Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 38, September 20, 2024
Section 10-20.56 of the Code authorizes a program for the use
of e-learning days by school districts to provide instruction while the
students are not in attendance at the school to which they have been assigned.
An e-learning day may be used only in lieu of using one or more emergency days
required under Section 10-19 of the Code, when used during remote learning days
and blended remote learning days under Section 10-30 or 34-18.66 of the Code,
or because a school was selected to be a polling place under Section
11-4.1 of the Election Code (Section 10-20.56 of the School Code).
This Section sets forth the process to apply for approval to participate in the
E-Learning Days Program (hereinafter, referred to as the "e-learning program")
and the terms and conditions for the use of e-learning days by participating
districts.
a) An "approvable
e-learning day":
1) is a day of instruction
provided for students who are not physically present at the school and that is
accessible to all students, including students with disabilities and English
learners;
2) consists of a minimum
of five clock hours of instruction; and
3) is provided through electronic means, such
as the Internet, telephones, text messages, chat
rooms,or other similar means of electronic communication for
instruction and interaction between teachers and students that meets the needs
of all learners. (Section 10-20.56(b) of the Code)
b) "All mandates", as used in
Section 10-20.56(b) of the Code, means mandates specific to academic goals and
learning objectives, content areas of instruction, and instructional and other
school support services. "All mandates" does not include the provision of
transportation, school lunch and breakfast, after-school care or other services
not directly related to the provision of instruction.
c) Once an e-learning day is used, a school
district approved under this Section shall electronically submit a request to
its regional office of education or intermediate service center to amend its
calendar not later than 30 days from the date on which an e-learning day was
taken. The request shall include a signed assurance that the district complied
with each of the requirements of Section 10-20.56 of the Code and Section
1.420(f)(5)(D)
of this Part.
d) If a school
district used the e-learning day pursuant to Section 18-12 of the Code, the
district also shall submit the information required under Section
1.420(f)(4)
of this Part.
e) A school district
wishing to participate in the E-Learning Days Program shall submit an
application to the State Board of Education that addresses each of the
components listed in Section 10-20.56 of the School Code and subsection (f) of
this Section.
1) Each application for the
e-learning program shall be submitted in a format specified by the State
Superintendent by September 1 annually.
2) Each application shall include a cover
page that is signed by the school district superintendent; each of the
district's exclusive collective bargaining representatives; and, as applicable,
the district's regional superintendent of education or chief administrative
officer of the district's intermediate service center.
3) Each application shall include a
description of the public hearing held by the school board to take testimony
from the public, including from school district employees and parents, about
the request.
4) Each application
shall include a dated copy of the notice of the public hearing that was
published in a newspaper of general circulation and a dated copy of the written
or electronic notifications about the public hearing that meet the requirements
of Section 10-20.56(c) of the Code.
f) In addition to addressing each of the
components in Section 10-20.56(d) of the Code, each applicant shall:
1) describe the process to be used to verify
that five clock-hours of "instruction" under the direct supervision of educator
licensed teachers will be provided;
2) present a plan for addressing technology
problems and providing other technical support, as applicable to its e-learning
delivery system;
3) detail how
instruction and other services and programs provided by the e-learning program
will:
A) address all the instructional
mandates contained in Article 27 of the Code (i.e., language arts, mathematics,
the biological, physical and social sciences, the fine arts, and physical
development and health) and this Part, as applicable;
B) comply with Article 14 of the Code, 23
Ill. Adm. Code 226 (Special Education), and the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (also referred to as IDEA) (20 U.S.C.
1400 et seq.) and its implementing
regulations (34 CFR 300, as amended by 71 Fed. Reg. 46540 (August 14, 2006) and
73 Fed. Reg. 73027 (December 1, 2008), no later amendments or editions
included), and section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29
U.S.C. 701 et seq.), regarding the provision
of services for students with disabilities;
C) comply with Article 14C of the Code and 23
Ill. Adm. Code 228 (Transitional Bilingual Education), regarding services for
English learners;
D) address the
varying learning needs of students enrolled in general education coursework to
include, as applicable, how the district will meet the instructional needs of
students participating in, or receiving services from, programs under the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (20 U.S.C.
6301 et seq.) or McKinney-Vento Homeless
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C.
11431 et seq.);
E) align to the district's curriculum and
address the specific learning objectives of the course of instruction being
provided; and
F) meet the
requirements of Section 27-6 of the Code, regarding the provision of physical
education, subject to any waiver of the requirement approved pursuant to
Section 2-3.25g of the Code;
4) describe the process it will use to
monitor Internet access or other electronic participation of individual
students on an e-learning day (also see Section
1.420(f)(5)(D))
; the description shall provide sufficient evidence of how students will
actively participate in the program and any contingencies to be considered for
students who are unable to access instruction due to computer problems, power
outages or other circumstances beyond a student's control; and
5) describe how expectations for e-learning
coursework and other activities will be communicated to students and parents in
advance of the school district's use of an e-learning day, as well as how
feedback will be gathered from staff, students and parents about the successes
and challenges of the e-learning program.
g) Each application for an e-learning program
that meets the requirements of Section 10-20.56 of the Code and this Section
shall be evaluated according to the criteria set forth in this subsection (g).
