HB3629 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB104 10035 SPS 20106 b

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
HB3629

Introduced 2/18/2025, by Rep. Edgar González, Jr.

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

New Act

Creates the Adaptive Kindergarten Readiness Pilot Program Act. Provides that, no later than July 1, 2026, the Secretary of State shall establish and oversee an Adaptive Kindergarten Readiness Pilot Program to provide preschool children with access to educational technology programs that use family engagement to improve kindergarten readiness. Provides that, during the 2026-2027 academic year, the Pilot Program shall provide a cohort of eligible children with access to an educational technology program that satisfies specified goals concerning kindergarten readiness. Sets forth provisions concerning the selection of a provider for the Pilot Program; provider duties; and reporting requirements. Repeals the Act on January 1, 2028. Effective July 1, 2025.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning State government.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Adaptive Kindergarten Readiness Pilot Program Act.

Section 5. Findings. The General finds and declares:

(a) During the first 5 years of life, children experience rapid learning and development that has effects that endure for a lifetime.

(b) A key milestone in a child's development is the child's transition into and readiness for kindergarten.

(c) High quality early childhood literacy programs can significantly improve a child's readiness for kindergarten and future academic success.

(d) Children in Illinois would benefit from access to varied and effective early literacy services.

(e) This State should develop new and innovative services to expand access to early literacy services and improve kindergarten readiness.

Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Act:

"Eligible child" means a child who is 4 or 5 years of age and is not currently enrolled in kindergarten, but is eligible to enroll during the following school year.

"Internal reliability" means questions across assessments that can be demonstrated to be consistent at a level deemed to be acceptable on the Kuder-Richardson Formula 20, Cronbach's alpha, or comparable psychometric evaluation tool.

"Secretary" means the Secretary of State.

"Test-retest reliability" means a correlation of at least 70% between the outcomes from the same assessment separated by days, weeks, and months.

"Valid and reliable adaptive reading test" means an assessment that:

(1) demonstrates test-retest reliability and internal reliability;

(2) accurately measures reading readiness;

(3) is capable of delivery to children 4 years of age without the presence of trained adults; and

(4) correlates its results to other validated assessments for reading readiness.

Section 15. Adaptive Kindergarten Readiness Pilot Program.

(a) Subject to appropriation, no later than July 1, 2026, the Secretary shall establish and oversee an Adaptive Kindergarten Readiness Pilot Program to provide preschool children with access to educational technology programs that use family engagement to improve kindergarten readiness. During the 2026-2027 academic year, the Pilot Program shall provide a cohort of eligible children with access to an educational technology program that:

(1) utilizes family engagement to deliver age-appropriate instruction in reading that may be implemented at-home;

(2) offers optional instruction in mathematics and science;

(3) aligns learning goals with relevant State standards for preschool as issued by the State Board of Education;

(4) assists with the objectives of the Head Start Act, 42 U.S.C. 9801 et seq.;

(5) demonstrates through endorsements and certifications that it assists children with disabilities in preparing for kindergarten; and

(6) satisfies the United States Department of Education's requirements to be considered a Tier 1 program under the Every Student Succeeds Act.

(b) The Secretary shall reserve 70% of the seats available in the Pilot Program for eligible children from households:

(1) with a household income no more than 200% above the federal poverty level; or

(2) whose primary household language is not English.

If a seat reserved under this subsection remains vacant for more than 2 months after the start of the 2026-2027 academic year, the seat may be given to any child otherwise eligible for the Pilot Program. The Pilot Program shall enroll eligible children in both the reserved and unreserved seats in the order the completed applications are submitted. The Secretary shall determine the maximum enrollment for the Pilot Program based on the funds available to operate the Pilot Program.

(c) The Secretary shall solicit families to encourage participation in the Pilot Program through public information campaigns, outreach programs, community partners, and referrals from other educational entities that are partially focused on communities and areas of the State experiencing persistent poverty.

Section 20. Pilot Program provider. The Secretary shall select a provider to implement the Pilot Program. In evaluating provider applicants, the Secretary shall require an applicant to:

(1) have at least 3 years of experience in implementing similar services;

(2) conduct a randomized controlled trial or other external evaluation that satisfy the United States Department of Education's requirements to be considered a Tier 1 program under the Every Student Succeeds Act;

(3) register and maintain its status as a 501(c)(3) with the Internal Revenue Service; and

(4) demonstrate the capability to:

(A) provide a valid and reliable reading test that does not require the presence of trained adults to administer and is an accurate indicator of reading readiness of children who cannot read; and

(B) partner with community organizations, early intervention waitlist, head start, and early childhood organizations to serve participating children;

(C) communicate with parents and other education professionals involved in the Pilot Program;

(D) update the instructional software as needed;

(E) validate user access;

(F) collect user data;

(G) store research data;

(H) produce reports for parents, schools, and the Secretary; and

(I) comply with State and federal education and digital privacy laws.

Section 25. Provider responsibilities. The provider selected by the Secretary under Section 20 shall have the following duties:

(1) develop a recruitment plan to solicit families to participate in the Pilot Program;

(2) implement the Pilot Program in compliance with this Act, including:

(A) provide program participants with a multi-sensory reading tutoring program; and

(B) provide program participants with a validated adaptive reading assessment that does not require the presence of trained adults to administer and that has been demonstrated as an accurate indicator of a child's reading readiness; and

(C) as needed and at no cost, provide a participating child from a household with an income no more than 400% above the federal poverty level with a computer or tablet and access to Internet service for the duration of the child's participation in Pilot Program;

(3) provide administrative and technical support to participating children, families, and any other involved education professionals for the installation and operation of the instructional software;

(4) seek the advice and expertise of local stakeholders such as public and private early childhood education professionals, the State Board of Education, local community organizations, kindergarten teachers, and parents, on the implementation of the Pilot Program, including:

(A) soliciting families to participate in the Pilot Program;

(B) providing training to families and education professionals; and

(C) motivating families to regularly use the instructional software; and

(5) report any data required by the Secretary to conduct an evaluation of the Pilot Program's effectiveness.

Section 30. Report. No later than July 1, 2027, the provider awarded the contract under Section 20 shall report to the Secretary the following information:

(1) the extent to which the Pilot Program is accomplishing the objectives identified in this Act;

(2) the number of families participating in the Pilot Program who:

(A) received technology devices or Internet service; and

(B) have household incomes no more than 200% of the federal poverty level or whose household language is not English;

(3) the frequency of use of the instructional software;

(4) obstacles encountered with software usage, hardware, Internet access, or providing technical assistance; and

(5) the performance on any kindergarten entry or exit assessments conducted by school districts that compare children who have participated in the Pilot Program and children who have not, provided that the provider shall report on the information contained in this paragraph to the extent that the State Board of Education provides comparative results from applicable school districts.

Section 35. Repeal. This Act is repealed on January 1, 2028.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, 2025.