Bill Text: IL SB2337 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Chaptered

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Bill Title: Reinserts the contents of the introduced bill with the following changes. Makes changes to the amendatory language concerning the school report card data on school characteristics and student demographics and the school environment. Replaces references to "dual enrollment" with "dual credit". Provides that a school district's accelerated placement policy may include or incorporate by reference procedures to promote equity, which may incorporate one or more specified evidence-based practices (instead of allowing a school district's plan to expand access to its accelerated placement program to incorporate one or more specified evidence-based practices). Effective immediately.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-0)

Status: (Passed) 2023-06-30 - Public Act . . . . . . . . . 103-0263 [SB2337 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-SB2337-Chaptered.html

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Public Act 103-0263
SB2337 Enrolled LRB103 27217 RJT 53587 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 Sections
10-17a, 14A-17, and 14A-32 as follows:
(105 ILCS 5/10-17a) (from Ch. 122, par. 10-17a)
Sec. 10-17a. State, school district, and school report
cards.
(1) By October 31, 2013 and October 31 of each subsequent
school year, the State Board of Education, through the State
Superintendent of Education, shall prepare a State report
card, school district report cards, and school report cards,
and shall by the most economical means provide to each school
district in this State, including special charter districts
and districts subject to the provisions of Article 34, the
report cards for the school district and each of its schools.
Because of the impacts of the COVID-19 public health emergency
during school year 2020-2021, the State Board of Education
shall have until December 31, 2021 to prepare and provide the
report cards that would otherwise be due by October 31, 2021.
During a school year in which the Governor has declared a
disaster due to a public health emergency pursuant to Section
7 of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act, the report

cards for the school districts and each of its schools shall be
prepared by December 31.
(2) In addition to any information required by federal
law, the State Superintendent shall determine the indicators
and presentation of the school report card, which must
include, at a minimum, the most current data collected and
maintained by the State Board of Education related to the
following:
(A) school characteristics and student demographics,
including average class size, average teaching experience,
student racial/ethnic breakdown, and the percentage of
students classified as low-income; the percentage of
students classified as English learners, the number of
students who graduate from a bilingual or English learner
program, and the number of students who graduate from,
transfer from, or otherwise leave bilingual programs; the
percentage of students who have individualized education
plans or 504 plans that provide for special education
services; the number and the percentage of all students in
grades kindergarten through 8, disaggregated by the
students demographics described in this paragraph (A), in
each of the following categories: (i) those who have been
assessed for placement in a gifted education program or
accelerated placement, (ii) those who have enrolled in a
gifted education program or in accelerated placement, and
(iii) for each of categories (i) and (ii), those who

received direct instruction from a teacher who holds a
gifted education endorsement; the number and the
percentage of all students in grades 9 through 12,
disaggregated by the student demographics described in
this paragraph (A), who have been enrolled in an advanced
academic program; the number and percentage of all
students who have been assessed for placement in a gifted
education or advanced academic program and, of those
students: (i) the racial and ethnic breakdown, (ii) the
percentage who are classified as low-income, and (iii) the
number and percentage of students who received direct
instruction from a teacher who holds a gifted education
endorsement and, of those students, the percentage who are
classified as low-income; the percentage of students
scoring at the "exceeds expectations" level on the
assessments required under Section 2-3.64a-5 of this Code;
the percentage of students who annually transferred in or
out of the school district; average daily attendance; the
per-pupil operating expenditure of the school district;
and the per-pupil State average operating expenditure for
the district type (elementary, high school, or unit);
(B) curriculum information, including, where
applicable, Advanced Placement, International
Baccalaureate or equivalent courses, dual credit
enrollment courses, foreign language classes, computer
science courses, school personnel resources (including

Career Technical Education teachers), before and after
school programs, extracurricular activities, subjects in
which elective classes are offered, health and wellness
initiatives (including the average number of days of
Physical Education per week per student), approved
programs of study, awards received, community
partnerships, and special programs such as programming for
the gifted and talented, students with disabilities, and
work-study students;
(C) student outcomes, including, where applicable, the
percentage of students deemed proficient on assessments of
State standards, the percentage of students in the eighth
grade who pass Algebra, the percentage of students who
participated in workplace learning experiences, the
percentage of students enrolled in post-secondary
institutions (including colleges, universities, community
colleges, trade/vocational schools, and training programs
leading to career certification within 2 semesters of high
school graduation), the percentage of students graduating
from high school who are college and career ready, and the
percentage of graduates enrolled in community colleges,
colleges, and universities who are in one or more courses
that the community college, college, or university
identifies as a developmental course;
(D) student progress, including, where applicable, the
percentage of students in the ninth grade who have earned

