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| | 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
SB1605 Introduced 2/4/2025, by Sen. Doris Turner SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
| | 105 ILCS 5/27-22 | from Ch. 122, par. 27-22 |
| Amends the School Code. With respect to prerequisites to receiving a high school diploma, provides that, beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, agricultural education, agricultural business, or any other course that relates to agriculture satisfies the vocational education requirement. Effective immediately. | |
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| | A BILL FOR |
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| | SB1605 | | LRB104 10023 LNS 20094 b |
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| 1 | | AN ACT concerning education.
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| 2 | | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, |
| 3 | | represented in the General Assembly:
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| 4 | | Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section |
| 5 | | 27-22 as follows:
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| 6 | | (105 ILCS 5/27-22) (from Ch. 122, par. 27-22) |
| 7 | | Sec. 27-22. Required high school courses. |
| 8 | | (a) (Blank). |
| 9 | | (b) (Blank). |
| 10 | | (c) (Blank). |
| 11 | | (d) (Blank). |
| 12 | | (e) Through the 2023-2024 school year, as a prerequisite |
| 13 | | to receiving a high school diploma, each pupil entering the |
| 14 | | 9th grade must, in addition to other course requirements, |
| 15 | | successfully complete all of the following courses: |
| 16 | | (1) Four years of language arts. |
| 17 | | (2) Two years of writing intensive courses, one of |
| 18 | | which must be English and the other of which may be English |
| 19 | | or any other subject. When applicable, writing-intensive |
| 20 | | courses may be counted towards the fulfillment of other |
| 21 | | graduation requirements. |
| 22 | | (3) Three years of mathematics, one of which must be |
| 23 | | Algebra I, one of which must include geometry content, and |
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| 1 | | one of which may be an Advanced Placement computer science |
| 2 | | course. A mathematics course that includes geometry |
| 3 | | content may be offered as an integrated, applied, |
| 4 | | interdisciplinary, or career and technical education |
| 5 | | course that prepares a student for a career readiness |
| 6 | | path. |
| 7 | | (3.5) For pupils entering the 9th grade in the |
| 8 | | 2022-2023 school year and 2023-2024 school year, one year |
| 9 | | of a course that includes intensive instruction in |
| 10 | | computer literacy, which may be English, social studies, |
| 11 | | or any other subject and which may be counted toward the |
| 12 | | fulfillment of other graduation requirements. |
| 13 | | (4) Two years of science. |
| 14 | | (5) Two years of social studies, of which at least one |
| 15 | | year must be history of the United States or a combination |
| 16 | | of history of the United States and American government |
| 17 | | and, beginning with pupils entering the 9th grade in the |
| 18 | | 2016-2017 school year and each school year thereafter, at |
| 19 | | least one semester must be civics, which shall help young |
| 20 | | people acquire and learn to use the skills, knowledge, and |
| 21 | | attitudes that will prepare them to be competent and |
| 22 | | responsible citizens throughout their lives. Civics course |
| 23 | | content shall focus on government institutions, the |
| 24 | | discussion of current and controversial issues, service |
| 25 | | learning, and simulations of the democratic process. |
| 26 | | School districts may utilize private funding available for |
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| 1 | | the purposes of offering civics education. Beginning with |
| 2 | | pupils entering the 9th grade in the 2021-2022 school |
| 3 | | year, one semester, or part of one semester, may include a |
| 4 | | financial literacy course. |
| 5 | | (6) One year chosen from (A) music, (B) art, (C) |
| 6 | | foreign language, which shall be deemed to include |
| 7 | | American Sign Language, (D) vocational education, or (E) |
| 8 | | forensic speech (speech and debate). A forensic speech |
| 9 | | course used to satisfy the course requirement under |
| 10 | | subdivision (1) may not be used to satisfy the course |
| 11 | | requirement under this subdivision (6). |
| 12 | | (e-5) Beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, as a |
| 13 | | prerequisite to receiving a high school diploma, each pupil |
| 14 | | entering the 9th grade must, in addition to other course |
| 15 | | requirements, successfully complete all of the following |
| 16 | | courses: |
| 17 | | (1) Four years of language arts. |
| 18 | | (2) Two years of writing intensive courses, one of |
| 19 | | which must be English and the other of which may be English |
| 20 | | or any other subject. If applicable, writing-intensive |
| 21 | | courses may be counted toward the fulfillment of other |
| 22 | | graduation requirements. |
| 23 | | (3) Three years of mathematics, one of which must be |
| 24 | | Algebra I, one of which must include geometry content, and |
| 25 | | one of which may be an Advanced Placement computer science |
| 26 | | course. A mathematics course that includes geometry |
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| 1 | | content may be offered as an integrated, applied, |
