Public Act 096-1300
 
SB3705 EnrolledLRB096 20562 MJR 36252 b

    AN ACT concerning education.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The Public Community College Act is amended by
changing Section 2-25 as follows:
 
    (110 ILCS 805/2-25)
    Sec. 2-25. College and Career Readiness Pilot Program.
    (a) The General Assembly finds that there is a direct and
significant link between academic preparation of students
being academically prepared for college and success in
postsecondary education and careers. Many students enter
college unprepared for the academic rigors of college and
require noncredit remedial courses to attain skills and
knowledge needed for regular, credit coursework. Remediation
lengthens time to degree, imposes additional costs on students
and colleges, and uses student financial aid for courses that
will not count toward a degree. All students entering college
take a college entrance exam or a placement test. These tests
All high school juniors take the Prairie State Achievement
Examination, which contains the ACT college assessment exam.
ACT test elements and scores can be correlated to specific
course placements in community colleges. Customized ACT test
results can be used in collaboration with high schools to
assist high school students to identify areas for improvement
and help to them close skill gaps during students' their senior
year. College Greater college and career readiness reduces will
reduce the need for remediation, lowers lower educational
costs, shortens shorten time to degree, and increases increase
the overall success rate of Illinois college students.
    (b) Subject to appropriation, the State Board shall create
a 3-year pilot project, to be known as the College and Career
Readiness Pilot Program. Subject to appropriation, on July 1,
2010, the State Board shall extend the current program for an
additional 3 years and include an additional 7 sites (or as
many as are allowed by available funding), as evidenced by the
effectiveness of the current program. If in any of these 3
additional years, money is not appropriated for the program,
then the State Board shall extend the program for an additional
year. The goals of the program are as follows:
        (1) To diagnose college readiness by developing a
    system that aligns to align ACT scores or college placement
    examinations to specific community college courses in
    developmental and freshman curriculums.
        (2) To reduce remediation by decreasing the need for
    remedial coursework in mathematics, reading, and writing
    at the college level through (i) increasing the number of
    students enrolled in a college-prep core curriculum, (ii)
    assisting students in improving college readiness skills,
    and (iii) increasing successful student transitions into
    postsecondary education.
        (3) To align high school and college curriculums.
        (4) To provide resources and academic support to
    students to enrich the junior and senior year of high
    school through remedial or advanced coursework and other
    interventions.
        (5) To develop an appropriate evaluation process to
    measure the effectiveness of readiness intervention
    strategies.
    (c) The first year of the program extended created under
this Section by this amendatory Act of the 96th General
Assembly shall begin with the high school class of 2011 and the
high school class of 2012 (or such later classes if money is
not appropriated for the program in a given fiscal year) 2008.
        (1) In addition to the community colleges
    participating in the program before July 1, 2010, the The
    State Board shall select 7 additional 4 community colleges
    (or as many as are allowable by available funding) to
    participate in the program based on all of the following:
            (A) The percentage of students in developmental
        coursework.
            (B) Demographics of student enrollment, including
        socioeconomic status, race and ethnicity, and
        enrollments of first-generation college students.
            (C) Geographic diversity.
            (D) The willingness of the community college to
        submit developmental and introductory courses to ACT
        for analysis of college placement.
            (D) (E) The ability of the community college to
        partner with local high schools to develop college and
        career readiness strategies and college readiness
        teams.
        (2) The State Board shall work with ACT to analyze up
    to 10 courses at each participating community college for
    purposes of determining student placement and college
    readiness.
        (2) (3) Each participating community college shall
    establish an agreement with a high school or schools to do
    all of the following:
            (A) Create a data-sharing agreement.
            (B) Create a Readiness Plan Prescription for each
        student, showing all of the following:
                (i) The readiness status for college-level
            work.
                (ii) Course recommendations for remediation or
            for advanced coursework in Advanced Placement
            classes or dual credit and dual enrollment
            programs.
                (iii) Additional academic support services,
            including tutoring, mentoring, and college
            application assistance.
            (C) Create college and career readiness teams,
        which shall include the chief academic officer, the
        chief student services officer, an institutional
        researcher, faculty, and counselors or advisers
        comprised of faculty and counselors or advisers from
        the community college and high school, the college and
        career readiness coordinator from the community
        college, and other members as determined by the high
        school and community college. The teams may include
        local business or civic leaders. The teams shall
        develop intervention strategies as follows:
                (i) Use the Readiness Plan Prescription to
            develop a contract with each student for remedial
            or advanced coursework to be taken during the
            senior year.
                (ii) Monitor student progress.
                (iii) Provide readiness support services.
            (D) Retest students upon the completion of the
        appropriate intervention in the spring of 2008 to
        assess progress and college readiness.
        (3) (4) The State Board shall work with participating
    community colleges and high schools to develop an
    appropriate evaluation process to measure effectiveness of
    intervention strategies, including all of the following:
            (A) Baseline data for each participating school.
            (B) Baseline data for the Illinois system.
            (C) Comparison of college entrance exams or
        college placement scores, or both, within each group of
        students ACT scores from March 2007 to March 2008.
            (D) Student enrollment in each applicable
        intervention college in the fall of 2008.
            (E) Placement of college and career readiness
        students in developmental and regular courses upon the
        completion of the intervention and subsequent
        enrollment in additional courses in the fall of 2008.
            (F) Retention of college and career readiness
        students in the spring semester after enrollment of
        2009.
            (G) Other measures as selected by the State Board.
        (5) The State Board shall work with participating
    community colleges and high schools to establish
    operational processes and a budget for college and career
    readiness pilot programs, including all of the following:
            (A) Employment of a college and career readiness
        coordinator at each community college site.
            (B) Establishment of a budget.
            (C) Creation of college and career readiness
        teams, resources, and partnership agreements.
    (d) The second year of the program extended created under
this Section by this amendatory Act of the 96th General
Assembly shall begin with the high school class of 2012 and the
high school class of 2013 (or such later classes if money is
not appropriated for the program in a given fiscal year) 2009.
In the second year of the extended program, the State Board
shall have all of the following duties:
        (1) Analyze courses at 3 new community college sites.
        (1) (2) Undertake intervention strategies through
    college and career readiness teams with students of in the
    classes class of 2012 and 2013 2009.
        (2) (3) Monitor and assist college and career readiness
    graduates from the class of 2011 2008 in college.
    (e) The third year of the program extended created under
this Section by this amendatory Act of the 96th General
Assembly shall begin with the high school class of 2013 and the
high school class of 2014 (or such later classes if money is
not appropriated for the program in a given fiscal year) 2010.
In the third year of the extended program, the State Board
shall have all of the following duties:
        (1) Analyze courses at 5 new community college sites.
        (2) Add college and career readiness teams at 3 new
    sites (from year 2 of the program).
        (1) (3) Undertake intervention strategies through
    college and career readiness teams with students of the
    classes class of 2013 and 2014 2010 at 7 sites.
        (2) (4) Monitor and assist students from the classes of
    2011 2008 and 2012 2009 in college.
    (f) At the end of the 3-year extension of the program, the
State Board shall prepare and submit a report outlining its
findings and recommendations to the Senate and the House of
Representatives by filing a copy of its report with the
Secretary of the Senate and Clerk of the House of
Representatives no later than December 31, 2013.
(Source: P.A. 95-694, eff. 11-5-07; 95-876, eff. 8-21-08.)
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1,
2010.

Effective Date: 7/26/2010