The three highest ranked applications will be approved.
1) Delivery System (up to 25 points)
A robust system has been proposed to manage the e-learning
system, ensuring accurate identification of students, reliable management of
student attendance and provision of effective remedies for technical issues
that may arise during the e-learning day that limit or block a student's or
staff member's access to online participation.
2) Instructional Program (up to 25 points)
The proposed program:
A) is built upon research about effective
distance learning approaches;
B)
includes a curriculum with high-quality learning experiences aligned to the
learning objectives of the course or grade (including addressing the applicable
instructional mandates identified in Article 27 of the Code); organized lesson
plans or other documentation of the instruction to be provided; and sequence
and pacing to allow students to be successful; and
C) contains no penalties for students who
encounter technical difficulties, providing a process for students to submit
school work for credit that they were unable to complete during the e-learning
day.
3) Special
Populations (up to 25 points)
Provisions for providing services for students with
disabilities and English learners are appropriate and comply with State and
federal laws and regulations. The program also is likely to meet the varying
learning needs of the students enrolled in general education coursework by
adequately considering ability, grade level, at-risk status and/or demographic
diversity.
4) Notification
and Training (up to 25 points)
The proposed process for both involving staff, students and
parents in the program design and for notifying and orienting them about the
e-learning program to be implemented will sufficiently prepare staff, students
and parents to fully participate in and navigate the e-learning system
effectively and efficiently. A detailed plan is included for collecting
feedback from staff, students and parents after an e-learning day is
used.
5) Priority
Consideration
Priority consideration may be given to proposals with
specific areas of emphasis, such as to ensure geographic distribution or the
participation of school districts with varying demographic characteristics, as
identified by the State Superintendent of Education in a particular Request for
Applications.
h)
The State Superintendent will notify school districts approved for
participation in the e-learning program no later than 45 days following the
close of the application period.
i)
Approval to participate in the e-learning program will be for three years (see
Section 10-20.56(d) of the Code), except that approval in the second and third
years shall be based on a review of the continuation application required under
this subsection (i).
1) By September 1 of each
year following initial approval, each participating school district shall
submit a continuation application to the State Superintendent that:
A) provides a summary of how the applicant
will meet each of the program components listed in Section 10-20.56 of the Code
and this Section;
B) describes any
changes in the program delivery model to be implemented for the school
year;
C) identifies any problems
encountered in the previous school year related to the provision or monitoring
of the program; and
D) proposes
remedies to be implemented during the next school year to resolve the problems
identified.
2) The
continuation application shall be submitted electronically through the Illinois
Web-based Application Security (IWAS) System (see
https://sec1.isbe.net/iwas/asp/login.asp?js=true)
according to the timelines established by the State Superintendent.
3) Approval during any continuation period
shall be contingent upon sufficient evidence that the e-learning program to be
implemented in the continuation period meets each of the requirements of
Section 10-20.56 of the Code and the application approved under this Section
and that any deficiencies identified have been resolved.
j) Terms and Conditions of Approval
1) A school district that receives approval
to participate in the e-learning program shall notify all educator licensed
personnel and other employees, students and parents that it will be
implementing an e-learning program no later than 10 school days after receiving
notification of approval from the State Board of Education.
2) An e-learning day shall be implemented on
a districtwide basis, except as otherwise authorized under Section 18-12 of the
Code.
3) A school district that is
approved to use e-learning days may choose to use an emergency day instead of
an e-learning day; that is, the school district's participation in the
e-learning program does not compel it to use only e-learning days. Further, the
school district is not required to exhaust all of its emergency days before
using an e-learning day.
4) A
school district using an e-learning day shall use only educator licensed
personnel under contract with the school district to deliver instruction,
except that a person holding a substitute teaching license issued under Section
21B-20 of the Code may be used in cases of illness or leaves of
absence.
5) The school district
shall assign one or more school administrators to monitor the program, to
include, but not be limited to, verifying attendance, providing instruction
should a teacher be unavailable, and overseeing student participation and the
technical aspects of the e-learning program.
6) The State Superintendent may withdraw
approval of the e-learning program when evidence is presented that the school
district violated the requirements, terms and conditions set forth in Section
10-20.56 of the Code, or the application approved under this Section.
7) A student unable to participate in an
e-learning day due to computer problems, power outages or other circumstances
beyond the student's control shall not be penalized (e.g., unexcused absences,
lowering of grades) for the student's inability to participate in the
e-learning instruction if the student later completes and submits the required
school work within a timeframe specified by the district. A school district,
however, shall not count the student as being in attendance on the e-learning
day for purposes of determining average daily attendance when computing General
State Aid.
8) A school district
shall compute General State Aid in accordance with the requirements of Section
18-8.05(F) of the Code and Section
1.420(f)
of this Part.