| 2 | | interdisciplinary, or career and technical education |
| 3 | | course that prepares a student for a career readiness |
| 4 | | path. |
| 5 | | (3.5) One year of a course that includes intensive |
| 6 | | instruction in computer literacy, which may be English, |
| 7 | | social studies, or any other subject and which may be |
| 8 | | counted toward the fulfillment of other graduation |
| 9 | | requirements. |
| 10 | | (4) Two years of laboratory science. |
| 11 | | (5) Two years of social studies, of which at least one |
| 12 | | year must be history of the United States or a combination |
| 13 | | of history of the United States and American government |
| 14 | | and at least one semester must be civics, which shall help |
| 15 | | young people acquire and learn to use the skills, |
| 16 | | knowledge, and attitudes that will prepare them to be |
| 17 | | competent and responsible citizens throughout their lives. |
| 18 | | Civics course content shall focus on government |
| 19 | | institutions, the discussion of current and controversial |
| 20 | | issues, service learning, and simulations of the |
| 21 | | democratic process. School districts may utilize private |
| 22 | | funding available for the purposes of offering civics |
| 23 | | education. One semester, or part of one semester, may |
| 24 | | include a financial literacy course. |
| 25 | | (6) One year chosen from (A) music, (B) art, (C) |
| 26 | | foreign language, which shall be deemed to include |
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| 1 | | American Sign Language, (D) vocational education, or (E) |
| 2 | | forensic speech (speech and debate). A forensic speech |
| 3 | | course used to satisfy the course requirement under |
| 4 | | subdivision (1) may not be used to satisfy the course |
| 5 | | requirement under this subdivision (6). Beginning with the |
| 6 | | 2025-2026 school year, agricultural education, |
| 7 | | agricultural business, or any other course that relates to |
| 8 | | agriculture satisfies the vocational education requirement |
| 9 | | under item (D) of this subdivision (6). |
| 10 | | (e-10) Beginning with the 2028-2029 school year, as a |
| 11 | | prerequisite to receiving a high school diploma, each pupil |
| 12 | | entering the 9th grade must, in addition to other course |
| 13 | | requirements, successfully complete 2 years of foreign |
| 14 | | language courses, which may include American Sign Language. A |
| 15 | | pupil may choose a third year of foreign language to satisfy |
| 16 | | the requirement under subdivision (6) of subsection (e-5). |
| 17 | | (f) The State Board of Education shall develop and inform |
| 18 | | school districts of standards for writing-intensive |
| 19 | | coursework. |
| 20 | | (f-5) If a school district offers an Advanced Placement |
| 21 | | computer science course to high school students, then the |
| 22 | | school board must designate that course as equivalent to a |
| 23 | | high school mathematics course and must denote on the |
| 24 | | student's transcript that the Advanced Placement computer |
| 25 | | science course qualifies as a mathematics-based, quantitative |
| 26 | | course for students in accordance with subdivision (3) of |
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| 1 | | subsection (e) of this Section. |
| 2 | | (g) Public Act 83-1082 does not apply to pupils entering |
| 3 | | the 9th grade in 1983-1984 school year and prior school years |
| 4 | | or to students with disabilities whose course of study is |
| 5 | | determined by an individualized education program. |
| 6 | | Public Act 94-676 does not apply to pupils entering the |
| 7 | | 9th grade in the 2004-2005 school year or a prior school year |
| 8 | | or to students with disabilities whose course of study is |
| 9 | | determined by an individualized education program. |
| 10 | | Subdivision (3.5) of subsection (e) does not apply to |
| 11 | | pupils entering the 9th grade in the 2021-2022 school year or a |
| 12 | | prior school year or to students with disabilities whose |
| 13 | | course of study is determined by an individualized education |
| 14 | | program. |
| 15 | | Subsection (e-5) does not apply to pupils entering the 9th |
| 16 | | grade in the 2023-2024 school year or a prior school year or to |
| 17 | | students with disabilities whose course of study is determined |
| 18 | | by an individualized education program. Subsection (e-10) does |
| 19 | | not apply to pupils entering the 9th grade in the 2027-2028 |
| 20 | | school year or a prior school year or to students with |
| 21 | | disabilities whose course of study is determined by an |
| 22 | | individualized education program. |
| 23 | | (h) The provisions of this Section are subject to the |
| 24 | | provisions of Sections 14A-32 and 27-22.05 of this Code and |
| 25 | | the Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness Act. |
| 26 | | (i) The State Board of Education may adopt rules to modify |
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| 1 | | the requirements of this Section for any students enrolled in |
| 2 | | grades 9 through 12 if the Governor has declared a disaster due |
| 3 | | to a public health emergency pursuant to Section 7 of the |
| 4 | | Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act. |
| 5 | | (Source: P.A. 102-366, eff. 8-13-21; 102-551, eff. 1-1-22; |
| 6 | | 102-864, eff. 5-13-22; 103-154, eff. 6-30-23; 103-743, eff. |
| 7 | | 8-2-24.)
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| 8 | | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon |
| 9 | | becoming law. |