Section 1.443  Illinois Global Scholar Certificate

 

In accordance with Section 2-3.167 of the School Code [105 ILCS 5], a school district may establish a program to recognize public high school graduates who have attained global competence, sufficient for meaningful use in college and career, by designating on a student's transcript and high school diploma his or her receipt of the Illinois Global Scholar Certificate, provided that all the conditions of this Section are met. 

 

a)         Attainment of Global Competency Sufficient for use in College and Career

A school district may award the Illinois Global Scholar Certificate to any high school graduate who demonstrates global competency by successfully meeting all of the following criteria:

 

1)         Complete Eight Globally-Focused Courses

 

A)        Students earning the Illinois Global Scholar Certificate must complete a total of eight globally-focused courses from at least two different academic disciplines (i.e., science, social studies, fine arts, English/language arts/communication arts, world languages (i.e., foreign or classical languages), mathematics, career and technical education, physical education, family and consumer science, etc.).

 

B)        A globally-focused course may be a year-long course or a semester long course.

 

C)        Courses will be designated as "globally-focused" by the school district in conjunction with the Global Scholar Committee (as described in subsection (f)(1)) using specific processes and materials provided by the State Board.  Courses must:

 

i)          investigate the world;

 

ii)         recognize the perspectives of self and others;

 

iii)        communicate ideas to diverse audiences; and

 

iv)        provide opportunities to take action to improve conditions in a manner consistent with the learning standards adopted by the State of Illinois.

 

D)        Globally-focused courses must address world issues, perspectives, concerns or culture throughout the duration of the course.  Courses that employ a global focus or address global topics in some units but not others are not sufficient to be deemed globally-focused courses, nor are courses that survey global arts, foods or music without at least ⅓ of class time being devoted to the investigation/research into the phenomena, and/or assessment of the global and cultural context from which the phenomena arise. 

 

E)        The following commonly-taught courses are likely to be designated as globally-focused:

 

i)          World languages;

 

ii)         International economics, international business or global marketing;

 

iii)        World history/non-U.S. history;

 

iv)        World geography;

 

v)         Comparative cultures, comparative religions, comparative government;

 

vi)        Science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) courses with global application/perspective;

 

vii)       International relations or foreign relations;

 

viii)      Literature of another country, region or culture;

 

ix)        International agri-science or agriculture; and

 

x)         Other globally-focused courses that meet the requirements detailed in Appendix H.

 

2)         School districts wishing to require a specific globally-focused course or sequence of courses are encouraged to do so.  For example, one school district may opt to require a course (or sequences of courses) in global studies or world languages, while another district may develop defined global pathways in STEM, world language or fine arts. In addition, school districts having limited course offerings may approve specific summer or online coursework, provided that coursework is credit-bearing and meets the Illinois Learning Standards, as well as the requirements described in subsection (a)(1). School districts may offer additional course options that comply with subsection (a)(1) (see Appendix H).

 

3)         Participate in at least one Sustained Globally-focused Service Learning Activity or Experience

 

A)        Service learning is defined as activities that:

 

i)          actively engage and educate the student within the local community in meaningful, globally-focused service activities that promote understanding of diversity and mutual respect among all participants;

 

ii)         allow the student to be self-directed in initiating, planning, implementing and evaluating throughout the experience;

 

iii)        are designed with sufficient duration and intensity to address community needs within a global context;

 

iv)        engage participants in an ongoing process to assess the quality of implementation and progress toward meeting specified goals, and use of the results for improvement and sustainability; and

 

v)         incorporate multiple reflection activities that challenge students to think deeply about the relationship of self, society and the world.

 

B)        Service learning opportunities, selected by students and educators in collaboration with the Global Scholar Committee members (GSC) (see subsection (e)(2)) to fulfill this requirement, shall be tied to globally-focused coursework, co-curricular activities oriented toward global service, and/or the student's Global Scholar Capstone Performance-based Assessment. 

 

C)        Students earning the Illinois Global Scholar Certificate must engage in at least one globally-focused service learning activity for a minimum of one semester. Criteria to assist districts in determining qualifying globally-focused service learning opportunities is located in Appendix H.

 

D)        Service learning activities must align with State and district learning standards, as well as curricular goals and objectives of the school district.

 

4)         Participate in Global Collaboration or Dialogue

 

A)        Students receiving the Illinois Global Scholar Certificate must dialogue or collaborate with global peers whose culture is markedly different than their own.

 

B)        Global collaboration and dialogue experiences shall:

 

i)          Offer opportunities to demonstrate the communication skills necessary to work effectively and respectfully with and within diverse teams; 

 

ii)         Offer students opportunities to exercise flexibility and willingness to be helpful in making necessary compromises to accomplish a common goal; and

 

iii)        Offer opportunities for students to assume shared responsibility for collaborative work and value the individual contributions made by each team member.

