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"The drop-out rate in Illinois is
alarming. By signing these new laws, we will hold schools more
accountable to their struggling students, hopefully leading to more
students staying in school," said Gov. Blagojevich. "I commend Sen.
del Valle for all of his efforts to keep Illinois students in school
and off the streets."
High school graduates have much higher
earning potential than high school dropouts. This legislative
package aims to increase graduation rates across the state by
providing more options for students. The Manhattan Institute's
November 2002 study found that, while Illinois' graduation rate of
77 percent was higher than the national average of 69 percent, the
state's African-American and Latino students had only a 57 percent
graduation rate. Graduation and drop-out rates are inextricably
linked.
"These new measures will have a
dramatic impact on the drop-out rates in the state of Illinois,
particularly the Hispanic and African-American communities," said
Sen. del Valle. "I believe we will begin to see an immediate
reduction in the drop-out rate in the state of Illinois as a result
of these new laws."
The 2000 U.S. Census found more than
200,000 people in Illinois between the ages 16 and 24 dropped out of
high school. The report also found that in Illinois one out of every
two Latinos and one out of every five African-Americans in the 16-24
age range are high school dropouts. In the 2001-2002 school year,
17,400 students -- more than 17 percent -- dropped out of Chicago
Public Schools.
Senate Bill 2918, sponsored by Sen. del Valle and Rep. William
Delgado, D-Chicago, raises the minimum drop-out age from 16 years
old to 17 years old -- giving parents and schools an additional year
and additional opportunities to keep students in the classroom.
The new law requires students who have
received three truant notices to perform 20 to 40 hours of community
service over a period of 90 days. If after performing community
service, a student continues to be truant, the truant officer or the
regional superintendent of schools (in the case of a district with
no truant officer) has two options -- make a complaint to the
state's attorney against the person who has custody of the student,
or conduct a truancy mediation and encourage the student to enroll
in a graduation incentives program. Anyone under the age of 18 is
eligible for graduation incentives programs if he or she is
considered a dropout, has been suspended or expelled, is pregnant or
is a parent, has been assessed as chemically dependent, or is
enrolled in a bilingual education or limited English proficiency
program.
The new law also expands the graduation
incentives program for students at risk of dropping out, inviting
school-based programs, vocational education programs, community
college classes, GED preparation courses and career training run by
private businesses to provide additional options for students not
succeeding in traditional schools. In addition, pupils enrolled in
such programs are eligible for reimbursement, subject to
appropriations.
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this article] |
Senate Bill 2769, sponsored by Sen. del Valle and Rep. Cynthia
Soto, D-Chicago, requires that students take the Prairie State
Achievement Exam in order to receive their high school diploma. By
requiring that all students take the Prairie State Achievement Exam,
which includes the ACT college entrance exam, the state will gain a
better picture of how students are performing academically. In
addition, this may open the door to new opportunities for students
who may not otherwise have taken the exam. There are several
exceptions to the requirement, including special education students
with individualized learning plans, English language learners and
students in adult education programs.
Senate Bill 3109, sponsored by Sen. del Valle and Rep. Richard
Bradley, D-Chicago, takes steps to better track Illinois dropouts
and hold schools more accountable for all of their students. This
bill requires the Illinois State Board of Education to set up a
system to provide accurate tracking of dropouts. The legislation
requires that students be counted as dropouts from their former
schools until the former school receives a proof of transfer from
the new school. Official notice must be received by the school that
the student has left within 150 days after the date the student
withdrew, or else the student will be counted as a dropout.
This bill comes in response to a recent
national education survey conducted by the Civil Rights Project at
Harvard University and the Urban Institute, a nonpartisan policy
research group in Washington, D.C. The study found that Illinois'
largest school districts seriously inflate their high school
graduation rates -- with the largest sources of graduation rate
inflation stemming from how districts define and report their
transfer students. In fact, the survey found that some school
districts counted all students who left their schools as transfers,
regardless of whether there was proof the students re-enrolled at
other schools.
Senate Bill 2115, signed by Gov. Blagojevich last month, will
make it easer for high school dropouts to re-enter the classroom.
The new law, which was sponsored by Sen. del Valle and Rep. Delgado,
outlines academic and attendance standards under which a district
can deny enrollment to students; however, the bill limits that
denial to one semester. The law comes in response to criticism that
districts are "pushing out" low-achieving students in order to
produce higher test scores. The new law protects a student's right
to re-enroll. It also provides protection for schools to accept
re-enrolled students by ensuring students that re-enroll and then
drop out again are not double-counted in the school's drop-out
statistics. Since graduation rates, directly related to drop-out
rates, are counted as part of a school's "adequate yearly progress"
under the No Child Left Behind Act, this measure is important to
school leaders.
"We need to
do everything we can to decrease the drop-out rate in Illinois,"
said Sen. del Valle. "We owe it to our school children to make sure
they are receiving every opportunity to succeed and complete their
high school education."
[News release from the
governor's office] |
