SCH CD-ADULT WORKFORCE DIPLOMA

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104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
HB5503

Introduced 2/13/2026, by Rep. Edgar González, Jr.

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

105 ILCS 5/22-28 new

Amends the School Code. Provides that the Illinois Community College
Board shall establish an outcome-based Adult Workforce High School Diploma
Program to allow eligible students to qualify for enrollment in the
Program, and, upon successful completion of the Program, to be awarded a
high school diploma. Sets forth requirements for approved Program
providers and Program funding. Requires each approved Program provider to
submit an annual report to the Board regarding the Program. Requires the
Board to submit an annual report to the Governor and the General Assembly
regarding the Program. Repeals the provisions on June 30, 2030.
LRB104 20646 LNS 34143 b

A BILL FOR

HB5503
LRB104 20646 LNS 34143 b
1

AN ACT concerning education.

2

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3
represented in the General Assembly:

4

Section 5.
The School Code is amended by adding Section
5
22-28 as follows:

6

(105 ILCS 5/22-28 new)
7

Sec. 22-28.
Adult Workforce High School Diploma Program.
8

(a) In this Section:
9

"Academic skill intake assessment" means a
10
criterion-referenced assessment of numeracy and literacy
11
skills with high reliability and validity as determined by
12
third-party research, which may be administered in person or
13
online.
14

"Adult Workforce High School Diploma Program" or "Program"
15
means the Program established under this Section.
16

"Approved Program provider" means an eligible Program
17
provider that applies to participate in the Program, is
18
approved by the Board to administer the Program, and agrees to
19
meet all Program requirements.
20

"Average cost per graduate" means the average cost per
21
graduate calculated in accordance with subsection (f).
22

"Board" means the Illinois Community College Board.
23

"Cohort" means all students who enter the Program between

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LRB104 20646 LNS 34143 b
1
July 1 and June 30 of each Program year.
2

"Eligible student" means a person ineligible for
3
reenrollment under subsection (b) of Section 26-2 and 34 CFR
4
300.102 who resides in this State, has not attained a high
5
school diploma or its recognized equivalent, who requires 10
6
units of credit or less to graduate under the requirements of
7
Sections 27-605, 27-610, and 27-615.
8

"Employability skills certification" means a certificate
9
earned by demonstrating professional nontechnical skills
10
through assessment and includes, but is not limited to, the
11
program standards of the United States Department of Labor's
12
Skills to Pay the Bills: Mastering Soft Skills for Workplace
13
Success program.
14

"Graduation rate" means the graduation rate calculated in
15
accordance with subsection (g).
16

"Measurement period" means the 2-year period beginning
17
July 1 of the year the cohort begins through June 30 of the
18
subsequent fiscal year.
19

"Milestones" means measures of student progress for which
20
funds are disbursed to an approved Program provider.
21

"Program funding" means funding received by an approved
22
Program provider.
23

"Program year" means the period beginning on July 1 of
24
each year and ending on June 30 of the following year.
25

"Transcript evaluation" means a documented summary of
26
credits earned in a previous public or nonpublic, accredited

HB5503
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LRB104 20646 LNS 34143 b
1
high school compared with this State's requirements to earn a
2
high school diploma.
3

"Workforce credential" means a third-party credential that
4
either (i) is a part of a sequence of credentials that can be
5
accumulated over time to build an individual's qualifications
6
to advance along a career pathway and results in a certificate
7
or (ii) verifies an individual's qualifications or competence
8
and is issued by a third party with the relevant authority to
9
issue the credential.
10

(b) The Board shall establish an outcome-based Adult
11
Workforce High School Diploma Program to allow an eligible
12
student to qualify for enrollment in the Program, and, upon
13
successful completion of the Program, to be awarded a high
14
school diploma.
15

(c) The Board shall approve Program providers to
16
administer the Program as follows:
17

(1) not later than August 15 of each year, the Board
18

shall make available an application for third-party
19

entities to apply to become an approved Program provider;
20

(2) not later than September 15 of each year, the
21

Board shall review applications, approve Program providers
22

that meet the requirements set forth in this Section, and
23

make available a list of approved Program providers on the
24

Board's public website; and
25

(3) an approved Program provider shall be authorized
26

to begin enrolling eligible students upon being approved

HB5503
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LRB104 20646 LNS 34143 b
1

by the Board as an approved Program provider.
2

(d) An approved Program provider shall:
3

(1) be accredited by:
4

(A) the Board of Higher Education;
5

(B) the Higher Learning Commission; or
6

(C) holding an active accreditation from one of
7

the 7 United States regional accreditors, including:
8

(i) the Middle States Commission on Higher
9

Education;
10

(ii) the New England Association of Schools
11

and Colleges;
12

(iii) the Higher Learning Commission;
13

(iv) the Northwest Commission on Colleges and
14

Universities;
15

(v) the Southern Association of Colleges and
16

Schools Commission on Colleges;
17

(vi) the Accrediting Commission for Schools,
18

Western Association of Schools and Colleges;
19

(vii) the Accrediting Commission for Community
20

and Junior Colleges; or
21

(viii) any successor entities or
22

consolidations of the above, including Cognia.
23

(2) offer the following to an eligible student at no
24

cost:
25

(A) an academic skill intake assessment and
26

transcript evaluation;