5 credits or more without failing more than one core
class, a measure of students entering kindergarten ready
to learn, a measure of growth, and the percentage of
students who enter high school on track for college and
career readiness;
(E) the school environment, including, where
applicable, high school dropout rate by grade level, the
percentage of students with less than 10 absences in a
school year, the percentage of teachers with less than 10
absences in a school year for reasons other than
professional development, leaves taken pursuant to the
federal Family Medical Leave Act of 1993, long-term
disability, or parental leaves, the 3-year average of the
percentage of teachers returning to the school from the
previous year, the number of different principals at the
school in the last 6 years, the number of teachers who hold
a gifted education endorsement, the process and criteria
used by the district to determine whether a student is
eligible for participation in a gifted education program
or advanced academic program and the manner in which
parents and guardians are made aware of the process and
criteria, the number of teachers who are National Board
Certified Teachers, disaggregated by race and ethnicity, 2
or more indicators from any school climate survey selected
or approved by the State and administered pursuant to
Section 2-3.153 of this Code, with the same or similar

indicators included on school report cards for all surveys
selected or approved by the State pursuant to Section
2-3.153 of this Code, the combined percentage of teachers
rated as proficient or excellent in their most recent
evaluation, and, beginning with the 2022-2023 school year,
data on the number of incidents of violence that occurred
on school grounds or during school-related activities and
that resulted in an out-of-school suspension, expulsion,
or removal to an alternative setting, as reported pursuant
to Section 2-3.162;
(F) a school district's and its individual schools'
balanced accountability measure, in accordance with
Section 2-3.25a of this Code;
(G) the total and per pupil normal cost amount the
State contributed to the Teachers' Retirement System of
the State of Illinois in the prior fiscal year for the
school's employees, which shall be reported to the State
Board of Education by the Teachers' Retirement System of
the State of Illinois;
(H) for a school district organized under Article 34
of this Code only, State contributions to the Public
School Teachers' Pension and Retirement Fund of Chicago
and State contributions for health care for employees of
that school district;
(I) a school district's Final Percent of Adequacy, as
defined in paragraph (4) of subsection (f) of Section

18-8.15 of this Code;
(J) a school district's Local Capacity Target, as
defined in paragraph (2) of subsection (c) of Section
18-8.15 of this Code, displayed as a percentage amount;
(K) a school district's Real Receipts, as defined in
paragraph (1) of subsection (d) of Section 18-8.15 of this
Code, divided by a school district's Adequacy Target, as
defined in paragraph (1) of subsection (b) of Section
18-8.15 of this Code, displayed as a percentage amount;
(L) a school district's administrative costs;
(M) whether or not the school has participated in the
Illinois Youth Survey. In this paragraph (M), "Illinois
Youth Survey" means a self-report survey, administered in
school settings every 2 years, designed to gather
information about health and social indicators, including
substance abuse patterns and the attitudes of students in
grades 8, 10, and 12; and
(N) whether the school offered its students career and
technical education opportunities.
The school report card shall also provide information that
allows for comparing the current outcome, progress, and
environment data to the State average, to the school data from
the past 5 years, and to the outcomes, progress, and
environment of similar schools based on the type of school and
enrollment of low-income students, special education students,
and English learners.

As used in this subsection (2):
"Accelerated placement" has the meaning ascribed to that
term in Section 14A-17 of this Code.
"Administrative costs" means costs associated with
executive, administrative, or managerial functions within the
school district that involve planning, organizing, managing,
or directing the school district.
"Advanced academic program" means a course of study,
including, but not limited to, accelerated placement, advanced
placement coursework, International Baccalaureate coursework,
dual credit, or any course designated as enriched or honors,
that a student is enrolled in to which students are assigned
based on advanced cognitive ability or advanced academic
achievement compared to local age peers and in which the
curriculum is substantially differentiated from the general
curriculum to provide appropriate challenge and pace.
"Computer science" means the study of computers and
algorithms, including their principles, their hardware and
software designs, their implementation, and their impact on
society. "Computer science" does not include the study of
everyday uses of computers and computer applications, such as
keyboarding or accessing the Internet.
"Gifted education" means educational services, including
differentiated curricula and instructional methods, designed
to meet the needs of gifted children as defined in Article 14A
of this Code.

