ARP ESSER State Plan — Illinois State Board of Education

Summary

This is the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) State Plan for the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) Fund, completed on the Department of Education template issued April 21, 2021. The cover page lists Krish Mohip as the SEA contact and as the printed name of the authorized representative. The plan says a March 2020 survey found an additional 721,584 computing devices were needed, and that Illinois bought more than 600,000 additional devices with ESSER and Governor's Emergency Education Relief funding. It reports 1,704 unfilled teaching positions, 1,243 unfilled paraprofessional positions and 1,085 unfilled school support personnel positions.

Summary drafted by a model from the document's text below and checked by script against that text before publication. It is a navigation aid, not a reading of what the document proves. Where AI is used

Full text

State Plan for the
American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund

U.S. Department of Education

Issued: April 21, 2021

OMB Number: 1810-0754
Expiration Date: October 31, 2021

Paperwork Burden Statement According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to
respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB
control number for this information collection is 1810-0754. Public reporting burden for this collection of
information is estimated to average 100 hours per response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching
existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of
information. The obligation to respond to this collection is required to obtain or retain benefit under Section 2001 of
the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP Act). If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time
estimate, suggestions for improving this individual collection, or if you have comments or concerns regarding the
status of your individual form, application or survey, please contact Britt Jung, Office of State and Grantee
Relations, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue,
SW, Washington, DC 20202-6450, email: SGR@ed.gov directly.
Introduction

The American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (“ARP
ESSER”) Fund, authorized under the American Rescue Plan (“ARP”) Act of 2021, provides
nearly $122 billion to States to support the Nation’s schools in safely reopening and sustaining
safe operations of schools while meeting the academic, social, emotional, and mental health
needs of students resulting from the coronavirus disease 2019 (“COVID-19”) pandemic. It is
particularly important that ARP ESSER funding will enable States and local educational
agencies (“LEAs”), and more directly schools, to support students who have been most severely
impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and are likely to have suffered the most because of
longstanding inequities in our communities and schools that have been exacerbated by the
COVID-19 pandemic.

The U.S. Department of Education (“Department’’) is committed to working in partnership with
States so that these unprecedented resources are quickly put to work to ensure students have
sustained access to in-person instruction and that the resources are used to provide the effective
support students need as they persist through and recover from the impacts of the COVID-19
pandemic. The thoughtful and timely use of these funds will have a lasting impact on our
Nation’s schools and help to address the inequities in resources, services, and opportunities
available to our students.

This template presents an opportunity for States to share their plans for the use of ARP ESSER
funds with the public. The Department must approve a State educational agency’s (“SEA’s’”’)
plan in order to make the State’s remaining ARP ESSER allocation available for use. Please note
that the Department intends to issue ARP ESSER reporting requirements separately.

Instructions

Each SEA must provide descriptions and other information that address each requirement listed
below. An SEA may use this template or another format as long as every item and element is
addressed in the SEA’s response. Throughout this document, questions that refer to an SEA’s
ARP ESSER funding are referencing the total allocation to be received by the SEA, including
that which it allocates to its LEAs.

Each SEA must submit to the Department by June 7, 2021, either: (1) its ARP ESSER plan or
(2) the State requirements that preclude submission of the plan by that date and a date by which
it will be able to submit its complete ARP ESSER plan.

To submit the SEA’s plan, please email the plan to your Program Officer at
[State]. OESE@ed.gov (e.g., Alabama.OESE@ed. gov).

In order to ensure transparency, the Department will post each plan on the Department’s website
when it is received and will indicate each plan’s approval status.

This template also allows States to fulfill the requirement of the Coronavirus Response and
Relief Supplemental Appropriations (“CRRSA”) Act ESSER II 6-month reporting requirement
in section 313(f) of the CRRSA Act.
Cover Page

Grantee and Contact Information

ARP ESSER PR Award Number (e.g., S425U2100XX):
SEA Contact: Krish Mohip
Telephone: (312) 814-2220

Email address: Kmohip@isbe.net

By signing this document, I agree to each of the assurances listed in Appendix C and
further assure that:

To the best of my knowledge and belief, all information and data included in this plan
are true and correct.

Chief State School Officer or Authorized Representative (Printed Name)

Krish Mohip

Signature of Authorized SEA Representative Date:

b)(6)
8/13/21

A. Describing the State’s Current Status and Needs

The Department recognizes the extraordinary efforts made by States, LEAs, and educators to
support students during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this section, SEAs will describe the
progress they have made, the priorities and student needs guiding their ARP ESSER funding
decisions, and their current and projected operating status.

l.

Progress and Promising Practices: Provide your assessment of the top 2-3
strategies that have been most effective in supporting the needs of students in
your State during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for students most impacted
by the COVID-19 pandemic. Please include, if applicable, how your State will
submit and encourage its LEAs to submit lessons learned and best practices to the
Department’s Safer Schools and Campuses Best Practices Clearinghouse so that
they can be shared with other States and LEAs.

Strategy 1 — Digital Equity: The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has
been primarily focused on helping districts provide all students with technological
resources so they could access digital remote learning, especially during the
earliest days of the pandemic. An additional 721,584 computing devices were
needed to meet the remote learning needs of students, according to a March 2020
survey of Illinois public school districts. Based on enrollment figures for the
responding districts, we calculate that at the start of the pandemic these districts
had enough devices to provide 51 percent of their students with an instructional
device. Illinois leveraged ESSER and Governor’s Emergency Education Relief
(GEER) funding to address this need by purchasing more than 600,000 additional
computing devices for students. Survey data from fall 2020 indicate that public
school districts now have enough devices to provide 87.8 percent of students with
an instructional device to take home.

Strategy 2 — Educator Support: ISBE has provided Illinois educators and
leaders with comprehensive and timely resources in support of maximizing
quality instruction throughout the pandemic. The agency released Remote
Learning Recommendations in March 2020 to support continuity of learning
despite the suspension of in-person instruction. ISBE released Priority Learning
Standards and Fall 2020 Learning Recommendations in summer 2020.
Simultaneously, ISBE collaborated closely with the Illinois Department of Public
Health (IDPH) to provide Revised Public Health Guidance for Schools to support
safe reopening. These resources and aligned supports, such as webinars and
professional learning opportunities, have provided a balance of clear expectations
and resources to assist school districts in supporting the needs of students and
ensuring their success during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Strategy 3 — Social Emotional Health: The pandemic has highlighted the
importance of and the need for ongoing support and resources for adult and
student wellness. ISBE partnered with our Regional Offices of Education, Nita
M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21*t CCLC), and the
Center for Childhood Resilience (CCR) at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s

Hospital to provide all Illinois educators with virtual training on the impact of
trauma on children and adolescents. This training addressed the intersection
between race and trauma, crisis response strategies, and schoolwide trauma-
responsive policies and classroom practices to build resilience among students.
Critically, the virtual training provided by CCR supports educators' own personal
and professional well-being and self-care during COVID-19 and beyond. In
addition to the universally available virtual training, 50 Comprehensive and
Targeted schools that receive federal 21st CCLC grants have the opportunity to
create Resilience Education to Advance Community Healing (REACH) teams.
Each team will include teachers, administrators, social workers, and 21st CCLC
project personnel and parent mentors. CCR will support the REACH teams in
developing and implementing data-driven strategic plans to support students'
social-emotional learning and mental health. Furthermore, the ISBE Wellness
Department is collaborating with partners statewide to align all of its programs to
provide for and support statewide multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS).

