104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026 HB3629 Introduced , by Rep. Edgar Gonzlez, Jr. SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: New Act Creates the Adaptive Kindergarten Readiness Pilot Program Act. Provides that, no later than July 1, 2026, the Secretary of State shall establish and oversee an Adaptive Kindergarten Readiness Pilot Program to provide preschool children with access to educational technology programs that use family engagement to improve kindergarten readiness. Provides that, during the 2026-2027 academic year, the Pilot Program shall provide a cohort of eligible children with access to an educational technology program that satisfies specified goals concerning kindergarten readiness. Sets forth provisions concerning the selection of a provider for the Pilot Program; provider duties; and reporting requirements. Repeals the Act on January 1, 2028. Effective July 1, 2025. LRB104 10035 SPS 20106 b A BILL FOR 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026 HB3629 Introduced , by Rep. Edgar Gonzlez, Jr. SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: New Act New Act Creates the Adaptive Kindergarten Readiness Pilot Program Act. Provides that, no later than July 1, 2026, the Secretary of State shall establish and oversee an Adaptive Kindergarten Readiness Pilot Program to provide preschool children with access to educational technology programs that use family engagement to improve kindergarten readiness. Provides that, during the 2026-2027 academic year, the Pilot Program shall provide a cohort of eligible children with access to an educational technology program that satisfies specified goals concerning kindergarten readiness. Sets forth provisions concerning the selection of a provider for the Pilot Program; provider duties; and reporting requirements. Repeals the Act on January 1, 2028. Effective July 1, 2025. LRB104 10035 SPS 20106 b LRB104 10035 SPS 20106 b A BILL FOR
104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026 HB3629 Introduced , by Rep. Edgar Gonzlez, Jr. SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
New Act New Act
New Act
Creates the Adaptive Kindergarten Readiness Pilot Program Act. Provides that, no later than July 1, 2026, the Secretary of State shall establish and oversee an Adaptive Kindergarten Readiness Pilot Program to provide preschool children with access to educational technology programs that use family engagement to improve kindergarten readiness. Provides that, during the 2026-2027 academic year, the Pilot Program shall provide a cohort of eligible children with access to an educational technology program that satisfies specified goals concerning kindergarten readiness. Sets forth provisions concerning the selection of a provider for the Pilot Program; provider duties; and reporting requirements. Repeals the Act on January 1, 2028. Effective July 1, 2025.
LRB104 10035 SPS 20106 b LRB104 10035 SPS 20106 b
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A BILL FOR
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1 AN ACT concerning State government.
2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
4 Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5 Adaptive Kindergarten Readiness Pilot Program Act.
6 Section 5. Findings. The General finds and declares:
7 (a) During the first 5 years of life, children experience
8 rapid learning and development that has effects that endure
9 for a lifetime.
10 (b) A key milestone in a child's development is the
11 child's transition into and readiness for kindergarten.
12 (c) High quality early childhood literacy programs can
13 significantly improve a child's readiness for kindergarten and
14 future academic success.
15 (d) Children in Illinois would benefit from access to
16 varied and effective early literacy services.
17 (e) This State should develop new and innovative services
18 to expand access to early literacy services and improve
19 kindergarten readiness.
20 Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Act:
21 "Eligible child" means a child who is 4 or 5 years of age
22 and is not currently enrolled in kindergarten, but is eligible
104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026 HB3629 Introduced , by Rep. Edgar Gonzlez, Jr. SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
New Act New Act
New Act
Creates the Adaptive Kindergarten Readiness Pilot Program Act. Provides that, no later than July 1, 2026, the Secretary of State shall establish and oversee an Adaptive Kindergarten Readiness Pilot Program to provide preschool children with access to educational technology programs that use family engagement to improve kindergarten readiness. Provides that, during the 2026-2027 academic year, the Pilot Program shall provide a cohort of eligible children with access to an educational technology program that satisfies specified goals concerning kindergarten readiness. Sets forth provisions concerning the selection of a provider for the Pilot Program; provider duties; and reporting requirements. Repeals the Act on January 1, 2028. Effective July 1, 2025.
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LRB104 10035 SPS 20106 b
A BILL FOR
New Act
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1 to enroll during the following school year.
2 "Internal reliability" means questions across assessments
3 that can be demonstrated to be consistent at a level deemed to
4 be acceptable on the Kuder-Richardson Formula 20, Cronbach's
5 alpha, or comparable psychometric evaluation tool.
6 "Secretary" means the Secretary of State.
7 "Test-retest reliability" means a correlation of at least
8 70% between the outcomes from the same assessment separated by
9 days, weeks, and months.
10 "Valid and reliable adaptive reading test" means an
11 assessment that:
12 (1) demonstrates test-retest reliability and internal
13 reliability;
14 (2) accurately measures reading readiness;
15 (3) is capable of delivery to children 4 years of age
16 without the presence of trained adults; and
17 (4) correlates its results to other validated
18 assessments for reading readiness.
19 Section 15. Adaptive Kindergarten Readiness Pilot Program.
20 (a) Subject to appropriation, no later than July 1, 2026,
21 the Secretary shall establish and oversee an Adaptive
22 Kindergarten Readiness Pilot Program to provide preschool
23 children with access to educational technology programs that
24 use family engagement to improve kindergarten readiness.
