IL SB3541

Amends the School Code Section 13-43.14 to authorize the State Board of Education and Department of Corrections to establish a pilot program providing online vocational education to credit-deficient adjudicated youth offenders and adult inmates.

Pilot program allows eligible participants to earn a vocational online high school diploma and career certificate through AdvancED/NCA/SACS accredited online courses taught by state-licensed teachers as an alternative to traditional in-residence diplomas or equivalency certificates.

Pilot program shall operate in 5 selected juvenile justice or adult correctional facilities and must include three types of career education programming: Type 1 (personal accountability skills), Type 2 (career orientation and exploration), and Type 3 (occupation-specific competencies).

Plan must address rapid enrollment upon adjudication, credit articulation and transcript portability between facilities and school districts, accommodation of varying academic needs, and performance-based advancement rather than time-based progression.

Board and Department of Corrections must submit a report to the General Assembly within 3 years of program establishment evaluating results and recommending whether to expand the pilot program.