The Illinois State Board of Education has worked tirelessly to support school
districts by supplying information about best practices throughout the ongoing
pandemic. Technical assistance documents, webinars, and a resource page, all
dedicated to COVID-19 support, are on the ISBE website. These are just a few of
the ways we have sought to provide assistance to the educational entities,
practitioners, students, and families across the state.

In addition, several documents have been released and are readily available on our
website’s COVID-19 page. The work completed to assist our LEA’s has been
well received. Many of the documents found on our website have been shared
with the Council of Chief State School Officers

2. Overall Priorities: Provide your assessment of the top 2-3 issues currently facing
students and schools across your State as a result of or in response to the COVID-
19 pandemic including, to the extent possible, data illustrating why these are the
most critical and/or most widespread issues facing schools and students.

Challenge 1 - Teacher Shortage: Illinois’ educator shortage exacerbates the negative
impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in thousands of classrooms every day. Illinois currently
has 1,704 unfilled teaching positions, 1,243 unfilled paraprofessional positions, and 1,085
unfilled school support personnel positions. Moreover, 65 percent of Illinois school districts
report that the shortage has gotten worse during the pandemic, and 77 percent of districts
report that there were fewer or significantly fewer qualified applicants during the hiring
season preceding the 2020-21 school year compared to past years. An adequate supply of
effective educators is a prerequisite that would enable all other COVID recovery measures
to succeed.

Challenge 2 - Digital Equity: Illinois has made significant progress in terms of providing
students with devices in support of digital remote learning, but barriers to full digital equity
persist. In particular, data suggest that more than 100,000 students still lack a digital device,
and 97 percent of school districts report one or more barriers to home connectivity (e.g.,
ongoing expenses, limited bandwidth, limited broadband availability) for the students they
serve. Although the shift back to in-person learning is well underway, digital equity is still
important. Technology-enabled supplemental remote learning activities should be available
to all students so we can maximize and accelerate learning and recovery from the COVID-19
pandemic.

Challenge 3 - Comprehensive Student Supports: We recognize that we have made great
strides in providing educators and students tertiary supports pertaining to social-emotional
learning (SEL) and mental health. However, immediate access to such services as we return
to in-person learning will be critical for the well-being of students and staff. We must
ensure that all students —from rural, suburban, and urban areas -- have access to
interventions and supports beyond the universal level. We must dedicate funding to
building out school-centric systems of care models that ensure that students and adults
have ready access to social-emotional/mental health supports and services. This includes
finding ways to mitigate access problems, such as school support personnel shortages and
the geographic proximities of care. Furthermore, research on trauma indicates that
problems experienced during the pandemic have prolonged impacts; therefore, it will be
essential to build a wellness infrastructure that is responsive and sustainable.

3. Identifying Needs of Underserved Students: Describe your State’s 2-3 highest
priority academic, social, emotional, and/or mental health needs for the remainder
of the 2020-2021 school year (if applicable) and for the 2021-2022 school year
related to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on each of the following student

groups:
1. Students from low-income families,

il. Students from each racial or ethnic group (e.g., identifying
disparities and focusing on underserved student groups by race or
ethnicity),

iil. Gender (e.g., identifying disparities and focusing on underserved
student groups by gender),

iv. English learners,

Vv. Children with disabilities (including infants, toddlers, children, and
youth with disabilities eligible under the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (“IDEA”)),

Vi. Students experiencing homelessness,
Vii. Children and youth in foster care,
Vill. Migratory students, and
ix. Other groups disproportionately impacted by the pandemic that have

been identified by the SEA (e.g., youth involved in the criminal
justice system, students who have missed the most in-person
instruction during the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years,
students who did not consistently participate in remote instruction
when offered during school building closures, and LGBTQ+

students).

To the extent possible, this description should include data on indicators such as
estimates of the academic impact of lost instructional time,' chronic
absenteeism, student engagement, and social-emotional well-being.

Complete the table below, adding rows as necessary, or provide a narrative

description.

Table Al.

Student group

Highest priority needs

Students from low-income families

Students from low-income families
were particularly negatively impacted
by the COVID-19 pandemic. More
affluent students had access to tools
and resources to make remote
learning effective and accessible
(e.g., reliable and sufficient internet
bandwidth, learning pods,
nannies/tutors); students from lower-
income families did not have these
tools and often had additional
responsibilities, such as providing
supervision to siblings and/or
working outside of the home to
supplement the family income.
Therefore, students from low-income
families now require maximum high-
quality, in-person instructional
opportunities and supplemental
supports, such as high-impact
tutoring, to facilitate accelerated
academic growth and achievement.

Students from low-income families
are also most significantly impacted
by the educator shortage; teacher
retention in schools that serve low-
income families lags the state average
by more than 10 percentage points.
Students from low-income families
are therefore more likely to
experience greater rates of teacher

' For the purposes of the plan, “academic impact of lost instructional time” refers to “learning loss” experienced by
students as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, as referenced in the ARP Act and the CRRSA Act.

Student group

Highest priority needs

turnover and educator vacancies, both
of which are expected to get worse
due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
These factors will negatively impact
student ability to recover from the
pandemic.

Finally, students from low-income
families are more likely than their
higher-income peers to have
experienced trauma both before and
during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Recent reports by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) indicate that one in every five
(22 percent) of children living below
100 percent of the federal poverty
level had a mental, behavioral, or
developmental disorder. Additionally,
children living in poverty, including
those experiencing homelessness, are
more likely to carry high Adverse
Childhood Experience scores
(ACEs), increasing their risk of
developmental challenges and poor
health and functioning. Children
living below the federal poverty level
are five times more likely to
experience higher ACEs than
children living in financially secure
environments. Poverty levels not only
increase the likelihood that a child
will experience trauma, they also
affect the likelihood of children
getting access to or receiving
treatment for anxiety, depression, or
behavior problems.

