SB3540sam001 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Sen. Toi W. Hutchinson

Filed: 4/3/2014

09800SB3540sam001 LRB098 19605 NHT 57622 a

AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 3540

AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 3540 by replacing everything after the enacting clause with the following:

"Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Section 2-3.160 as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/2-3.160 new)

Sec. 2-3.160. Online alternative to earning high school diploma; pilot program.

(a) The State Board of Education shall establish a pilot program in which public high school students who are credit deficient or in need of a non-traditional education in order to graduate on time are provided an opportunity to earn a vocational online high school diploma as an alternative to earning an in-residence high school diploma or high school equivalency certificate. The pilot program shall allow eligible high school students to take online courses provided by an AdvancED/NCA/SACS accredited online career education program and facilitated by teachers licensed in this State while those students are attending their public high school, which shall allow a student to earn enough credits to graduate from his or her high school or to receive a high school diploma and career certificate from the AdvancED/NCA/SACS accredited online career education program. The State Board shall choose 5 public high schools to participate in the pilot program.

(b) The State Board of Education shall develop a plan for online career education programs participating in the pilot program. The plan must address the following classifications of career educational programming:

(1) Type 1. Programs that teach personal accountability skills and behaviors that are appropriate for students in all age groups and ability levels and that lead to work habits that help maintain employment and living standards.

(2) Type 2. Programs that include Type 1 program content and an orientation to the broad scope of career choices, based upon personal abilities, aptitudes, and interests, and exploring and gaining knowledge of occupational options and the level of effort required to achieve them as essential prerequisites to skill training.

(3) Type 3. Programs that include Type 1 program content and career education competencies or the prerequisites needed for entry into a specific occupation.

The plan must also evaluate whether a student's education can be better addressed through a State licensed teacher-facilitated, Internet-based delivery of education that meets requirements for:

(A) delivery by an agent that is fully accredited by AdvancED, the unified organization of the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI), and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools' Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI);

(B) delivery from a secure environment that both protects and restricts Internet-access for students;

(C) responsive and rapid enrollment, ensuring students are placed in an educational setting immediately, instead of waiting for the start of a new semester or quarter;

(D) articulating credits, issuing transcripts, and conferring certifications and diplomas, allowing existing credits toward graduation to be incorporated into the overall graduation plan;

(E) accommodating the needs of students with widely varying academic requirements; and

(F) providing performance-based instruction that advances students based on performance, not just instruction time.

(c) No more than 3 years after the pilot program has been established under this Section, the State Board of Education shall file a report with the General Assembly concerning the results of the pilot program and whether the pilot program should be expanded to other public high schools.

(d) The State Board of Education may adopt any rules necessary to implement this Section.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.".