 

C)        This requirement can be met in one of the following ways:

 

i)          Through a field experience in another country specifically designed to facilitate global dialogue or collaboration among peers (e.g., a class trip to a sister school in another country, participation in government, or funded study abroad program); 

 

ii)         Through approved virtual experiences specifically designed to facilitate global dialogue or collaboration among peers; or

 

iii)        Through sustained service or learning experiences that immerse students in a domestic or local cultural context markedly different from the global scholar's cultural context (e.g., a refugee community).

 

D)        A list of approved global collaboration or dialogue opportunities should be created and updated by GSCs in conjunction with the Illinois Global Scholar organization.

 

5)         Earn a score of "pass" on the Global Scholar Capstone Performance-based Assessment described in subsection (b)(4) using the scoring criteria described in subsection (c). The purpose of the Global Scholar Capstone Performance-based Assessment and Criteria are described in Appendix H.

 

A)        To ensure that a wide variety of student work can be evaluated, students shall:

 

i)          Create a compelling and actionable question, developed by the student, to address a global issue or concern;

 

ii)         Indicate a research-based investigation of the global issue or concern;

 

iii)        Develop research-based conclusions and the proposal of a solution to address the global issue;

 

iv)        Communicate with at least two people impacted by the issue or with a stakeholder who has recognized and/or has contextual expertise related to the question asked by the student (e.g., a journalist working in a specific region, a foreign service officer, a member of an NGO, a professor, scientist or other recognized expert);

 

v)         Create an artifact (e.g., video, narrative, painting, datasets, presentation, pamphlet, awareness raising campaign, children's book, musical compositions) to demonstrate learning that reflects the student's research/investigation;

 

vi)        Take action to affect change related to the selected issue or concern; and

 

vii)       Reflect on the entire capstone experience.

 

B)        Global Scholar Capstone Performance-based Assessments must result in the following products:

 

i)          A student-created artifact, as described in subsection (a)(5)(A)(v);

 

ii)         Documentation of the steps described in subsection (a)(5)(A) that may include, but are not limited to, a bibliography, interview transcripts, datasets, electronic resources and media, etc.; and

 

iii)        A student narrative that documents each of the steps indicated in subsection (a)(5)(A).

 

b)         This subsection (b) lists the criteria and indicators school districts shall use to score the Global Scholar Capstone Performance-based Assessment.  These scoring criteria may be amended from time to time.  The State Board shall post on its website by July 1 of each year a copy of the current Assessment scoring criteria, indicators and supporting materials, including examples.

 

1)         Criteria 1:  Develop a globally-focused, compelling question and plan inquiries. Indicators supporting this criteria shall require work completed by the student to:

 

A)        Develop a compelling question addressing an issue of global concern (a problem that exists in multiple locations around the world or at the international level).

 

B)        Base the compelling question on understanding of concepts and enduring issues associated with one or more academic disciplines.

 

C)        Ensure the compelling question leads to a deeper understanding of globally-focused concern, including the fundamental cause of the issue.

 

D)        Design a compelling question that is actionable (i.e., allows the student to identify small- and large-scale solutions to global issues and then take small- or large-scale action to change or improve conditions related to the global issue or concern).

 

2)         Criteria 2:  Use culturally sensitive communication skills throughout the project. Indicators supporting this criteria shall require the work completed by the student to:

 

A)        Use appropriate and varied language to communicate in a logical and concise manner.

 

B)        Use discipline-specific terminology.

 

C)        Elicit feedback from stakeholders (e.g., develop a survey, engage in dialogue, communicate effectively, and/or use appropriate questioning techniques).

 

D)        Use diverse media, when appropriate, to present information.

 

E)        Use language conventions appropriate to the project.

 

3)         Criteria 3:  Collect research and communicate academically, consistent with the standards of the disciplines.  Indicators supporting this criteria shall require the work completed by the student to:

 

A)        Explain how research was applied when presenting the artifact to specific stakeholders.

 

B)        Ensure communication contains original work without plagiarism, including appropriate citations as necessary.

 

4)         Criteria 4:  Gather information from global stakeholder groups.  Indicators supporting this criteria shall require the work completed by the student to:

 

A)        Incorporate perspectives and opinions from people and/or organizations working with or directly affected by the selected global issue or concern.

 

B)        Interact with stakeholders in ways that demonstrate the ability to understand different cultural perspectives.

 

5)         Criteria 5:  Gather and review research related to a global issue/concern of the student's choice.  Indicators supporting this criteria shall require the work completed by the student to:

 

A)        Design and carry out a research plan using a variety of resources representing multiple perspectives (i.e., a combination of credible scholarly sources and interviews/narratives).