Students from each racial or ethnic
background used by the State for
reporting purposes — please add a row for
each racial or ethnic group (e.g.,
identifying disparities and focusing on

Regarding learning renewal/making
up for lost in-person instructional
time, attendance data suggests that
need may be greatest among
Hispanic, Black, and Asian students

Student group

Highest priority needs

underserved student groups by
race/ethnicity)

who together account for more than
48% of the student body in Illinois,
but had lower rates of in-person
attendance than their peers who are
White and represent 47.5% of the
student body. Based on March 2021
student attendance data, Hispanic
students were marked as present, in-
person approximately 8% of the time
and Black and Asian students were
marked present, in-person
approximately 9% of the time while
White students were marked present
in-person approximately 29% of the
time. The decreased access to in-
person instruction for students who
are Asian, Black, or Hispanic
suggests that they could have greater
need for learning recovery strategies
in the coming school years.

Related to the educator shortage,
Illinois experiences significant
disproportionally with regard to the
racial demographics of the teacher
workforce relative to those of the
student body. The Illinois teacher
workforce is 82.3% white, while
52.5% of students are Hispanic
(26.6%), Black (16.6%), Asian
(5.2%), Two or More Races (3.8%),
American Indian (0.3%) or Pacific
Islander (0.1%). ISBE recognizes
that a robust and diverse teacher
workforce will benefit all students,
but particularly students of color and
is therefore implementing several
initiatives aimed at diversifying and
strengthening the educator pipeline
and addressing the teacher’s shortage.

The CDC reported that overall access
to full-time in-person learning
increased for all K-12 students.
However, disparities in access to full-

Student group

Highest priority needs

time in-person learning were apparent
by race/ethnicity, geography, and
school level. Reduced access to in-
person learning is associated with
poorer learning outcomes and adverse
mental health and behavioral effects
in children. Specifically, in Illinois,
Hispanic, Black and Asian students
who together account for more than
48% of the student body but had
lower rates of in-person attendance
than their peers who are White and
represent 47.5% of the student body.
Based on March 2021 student
attendance date collected as of May
2021, Hispanic students were marked
as present, in-person approximately
8% of the time and Black and Asian
students were marked present, in-
person approximately 9% of the time
while White students were marked
present in-person approximately 29%
of the time. The decreased access to
in-person instruction for students who
are Asian, Black, or Hispanic will
result in students needing greater
access to mental and behavioral
health supports. Additionally,
compared with 2019, the proportion
of mental health-related visits for
children aged 5—11 and 12-17 years
increased approximately 24%. and
31%, respectively. Furthermore, a
survey done among 8,054 K-12
educators in 11 states showed that
while teachers believe that
professional development and
implementing trauma-informed
practices is important, only half felt
prepared to recognize signs of trauma
in their students. Therefore, ISBE
has launched a statewide trauma and
SEL initiative focused on student and
educator well-being. Each district
will be provided coaching on how to

Student group

Highest priority needs

assess trauma and SEL needs and
develop action plans to address
accordingly. Further, ISBE will
support the development or extension
of community partnerships through
funding opportunities. These
opportunities will seek to prioritize
funding to applicants that serve
students located in counties, most
directly impacted by COVID and
those that serve students from
districts demonstrating greatest needs
as identified by ISBE’s evidenced-
based funding

model. Understanding that students
of color and those demographics that
have been traditionally disadvantaged
have experienced disproportionately
negative impacts, ISBE will ensure
that the that outcomes in this
programming meet the needs of all
students.

Students by gender — please add a row
for each gender (e.g., identifying
disparities and focusing on underserved
student groups by gender)

Students who do not identify as male
or female have greater need for
social-emotional learning and
supports. Prior to the pandemic, 40
percent of LGBTQ youth had
contemplated suicide within a year of
being surveyed by the Trevor Project.
Over 60 percent of trans-binary youth
had reported incidents of self-
harm/injury. We recognize that these
numbers are troubling and only
continue to grow; therefore, we are
partnering with the Inclusionary Task
Force to develop resource materials
and provide guidance on SEL and
universal mental health/trauma
supports.

English learners

Instruction and Resources:

Student group

Highest priority needs

We will ensure equity and mitigate learning
loss by allocating appropriate resources to
EL and immigrant students, especially in
high-poverty areas.

Els will need appropriate language supports
for in-school and extended day instruction.
It is imperative that we understand that ELs
may have had more difficulty learning during
remote instruction due to limited access to
technology or language barriers. We must
conduct outreach to EL and/or migrant
students who may not return to school in-
person. This includes high school-aged youth
who may not intend to return to school.

Staffing:

We must highlight the need for more
multilingual social workers/school
counselors. It is important that we address
the needs of immigrant and refugee
students who have experienced trauma in
their home country or during their
immigration experience.

We are looking into possible incentives for
teachers with English as a second language
(ESL)/bilingual endorsements who are
willing to teach in bilingual programs.

We need more opportunities for teachers to
receive ESL/bilingual endorsements and for
districts to “grow your own” with Educator
License with Stipulations (ELS)-Transitional
Bilingual Educator (TBE) teachers getting
Professional Educator Licenses (PELs) and
paraprofessionals working toward becoming
licensed teachers.

Mental Health / Socio-Emotional Learning:

EL/bilingual teachers are experiencing
fatigue since there are fewer teachers
willing to provide extended school year
services. As a result, more EL/bilingual
teachers seem to be moving to general
education positions because there are fewer
demands — exacerbating the teacher
shortage.

Student group

Highest priority needs

Culturally and linguistically appropriate
counseling/social work and communication
for students and families are necessary. We
must understand the disproportionately
heavy impact of COVID-19 and job loss on
many EL/migrant communities.

Children with disabilities

Students with disabilities were impacted
academically and emotionally by the
pandemic. A priority is to allow students to
remain in their least restrictive environment
despite the significant impacts faced. It is
anticipated that some students may require
an increase in special education services due
to the possible need for more intensive
interventions to mitigate learning loss.
Placements in separate facilities (e.g.,
public/private therapeutic day schools,
residential placements) to meet the needs of
students with disabilities where impacts of
the pandemic have significantly impacted
students’ social and emotional functioning
may likely increase.

An increase in referrals for special education
evaluations may occur. Issues pertaining to
the completion of evaluations will arise since
the exclusionary factor of “lack of
instruction” has been ruled out, as required
by regulations. It is anticipated that more
referrals for services under the category of
emotional disability may occur due to the
increased mental health needs.