25 During the 2026-2027 academic year, the Pilot Program shall
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1 provide a cohort of eligible children with access to an
2 educational technology program that:
3 (1) utilizes family engagement to deliver
4 age-appropriate instruction in reading that may be
5 implemented at-home;
6 (2) offers optional instruction in mathematics and
7 science;
8 (3) aligns learning goals with relevant State
9 standards for preschool as issued by the State Board of
10 Education;
11 (4) assists with the objectives of the Head Start Act,
12 42 U.S.C. 9801 et seq.;
13 (5) demonstrates through endorsements and
14 certifications that it assists children with disabilities
15 in preparing for kindergarten; and
16 (6) satisfies the United States Department of
17 Education's requirements to be considered a Tier 1 program
18 under the Every Student Succeeds Act.
19 (b) The Secretary shall reserve 70% of the seats available
20 in the Pilot Program for eligible children from households:
21 (1) with a household income no more than 200% above
22 the federal poverty level; or
23 (2) whose primary household language is not English.
24 If a seat reserved under this subsection remains vacant
25 for more than 2 months after the start of the 2026-2027
26 academic year, the seat may be given to any child otherwise
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1 eligible for the Pilot Program. The Pilot Program shall enroll
2 eligible children in both the reserved and unreserved seats in
3 the order the completed applications are submitted. The
4 Secretary shall determine the maximum enrollment for the Pilot
5 Program based on the funds available to operate the Pilot
6 Program.
7 (c) The Secretary shall solicit families to encourage
8 participation in the Pilot Program through public information
9 campaigns, outreach programs, community partners, and
10 referrals from other educational entities that are partially
11 focused on communities and areas of the State experiencing
12 persistent poverty.
13 Section 20. Pilot Program provider. The Secretary shall
14 select a provider to implement the Pilot Program. In
15 evaluating provider applicants, the Secretary shall require an
16 applicant to:
17 (1) have at least 3 years of experience in
18 implementing similar services;
19 (2) conduct a randomized controlled trial or other
20 external evaluation that satisfy the United States
21 Department of Education's requirements to be considered a
22 Tier 1 program under the Every Student Succeeds Act;
23 (3) register and maintain its status as a 501(c)(3)
24 with the Internal Revenue Service; and
25 (4) demonstrate the capability to:
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1 (A) provide a valid and reliable reading test that
2 does not require the presence of trained adults to
3 administer and is an accurate indicator of reading
4 readiness of children who cannot read; and
5 (B) partner with community organizations, early
6 intervention waitlist, head start, and early childhood
7 organizations to serve participating children;
8 (C) communicate with parents and other education
9 professionals involved in the Pilot Program;
10 (D) update the instructional software as needed;
11 (E) validate user access;
12 (F) collect user data;
13 (G) store research data;
14 (H) produce reports for parents, schools, and the
15 Secretary; and
16 (I) comply with State and federal education and
17 digital privacy laws.
18 Section 25. Provider responsibilities. The provider
19 selected by the Secretary under Section 20 shall have the
20 following duties:
21 (1) develop a recruitment plan to solicit families to
22 participate in the Pilot Program;
23 (2) implement the Pilot Program in compliance with
24 this Act, including:
25 (A) provide program participants with a
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1 multi-sensory reading tutoring program; and
2 (B) provide program participants with a validated
3 adaptive reading assessment that does not require the
4 presence of trained adults to administer and that has
5 been demonstrated as an accurate indicator of a
6 child's reading readiness; and
7 (C) as needed and at no cost, provide a
8 participating child from a household with an income no
9 more than 400% above the federal poverty level with a
10 computer or tablet and access to Internet service for
11 the duration of the child's participation in Pilot
12 Program;
13 (3) provide administrative and technical support to
14 participating children, families, and any other involved
15 education professionals for the installation and operation
16 of the instructional software;
17 (4) seek the advice and expertise of local
18 stakeholders such as public and private early childhood
19 education professionals, the State Board of Education,
20 local community organizations, kindergarten teachers, and
21 parents, on the implementation of the Pilot Program,
22 including:
23 (A) soliciting families to participate in the
24 Pilot Program;
25 (B) providing training to families and education
26 professionals; and
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1 (C) motivating families to regularly use the
2 instructional software; and
3 (5) report any data required by the Secretary to
4 conduct an evaluation of the Pilot Program's
5 effectiveness.
6 Section 30. Report. No later than July 1, 2027, the
7 provider awarded the contract under Section 20 shall report to
8 the Secretary the following information:
9 (1) the extent to which the Pilot Program is
10 accomplishing the objectives identified in this Act;
11 (2) the number of families participating in the Pilot
12 Program who:
13 (A) received technology devices or Internet
14 service; and
15 (B) have household incomes no more than 200% of
16 the federal poverty level or whose household language
17 is not English;
18 (3) the frequency of use of the instructional
19 software;
20 (4) obstacles encountered with software usage,
21 hardware, Internet access, or providing technical
22 assistance; and
23 (5) the performance on any kindergarten entry or exit
24 assessments conducted by school districts that compare
25 children who have participated in the Pilot Program and
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1 children who have not, provided that the provider shall
2 report on the information contained in this paragraph to
3 the extent that the State Board of Education provides
4 comparative results from applicable school districts.
5 Section 35. Repeal. This Act is repealed on January 1,
6 2028.
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