Section 1.423 Competency-Based High School Graduation Requirements Pilot Program

TITLE 23: EDUCATION AND CULTURAL RESOURCES

SUBTITLE A: EDUCATION

CHAPTER I: STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION

SUBCHAPTER a: PUBLIC SCHOOL RECOGNITION

PART 1 PUBLIC SCHOOLS EVALUATION, RECOGNITION AND SUPERVISION

SECTION 1.423 COMPETENCY-BASED HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS PILOT PROGRAM

Section

1.423  Competency-Based High School Graduation Requirements Pilot Program

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

s

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 p

nity 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

cted 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

l

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

ivities

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

he 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.