Students with disabilities will be impacted by
the shortage of special education personnel.
The teacher shortage and fatigue may
impact the capability and willingness to
work during extended school year, for
example. Shortages among social workers,
psychologists, and counselors may impact
the ability to complete evaluations, as
indicated above. We must understand that
these personnel have potentially
experienced secondary trauma and from the
increased demand to focus on SEL needs of
students. There could be increases in
special education complaints, mediations,
and due process issues due to students not

Student group

Highest priority needs

being served by appropriately trained
personnel.

Students experiencing homelessness

Our most recent data indicates that
we have seen a decline in the
number of students being identified
as McKinney Vento eligible. This
is consistent with what we have
heard from other State Coordinators.
We attribute this decline to the
closure of school buildings. As we
begin to collectively reopen, we
anticipate a surge in the number of
students being identified as
McKinney Vento eligible, requiring
immediate services. We expect such
students to have profound unmet
needs, including but not limited to-
academic, social, emotional, and
mental health needs. Additionally,
according to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC),
people experiencing homelessness
are particularly vulnerable to
COVID19 and may be at increased
risk for severe illness.

Children and youth in foster care

Extended school and community closures
during school years 2020 and 2021 due to
COVID-19 greatly limited the opportunity for
youth in care to access supportive resources.
The full impact of quarantine, social
isolation, and the pandemic on youth mental
health is yet to be known. However, we
anticipate a surge in the behavioral,
emotional and mental health needs of
youth, especially youth from vulnerable and
historically marginalized communities.
Recognizing there could potentially be a
shortage of counselors or social workers
accessible, we will work closely with the
Department of Children and Family Services
and HFS to find community service providers
to meet the immediate needs of students.
Additionally we will work with local
education agencies to ensure that youth in

Student group

Highest priority needs

care have immediate access to wrap around
services.

Migratory students

We will ensure equity and mitigate learning
loss by allocating appropriate resources to
EL and immigrant students, especially in
high-poverty areas.

We will reach out to EL and/or migrant
students who may not return to school in
person, including high school aged youth
who may not intend to return to school.
We intend to investigate possible incentives
for teachers with bilingual/ESL
endorsements who are willing to teach in
bilingual programs.

We need more opportunities for teachers to
receive ESL/bilingual endorsements and for
districts to “grow your own” with ELS-TBE
teachers getting PELs and paraprofessionals
working toward becoming licensed teachers
Culturally and linguistically appropriate
counseling/social work and communication
for students and families are necessary.

We must understand the disproportionately
heavy impact of COVID-19 and job loss on
many EL/migrant communities.

It is important that we address the needs of
immigrant and refugee students who have
experienced trauma in their home country
or during their immigration experience.

Other groups of students identified by
the State (e.g., youth involved in the
criminal justice system, students who
have missed the most in-person
instruction during the 2019-2020 and
2020-2021 school years, students who
did not consistently participate in remote
instruction when offered during school
building closures, LGBTQ+ students)

Regular school attendance is essential for
student success. Research has shown a clear
connection between chronic
absenteeism/truancy and delinquent
behavior in youths and adults. For example,
a 2007 study of graduation patterns in
Chicago Public Schools found that course
attendance in eighth grade was eight times
more predictive of freshman year course
failure than eighth-grade test scores; the
study further found that freshman year
absences were almost as predictive of
graduation within four years as grade point
average and course failures. [Allensworth,
Elaine M. & John Q. Easton. What Matters
for Staying On-Track and Graduating in
Chicago Public High Schools: A Close Look at
Course Grades, Failures, and Attendance in

Student group

Highest priority needs

the Freshman Year. Consortium on Chicago
School Research, July 2007, available at
https://consortium.uchicago.edu/sites/defa

ult/files/2018-
10/07%20What%20Matters%20Final.pdf. ]

Unfortunately, extended school and
community closures during school years
2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19 greatly
reduced students’ connection to supportive
resources that were, in some cases, integral
for student engagement. Consequently, the
pandemic has exacerbated student
disconnection, enrollment decline, and
educational inequities.

As Illinois transitions back to full in-
person instruction, we have dedicated
resources to student and family
reengagement, especially for those
students who missed the most in-
person instruction or did not
consistently participate in remote
learning. ISBE’s fiscal year 2022
budget includes $11.5 million for
funding Truants Alternative and
Optional Education Programs
(TAOEPs), which include modified
instructional programming and
services, truancy prevention and
intervention services, and part-time
or full-time enrollment options to
regular school enrollment. TOAEPs
are available for students from
elementary through high school, up to
the age of 21. ISBE’s FY 2020
TAOEP grant served 22,359 students,
including students classified as
truants, chronic truants, dropouts, and
potential dropouts. Final numbers are
not yet available for FY 2021, but
this year’s program is expected to
serve up to 26,000 students.

In terms of learning renewal, the TAOEP
grant will fund a statewide subscription for

Student group Highest priority needs

TAOEP students to have free access to
Edgenuity, an online curriculum for credit
recovery and intervention to close learning
gaps. A Regional Office of Education
manages the program for ISBE, assists with
signing up students, and provides
professional development to TAOEP
grantees to administer the online curriculum
as part of their programs.

In addition, Illinois law permits
districts to submit applications to
open Alternative Learning
Opportunities Programs (ALOPs) for
students who are not succeeding in a
traditional education environment.
ALOPs offer a broader range of
academic, behavioral, and
social/emotional interventions
designed to increase achievement
levels of these students so they are
able to meet the Illinois Learning
Standards and complete their
education in a safe learning
environment. There are 45 ALOPs
currently operating in Illinois, and we
are now in the process of accepting
new applications for school year
2021-22.

4. Understanding the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Describe how the SEA
will support its LEAs in identifying the extent of the impact of the COVID-19
pandemic on student learning and student well-being, including identifying the
groups of students most impacted by the pandemic. Where possible, please
identify the data sources the SEA will suggest its LEAs use in thoughtfully
diagnosing areas of need, including data on the academic, social, emotional, and
mental health impacts of lost instructional time.

The COVID-19 Student Learning Study is/will be a source of information
regarding student learning during the pandemic. The statewide report will be
available this fall. Education Systems Center at Northern Illinois University has
produced a resource on student well-being. In addition, we have also learned
that 70% of districts utilize interim assessments and that the remaining 30% will

be provided with the opportunity to use these. Data resulting from these
assessments will be shared in order to gauge areas of learning impact and to
align appropriate resources to those areas.

5. School Operating Status: It is essential to have data on how students are learning
in order to support the goals of access and equity, especially for student groups
that have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Describe
the current status of data collection on operational status and mode of instruction
of all schools in your State. This description must include:

1.

il.

