HB4902eng 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB4902 Engrossed LRB103 38886 RJT 69023 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 2-3.25f as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/2-3.25f) (from Ch. 122, par. 2-3.25f)

Sec. 2-3.25f. State interventions.

(a) The State Board of Education shall provide technical assistance to schools in school improvement status to assist with the development and implementation of Improvement Plans.

Schools or school districts that fail to make reasonable efforts to implement an approved Improvement Plan may suffer loss of State funds by school district, attendance center, or program as the State Board of Education deems appropriate.

(a-5) (Blank).

(b) Schools that receive Targeted Support or Comprehensive Support designations shall enter a 4-year cycle of school improvement status. If, at the end of the 4-year cycle, the school fails to meet the exit criteria specified in the State Plan referenced in subsection (b) of Section 2-3.25a of this Code, the school shall escalate to a more intensive intervention. Targeted Support schools that remain Targeted for one or more of the same student groups as in the initial identification after completion of a 4-year cycle of Targeted School Improvement shall be redesignated as Comprehensive Support schools, as provided in paragraph (2.5) of subsection (a) of Section 2-3.25d-5 of this Code. Comprehensive Support schools that remain in the lowest-performing 5% after completion of a 4-year cycle of Comprehensive School Improvement shall be redesignated as Intensive Support schools and shall escalate through more rigorous, tiered support, developed in consultation with the Balanced Accountability Measure Committee and other relevant stakeholder groups, which may ultimately result in the (i) change of recognition status of the school district or school to nonrecognized or (ii) authorization for the State Superintendent of Education to direct the reassignment of pupils or direct the reassignment or replacement of school or school district personnel. If a school district is nonrecognized in its entirety, for any reason, including those not related to performance in the accountability system, it shall automatically be dissolved on July 1 following that nonrecognition and its territory realigned with another school district or districts by the regional board of school trustees in accordance with the procedures set forth in Section 7-11 of the School Code. The effective date of the nonrecognition of a school shall be July 1 following the nonrecognition.

(b-5) The State Board of Education shall also develop a system to provide assistance and resources to lower performing school districts. At a minimum, the State Board shall identify school districts to receive Intensive, Comprehensive, and Targeted Support. The school district shall provide the exclusive bargaining representative with a 5-day notice that the district has had one or more schools within the district identified as being in Comprehensive or Intensive School Improvement Status. In addition, the State Board may, by rule, develop other categories of low-performing schools and school districts to receive services.

The State Board of Education shall work with districts with one or more schools in Comprehensive or Intensive School Improvement Status, through technical assistance and professional development, based on the results of the needs assessment under Section 2-3.25d-5 of this Code, to develop and implement a continuous improvement plan that would increase outcomes for students. The plan for continuous improvement shall be based on the results of the needs assessment and shall be used to determine the types of services that are to be provided to each Comprehensive and Intensive School. Potential services may include, but are not limited to, monitoring adult and student practices, reviewing and reallocating district resources, developing a district and school leadership team, providing access to curricular content area specialists, and providing online resources and professional development.

The support provided by a vendor or learning partner approved to support a school's continuous improvement plan related to English language arts must be based on the comprehensive literacy plan for the State developed by the State Board of Education under Section 2-3.196, as added by Public Act 103-402.

The State Board of Education may require districts with one or more Comprehensive or Intensive Schools identified as having deficiencies in one or more core functions of the needs assessment to undergo an accreditation process.

(c) All federal requirements apply to schools and school districts utilizing federal funds under Title I, Part A of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.

(Source: P.A. 103-175, eff. 6-30-23.)