potential | 11 |
| for performing at remarkably high levels of accomplishment when | 12 |
| compared with other children and youth of their age, | 13 |
| experience, and environment. A child shall be considered gifted | 14 |
| and talented in any area of aptitude, and, specifically, in | 15 |
| language arts and mathematics, by scoring in the top 5% locally | 16 |
| in that area of aptitude. | 17 |
| (105 ILCS 5/14A-25 new) | 18 |
| Sec. 14A-25. Non-discrimination. Eligibility for | 19 |
| participation in programs established pursuant to this Article | 20 |
| shall be determined solely through identification of a child as | 21 |
| gifted or talented. No program shall condition participation | 22 |
| upon race, religion, sex, disability, or any factor other than | 23 |
| the identification of the child as gifted or talented. | 24 |
| (105 ILCS 5/14A-30 new) | 25 |
| Sec. 14A-30. Local programs; requirements. In order for a | 26 |
| local program for the education of gifted and talented children | 27 |
| to be approved by the State Board of Education in order to | 28 |
| qualify for State funding, if available, as of the beginning of | 29 |
| the 2006-2007 academic year, the local program must meet the | 30 |
| following minimum requirements and demonstrate the fulfillment | 31 |
| of these requirements in a written program description | 32 |
| submitted to the State Board of Education by the local | 33 |
| educational agency operating the program and modified if the |
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| program is substantively altered: | 2 |
| (1) The use of a minimum of 3 assessment measures used | 3 |
| to identify gifted and talented children in each area in | 4 |
| which a program for gifted and talented children is | 5 |
| established, which may include without limitation scores | 6 |
| on standardized achievement tests, observation checklists, | 7 |
| portfolios, and currently-used district assessments. | 8 |
| (2) A priority emphasis on language arts and | 9 |
| mathematics. | 10 |
| (3) An identification method that uses the definition | 11 |
| of gifted and talented children as defined in Section | 12 |
| 14A-20 of this Code. | 13 |
| (4) Assessment instruments sensitive to the inclusion | 14 |
| of underrepresented groups, including low-income students, | 15 |
| minority students, and English language learners. | 16 |
| (5) A process of identification of gifted and talented | 17 |
| children that is of equal rigor in each area of aptitude | 18 |
| addressed by the program. | 19 |
| (6) The use of identification procedures that | 20 |
| appropriately correspond with the planned programs, | 21 |
| curricula, and services. | 22 |
| (7) A fair and equitable decision-making process. | 23 |
| (8) The availability of a fair and impartial appeal | 24 |
| process within the school, school district, or cooperative | 25 |
| of school districts operating a program for parents or | 26 |
| guardians whose children are aggrieved by a decision of the | 27 |
| school, school district, or cooperative of school | 28 |
| districts regarding eligibility for participation in a | 29 |
| program. | 30 |
| (9) Procedures for annually informing the community | 31 |
| at-large, including parents, about the program and the | 32 |
| methods used for the identification of gifted and talented | 33 |
| children. | 34 |
| (10) Procedures for notifying parents or guardians of a | 35 |
| child of a decision affecting that child's participation in | 36 |
| a program. |
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| (11) A description of how gifted and talented children | 2 |
| will be grouped and instructed in order to maximize the | 3 |
| educational benefits the children derive from | 4 |
| participation in the program, including curriculum | 5 |
| modifications and options that accelerate and add depth and | 6 |
| complexity to the curriculum content. | 7 |
| (12) An explanation of how the program emphasizes | 8 |
| higher-level skills attainment,
including problem-solving, | 9 |
| critical thinking, creative thinking, and research skills, | 10 |
| as embedded within relevant content areas. | 11 |
| (13) A methodology for measuring academic growth for | 12 |
| gifted and talented children and a procedure for | 13 |
| communicating a child's progress to his or her parents or | 14 |
| guardian, including, but not limited to, a report card. | 15 |
| (14) The collection of data on growth in learning for | 16 |
| children in a program for gifted and talented children and | 17 |
| the reporting of the data to the State Board of Education. | 18 |
| (15) The designation of a supervisor responsible for | 19 |
| overseeing the educational program for gifted and talented | 20 |
| children. | 21 |
| (16) A showing that the certified teachers who are | 22 |
| assigned to teach gifted and talented children understand | 23 |
| the characteristics and educational needs of children and | 24 |
| are able to differentiate the curriculum and apply | 25 |
| instructional methods to meet the needs of the children. | 26 |
| (17) Plans for the continuation of professional | 27 |
| development for staff assigned to the program serving | 28 |
| gifted and talented children. | 29 |
| (105 ILCS 5/14A-35 new) | 30 |
| Sec. 14A-35. Administrative functions of the State Board of | 31 |
| Education.
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| (a) The State Board of Education must designate a staff | 33 |
| person who shall be in charge of educational programs for | 34 |
| gifted and talented children. This staff person shall, at a | 35 |
| minimum, (i) be responsible for developing an approval process |
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HB0881 Enrolled |
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| for educational programs for gifted and talented children by no | 2 |
| later than September 1, 2006, (ii) receive and maintain the | 3 |
| written descriptions of all programs for gifted and talented | 4 |
| children in the State, (iii) collect and maintain the annual | 5 |
| growth in learning data submitted by a school, school district, | 6 |
| or cooperative of school districts, (iv) identify potential | 7 |
| funding sources for the education of gifted and talented | 8 |
| children, and (v) serve as the main contact person at the State | 9 |
| Board of Education for program supervisors and other school | 10 |
| officials, parents, and other stakeholders regarding the | 11 |
| education of gifted and talented children. | 12 |
| (b) Subject to the availability of funds for these | 13 |
| purposes, the State Board of Education may perform a variety of | 14 |
| additional administrative functions with respect to the | 15 |
| education of gifted and talented children, including, but not | 16 |
| limited to, supervision, quality assurance, compliance | 17 |
| monitoring, and oversight of local programs, analysis of | 18 |
| performance outcome data submitted by local educational | 19 |
| agencies, the establishment of personnel standards, and a | 20 |
| program of personnel development for teachers and | 21 |
| administrative personnel in the education of gifted and | 22 |
| talented children.
