Section 2-3.25d of the School Code requires each district to
revise the school improvement plans of any of its schools that are placed on
academic early warning or academic watch status and to revise the district's
improvement plan if it is placed on academic early warning or academic watch
status. Similarly, restructuring plans are required for schools that remain on
academic watch status after a fifth annual calculation. As used in this
Section, "NCLB" refers to Public Law 107-110, the No
Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (
20 USC 6301
et seq.).
a) A revised school
improvement plan shall be submitted to the local school board (and to the local
school council in a district operating under Article 34 of the School Code) no
later than three months after the district's receipt of notification regarding
the school's status. During the 45-day period following its submission to the
local board and prior to the board's final approval, each plan shall undergo a
peer review process designed by the district.
1) In school districts with a population of
500,000 or fewer, revised school improvement plans shall be required to cover
the two school years following the assessment necessitating the plan and to:
A) incorporate strategies based on
scientifically based research and an analysis of State and local assessment
data and other information that will strengthen the core academic subjects in
the school and address the specific academic areas in which the school's
performance has been deficient (NCLB, Section 1116(b)(3)(A)(i));
B) include information about the extent to
which all students in the grade levels chosen by the district pursuant to
Section 2-3.63 of the School Code are achieving in the fundamental learning
areas;
C) adopt policies and
practices concerning the school's core academic subjects that have the greatest
likelihood of ensuring that all subgroups enrolled in the school will meet the
State's proficient level of achievement not later than the end of the 2013-14
school year, including:
i) specific,
measurable steps to be taken,
ii) a
timeline for these activities, and
iii) a budget for these activities (NCLB,
Section 1116(b)(3)(A)(ii));
D) include professional development
activities for at least the staff providing services in the academic areas in
which the school's performance has been deficient (NCLB, Section
1116(b)(3)(A)(iii));
E) incorporate
a teacher mentoring program (NCLB, Section 1116(b)(3)(A)(x));
F) establish specific annual, measurable
objectives for continuous and substantial progress by each subgroup of students
enrolled in the school that will ensure that all such subgroups will make
adequate yearly progress and meet the State's proficient level of achievement
not later than the 2013-14 school year (NCLB, Section 1116(b)(3)(v));
G) describe how the school will provide
written notice about the identification to parents of each student enrolled in
each school, in a format and, to the extent practicable, in a language that the
parents can understand (NCLB 1116(b)(3)(A)(vi));
H) specify the responsibilities of the school
and the school board under the plan, including the internal and external
technical assistance to be provided by the district, technical assistance
requested of ISBE, and, if applicable, the district's fiscal responsibilities
under Section 1120A of NCLB (NCLB, Section 1116(b)(3)(A)(vii));
I) include strategies for promoting effective
parental involvement in the school (NCLB, Section
1116(b)(3)(A)(viii));
J)
incorporate, as appropriate, activities before school, after school, during the
summer, and during any extension of the school year (NCLB, Section
1116(b)(3)(A)(ix)); and
K) include
a process for monitoring progress and revising the plan as needed.
2) In school districts operating
under Article 34 of the School Code, school improvement plans shall comply with
the requirements set forth in Section 34-2.4 of the School Code and, if
applicable, the requirements set forth in Section 1116 of NCLB.
3) Each newly established school shall be
required to have a school improvement plan in place by the beginning of its
second year of operation. School improvement plans for new schools shall
conform to the requirements of subsection (a)(1) or (a)(2) of this Section, as
applicable.
b) A new or
revised district improvement plan shall be submitted to the local school board
no later than three months after the district's receipt of notification
regarding its status. The district improvement plan shall be required to cover
the two school years following the assessment necessitating the plan and to:
1) incorporate scientifically based research
strategies that strengthen the core academic program in schools served by the
district (NCLB, Section 1116(c)(7)(A)(i));
2) identify actions that have the greatest
likelihood of improving the achievement of participating children in meeting
the State's student academic achievement standards (NCLB, Section
1116(c)(7)(A)(ii));
3) address the
professional development needs of the instructional staff serving the district
(NCLB, Section (c)(7)(A)(iii));
4)
include specific measurable achievement goals and targets for each subgroup of
students, consistent with adequate yearly progress (NCLB, Section
1116(c)(7)(A)(iv));
5) address the
fundamental teaching and learning needs in the schools of the district and the
specific academic problems of low-achieving students, including a determination
of why the district's prior plan failed to bring about increased student
academic achievement (NCLB, Section 1116(c)(7)(A)(v));
6) incorporate, as appropriate, activities
before school, after school, during the summer, and during any extension of the
school year (NCLB, Section 1116(c)(7)(A)(vi));
7) specify any requests to ISBE for technical
assistance related to the plan and the district's fiscal responsibilities, if
applicable, under Section 1120A of NCLB (NCLB, Section
1116(c)(7)(A)(vii));
8) include
strategies for promoting effective parental involvement in the district's
schools (NCLB, Section 1116(c)(7)(A)(viii)); and
9) include a process for monitoring progress
and revising the plan as needed.
c) For purposes of compliance with Section
2-3.25d of the School Code [105
ILCS 5/2-3.25d ], the requirement for collaboration
with "outside experts" in the development of revised school and district
improvement plans shall be met through the involvement of a school support team
as defined in NCLB, Section 1117(a)(5), or by involving one or more other
individuals who would qualify as members of a school support team pursuant to
that definition.
d) Each revised
school or district improvement plan shall be submitted to the State
Superintendent on the business day next following the date of its approval by
the local board, using the electronic format made available for this purpose.
The State Superintendent shall verify that each plan contains each of the
elements set forth in subsection (a) or subsection (b) of this Section, as
applicable.
e) Section 2-3.25d of
the School Code requires the development of a restructuring plan for a school
that remains on academic watch status after a fifth annual calculation. Each
required restructuring plan shall be approved by the local school board no
later than six months after the district's receipt of notification regarding
its status.
Each school restructuring plan shall indicate that the
district is undertaking one or more of the following actions in the affected
school:
1) reopening the school as a
public charter school, consistent with Article 27A of the School Code [105 ILCS
5 /Art. 27A];
2) replacing all or
most of the school staff, which may include the principal, who are relevant to
the school's inability to make adequate yearly progress;
3) entering into a contract with an entity,
such as a private management company, with a demonstrated record of
effectiveness, to operate the school as a public school;
4) implementing any other major restructuring
of the school's governance that makes fundamental reform in:
A) governance and management,
and/or
B) financing and material
resources, and/or
C)
staffing.
f)
Failure by a school district to develop, submit, revise, or implement its
school and district improvement plans or school restructuring plans as required
by Section 2-3.25d of the School Code shall affect the district's recognition
status (see Section
1.20(b)
of this Part).