 

B)        Ensure research explores causes and effects of the issue of global concern for a variety of stakeholders.

 

C)        Demonstrate research that includes a review of the impact of possible action on a variety of stakeholders.

 

D)        Employ research sufficient to deeply understand the issue/concern, including the answers to the compelling questions:

 

i)          What causes this issue?

 

ii)         What happens as a result of this issue/How does this issue impact people?

 

iii)        How might different actions resolve this issue?

 

iv)        How might these actions impact various stakeholders?

 

E)        Document source material and evaluate for accuracy and credibility.

 

6)         Criteria 6:  Research gathered sufficiently addresses and resolves the compelling question asked by the student.  Indicators of these criteria shall require the work completed by the student to:

 

A)        Use a depth and breadth of source material adequate to develop an understanding of the complexity of the compelling question.

 

B)        Demonstrate how source material contributes to the student's understanding of the compelling question.

 

7)         Criteria 7:  Design action to be taken in relation to an issue of global concern that closely aligns with and logically results from the conducted research. Indicators supporting these criteria shall require the work completed by the student to:

 

A)        Provide documentation that relates process and product to future goals.

 

B)        Employ culturally-specific research to explain how an audience is likely to interpret an artifact differently than the student-creator intended. 

 

C)        Incorporate stakeholder feedback from two or more stakeholder groups into a plan of action.

 

8)         Criteria 8:  Design an artifact (e.g., presentation, pamphlet, video, artwork, webpage, blog, advocacy campaign/fundraiser, activity, etc.) reflecting the proposed action to be taken in relation to the issue of global concern.  Indicators supporting this criteria shall require the work completed by the student to:

 

A)        Plan an artifact that is either used during the implementation of the solution or serves as a record of the action.

 

B)        Develop an artifact that informs and engages the stakeholder audience.

 

9)         Criteria 9:  Take action that demonstrates understanding of the issue/concern and addresses the compelling question. Indicators supporting this criteria shall require that the work completed by the student:

 

A)        Presents the artifact in an interactive format/venue that is designed to effect local and/or global change.

 

B)        Advocates for suggested improvements and alternatives on behalf of stakeholders and/or engages audience to take action.

 

C)        Offers stakeholders or those who can implement improvement a blueprint for change.

 

10)        Criteria 10:  Engage with stakeholders to present findings. Indicators supporting these criteria shall require that the work completed by the student:

 

A)        Ensures that the narrative and documentation include an impact statement from stakeholders.

 

B)        Selects an audience intentionally and thoughtfully in order to make an impact on the global issue or concern.

 

11)        Criteria 11:  Reflect on diverse perspectives encountered (including the student's own) throughout this process and synthesize those perspectives. Indicators supporting this criterion shall require that the work completed by the student:

 

A)        Synthesizes how this project impacted personal understanding and learning.

 

B)        Demonstrates self-reflection by answering the following questions:

 

i)          How did the research inform your view of the global issue/concern?

 

ii)         What do you believe is at the heart of the issue/concern?

 

iii)        How does your experience suggest how this issue/concern could be better addressed or understood?

 

iv)        How do you think that this process impacted the issue and your personal view?

 

v)         How did this experience personally impact you and why?

 

vi)        Show connections between what happened, why it happened, and awareness of the change that happens now (or has happened)?

 

c)         The Global Scholar Capstone Performance-based Assessment shall be completed by the student with supervision from at least one licensed teacher.  While under the supervision of his or her licensed teacher, the student may collaborate and consult with at least one individual from a global stakeholder group.  School districts may develop systems for students to complete the Assessment in a manner suited to the school district.  School districts may develop a specific capstone course, include the Assessment as part of an existing course, or offer opportunities for students to complete the capstone as part of an independent study course.  School districts may also opt to develop mechanisms for students to complete the capstone project as part of extracurricular activities or clubs.

 

d)         In accordance with Section 2-3.167(f)(2) of the School Code, the school district shall place a designation of a qualifying student's receipt of the Illinois Global Scholar Certificate in the student's permanent record on the academic transcript as defined in 23 Ill. Adm. Code 375 (Student Records) and include the designation on the student's diploma.  The State Board shall make an electronic facsimile of the Illinois Global Scholar Certificate available to school districts for this purpose.  

 

e)         A school district that chooses to participate in the Illinois Global Scholar program shall meet the requirements of this subsection (e).

 

1)         A participating school district shall notify the State Board of its participation by October 1 of each year, except for the 2017-2018 inaugural Illinois Global Scholar Certificate school year when a district shall notify the State Board of its participation by May 1, 2017. A district that elects to participate after October 1 shall notify the State Board of its participation no later than 45 calendar days prior to the issuance of any Global Scholar Certificate. 