For the purposes of paragraph (A) of this subsection (2),
"average daily attendance" means the average of the actual
number of attendance days during the previous school year for
any enrolled student who is subject to compulsory attendance
by Section 26-1 of this Code at each school and charter school.
(3) At the discretion of the State Superintendent, the
school district report card shall include a subset of the
information identified in paragraphs (A) through (E) of
subsection (2) of this Section, as well as information
relating to the operating expense per pupil and other finances
of the school district, and the State report card shall
include a subset of the information identified in paragraphs
(A) through (E) and paragraph (N) of subsection (2) of this
Section. The school district report card shall include the
average daily attendance, as that term is defined in
subsection (2) of this Section, of students who have
individualized education programs and students who have 504
plans that provide for special education services within the
school district.
(4) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this
Section, in consultation with key education stakeholders, the
State Superintendent shall at any time have the discretion to
amend or update any and all metrics on the school, district, or
State report card.
(5) Annually, no more than 30 calendar days after receipt
of the school district and school report cards from the State

Superintendent of Education, each school district, including
special charter districts and districts subject to the
provisions of Article 34, shall present such report cards at a
regular school board meeting subject to applicable notice
requirements, post the report cards on the school district's
Internet web site, if the district maintains an Internet web
site, make the report cards available to a newspaper of
general circulation serving the district, and, upon request,
send the report cards home to a parent (unless the district
does not maintain an Internet web site, in which case the
report card shall be sent home to parents without request). If
the district posts the report card on its Internet web site,
the district shall send a written notice home to parents
stating (i) that the report card is available on the web site,
(ii) the address of the web site, (iii) that a printed copy of
the report card will be sent to parents upon request, and (iv)
the telephone number that parents may call to request a
printed copy of the report card.
(6) Nothing contained in Public Act 98-648 repeals,
supersedes, invalidates, or nullifies final decisions in
lawsuits pending on July 1, 2014 (the effective date of Public
Act 98-648) in Illinois courts involving the interpretation of
Public Act 97-8.
(Source: P.A. 101-68, eff. 1-1-20; 101-81, eff. 7-12-19;
101-654, eff. 3-8-21; 102-16, eff. 6-17-21; 102-294, eff.
1-1-22; 102-539, eff. 8-20-21; 102-558, eff. 8-20-21; 102-594,

eff. 7-1-22; 102-813, eff. 5-13-22.)
(105 ILCS 5/14A-17)
Sec. 14A-17. Accelerated placement; advanced academic
program. For purposes of this Article, "accelerated placement"
means the placement of a child in an educational setting with
curriculum that is usually reserved for children who are older
or in higher grades than the child. "Accelerated placement"
under this Article or other school district-adopted policies
shall include, but need not be limited to, the following types
of acceleration: early entrance to kindergarten or first
grade, accelerating a child in a single subject, and grade
acceleration.
"Advanced academic program" means a course of study,
including, but not limited to, accelerated placement, advanced
placement coursework, International Baccalaureate coursework,
dual credit, or any course designated as enriched or honors,
that a student is enrolled in based on the student's advanced
cognitive ability or advanced academic achievement compared to
local age peers and in which the curriculum is substantially
differentiated from the general curriculum to provide
appropriate challenge and pace.
(Source: P.A. 100-421, eff. 7-1-18.)
(105 ILCS 5/14A-32)
Sec. 14A-32. Accelerated placement; school district

responsibilities.
(a) Each school district shall have a policy that allows
for accelerated placement that includes or incorporates by
reference the following components:
(1) a provision that provides that participation in
accelerated placement is not limited to those children who
have been identified as gifted and talented, but rather is
open to all children who demonstrate high ability and who
may benefit from accelerated placement;
(2) a fair and equitable decision-making process that
involves multiple persons and includes a student's parents
or guardians;
(3) procedures for notifying parents or guardians of a
child of a decision affecting that child's participation
in an accelerated placement program; and
(4) an assessment process that includes multiple
valid, reliable indicators.
(a-5) By no later than the beginning of the 2023-2024
school year, a school district's accelerated placement policy
shall allow for the automatic enrollment, in the following
school term, of a student into the next most rigorous level of
advanced coursework offered by the high school if the student
meets or exceeds State standards in English language arts,
mathematics, or science on a State assessment administered
under Section 2-3.64a-5 as follows:
(1) A student who meets or exceeds State standards in

