Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 38, September 20, 2024
Section 20 of the Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness Act
authorizes a pilot program for school districts to provide career-oriented
education through competency-based instruction. This Section sets forth the
process to apply for approval to participate in the Competency-Based High
School Graduation Requirements Pilot Program and the reporting requirements and
conditions for removal from the Program.
a) Definitions
"Act" means the Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness Act [
110 ILCS 48 ].
"Adaptive Competencies" means foundational skills
needed for success in college, careers and life, such as, but not limited to,
work ethic, professionalism, communication, collaboration and interpersonal
skills, and problem-solving.
"Community College" means a public community college
organized under the Public Community College Act [ 110 ILCS 805
]. (Section 10 of the Act)
"Program" means the Competency-Based High School Graduation
Requirements Pilot Program.
"School Code" means 105 ILCS 5.
b) Eligible Applicants
School districts participating in the Program may select the
year and course graduation requirement it wishes to replace with a
competency-based learning system. A school district with a student population
of fewer than 500,000 may participate in the pilot program for some or all of
its schools. Those with more than 500,000 students may select only six schools
to participate in the project. (See Section 25(g) of the Act.)
c) A school district wishing to participate
in the Program shall submit an application to the State Board of Education that
addresses each of the components listed in Section 20 of the Act and subsection
(d) of this Section. If a school district withdraws its application, the State
Board will consider additional school districts. Two or more school districts
may collaborate and apply in one application as specified in Section 25(g) of
the Act.
d) In addition to
addressing each of the components in Section 20 of the Act, each application
shall include:
1) Cover Packet
A) School district contact information,
including the name, email, and telephone number of the Program
Director;
B) Year the Program will
be implemented;
C) List of schools
participating in the Program;
D)
Graduation requirements from Section 27-22 of the School Code the Program will
replace;
E) The name of each
teacher participating in the Program and the subject/grade he or she teaches
for each participating school;
F) A
description of how teachers have been engaged throughout the application
process;
G) A description of how
the local community college and an institution of higher education have been
involved in the application process;
H) A description of the school district's
prior professional development and stakeholder engagement efforts during the
application process, including any prior implementation of professional
development for major district instructional initiatives;
I) Identification of community partners and
how they will support the Program;
J) Name, position, and signature of all
standing Planning and Implementation Committee members;
K) Any waivers of the School Code or
administrative rules in accordance with Section 2-3.25(g) of the School Code;
and
L) For each participating
school district, signatures of the district superintendent; school board
president; exclusive bargaining unit president, if there is one, or, if there
is no bargaining unit president, a representative selected by the district
educators; community college representative; and institution of higher
education representative.
2) Proposal Narrative
Provide a general description of the district's plan for
implementing the Program. Include a description of the Program's vision and
goals as well as innovative features for student success that will be
addressed, indicate the intended impact of the flexibility requested in the
plan, provide activities and a timeline for meeting the goals, and describe the
expected outcome for students. The narrative should address all of the
following elements:
A) How students
will demonstrate mastery of all required competencies to earn credit;
B) How students will demonstrate mastery of
adaptive competencies, defined by the school district, in addition to academic
competencies;
C) How students will
advance once they have demonstrated mastery. If needed, how students shall
receive more time and personalized instruction to demonstrate
mastery;
D) How students will have
the ability to attain advanced postsecondary education and career-related
competencies beyond those needed for graduation;
E) How students will be assessed using
multiple measures to determine mastery, usually requiring application of
knowledge; and
F) How students will
be able to earn credit toward graduation requirements in ways other than
traditional coursework, including learning opportunities outside the
traditional classroom setting, such as Supervised Career Development
Experiences.
3)
Evaluation and Sustainability
Describe how the Program will be monitored and evaluated and
how the results will be reported. Indicate how the impact on increasing student
success and/or other stated goals and objectives will be shared within the
district and beyond (parents, community, etc.).
e) Criteria for Review and Approval of
Proposals
The school districts selected to participate in the Program
will be evaluated on the following criteria (also see Appendix B):
1) Strength of Local Commitment (20 points)
A) List of participating schools, including
signatures of school principals.
B)
List of teachers participating in the Program.
C) List of the Planning and Implementation
Committee members, including their signatures.
D) Inclusion in the plan of strategies for
involvement by the local community college and an institution of higher
education.
2) Prior
Professional Development (10 points)
A)
Description of how teachers have been engaged throughout the application
process.
B) Description of
district's prior professional development and stakeholder engagement efforts to
support successful development of the application and implementation of the
plan.
3) Stakeholder
Engagement (10 points)
A) Description of how
the local community college and a higher education institution have been
actively engaged throughout the application process.
B) Description of community partners that
will support the system's implementation.
4) Quality of Proposed Plan (50 points)
A) Project Goals (10 points)
i) The proposal identifies clear, realistic,
measurable goals.
ii) The goals
clearly specify how student achievement will be impacted.
B) Project Narrative (25 points)
i) The proposal relates to innovative
practices based upon research, previously collected district data, best
practices, or additional information.
ii) The proposed activities are likely to
produce measurable results and improve student achievement.
iii) The proposal provides a description of
how it will meet all elements required to be included in the Program.
iv) The proposal provides a description of
the district's plan for engaging the high schools with their feeder elementary
schools in the establishment and administration of the Program.
C) Evaluation (15 points)
i) The proposal includes a description of the
process for evaluating the project, including a preliminary timeline for the
collection of data.
ii) The data
from the proposed evaluation plan will be evaluated to determine if progress
toward attaining the project goals is being made.
iii) The proposal provides a plan that
provides multiple opportunities to share the results of the project with all
stakeholders.
5) Diversity (10 points)
A) School District Type
B) School District Size
C) Geographical Location
D) Plan Approach (multiple subjects vs. one
subject, type of subject, etc.).
f) The State Superintendent of Education will
notify school districts approved for participation in the Pilot Program no
later than 45 days following the close of the application period.
g) The standing Planning and Implementation
Committee shall submit reports assessing the district's plan or implementation
of the Program. Reports shall also include any recommendations for
modifications or improvements for the Program. Reports shall be included in the
initial application and the Program plan and thereafter shall be submitted
annually to the State Board. Reports shall be submitted by mail to the State
Board of Education Springfield Office (100 N. First Street, Springfield IL
62777) or via email at competencypilot@isbe.net. Annual reports must be
submitted no later than July 1 after implementation.
h) Removal from the Program
Pursuant to Section 25(d) of the Act, the State
Superintendent may remove a school district from the Program for failing to
submit a full plan that meets the specifications in subsection (d)(3) of this
Section. The Superintendent will consider the school district's failure to
abide by the conditions submitted in its application when deciding to remove a
school district from the Program.