 

A)        A school district electing to participate after October 1 shall include in its notification to the State Board evidence that the district has met all of the requirements set forth in this subsection (e).

 

B)        A district that fails to submit the proper notification within the timeframes provided shall be prohibited from awarding the Illinois Global Scholar Certificate for that school year. 

 

2)         A participating district shall designate at least two individuals to serve on the school district's Global Scholar Committee and include these individuals' names and contact information in the notice provided pursuant to subsection (e)(1).  The individuals assigned to serve as district Global Scholar Committee members shall:

 

A)        Hold a professional educator license endorsed in an administrative area issued pursuant to 23 Ill. Adm. Code 25 (Educator Licensure); and

 

B)        Participate in training developed by the school district and approved by the State Board prior to awarding the Illinois Global Scholar Certificate.  This training shall include:

 

i)          Explanations and application of EdSteps Global Competency Standards.

 

ii)         Process steps to implement a Global Scholar Certificate program in the school district.

 

iii)        How to develop high quality and consistent scoring practices.

 

iv)        Methods to develop global competence among educators.

 

v)         Opportunities for globally-focused service learning and global collaboration/dialogue opportunities.

 

vi)        Building a sustainable global education program in schools.

 

3)         Scoring Methods

 

A)        A participating school district may opt to score the Global Scholar Capstone Performance-based Assessment by one of two methods.

 

i)          District Scoring

A school district shall appoint at least one Illinois licensed educator who has completed the Global Scholar Certificate training described in subsection (e)(2)(B).

 

ii)         Peer School Scoring

The school district collaborates with other school districts in scoring the Assessment.  Districts opting to participate in this method must send at least one licensed educator who has completed training provided by the Illinois Global Scholar organization.

 

B)        Scoring methods described in subsection (e)(3)(A) must use the criteria and indicators described in subsection (b).

 

4)         Using a format prescribed by the State Board, a participating school shall submit an annual report to the State Board, no later than 30 days after the end of the school year, that shall include:

 

A)        The names and course descriptions of all courses designated as "globally-focused" as described in subsection (a)(1);

 

B)        The total number of students who submitted materials to be considered for Illinois Global Scholar recognition and the number of students who received the score of pass;

 

C)        A description of the method used by schools to administer and monitor the Global Scholar Capstone Performance-based Assessment as described in subsection (c);

 

D)        A copy of promotional materials used to inform students of the Illinois Global Scholar Certificate program and its requirements; and

 

E)        Results of any surveys given to students or educators to assess any aspect of the Illinois Global Scholar Certificate program.

 

5)         A participating school district shall make available information about the Illinois Global Scholar Certificate program to parents and students by posting on the district's website, if the district maintains a website, and in the student handbook the following information:

 

A)        General information about the Illinois Global Scholar Certificate program and the opportunity for students to participate.

 

B)        A description of each of the requirements students need to complete in order to receive the Illinois Global Scholar Certificate as indicated in subsections (a)(1) through (4).

 

C)        A complete list of opportunities available in the district that will meet the requirements described in subsections (a)(1) through (4).  These include:

 

i)          A listing of all courses designated by the school district as globally-focused, as described in subsection (a)(1).

 

ii)         A listing of all opportunities offered by the school district that will meet the globally-focused service requirement, as described in subsection (a)(2).

 

iii)        A listing of all opportunities offered by the school district that will meet the global collaboration or dialogue requirement, as described in subsection (a)(3).

 

iv)        A complete description of the Capstone Project

Performance-based Assessment steps and requirements, as described in subsection (a)(4).

 

D)        A link to the State Board's website describing the requirements for the Illinois Global Scholar Certificate that includes a list of:

 

i)          Approved service learning opportunities with a global focus accessible to all Illinois students.

 

ii)         Approved global collaboration opportunities with a global focus accessible to all Illinois students.

 

iii)        Approved capstone project performance assessments of global competence.

 

E)        A description of the process a student would use to demonstrate global competence, including details about any alternative evidence that may be required under subsection (a)(3), if applicable;

 

F)         An estimate of the costs, if known, that students might incur to complete the requirements listed in subsection (a); and

 

G)        The name and contact information for any individuals designated to serve as Global Scholar Committee members of the Illinois Global Scholar Certificate.

 

f)         A school district shall administer evaluation surveys to students and educators participating in the Illinois Global Scholar program.  Surveys will be used to evaluate the program as a whole and will not be linked to specific students, staff or school districts.

 

g)         Should additional scoring criteria and indicators be added to subsection (b), that additional criteria shall be included in Appendix H as well.

 

(Source:   Added at 41 Ill. Reg. 4430, effective April 5, 2017)