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| (105 ILCS 5/14A-40 new) | 24 |
| Sec. 14A-40. Advisory Council. There is hereby created an | 25 |
| Advisory Council on the Education of Gifted and Talented | 26 |
| Children to consist of 7 members appointed by the State | 27 |
| Superintendent of Education. Upon initial appointment, 4 | 28 |
| members of the Advisory Council shall serve terms through | 29 |
| January 1, 2007 and 3 members shall serve terms through January | 30 |
| 1, 2009. Thereafter, members shall serve 4-year terms. Upon the | 31 |
| expiration of the term of a member, that member shall continue | 32 |
| to serve until a replacement is appointed. The Council shall | 33 |
| meet at least 3 times each year. The Council shall organize | 34 |
| with a chairperson selected by the State Superintendent of | 35 |
| Education. Members of the Council shall serve without |
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| compensation, but shall be reimbursed for their travel to and | 2 |
| from meetings and other reasonable expenses in connection with | 3 |
| meetings if approved by the State Board of Education. | 4 |
| The State Board of Education shall consider | 5 |
| recommendations for membership on the Council from | 6 |
| organizations of educators and parents of gifted and talented | 7 |
| children and other groups with an interest in the education of | 8 |
| gifted and talented children. The members appointed shall be | 9 |
| residents of the State and be selected on the basis of their | 10 |
| knowledge of, or experience in, programs and problems of the | 11 |
| education of gifted and talented children. | 12 |
| The State Superintendent of Education shall seek the advice | 13 |
| of the Council regarding all rules and policies to be adopted | 14 |
| by the State Board relating to the education of gifted and | 15 |
| talented children. The staff person designated pursuant to | 16 |
| subsection (a) of Section 14A-35 of this Code shall serve as | 17 |
| the State Board of Education's liaison to the Council. The | 18 |
| State Board of Education shall provide necessary clerical | 19 |
| support and assistance in order to facilitate meetings of the | 20 |
| Council. | 21 |
| (105 ILCS 5/14A-45 new) | 22 |
| Sec. 14A-45. Grants for services and materials. Subject to | 23 |
| the availability of categorical grant funding or other funding | 24 |
| appropriated for such purposes, the State Board of Education | 25 |
| shall make grants available to fund educational programs for | 26 |
| gifted and talented children. A request-for-proposal process | 27 |
| shall be used in awarding grants for services and materials, | 28 |
| with carry over to the next fiscal year, under this Section. A | 29 |
| proposal may be submitted to the State Board of Education by a | 30 |
| school district, 2 or more
cooperating school districts, a | 31 |
| county, 2 or more cooperating counties, or a regional office of | 32 |
| education. The proposals shall include a statement of the | 33 |
| qualifications and duties of the personnel required in the | 34 |
| field of diagnostic, counseling, and consultative services and | 35 |
| the educational materials necessary. Upon receipt, the State |
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| Board of Education shall evaluate the proposals in accordance | 2 |
| with criteria developed by the State Board of Education that is | 3 |
| consistent with this Article and shall award grants to the | 4 |
| extent funding is available. Educational programs for gifted | 5 |
| and talented children may be offered during the regular school | 6 |
| term and may include optional summer programs. As a condition | 7 |
| for State funding, a grantee must comply with the requirements | 8 |
| of this Article. | 9 |
| (105 ILCS 5/14A-50 new)
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| Sec. 14A-50. Contracts for experimental projects and | 11 |
| institutes. Subject to the availability of funds, the State | 12 |
| Board of Education shall have the authority to enter into and | 13 |
| monitor contracts with school districts, regional offices of | 14 |
| education, colleges, universities, and professional | 15 |
| organizations for the conduct of experimental projects and | 16 |
| institutes, including summer institutes, in the field of | 17 |
| education of gifted and talented children as defined in Section | 18 |
| 14A-20 of this Code. These projects and institutes shall be | 19 |
| established in accordance with rules adopted by the State Board | 20 |
| of Education.
Prior to entering into a contract, the State | 21 |
| Board of Education shall evaluate the proposal as to the | 22 |
| soundness of the design of the project or institute, the | 23 |
| probability of obtaining productive outcomes, the adequacy of | 24 |
| resources to conduct the proposed project or institute, and the | 25 |
| relationship of the project or institute to other projects and | 26 |
| institutes already completed or in progress. The contents of | 27 |
| these projects and institutes must be designed based on | 28 |
| standards adopted by professional organizations for gifted and | 29 |
| talented children. | 30 |
| (105 ILCS 5/14A-55 new)
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| Sec. 14A-55. Rulemaking. The State Board of Education shall | 32 |
| have the authority to adopt all rules necessary to implement | 33 |
| and regulate the provisions in this Article.
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| Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | 2 |
| becoming law.
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