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

Sec. 2-3.25a. "School district" defined; additional standards.

(a) For the purposes of State accountability in this Section and Sections 3.25b, 3.25c, 3.25e, and 3.25f of this Code, "school district" includes other public entities responsible for administering public schools, such as cooperatives, joint agreements, charter schools, special charter districts, regional offices of education, local agencies, and the Department of Human Services.

(b) In addition to the standards established pursuant to Section 2-3.25, the State Board of Education shall develop standards for student performance, such as proficiency levels on State assessments, and school improvement, such as annual summative designations, for all school districts and their individual schools. The State Board of Education is prohibited from having separate performance standards for students based on race or ethnicity.

The accountability system that produces the school improvement designations shall be outlined in the State Plan that the State Board of Education submits to the federal Department of Education pursuant to the federal Every Student Succeeds Act. If the federal Every Student Succeeds Act ceases to require a State Plan, the State Board of Education shall develop a written plan in consultation with the Balanced Accountability Committee created under subsection (b-5) of this Section.

(b-5) The Balanced Accountability Measure Committee is created and shall consist of the following individuals: a representative of a statewide association representing regional superintendents of schools, a representative of a statewide association representing principals, a representative of an association representing principals in a city having a population exceeding 500,000, a representative of a statewide association representing school administrators, a representative of a statewide professional teachers' organization, a representative of a different statewide professional teachers' organization, an additional representative from either statewide professional teachers' organization, a representative of a professional teachers' organization in a city having a population exceeding 500,000, a representative of a statewide association representing school boards, and a representative of a school district organized under Article 34 of this Code. The head of each association or entity listed in this paragraph shall appoint its respective representative. The State Superintendent of Education, in consultation with the Committee, may appoint no more than 2 additional individuals to the Committee, which individuals shall serve in an advisory role and must not have voting or other decision-making rights.

The Balanced Accountability Measure Committee shall meet no less than 4 times per year to discuss the accountability system set forth in the State Plan pursuant to the federal Every Student Succeeds Act and to provide stakeholder feedback and recommendations to the State Board of Education with regard to the State Plan, which the State Board shall take into consideration. On or before completion of the 2019-2020 school year and no less than once every 3 years thereafter, the Balanced Accountability Measure Committee shall assess the implementation of the State Plan and, if necessary, make recommendations to the State Board for any changes. The Committee shall consider accountability recommendations made by the Illinois P-20 Council established under Section 22-45 of this Code, the Illinois Early Learning Council created under the Illinois Early Learning Council Act, and any other stakeholder group established by the State Board in relation to the federal Every Student Succeeds Act. The State Board shall provide to the Committee an annual report with data and other information collected from entities identified by the State Board as learning partners, including, but not limited to, data and information on the learning partners' effectiveness, geographic distribution, and cost to serve as part of a comprehensive statewide system of support.

The State Board of Education, in collaboration with the Balanced Accountability Measure Committee set forth in this subsection (b-5), shall adopt rules that further implementation in accordance with the requirements of this Section.

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