HB5503
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LRB104 20646 LNS 34143 b
1

(B) a documented plan that includes the
2

requirements for the student to complete the Program
3

and earn a high school diploma;
4

(C) remedial education services in numeracy and
5

literacy;
6

(D) a course catalog that includes all courses
7

necessary to earn a high school diploma;
8

(E) one or more programs through which the student
9

can earn a workforce credential;
10

(F) one or more programs through which the student
11

can earn an employability skills certification;
12

(G) one or more courses that help the student
13

enter or advance within a specific occupation or
14

occupational cluster; and
15

(H) all courses necessary to meet the requirements
16

to earn a high school diploma.
17

(e) An approved Program provider must meet the following
18
standards for each cohort at the conclusion of each cohort
19
measurement period:
20

(1) have a graduation rate of not less than 50%
21

beginning with the second program cohort; and
22

(2) have an average cost per graduate of not more than
23

$7,500.
24

If an approved Program provider fails to meet the
25
standards under paragraphs (1) and (2), the Board shall place
26
the approved Program provider on probationary status for the

HB5503
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LRB104 20646 LNS 34143 b
1
remainder of the Program year. If an approved Program provider
2
fails to meet the standards under paragraphs (1) and (2) by the
3
end of the subsequent Program year, the approved Program
4
provider may no longer be an approved Program provider.
5

(f) The average cost per graduate shall be calculated by
6
dividing the total Program funding disbursed to an approved
7
Program provider for a cohort during the period from the
8
beginning of the cohort through the end of the measurement
9
period by the total number of students in that cohort who
10
earned a high school diploma during the measurement period.
11

(g) The graduation rate shall be calculated by dividing
12
the number of students in a cohort who earned a high school
13
diploma during the measurement period by the number of
14
students in the cohort for which an approved Program provider
15
has received Program funding.
16

(h) Subject to appropriation, the Board is authorized to
17
retain 2% of Program funds for administrative costs and
18
disburse any remaining funds appropriated by the General
19
Assembly to approved Program providers based on milestones
20
reached by students in amounts not to exceed:
21

(1) for the completion of each half unit of high
22

school credit if such credit is required to earn a high
23

school diploma, $275;
24

(2) for each employability skills certification earned
25

by a student, $275;
26

(3) for each workforce credential earned by a student

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LRB104 20646 LNS 34143 b
1

if the credential requires not more than 50 hours of
2

training, $275;
3

(4) for each workforce credential earned by a student
4

if the credential requires more than 50 but not more than
5

100 hours of training, $550;
6

(5) for each workforce credential earned by a student
7

if the credential requires more than 100 hours of
8

training, $825; or
9

(6) for each high school diploma earned by a student,
10

$1,100.
11

In order to receive the funds provided for in this
12
subsection, an approved Program provider shall, no later than
13
the tenth day of each month, submit to the Board a report that
14
includes all milestones met by students in the previous month.
15
An approved Program provider shall report the number of
16
enrolled students for whom invoices have been submitted and
17
the number of enrolled students for whom invoices have not
18
been submitted in the monthly invoices submitted under this
19
subsection. The Board shall pay approved Program providers in
20
the order in which invoices are received until all available
21
moneys are exhausted.
22

The Board shall provide a written update to the approved
23
Program providers on or before the last calendar day of each
24
month that includes all of the following:
25

(A) the aggregate total dollars that have been paid to
26

approved Program providers to date;

HB5503
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LRB104 20646 LNS 34143 b
1

(B) the aggregate number of enrolled students in this
2

State for whom an invoice has been submitted; and
3

(C) the aggregate number of enrolled students in this
4

State for whom an invoice has not been submitted.
5

(i) Funds received by an approved Program provider under
6
this Section shall be used for providing and preparing for
7
instruction, instructional materials, and support services for
8
students, including coaching and mentoring. The funds shall
9
not be used to build or expand brick-and-mortar
10
infrastructure.
11

(j) An approved Program provider may not require or accept
12
any financial payments from a student enrolled in the program.
13

(k) In 2027 and each year thereafter, no later than August
14
15, each approved Program provider shall submit a report to
15
the Board that includes:
16

(1) the number of eligible students participating in
17

the Program;
18

(2) the number of units of high school credit earned
19

by the students;
20

(3) the number of employability skills certificates
21

earned by the students;
22

(4) the number of workforce credentials earned by the
23

students; and
24

(5) the number of students who earned a high school
25

diploma through participation in the Program.
26

(l) Beginning in 2027, no later than December 1 of each

HB5503
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LRB104 20646 LNS 34143 b
1
year, the Board shall provide the Governor and the General
2
Assembly a report that includes:
3

(1) the information reported to the Board under
4

subsection (k);
5

(2) the amount of funds disbursed to each approved
6

Program provider and the milestones for which the funding
7

was disbursed;
8

(3) the graduation rate for each approved Program
9

provider; and
10

(4) the average cost per graduate for each approved
11

Program provider.
12

(m) This Section is repealed on June 30, 2030.

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