English language arts shall be automatically enrolled into
the next most rigorous level of advanced coursework in
English, social studies, humanities, or related subjects.
(2) A student who meets or exceeds State standards in
mathematics shall be automatically enrolled into the next
most rigorous level of advanced coursework in mathematics.
(3) A student who meets or exceeds State standards in
science shall be automatically enrolled into the next most
rigorous level of advanced coursework in science.
For a student entering grade 12, the next most rigorous
level of advanced coursework in English language arts or
mathematics shall be a dual credit course, as defined in the
Dual Credit Quality Act, an Advanced Placement course, as
defined in Section 10 of the College and Career Success for All
Students Act, or an International Baccalaureate course;
otherwise, the next most rigorous level of advanced coursework
under this subsection (a-5) may include a dual credit course,
as defined in the Dual Credit Quality Act, an Advanced
Placement course, as defined in Section 10 of the College and
Career Success for All Students Act, an International
Baccalaureate course, an honors class, an enrichment
opportunity, a gifted program, or another program offered by
the district.
A school district may use the student's most recent State
assessment results to determine whether a student meets or
exceeds State standards. For a student entering grade 9,

results from the State assessment taken in grades 6 through 8
may be used. For other high school grades, the results from a
locally selected, nationally normed assessment may be used
instead of the State assessment if those results are the most
recent.
A school district must provide the parent or guardian of a
student eligible for automatic enrollment under this
subsection (a-5) with the option to instead have the student
enroll in alternative coursework that better aligns with the
student's postsecondary education or career goals.
Nothing in this subsection (a-5) may be interpreted to
preclude other students from enrolling in advanced coursework
per the policy of a school district.
(b) Further, a school district's accelerated placement
policy may include or incorporate by reference, but need not
be limited to, the following components:
(1) procedures for annually informing the community
at-large, including parents or guardians, community-based
organizations, and providers of out-of-school programs,
about the accelerated placement program and the methods
used for the identification of children eligible for
accelerated placement, including strategies to reach
groups of students and families who have been historically
underrepresented in accelerated placement programs and
advanced coursework;
(2) a process for referral that allows for multiple

referrers, including a child's parents or guardians; other
referrers may include licensed education professionals,
the child, with the written consent of a parent or
guardian, a peer, through a licensed education
professional who has knowledge of the referred child's
abilities, or, in case of possible early entrance, a
preschool educator, pediatrician, or psychologist who
knows the child;
(3) a provision that provides that children
participating in an accelerated placement program and
their parents or guardians will be provided a written plan
detailing the type of acceleration the child will receive
and strategies to support the child;
(4) procedures to provide support and promote success
for students who are newly enrolled in an accelerated
placement program; and
(5) a process for the school district to review and
utilize disaggregated data on participation in an
accelerated placement program to address gaps among
demographic groups in accelerated placement opportunities;
and .
(6) procedures to promote equity, which may
incorporate one or more of the following evidence-based
practices:
(A) the use of multiple tools to assess
exceptional potential and provide several pathways

into advanced academic programs when assessing student
need for advanced academic or accelerated programming;
(B) providing enrichment opportunities starting in
the early grades to address achievement gaps that
occur at school entry and provide students with
opportunities to demonstrate their advanced potential;
(C) the use of universal screening combined with
local school-based norms for placement in accelerated
and advanced learning programs;
(D) developing a continuum of services to identify
and develop talent in all learners ranging from
enriched learning experiences, such as problem-based
learning, performance tasks, critical thinking, and
career exploration, to accelerated placement and
advanced academic programming; and
(E) providing professional learning in gifted
education for teachers and other appropriate school
personnel to appropriately identify and challenge
students from diverse cultures and backgrounds who may
benefit from accelerated placement or advanced
academic programming.
(c) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to
determine data to be collected and disaggregated by
demographic group regarding accelerated placement, including
the rates of students who participate in and successfully
complete advanced coursework, and a method of making the

information available to the public.
(d) On or before November 1, 2022, following a review of
disaggregated data on the participation and successful
completion rates of students enrolled in an accelerated
placement program, each school district shall develop a plan
to expand access to its accelerated placement program and to
ensure the teaching capacity necessary to meet the increased
demand.
(Source: P.A. 101-654, eff. 3-8-21; 102-209, eff. 11-30-21
(See Section 5 of P.A. 102-671 for effective date of P.A.
102-209).)
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.