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| Public Act 095-0609 |
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AN ACT concerning education.
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Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, | ||||
represented in the General Assembly:
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Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section | ||||
3-15.12 as follows: | ||||
(105 ILCS 5/3-15.12) (from Ch. 122, par. 3-15.12)
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Sec. 3-15.12. High school equivalency testing program.
The | ||||
regional
superintendent of schools shall make available for | ||||
qualified individuals
residing within the region a High School | ||||
Equivalency Testing Program.
For that purpose the regional | ||||
superintendent alone or with other
regional superintendents | ||||
may establish and supervise a testing center or
centers to | ||||
administer the secure forms of the high school level Test of
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General Educational Development to qualified persons. Such | ||||
centers
shall be under the supervision of the regional | ||||
superintendent in whose
region such centers are located, | ||||
subject to the approval
of the
President of the Illinois | ||||
Community College Board.
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An individual is eligible to apply to the regional | ||||
superintendent of schools
for the region in which he or she
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resides if he or she is: (a) a person who is 17
18 years
of age | ||||
or older, has maintained residence in the State of Illinois,
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and is
not a high school graduate, but whose high school class | ||||
has graduated; (b)
a member of the armed forces of the United | ||
States on active duty who is 17
years of age or older and who is | ||
stationed in Illinois or is a legal resident
of Illinois; (c) a | ||
ward of the Department of Corrections who is 17 years of age
or | ||
older or an inmate confined in any branch of the Illinois State | ||
Penitentiary
or in a county correctional facility who is 17 | ||
years of age or older; (d) a
female who is 17 years of age or | ||
older who is unable to attend school because
she is either | ||
pregnant or the mother of one or more children; (e) a male 17
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years of age or older who is unable to attend school because he | ||
is a father of
one or more children; (f) a person who is | ||
successfully completing an
alternative education program under | ||
Section 2-3.81, Article 13A,
or Article 13B; or (c)
(g) a
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person who is
enrolled in a youth education program sponsored | ||
by the Illinois National
Guard; or (h) a person who is 17 years | ||
of age or older who has been a dropout
for a period of at least | ||
one year.
For purposes of this Section, residence is that abode | ||
which the applicant
considers his or her home. Applicants may | ||
provide as sufficient proof of such
residence and as an | ||
acceptable form of identification a driver's license, valid | ||
passport, military ID, or other form of government-issued | ||
national or foreign identification that shows the applicant's | ||
name, address, date of birth, signature, and photograph or | ||
other acceptable identification as may be allowed by law or as | ||
regulated by the Illinois Community College Board
picture | ||
identification card and two pieces of correctly addressed
and | ||
postmarked mail. Such regional superintendent shall determine | ||
if the
applicant meets statutory and regulatory state | ||
standards. If qualified the
applicant shall at the time of such | ||
application pay a fee established by the
Illinois Community | ||
College Board, which fee shall be paid into a special
fund
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under the control and supervision of the regional | ||
superintendent. Such moneys
received by the regional | ||
superintendent shall be used, first, for the
expenses incurred
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in administering and scoring the examination, and next for | ||
other educational
programs that are developed and designed by | ||
the regional superintendent of
schools to assist those who | ||
successfully complete the high school level test of
General | ||
Education Development in furthering their academic development | ||
or
their ability to secure and retain gainful employment, | ||
including programs for
the competitive award based on test | ||
scores of college or adult education
scholarship grants or | ||
similar educational incentives. Any excess moneys shall
be paid | ||
into the institute fund.
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Any applicant who has achieved the minimum passing | ||
standards as
established by the
Illinois Community College | ||
Board shall be
notified in writing by the regional | ||
superintendent and shall be
issued a high school equivalency | ||
certificate on the forms provided by the
Illinois Community | ||
College Board. The regional superintendent shall
then certify | ||
to the Illinois Community College Board
the score of the | ||
applicant and such other and additional information
that may be | ||
required by the Illinois Community College Board. The
moneys | ||
received therefrom shall be used in the same manner as provided
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for in this Section.
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Any applicant who has attained the age of 17
18 years and | ||
maintained
residence in the State of Illinois and is not a high | ||
school graduate, any person who has enrolled in a youth | ||
education program sponsored by the Illinois National Guard,
but
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whose high school class has graduated,
any ward of the | ||
Department of
Corrections who has attained the age of 17 years, | ||
any inmate confined in any
branch of the Illinois State | ||
Penitentiary or in a county correctional facility
who has | ||
attained the age of 17 years, any member of the armed forces of | ||
the
United States on active duty who has attained the age of 17 | ||
years and who is
stationed in Illinois or is a legal resident | ||
of Illinois, any female who has
attained the age of 17 years | ||
and is either pregnant or the mother of one or
more children, | ||
any male who has attained the age of 17 years and is the
father | ||
of one or more children, or any person who has successfully | ||
completed
an
alternative education program under Section | ||
2-3.81,
Article 13A, or Article 13B is eligible to apply for a | ||
high school equivalency
certificate (if he or she meets the | ||
requirements prescribed by the Illinois Community College | ||
Board) upon showing evidence that he or she has completed, | ||
successfully, the high
school level General Educational | ||
Development Tests, administered by the United
States Armed | ||
Forces Institute, official GED Centers established in other
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states, or at Veterans' Administration Hospitals or the office | ||
of the State
Superintendent of Education administered for the | ||
Illinois State Penitentiary
System and the Department of | ||
Corrections. Such applicant shall apply to the
regional | ||
superintendent of the region wherein he has maintained | ||
residence, and
upon payment of a fee established by the | ||
Illinois Community College Board
the regional superintendent | ||
shall issue a high school
equivalency certificate, and | ||
immediately thereafter certify to the Illinois Community | ||
College Board the score of the applicant and such other and
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additional information as may be required by the Illinois | ||
Community College Board.
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Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section, any | ||
applicant who has
been out of school for at least one year may | ||
request the regional
superintendent of schools to administer | ||
the restricted GED test upon
written request of: The director | ||
of a program who certifies to the Chief
Examiner of an official | ||
GED center that the applicant has completed a
program of | ||
instruction provided by such agencies as the Job Corps, the
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Postal Service Academy or apprenticeship training program; an | ||
employer
or program director for purposes of entry into | ||
apprenticeship programs;
another State Department of Education | ||
in order to meet regulations
established by that Department of | ||
Education, a post high school
educational institution for | ||
purposes of admission, the Department of
Professional | ||
Regulation for licensing purposes, or the Armed Forces
for | ||
induction purposes. The regional superintendent shall | ||
administer
such test and the applicant shall be notified in | ||
writing that he is
eligible to receive the Illinois High School | ||
Equivalency Certificate
upon reaching age 17
18, provided he | ||
meets the standards established by the Illinois Community | ||
College Board.
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Any test administered under this Section to an applicant | ||
who does not
speak and understand English may at the discretion | ||
of the administering
agency be given and answered in any | ||
language in which the test is
printed. The regional | ||
superintendent of schools may waive any fees required
by this | ||
Section in case of hardship.
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In counties of over 3,000,000 population a GED certificate
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shall contain the signatures of the President of the Illinois | ||
Community College Board, the superintendent, president or | ||
other chief
executive officer of the institution where GED | ||
instruction occurred and any
other signatures authorized by the | ||
Illinois Community College Board.
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The regional superintendent of schools shall furnish the | ||
Illinois
Community College Board with any information that the | ||
Illinois
Community College Board requests with regard to | ||
testing and certificates under this
Section.
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(Source: P.A. 94-108, eff. 7-1-05.)
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