(105 ILCS 302/1)
Sec. 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the College and Career Success for All Students Act.
(Source: P.A. 94-534, eff. 1-1-06.)
(105 ILCS 302/5)
Sec. 5. Purpose. The purpose of this Act is to ensure that each Illinois student has a sufficient education for success after high school and that all students have equal access to a substantive and rigorous curriculum that is designed to challenge their minds, enhance their knowledge and skills, and prepare them for success in college and work.
(Source: P.A. 94-534, eff. 1-1-06.)
(105 ILCS 302/10)
Sec. 10. Definitions. In this Act:
"Advanced Placement course" means a course sponsored by the College Board and offered for college credit at the high school level.
"Advanced Placement teacher" means a teacher of an Advanced Placement course.
"Pre-Advanced Placement" means set professional development resources and services that equip all middle and high school teachers with the strategies and tools they need to engage their students in active, high-level learning, thereby ensuring that every middle and high school student develops the skills, habits of mind, and concepts they need to succeed in Advanced Placement courses.
"Vertical Team" means a group of teachers and educators from different grade levels in a given discipline who work cooperatively to develop and implement a vertically aligned program aimed at helping students from diverse backgrounds acquire the academic skills necessary for success in Advanced Placement courses and other challenging courses.
(Source: P.A. 94-534, eff. 1-1-06.)
(105 ILCS 302/15)
Sec. 15. Teacher training.
(a) Subject to appropriation, a teacher of an Advanced Placement course must obtain appropriate training. Subject to appropriation, the State Board of Education shall establish clear, specific, and challenging training guidelines that require teachers of Advanced Placement courses to obtain recognized Advanced Placement training endorsed by the College Board.
(b) Advanced Placement and Pre-Advanced Placement training to teachers in Illinois high schools must do all of the following:
(Source: P.A. 94-534, eff. 1-1-06.)
(105 ILCS 302/20)
Sec. 20. Duties of the State Board.
(a) In order to fulfill the purposes of this Act, the State Board of Education shall encourage school districts to offer rigorous courses in grades 6 through 11 that prepare students for the demands of Advanced Placement course work. The State Board of Education shall also encourage school districts to make it a goal that all 10th graders take the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholars Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) so that test results will provide each high school with a database of student assessment data that school counselors and teachers will be able to use to identify students who are prepared or who need additional work to be prepared to enroll and be successful in Advanced Placement courses, using a research-based Advanced Placement identification program provided by the College Board.
(b) The State Board of Education shall do all of the following:
(Source: P.A. 102-197, eff. 7-30-21.)
(105 ILCS 302/25)
Sec. 25. AP exam fee waiver program. Subject to appropriation, the State Board of Education shall create, under the College and Career Success for All Students program set forth in this Act, a program in public schools where any student who qualifies for free or reduced-price lunches will have fees charged by the College Board for Advanced Placement exams reduced, via State subsidy, to the greatest extent possible based on the appropriation.
(Source: P.A. 102-16, eff. 6-17-21.)
(105 ILCS 302/30)
Sec. 30. Postsecondary-level course credit.
(a) In this Section:
"Institution of higher education" means a public university or public community college located in this State.
"International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme subject" means an International Baccalaureate course taken by either International Baccalaureate diploma candidates or by International Baccalaureate course candidates.
"Subject score" means the total points awarded to a candidate for an International Baccalaureate course based on fulfillment of all subject requirements, including the end-of-course examination.
(b) Beginning with the 2016-2017 academic year, scores of 3, 4, and 5 on the College Board Advanced Placement examinations and, beginning with the 2017-2018 academic year, subject scores of 4 or higher for International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme subjects shall be accepted for credit to satisfy degree requirements by all institutions of higher education. Each institution of higher education shall determine for each Advanced Placement test and International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme subject whether credit will be granted for electives, general education requirements, or major requirements and the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme subject scores required to grant credit for those purposes.
(c) By the conclusion of the 2020-2021 academic year, the Board of Higher Education, in cooperation with the Illinois Community College Board, shall analyze the Advanced Placement examination and International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme subject score course granting policy of each institution of higher education and the research used by each institution in determining the level of credit and the number of credits provided for the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme subject scores in accordance with the requirements of this Section and file a report that includes findings and recommendations to the General Assembly and the Governor. Each institution of higher education shall provide the Board of Higher Education and the Illinois Community College Board with all necessary data, in accordance with the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, to conduct the analysis.
(d) Each institution of higher education shall publish its updated Advanced Placement examination and International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme subject score course granting policy in accordance with the requirements of this Section on its Internet website before the beginning of the 2017-2018 academic year.
(Source: P.A. 99-358, eff. 8-13-15; 99-624, eff. 7-22-16.)