A description of to what extent, and how frequently, the State
collects now and will collect in the future data for all schools in your
State on:

a. Mode of instruction: The number of schools in your State that are
offering fully remote or online-only instruction; both
remote/online and in-person instruction (hybrid model); and/or
full-time in-person instruction;

b. Enrollment: Student enrollment for all students and
disaggregated for each of the student groups described in A.3.i-
viii for each mode of instruction; and

c. Attendance: Student attendance for all students and
disaggregated for each of the student groups described in A.3.i-
viii for each mode of instruction.

Enrollment and attendance are collected at the individual student
level and can be aggregated into various student groups. Attendance
is collected monthly, by student, and is finalized at the end of the
school year for the school’s Illinois Report Card. Currently, various
modes of instruction are captured as percentages of monthly
attendance using the present data codes -- in-person, e-learning, and
remote. Mode of instruction is not captured within enrollment data
collection. This link portrays the latest in operating modes.

The data described in A.5.i.a. and b. using the template in Appendix
A (and to the extent available, the data described in A.5.i.c.) for the
most recent time period available. Please note that this data can be
submitted separately within 14 calendar days after a State submits
this plan. The SEA must also make this data publicly available on its
website as soon as possible but no later than June 21, 2021, and
regularly provide updated available information on its website. The
Department will periodically review data listed in A.5.ion SEA
websites.

The agency does not currently publicly post a report regarding the
mode of instruction offered in schools or districts at the student
level. The data in the appendices of this document are based on
current/not final student attendance data. This is a different data
element than what is “offered” at the student level in schools and
districts

lil. To the extent available, a description of the planned operational
status and mode of instruction for the State and its LEAs for Summer
2021 and for the 2021-2022 school year.

Illinois is focused on a safe return to in-person instruction as the
operational status and mode of instruction for summer 2021 and the
2021-22 school year. We do not yet know what the guidelines will
be when school year 2021-22 starts later this year. The content of
this application reflects what the current public health guidelines
are, according to the CDC and IDPH. Revised Public Health
Guidance for Schools released by ISBE and IDPH on March 9,
2021, specifically supports the return to in-person instruction as
soon as practicable in every Illinois community. ISBE has
continued to strongly encourage districts to return as many students
as possible to safe in-person learning through written and spoken
communication efforts since the release of the guidance in March.
At present, 47 percent of Illinois public school districts are offering
full in-person learning, 50% of districts are offering a hybrid model
consisting of some in-person and some remote learning, and only 3
percent of districts remain fully remote.

On May 19, 2021, the Illinois State Board of Education
unanimously adopted a Resolution Supporting In-Person Learning
that supports the Illinois State Superintendent of Education Dr.
Carmen I. Ayala in making the following declaration after the
conclusion of the current academic school year, subject to favorable
public health conditions at that time: Beginning with the 2021-22
school year, all schools must resume fully in-person learning for all
student attendance days, provided that, pursuant to 105 ILCS 5/10-
30 and 105 ILCS 5/34-18.66, remote instruction be made available
for students who are not eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine and are
under a quarantine order by a local public health department or the
Illinois Department of Public Health. Districts are encouraged to
review the Resolution Supporting In-Person Instruction Questions
and Answers document for more detailed information and alternate
options and eligibilities for remote programming.

B. Safely Reopening Schools and Sustaining their Safe Operations

The Department recognizes that safely reopening schools and sustaining their safe operations
to maximize in-person instruction is essential for student learning and student well-being,
and especially for being able to address the educational inequities that have been worsened
by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this section, SEAs will describe how they will support their
LEAs in this vital area.

1. Support for LEAs: Describe how the SEA will support its LEAs in safely

returning to in-person instruction and sustaining the safe operation of schools.
This description must include:
i How the SEA will support its LEAs implementing, to the greatest
extent practicable, prevention and mitigation policies in line with the
most up-to-date guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (“CDC’’) for the reopening and operation of school
facilities to effectively maintain the health and safety of students,

| f

educators, and other staff;

Complete the table below, adding rows as necessary, or provide a

narrative description.

Table B1.

Mitigation strategy

SEA response

Universal and correct wearing of masks

It is anticipated that universal
masking will continue to be a
recommendation of the CDC
and the IDPH for the
foreseeable future. ISBE and
IDPH intend to require the use
of masks until it is no longer
recommended. This is
currently a required
component of in-person
instruction in Illinois.

Physical distancing (e.g., including use
of cohorts/podding)

Current physical distancing
requirements while at school
in Illinois is a minimum of 3
feet. We will continue to
follow the guidelines
prescribed by IDPH as we
move into the summer and
the next school year. This is
currently a required
component of in-person
instruction in Illinois.

Handwashing and respiratory etiquette

This is currently a required
component of in-person
instruction in Illinois.

Cleaning and maintaining healthy
facilities, including improving
ventilation

This is currently a required
component of in-person
instruction in Illinois.

Contact tracing in combination with
isolation and quarantine, in collaboration

This is currently a required
component of in-person
instruction in Illinois.

20
Mitigation strategy

SEA response

with the State, local, territorial, or Tribal

health departments

Diagnostic and screening testing

Illinois currently offers
BinaxNOW testing free
of charge to majority
low-income districts.
Further, Illinois offers
covidSHIELD testing to
high schools in the
following manner:

A. Evidence-Based
Funding (EBF)
Tier 1 and 2
Districts: Free of
charge, including
a complete
waiver of start-up
costs and test
fees.

B. EBF Tier 3 and 4
Districts:
Reduced rate per
test fee.

Illinois also is seeking to
expand its use of both
tests under federal funds
received by IDPH from
the CDC to increase
access and availability
into next school year.

Finally, Illinois has one district
in the federal Increased
Access to Testing in Schools
program.

Efforts to provide vaccinations to
educators, other staff, and students, if

eligible

Efforts are underway in
earnest to vaccinate entire
school communities, including
teachers, staff and eligible
students. Communications on
vaccinations, accessibility, and
efficacy have been released
and will continue to be

21
Mitigation strategy

SEA response

updated and provided to
schools into next school year.

Appropriate accommodations for
children with disabilities with respect to

the health and safety policies

Our Revised Public
Health Guidance (March

9 2021) and the current
IDPH Frequently Asked
Questions for

Schools document (Marc
h 16, 2021) outline that
“students with Individual
Education Programs or
504 Plans who are unable
to wear a face mask or
face shield due to a
medical contraindication
may not be denied access
to an in-person education
if the school is offering
in-person education to
other students.” In such
cases, the individual is
required to provide
documentation form their
health care provider.

Accommodations
outlined in these
documents may include
wearing a face shield in
lieu of a face covering
while strictly maintaining
social distancing, using
additional appropriate
personal protective
equipment based on job
specific duties for staff
working with students
with a medical
contraindication to the
wearing of a face
covering, adherence to
social distancing by other
staff and students, and
consulting with local

22
il.

iil,

Mitigation strategy SEA response
public health
departments.

