Public Act 099-0742
 
SB2840 EnrolledLRB099 19577 NHT 43972 b

    AN ACT concerning education.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section
3-15.12 as follows:
 
    (105 ILCS 5/3-15.12)  (from Ch. 122, par. 3-15.12)
    Sec. 3-15.12. High school equivalency testing program. The
regional superintendent of schools shall make available for
qualified individuals residing within the region a High School
Equivalency Testing Program. For that purpose the regional
superintendent alone or with other regional superintendents
may establish and supervise a testing center or centers to
administer the secure forms for high school equivalency testing
to qualified persons. Such centers shall be under the
supervision of the regional superintendent in whose region such
centers are located, subject to the approval of the Executive
Director of the Illinois Community College Board.
    An individual is eligible to apply to the regional
superintendent of schools for the region in which he or she
resides if he or she is: (a) a person who is 17 years of age or
older, has maintained residence in the State of Illinois, and
is not a high school graduate; (b) a person who is successfully
completing an alternative education program under Section
2-3.81, Article 13A, or Article 13B; or (c) a person who is
enrolled in a youth education program sponsored by the Illinois
National Guard. For purposes of this Section, residence is that
abode which the applicant considers his or her home. Applicants
may provide as sufficient proof of such residence and as an
acceptable form of identification a driver's license, valid
passport, military ID, or other form of government-issued
national or foreign identification that shows the applicant's
name, address, date of birth, signature, and photograph or
other acceptable identification as may be allowed by law or as
regulated by the Illinois Community College Board. Such
regional superintendent shall determine if the applicant meets
statutory and regulatory state standards. If qualified the
applicant shall at the time of such application pay a fee
established by the Illinois Community College Board, which fee
shall be paid into a special fund under the control and
supervision of the regional superintendent. Such moneys
received by the regional superintendent shall be used, first,
for the expenses incurred in administering and scoring the
examination, and next for other educational programs that are
developed and designed by the regional superintendent of
schools to assist those who successfully complete high school
equivalency testing in furthering their academic development
or their ability to secure and retain gainful employment,
including programs for the competitive award based on test
scores of college or adult education scholarship grants or
similar educational incentives. Any excess moneys shall be paid
into the institute fund.
    Any applicant who has achieved the minimum passing
standards as established by the Illinois Community College
Board shall be notified in writing by the regional
superintendent and shall be issued a high school equivalency
certificate on the forms provided by the Illinois Community
College Board. The regional superintendent shall then certify
to the Illinois Community College Board the score of the
applicant and such other and additional information that may be
required by the Illinois Community College Board. The moneys
received therefrom shall be used in the same manner as provided
for in this Section.
    Any applicant who has attained the age of 17 years and
maintained residence in the State of Illinois and is not a high
school graduate, any person who has enrolled in a youth
education program sponsored by the Illinois National Guard, or
any person who has successfully completed an alternative
education program under Section 2-3.81, Article 13A, or Article
13B is eligible to apply for a high school equivalency
certificate (if he or she meets the requirements prescribed by
the Illinois Community College Board) upon showing evidence
that he or she has completed, successfully, high school
equivalency testing, administered by the United States Armed
Forces Institute, official high school equivalency testing
centers established in other states, Veterans' Administration
Hospitals, or the office of the State Superintendent of
Education for the Illinois State Penitentiary System and the
Department of Corrections. Such applicant shall apply to the
regional superintendent of the region wherein he or she has
maintained residence, and, upon payment of a fee established by
the Illinois Community College Board, the regional
superintendent shall issue a high school equivalency
certificate and immediately thereafter certify to the Illinois
Community College Board the score of the applicant and such
other and additional information as may be required by the
Illinois Community College Board.
    Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section, any
applicant who has been out of school for at least one year may
request the regional superintendent of schools to administer
restricted high school equivalency testing upon written
request of: the director of a program who certifies to the
Chief Examiner of an official high school equivalency testing
center that the applicant has completed a program of
instruction provided by such agencies as the Job Corps, the
Postal Service Academy, or an apprenticeship training program;
an employer or program director for purposes of entry into
apprenticeship programs; another state's department of
education in order to meet regulations established by that
department of education; or a post high school educational
institution for purposes of admission, the Department of
Financial and Professional Regulation for licensing purposes,
or the Armed Forces for induction purposes. The regional
superintendent shall administer such testing, and the
applicant shall be notified in writing that he or she is
eligible to receive a high school equivalency certificate upon
reaching age 17, provided he or she meets the standards
established by the Illinois Community College Board.
    Any test administered under this Section to an applicant
who does not speak and understand English may at the discretion
of the administering agency be given and answered in any
language in which the test is printed. The regional
superintendent of schools may waive any fees required by this
Section in case of hardship. The regional superintendent of
schools and the Illinois Community College Board shall waive
any fees required by this Section for an applicant who meets
all of the following criteria:
        (1) The applicant qualifies as a homeless person,
    child, or youth as defined in the Education for Homeless
    Children Act.
        (2) The applicant has not attained 25 years of age as
    of the date of the scheduled test.
        (3) The applicant can verify his or her status as a
    homeless person, child, or youth. A homeless services
    provider that is qualified to verify an individual's
    housing status, as determined by the Illinois Community
    College Board, and that has knowledge of the applicant's
    housing status may verify the applicant's status for
    purposes of this subdivision (3).
        (4) The applicant has completed a high school
    equivalency preparation course through an Illinois
    Community College Board-approved provider.
        (5) The applicant is taking the test at a testing
    center operated by a regional superintendent of schools or
    the Cook County High School Equivalency Office.
    In counties of over 3,000,000 population, a high school
equivalency certificate shall contain the signatures of the
Executive Director of the Illinois Community College Board and
the superintendent, president, or other chief executive
officer of the institution where high school equivalency
testing instruction occurred and any other signatures
authorized by the Illinois Community College Board.
    The regional superintendent of schools shall furnish the
Illinois Community College Board with any information that the
Illinois Community College Board requests with regard to
testing and certificates under this Section.
(Source: P.A. 98-718, eff. 1-1-15; 98-719, eff. 1-1-15; 99-78,
eff. 7-20-15.)

Effective Date: 1/1/2017