Section 232.50  Program Specifications

a)         Eligibility for services under this Part shall not be limited to students who attend the particular attendance centers whose performance led to the district's eligibility under Section 232.20.  Any student in an eligible district may be served, provided that he or she was enrolled in prekindergarten, kindergarten, or any of grades 1 through 6 in the school year immediately preceding the summer when the program is offered and:

1)         did not meet State standards in reading, as evidenced by the relevant score attained on the State assessment required pursuant to Section 2-3.64a-5 of the School Code [105 ILCS 5/2-3.64a-5]; or

2)         was recommended for retention in grade; or

3)         was referred to the program by his or her teacher based on the results of a locally determined reading assessment or other factors, such as poor grades or a high rate of absenteeism.

b)         Funding under this Part shall be used only to provide a remedial summer program consisting of no fewer than 90 hours of instruction to each student served and addressing the components of the literacy framework displayed in Appendix A.  Each district operating the program shall be required to purchase or demonstrate the availability of the materials listed in Appendix B.

c)         The number of sites at which the program is offered within any district shall be limited to the number of sites whose performance led to the district's eligibility for funding under Section 232.20.  The program may, however, be conducted at sites other than those whose performance led to the district's eligibility.

d)         Except as otherwise specified in subsection (e), no fewer than 12 and no more than 15 students shall be served in each class for grades 1 through 6, and no fewer than seven and no more than 10 students shall be served in each class for prekindergarten and kindergarten.  Each district shall report its enrollment count by grade level on the sixth day of attendance in the program and shall consolidate classes as needed to achieve class sizes within these ranges.  The services of teachers in excess of the number required for the applicable class sizes shall not be paid for with funding provided under this Part.

e)         In order to respond to developments that may occur after the sixth day of attendance, a district may seek approval from the State Superintendent of Education to add no more than two students to any class in excess of the applicable maximum.  The State Superintendent shall approve a district's request if the Superintendent determines that doing so is necessary for reasons of cost-effectiveness or to avoid a disruption in learning opportunities for students, provided that the teacher responsible for the class has consented to the addition of the students.

f)         Each district shall prepare a job description for the teachers who will be employed to provide instruction in the Summer Bridges Program.  If the district executes individual contracts with the teachers, the contracts shall include the job description or incorporate it by reference.  If the district does not execute individual contracts with the teachers, the district shall require a signed affirmation from each, acknowledging the obligations established in the job description.  Each job description shall include at least the requirements set forth in this subsection (f).

1)         To conduct a parent orientation prior to the beginning of the program.

2)         To participate in all required planning and professional development sessions and activities.

3)         To set up the classroom for engaged and cooperative learning, including learning stations or centers.

4)         To establish classroom rules in collaboration with the students in the class.

5)         To prepare and submit daily lesson plans on a weekly basis.

6)         To deliver the established curriculum in accordance with the framework and use the materials provided.

7)         To administer the required assessments and report on the results in accordance with the prescribed timetable.

8)         To collaborate in the program evaluation effort.

9)         To be absent only in response to unforeseen circumstances (for example, no absences shall be permitted for vacation, attendance at conferences, or participation in activities that are not of an emergency nature).

g)         Each teacher, paraprofessional educator, and administrator employed in the program shall be provided with, and shall be required to participate in, 30 hours of professional development.

1)         Three hours of professional development shall occur in the time period after the end of the school year and prior to the start of the program and shall be devoted to setting up the learning environment, administering an individual reading inventory, and orientation to the Summer Bridges Program.

2)         Twelve hours of professional development shall occur prior to or during the course of the program and shall be devoted to the learning environment, language development and word knowledge, fluency, comprehension, writing, and classroom-based assessment appropriate to the grade level to be served by the participating teachers.

3)         Fifteen hours of professional development shall be devoted to mathematics concepts and games, additional literacy strategies, problem-solving, exchange of strategies, activities, and methods among teachers, and analysis of the results of the individual reading inventory.

h)         No program funded under this Part shall begin sooner than five business days after the end of the school year unless approved in advance by the State Superintendent of Education.  Approval shall be granted only when the school year has been extended to make up days missed due to severe weather or other emergencies.

i)          Each district funded under this Part shall assess students' growth in reading prior to and following their participation in the program.  No fewer than 20 percent of the students from each of grades 2 through 6 and no fewer than 20 percent of the total group of students from prekindergarten, kindergarten, and grade 1 shall participate in an assessment prescribed by the State Superintendent as appropriate to their respective grade levels.  The results of these assessments shall be compiled to form part of each district's summative report under Section 232.70.

1)         Each student whose results are included in the report shall have achieved an attendance rate of at least 80 percent.

2)         The pre-test shall be separated from the post-test by no fewer than 18 days of attendance.

(Source:  Amended at 39 Ill. Reg. 13484, effective September 24, 2015)