Any Statewide plans, policies, estimated timelines, and specific
milestones related to reopening and operation of school facilities,
including any mechanisms the SEA will use to track, monitor, or
enforce their implementation;

On May 19, 2021, the Illinois State Board of Education
unanimously adopted a Resolution Supporting In-Person

Learning that supports Illinois State Superintendent of Education
Dr. Carmen I. Ayala in making the following declaration after the
conclusion of the current academic school year, subject to favorable
public health conditions at that time: Beginning with the 2021-22
school year, all schools must resume fully in-person learning for all
student attendance days, provided that, pursuant to 105 ILCS 5/10-
30 and 105 ILCS 5/34-18.66, remote instruction be made available
for students who are not eligible fora COVID-19 vaccine and are
under a quarantine order by a local public health department or the
Illinois Department of Public Health.

To what extent the SEA and its LEAs consult with Federal, State,
and local health officials. This description should include, if
available, whether the SEA and its LEAs have received support for
screening testing from their State or local health department based
on funding awarded by the CDC; and

ISBE has worked closely with IDPH on all topics related to
COVID-19. This includes the development of public health
requirements for schools for in-person instruction, testing
availability, and vaccinations. Our partnership with IDPH has
allowed all Illinois districts that have high school enrollment to now
have access to SHIELD Illinois — the University of Illinois’
innovative polymerase chain reaction saliva test. The test has a U.S.
Food and Drug Administration emergency use authorization for
both asymptomatic and symptomatic individuals and, therefore, can
be used for surveillance, screening, and diagnostic purposes. The
Illinois Department of Public Health is providing the test — along
with a trained third party to collect the test — at no cost to high
schools in EBF Tiers | and 2 and at a subsidized rate to high
schools in Tiers 3 and 4. School districts also have free access to
Abbott’s BinaxNOW rapid test through the state and/or local public
health departments. This test, which is authorized for emergency
use, is performed on site with results available in 15 minutes. Many
school districts have found success using these tests for
symptomatic students and for surveilling the overall health of the
school community. We are also working with IDPH to utilize CDC
funds to expand the existing testing program on a weekly basis.

IV. Any guidance, professional learning, and technical assistance
opportunities the SEA will make available to its LEAs.

ISBE has consistently posted guidance, requirements, best practices
and resource documents and will continue to do so.

2. Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plans: Describe
how the SEA will ensure that its LEAs that receive ARP ESSER funds meet the
requirements in section 2001(i) of the ARP Act and the requirements relating to
the ARP ESSER funds published in the Federal Register and available at
https://oese.ed. gov/offices/american-rescue-plan/american-rescue-plan-
elementary-and-secondary-school-emergency-relief/ (ARP ESSER requirements)
to either: (a) within 30 days of receipt of the funds, develop and make publicly
available on the LEA’s website a plan for the safe return to in-person instruction
and continuity of services, or (b) have developed and made publicly available on
the LEA’s website such a plan that meets statutory requirements before the
enactment of the ARP Act, including:

i. How the SEA will ensure that each LEA plan includes, or will be
modified to include, the extent to which it has adopted policies and a
description of any such policies on each of the strategies listed in
table B1;

il. How the SEA will ensure that each LEA plan describes how it will
ensure continuity of services including but not limited to services to
address the students’ academic needs, and students’ and staff social,
emotional, mental health, and other needs, which may include
student health and food services;

iii. How the SEA will ensure that the LEA periodically reviews, no less
frequently than every six months for the duration of the ARP ESSER
grant period (i.e., through September 30, 2023),” and revises as
appropriate, its plan, and how the SEA will ensure that the LEA
seeks public input, and takes such input into account on (1) whether
revisions are necessary and, if so, (2) the revisions to the plan; and

iv. Describe, to the extent the SEA collects it, information about LEA
implementation, to the greatest extent practicable, of each element of

2 ARP ESSER funds are subject to the Tydings amendment in section 421(b) of the General Education Provisions
Act, 20 U.S.C. 1225(b), and are therefore available to SEAs and LEAs for obligation through September 30, 2024.
Review and revisions of these plans, if necessary, are not required during the Tydings period.
the most up-to-date CDC guidance listed in table B1 and its LEAs’
needs for support and technical assistance to implement strategies
consistent, to the greatest extent practicable, with relevant CDC
guidance.

The Illinois State Board of Education will require, in accordance with the
requirements in Section 2001(i) of the ARP Act and the requirements relating
to the ARP ESSER funds published in the Federal Register, that all Local
Education Agencies will within 30 days of accepting an ARP ESSER award
make publicly available their reopening plan. LEAs will agree to this as part
of their assurances when applying for ARP ESSER funds. ISBE will inform
them, in writing, of all required information that must be included in the Safe

Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Service Plans. LEAs will
provide the URL of their plan to ISBE within 30 days. ISBE will inform
them, in writing, of all required information that must be included in the Safe
Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Service Plans

C. Planning for the Use and Coordination of ARP ESSER Funds

The Department recognizes that seeking input from diverse stakeholders is essential to
developing plans for the use of ARP ESSER funds that are responsive to the needs of
students, families, and educators. In this section, SEAs will describe their plans for
consultation and for coordinating the use of ARP ESSER funds with other resources to meet

the needs of students.

1. SEA Consultation: Consistent with the ARP ESSER requirements, describe how

the SEA engaged in meaningful consultation with stakeholders, and incorporated
input into its plan, including, but not limited to:

i.
ii.
ili.
iv.
V.
Vi.
Vil.

Vill.

Ix.

students;

families;

Tribes (if applicable);

civil rights organizations (including disability rights organizations);
school and district administrators (including special education
administrators);

superintendents;

charter school leaders (if applicable);

teachers, principals, school leaders, other educators, school staff, and
their unions; and

stakeholders representing the interests of children with disabilities,
English learners, children experiencing homelessness, children and
youth in foster care, migratory students, children who are
incarcerated, and other underserved students.

The description must include how the SEA provided the public the opportunity to
provide input in the development of the plan, a summary of the input (including
any letters of support), and how the SEA took such input into account.
ISBE has engaged in extensive meaningful consultation with stakeholders
throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. That interaction has informed — and will
continue to inform -- our ARP ESSER plan. Our consultation is built on existing
outreach and planning efforts the agency undertook throughout 2019 and 2020.
This outreach included stakeholders and organizations representing charter school
leadership, stakeholders representing the interests of children with disabilities,
English learners, homeless children, children in foster care, migratory children,
incarcerated youth, and underserved students.

