Autism News
New Education Laws for Illinois from 2003
Summary of new legislation affecting children with disabilities.
HB 684
Disabilities Services Act
Sponsors:
House: Brosnahan-Delgado
Senate: Link-Lightford
Chapter Reference:
New Act
405 ILCS 80/1-1 rep.
405 ILCS 80/1-2 rep.
405 ILCS 80/1-3 rep.
405 ILCS 80/1-4 rep.
405 ILCS 80/1-5 rep.
Summary: The legislation creates the Disabilities Services Act of 2003.
It requires the Governor, with the assistance of the Secretary of Human
Services, to appoint a 33-member advisory committee to develop a Disabilities
Services Implementation Plan that will ensure compliance by the State with
the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. With respect to education,
the Act states that every person is entitled to his or her special education
rights under law. It further requires that schools prepare disabled students
for adult living by creating a transition plan on or before they reach
14 years of age.
Public Act: 93-0638
Effective Date: December 31, 2003
Illinois Children’s Mental Health Act
Public Act 93-0495
Section 15. Mental health and schools.
(a) The Illinois State Board of Education shall develop and implement a plan
to incorporate social and emotional development standards as part of the Illinois
Learning Standards for the purpose of enhancing and measuring children’s school
readiness and ability to achieve academic success. The plan shall be submitted to
the Governor, the General Assembly, and the Partnership by December 31, 2004.
(b) Every Illinois school district shall develop a policy for incorporating social
and emotional development into the district’s educational program. The policy
shall address teaching and assessing social and emotional skills and protocols for
responding to children with social, emotional, or mental health problems, or a
combination of such problems, that impact learning ability. Each district must
submit this policy to the Illinois State Board of Education by August 31, 2004.
full text of Act
To see how the Illinois Board of Education will implement this bill see
http://www.isbe.state.il.us/spec-ed/mental_health/memo.htm
HB 1809
Autism Education
Sponsors:
House: Stephens-Madigan-Currie-Holbrook-Hoffman
Senate: DeLeo-Obama-Shadid-Trotter-Crotty
Chapter Reference:
20 ILCS 1705/57.5 new
Summary: The legislation amends the Mental Health and Developmental
Disabilities Administrative Act. Subject to appropriations, it requires
the Department of Human Services to contract for the establishment, at
3 different sites in the State, of an autism diagnosis education program
of young children. It calls for educating medical practitioners, school
personnel, daycare providers, parents, and community service providers
(including, but not limited to, early intervention and developmental disabilities
providers) throughout the State on appropriate diagnosis and treatment
of autism.
Public Act: 93-0395
Effective Date: July 29, 2003
(20 ILCS 1705/57.5 new)
Sec. 57.5. Autism diagnosis education program.
(a) Subject to appropriations,
the Department shall
contract to establish an autism diagnosis education program
for young children. The Department shall
establish the
program at 3 different sites in the State. The program shall
have the following goals:
(1) Providing,
to medical professionals and others
statewide, a systems development initiative that
promotes
best practice standards for the
diagnosis and treatment
planning for young children who
have autism spectrum
disorders, for the purpose of helping existing systems
of
care to build solid circles
of expertise within their
ranks.
(2) Educating
medical practitioners, school
personnel, day care providers,
parents, and community
service providers (including, but not limited
to, early
intervention and developmental
disabilities providers)
throughout the State on
appropriate diagnosis and
treatment of autism.
(3) Supporting
systems of care for young children
with autism spectrum disorders.
(4) Working
together with universities and
developmental disabilities providers
to identify unmet
needs and resources.
(5) Encouraging
and supporting research on optional
services for young children
with autism spectrum
disorders.
(b) Before January 1, 2006, the Department
shall report
to the Governor and the General Assembly
concerning the
progress of the autism
diagnosis education program
established under this Section.
HB2797
Speech/Language Pathologists—Employment
Sponsors:
House: Eddy
Senate: Demuzio
Chapter Reference:
105 ILCS 5/14-6.04 new
Summary: After reasonable efforts have been made to employ a speech/language
pathologist, the Act allows a school district or cooperative to contract
for speech language pathology services with a speech/language pathologist
or an entity that employs speech/language pathologists.
Public Act: 93-0110
Effective Date: July 8, 2003
HB 2864
Speech/Language Pathologists— Certification
Sponsors:
House: Saviano-Sacia
Senate: Crotty
Chapter Reference:
105 ILCS 5/14-1.09b
225 ILCS 110/7
225 ILCS 110/8.1 new
Summary: The Act provides that a School Service Personnel Certificate
with a speech/language pathologist endorsement shall be issued to a speech/language
pathologist who meets specified criteria. It provides that a person who
has made application for a license to practice speech/language pathology
or audiology may practice without a license pending disposition of the
license application by the Department if specified criteria are met.
Public Act: 93-0112
Effective Date: July 8, 2003
HB2235
Early Childhood Education Block Grant
Sponsors:
House: Currie-Milner-Colvin-Chapa LaVia-Mendoza
Senate: del Valle-Meeks-Collins-Martinez-Harmon
Chapter Reference:
105 ILCS 5/1C-2
Summary: The Act provides that 11% (instead of 8%) of the Early Childhood
Education Block Grant shall be used to fund programs for children ages
0-3.
Public Act: 93-0396
Effective Date: July 1, 2003
HB2352
No Child Left Behind—Testing
Sponsors:
House: Mitchell, J.-Currie-Giles-Kosel
Senate: del Valle-Lightford-Hunter-Collins
Chapter Reference:
105 ILCS 5/2-3.64
Summary: The Act contains the recommendations of the Assessment and
Accountability Task Force appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.
Beginning no later than the 2005-2006 school year, requires the State Board
of Education to annually test: (i) all pupils enrolled in the 3rd, 4th,
5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grades in reading and mathematics; (ii) all pupils
enrolled in 3rd, 4th, 6th, and 8th grades in writing; (iii) all pupils
enrolled in the 4th and 7th grades in the biological and physical sciences;
and (iv) all pupils enrolled in 5th and 8th grades in the social sciences.
It also requires the State Board to sample student performance in the learning
area of physical development and health in grades 4 and 7 utilizing the
science tests and in the learning area of fine arts in grades 5 and 8 utilizing
the social sciences tests. The Act makes changes concerning: the maximum
time allowed for testing; students with individualized education programs;
students in transitional bilingual education programs or transitional programs
of instruction; students who receive Prairie State Achievement Awards;
the time period within which State testing must occur; the use of short
answer questions; and, the provision of additional tests and assessment
resources that may be used by school districts for local diagnostic purposes.
Public Act: 93-0426
Effective Date: August 5, 2003
PRESS Policy 6:340, Student Testing and Assessment Program (January
2004).
Relevent part:
"Every individualized educational program as
described in
Article 14 shall identify if the State test or
components
thereof are appropriate for that student. For
those pupils
for whom the State tests
or components thereof are not
appropriate, The State
Board of Education shall develop rules
and regulations governing the administration of alternative
tests prescribed within each student's
individualized
educational program which are appropriate to the disability
of each student.'
[text deleted from previous law.]
For more information on how children with disabilities will be assessed,
see
The Illinois Alternate Assessment (IAA) home page:
http://www.isbe.state.il.us/assessment/iaa.htm
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