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Public Act 093-0901
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| HB4944 Enrolled |
LRB093 20840 NHT 46770 b |
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AN ACT relating to schools.
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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 State Finance Act is amended by adding |
Section
5.625 as follows:
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(30 ILCS 105/5.625 new)
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Sec. 5.625. The Technology Immersion Pilot Project Fund. |
This Section is
repealed on August 31, 2007.
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Section 10. The School Code is amended by adding Section
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2-3.135 as follows:
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(105 ILCS 5/2-3.135 new)
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Sec. 2-3.135. Technology immersion pilot project.
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(a) The State Board of Education shall by rule establish a
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technology immersion pilot project to provide a wireless laptop |
computer to each student, teacher, and relevant administrator |
in a participating school and
implement the use of software, |
on-line courses, and other appropriate
learning technologies |
that have been shown to improve academic
achievement and the |
progress measures listed in subsection (f) of this
Section.
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(b) The pilot project shall be for a period of at least 3 |
years. The
State Board shall establish a procedure and develop |
criteria for the
administration of the pilot project. In |
administering the pilot
project, the State Board shall:
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(1) select participating school districts or schools;
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(2) define the conditions for the distribution and use
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of laptop computers and other technologies;
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(3) purchase and distribute laptop computers and
other |
technologies;
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(4) enter into contracts as necessary to implement the
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pilot project;
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(5) monitor local pilot project implementation; and
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(6) conduct a final evaluation of the pilot project.
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(c) The Technology Immersion Pilot Project Fund is created |
as a
special fund in the State treasury. All money in the |
Technology
Immersion Pilot Project Fund shall be used, subject |
to appropriation, by
the State Board for the pilot project. To |
implement the pilot project, the
State Board may use any funds |
appropriated by the General Assembly
for the purposes of the |
pilot project as well as any gift, grant, or donation
given for |
the pilot project. The State Board may solicit and accept a |
gift,
grant, or donation of any kind from any source, including |
from a
foundation, private entity, governmental entity, or |
institution
of higher education, for the implementation of the |
pilot project. Funds
for the pilot project may not be used for |
the construction of a building or
other facility.
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The State Board shall use pilot project funds for the |
following:
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(1) the purchase of wireless laptop computers
so that |
each student, teacher, and relevant administrator in a |
participating classroom has a wireless
laptop computer for |
use at school and at home;
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(2) the purchase of other equipment, including
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additional computer hardware and software;
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(3) the hiring of technical support staff for school
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districts or schools participating in the pilot project; |
and
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(4) the purchase of technology-based learning
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materials and resources.
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The State Board may not allocate more than $10 million for |
the pilot project.
The pilot project may be implemented only if |
sufficient
funds are available under this Section for that |
purpose.
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(d) A school district may apply to the State Board for the
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establishment of a technology immersion pilot project for the |
entire
district or for a particular school or group of schools |
in the district.
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The State Board shall select 7 school districts to |
participate in the pilot project. One school district shall be |
located in the City of Chicago, 3 school districts shall be |
located in the area that makes up the counties of DuPage, Kane, |
Lake, McHenry, Will, and that portion of Cook County that is |
located outside of the City of Chicago, and 3 school districts |
shall be located in the remainder of the State.
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The State Board shall select the participating districts |
and
schools for the pilot project based on each district's or |
school's
need for the pilot project. In selecting participants, |
the State Board
shall consider the following criteria:
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(1) whether the district or school has limited access
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to educational resources that could be improved through the |
use of
wireless laptop computers and other technologies;
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(2) whether the district or school has the following
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problems and whether those problems can be mitigated |
through
the use of wireless laptop computers and other
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technologies:
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(A) documented teacher shortages in critical
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areas;
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(B) limited access to advanced placement
courses;
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(C) low rates of satisfactory performance on
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assessment instruments under Section 2-3.64 of this |
Code;
and
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(D) high dropout rates;
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(3) the district's or school's readiness to
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incorporate technology into its classrooms;
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(4) the possibility of obtaining a trained technology
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support staff and high-speed Internet services for the |
district or
school; and
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(5) the methods the district or school will use to
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measure the progress of the pilot project in the district |
or school
in accordance with subsection (f) of this |
Section.
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The State Board shall if possible select at least 9 schools |
to
participate in the pilot project, with at least 3 from the |
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school district located in the City of Chicago and one from |
each of the other school districts selected.
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(e) Each participating school district or school shall |
establish a
technology immersion committee to assist in |
developing and
implementing the technology immersion pilot |
project.
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The school board of a participating
district or of a |
district in which a participating school is
located shall |
appoint individuals to the committee. The committee may be
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composed of the following:
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(1) educators;
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(2) district-level administrators;
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(3) community leaders;
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(4) parents of students who attend a participating
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school; and
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(5) any other individual the school board finds |
appropriate.
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The committee shall develop an academic improvement plan |
that
details how the pilot project should be implemented in the
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participating district or school. In developing the academic
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improvement plan, the committee shall consider (i) the |
educational
problems in the district or school that could be |
mitigated through the
implementation of the pilot project and |
(ii) the technological and
nontechnological resources that are |
necessary to ensure the successful
implementation of the pilot |
project.
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The committee shall recommend to the school board how
the |
pilot project funds should be used to implement the academic
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improvement plan. The committee may recommend annually any
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necessary changes in the academic improvement plan to the |
school
board. The State Board must approve the academic |
improvement plan
or any changes in the academic improvement |
plan before disbursing
pilot project funds to the school board.
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(f) The school board of each school district participating |
in the pilot
project shall send an annual progress report to |
the State Board no later
than August 1 of each year that the |
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district is participating in the pilot
project. The report must |
state in detail the type of plan being used in the
district or |
school and the effect of the pilot project on the district or
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school, including the following:
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(1) the academic progress of students who are
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participating in the pilot project, as measured by |
performance on
assessment instruments;
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(2) if applicable, a comparison of student progress in
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a school or classroom that is participating in the pilot |
project as
compared with student progress in the schools or |
classrooms in
the district that are not participating in |
the pilot project;
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(3) any elements of the pilot project that contribute
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to improved student performance on assessment instruments
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administered under Section 2-3.64 of this Code or any other
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assessment instrument required by the State Board;
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(4) any cost savings and improved efficiency relating
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to school personnel and the maintenance of facilities;
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(5) any effect on student dropout and attendance
rates;
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(6) any effect on student enrollment in higher
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education;
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(7) any effect on teacher performance and retention;
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(8) any improvement in communications among students,
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teachers, parents, and administrators;
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(9) any improvement in parental involvement in the
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education of the parent's child;
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(10) any effect on community involvement and support
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for the district or school; and
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(11) any increased student proficiency in technologies |
that
will help prepare the student for becoming a member of |
the
workforce.
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(g) Each student participating in the pilot project may |
retain the
wireless laptop computer provided under the pilot |
project as long
as the student is enrolled in a school in a |
participating school district.
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(h) After the expiration of the 3-year pilot project, the
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