First, ISBE adopted a new Strategic Plan in 2020 that serves as a roadmap for
Illinois public schools through school year 2022-23. The plan is focused on three
areas -- student learning, learning conditions, and elevating educators. These
goals are held together by four principles that guide our work at ISBE — equity,
quality, collaboration, and community — and our responsibility to tirelessly pursue
educational equity for all of our students in all of our classrooms, schools, and
districts.

ISBE led seven in-person stakeholder engagement sessions across the state that
were open to the public during the development of the Strategic Plan in 2019.
These sessions were held at the St. Clair County Regional Office of Education,
Regional Office of Education #11 in Charleston, Carbondale Middle School,
DuPage Regional Office of Education, Governors State University, Springfield
School District 186, and the Rodolfo Lozano Bilingual and International Center in
Chicago. The Lozano engagement session was offered in Spanish, the first time
ISBE has ever done such an event in that fashion More than 200 stakeholders,
including teachers, administrators, families, students, policymakers, and
community members attended these sessions shared feedback on the Strategic
Plan.

ISBE also designed and shared a stakeholder survey on its website to gather
feedback pertaining to the Strategic Plan. ISBE received nearly 190 survey
responses from a number of stakeholders. The survey was open to a wide
population which included stakeholders and organizations representing charter
school leadership, stakeholders representing the interests of children with
disabilities, English learners, homeless children, children in foster care, migratory
children, incarcerated youth, and underserved students. ISBE staff led four
internal focus groups and conducted numerous external focus groups with
stakeholders during the process. Stakeholder groups included, but were not
limited to, the Management Alliance, the Illinois Education Association, the
Illinois Federation of Teachers, regional superintendents, other advocates for
education in Illinois.

The final Strategic Plan includes several strategies that respond directly to the
impacts COVID-19. The specific strategies include: supporting best practices and
continuous quality improvement, including an emphasis on equity and diversity in
order to support student learning while also addressing remote and blended
learning; assisting districts in addressing COVID-19’s impact on learning by
providing supports around Priority Learning Standards; expanding literacy on the
utilization of assessment and on assessment data to accurately identify learning
gains, achievement gaps, and COVID-19’s impact on learning; supporting schools
to address the social and emotional needs of students, educators, and staff
impacted by COVID-19 by providing them with high-quality professional
development; and supporting educator retention by leveraging partnerships that
will provide access to coaching, mentoring, and teacher leadership opportunities,
which include remote and blended pedagogy, as well as culturally responsive
teaching practices.

Additionally, the Illinois P-20 Council, a body composed of members appointed
by the Governor representing business leaders, local government, university
administrators, school boards, unions, nonprofits, teachers, faculty, independent
colleges, and parents, released the Learning Renewal Resource Guide in early
2021. The guide highlights a set of opportunities to invest in learning renewal and
support our students, educators, and broader community in these unprecedented
times.

The content of the P20- Council Learning Renewal Resource Guide reflects
evidence-based research grounded in an Illinois context, insights from focus
groups, and information gleaned from the many impactful steps that have already
been taken to support students. It includes voices and perspectives from 300-plus
educators, students, and administrators, in addition to a whole host of other
stakeholders. Pages 10 and 11 of the guide further detail our deep collaboration
with the field. The P-20 Council is continuing to accept feedback and insights via
an email address and a survey.

. Coordinating Funds: Describe to what extent the SEA has and will coordinate

Federal COVID-19 pandemic funding and other Federal funding. This description
must include:

i How the SEA and its LEAs 1) are using or have used prior to the
submission of this plan and 2) plan to use following submission of
this plan, Federal COVID-19 funding under the Coronavirus Aid,
Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act and the CRRSA Act
to support a safe return to and safely maximize in-person instruction,
sustain these operations safely, and address the disproportionate
impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on individual student groups
(including students from low-income families, children with
disabilities, English learners, racial or ethnic minorities, students
experiencing homelessness, children and youth in foster care, and
migratory students);

Complete the table below or provide a narrative description.

Table Cl.
Funding source Prior/current SEA Planned SEA and
and LEA uses LEA uses (including
(including funding funding amounts, if
amounts, if applicable)
applicable)

ESSER I(CARES_ | The Elementary Continue to allow

Act) and Secondary Act | braiding (maintain
(ESEA) of 1965 the award-specific

consolidated grant
application (Title I,
II, and IV)
currently allows for
pseudo- blending
(funds lose specific
identity) and
braiding (maintain
the award-specific
identity) of Title I,
II, and IV. The
district and grant
reviewer view the
blended funds in
the application;
however, the funds
maintain their
identity in the
Financial
Reimbursement
Information System
(FRIS). The district
can braid other
funding streams in
the comprehensive,
depending on the
activity.

e Grants to
LEA
($513,573,0
40)

e SEA
Activities
($555,919,9
00): (Digital
Equity
Formula
[$40,050,29

identity) of federal
funds. In order to
braid (maintain the
award-specific
identity) other
funds, the current
grant application
could be changed to
add other federal
funding sources.

To braid a
comprehensive
plan, the LEA
would need to focus
on describing the
activity and specific
activity points of
when funding
starts/ends.

28
Funding source

Prior/current SEA
and LEA uses
(including funding
amounts, if
applicable)

Planned SEA and
LEA uses (including
funding amounts, if
applicable)

8]; Virtual
Coaching
[$6,500,
000]; DoIT
IGA
[$5,000,000
]; Learning
Technology
Center/ROE
#9
[$225,827];
Profession
Developme
nt
[$1,296,439
]

e Administrati
on
($2,847,336
): ISBE
Administrati
on
[$2,498.595
]; Early
Childhood
[$348,741]

GEER I (CARES
Act)

GEER I funds were
utilized to support
PK-12 educational
recovery from
COVID-19 through
the following
initiatives:
e Early
Childhood
Grants ($10
million)
e Digital
Divide

Programs funded
by GEER I are
largely complete at
this time.

29
Funding source Prior/current SEA Planned SEA and
and LEA uses LEA uses (including
(including funding funding amounts, if
amounts, if applicable)
applicable)
Grants ($40
million)
Student Care
Department ($2.5
million)
ESSER II (CRRSA | The ESEA of 1965 | Continue allowing
Act) consolidated grant | braiding (maintain

application (Title I,
II, and IV)
currently allows for
pseudo- blending
(funds lose specific
identity) and
braiding (maintain
the award-specific
identity) of Title I,
II, and IV. The
district and grant
reviewer view the
blended funds in
the application;
however, the funds
maintain their
identity in FRIS.
The district can
braid other funding
streams in the
comprehensive
plan, depending on
the activity.

e Grants to
LEA
($2,025,724,
402)

SEA Activities

the award-specific
identity) of federal
funds. In order to
braid (maintain the
award-specific
identity) other
funds, the current
grant application
could be changed to
add other federal
funding sources.

To braid a
comprehensive
plan, the LEA
would need to focus
on describing the
activity and specific
activity points of
when funding
starts/ends.

SEA Activities
($213,826,465):
Student Learning
[$7.3]; Learning
Condition [$11.5];
Elevating Educators
[$7.3]; Non-Title I
Allocations [$2.5];
Digital Divide
[$52.2M]; Interim
Assessment
[$35M]; Mental
Health Professional

30
recovery from
COVID-19 through
the following
initiatives:
Learning Renewal
Office ($736,332)

Longitudinal Data
System 2.0
($500,000)

Early Childhood
Grants
($23,167,906)

Funding source Prior/current SEA Planned SEA and
and LEA uses LEA uses (including
(including funding funding amounts, if
amounts, if applicable)
applicable)
Development
[$58M]; High-
Impact Tutoring
[$25M]; Bridge
Programs [$15M]
GEER II(CRRSA_ | GEER II funding Programs funded
Act) was utilized to by GEER II are in
support PK-12 implementation
educational phase.

To what extent ESSER I and ESSER II funds have been awarded to

LEAs and, if funds have not yet been made available to LEAs, when
they will be. In addition, please provide any available information on

the total dollar amounts of ESSER I and ESSER II funds that have

been obligated but not expended by the SEA and its LEAs, including
whether the SEA is able to track LEA obligations.

Awarded to LEAs (90%)

Funding
Source

Amount

ESSER
I

$513,547,318

31
ill.

ESSER
ot $2,025,724,402

*all funds have been made available to the LEAs

Funding | Sum of Award | Available
Source | Amount
ESSER | $569,467,218 | $0
I
ESSER | $2,250,804,891 | $776,385,636
I

* The above funding chart as of 6/10/2021 — this includes
total award includes LEA and SEA set aside. The SEA can
track LEA obligation through the FRIS system.

In supporting LEAs as they plan for the safe return to and continuity
of in-person instruction and for meeting the academic, social,
emotional, and mental health needs of students resulting from the
COVID-19 pandemic, the extent to which the SEA is also using
other Federal funding sources including but not limited to under the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (“ESEA”), IDEA,
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (““WIOA”), funding for
child nutrition services, and McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance
Act, and the funds to support the needs of students experiencing
homelessness provided by section 2001(b)(1) of the ARP Act.?

ISBE is working with its existing McKinney-Vento subgrantees
and community partners to bolster efforts to meet the needs of
homeless students as we plan a return to in-person instruction.

Additionally, ISBE is engaged in ongoing, collaborative cross-
departmental discussions regarding the best ways to blend and
braid federal funds to maximize impact. Title IV Part B funds
have been used to provide social and emotional support to 21“
CCLC grantees.

> Please note that the needs of students experiencing homelessness must be addressed (along with the other groups
disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic) through the use of the ARP ESSER SEA reservations and
the required LEA reservation for the academic impact of lost instructional time; the funding provided to support the
needs of students experiencing homelessness by section 2001(b)(1) of the ARP Act is in addition to the supports and
services provided with ARP ESSER funds.

32
D. Maximizing State-Level Funds to Support Students

The Department recognizes that States have an extraordinary opportunity to address the
disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on underserved students through the
ARP Act’s required State set-asides to address the academic impact of lost instructional time,
provide summer learning and enrichment programs, and provide comprehensive afterschool
programs. In this section, SEAs will describe their evidence-based strategies for these
resources.

1. Academic Impact of Lost Instructional Time: Describe how the SEA will use the
funds it reserves under section 2001(f)(1) of the ARP Act (totaling not less than 5
percent of the State’s total allocation of ARP ESSER funds) on evidence-based
interventions to address the academic impact of lost instructional time by
supporting the implementation of evidence-based interventions, such as summer
learning or summer enrichment, extended day, comprehensive afterschool
programs, or extended school year programs, and ensure that such interventions
respond to students’ academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs. The
description must include:

i. A description of the evidence-based interventions (e.g., providing
intensive or high-dosage tutoring, accelerating learning) the SEA has
selected, and the extent to which the SEA will evaluate the impact of
those interventions on an ongoing basis to understand if they are
working;

ii. How the evidence-based interventions will specifically address the
disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on certain groups of students,
including each of the student groups listed in question A.3.1.-viii.
When possible, please indicate which data sources the SEA will use
to determine the impact of lost instructional time; and

lil. The extent to which the SEA will use funds it reserves to identify
and engage 1) students who have missed the most in-person
instruction during the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years; and 2)
students who did not consistently participate in remote instruction
when offered during school building closures.

To address the impact of lost instructional time, ISBE will use the
funds it reserves under Section 2001(f)(1) of the ARP Act (totaling
not less than 5 percent of the state’s total allocation of ARP ESSER
funds) to provide an equity-based allocations to all LEAs, including
non-title | LEA’s, Regional Offices of Education, and Special
Education Cooperatives. Entities are required to use these funds for
the specific use of evidence-based interventions to address the
academic impact of lost instructional time in their local
communities in the amount of $214,285,715. Entities will use these
funds strictly to implement evidence-based interventions. As part of
the application process and a condition of funding, ISBE requires

33
each entity to describe the evidence-based intervention(s) it has
selected, how the LEA will evaluate the impact of those
interventions on an ongoing basis to determine if they are working,
how the evidence-based interventions will specifically address the
disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on certain groups of
students, and the extent to which the LEA will use these funds to
identify and engage both students who have missed the most in-
person instruction and students who did not consistently participate
in remote instruction.

In addition, $500,000 will be made available for grants to Regional
Offices of Education to continue supporting the Curriculum
Evaluation Tool & Priority Learning Standards PD initiated during
the pandemic.

$12,000,000 will be used to implement a High Impact Tutoring
program where tutors will be identified and paid a stipend through a
regional structure created by universities and community colleges.

Finally, $25,463,688 will be allocated to special education
cooperatives using a per pupil allocation, considering the
percentage of adequacy of member districts. They will use the
funds with the strict direction to implement evidence-based
interventions. As part of the grant process and a condition of
funding, ISBE requires each special education cooperative to
describe the evidence-based interventions it has selected, how they
will evaluate the impact of those interventions on an ongoing basis
to determine if they are working, how the evidence-based
interventions will specifically address the disproportionate impact
of COVID-19 on certain groups of students including, and the
extent to which they will use funds to identify and engage both
students who have missed the most in-person instruction and
students who did not consistently participate in remote instruction.

The total amount of state funds reserved for this activity is
$252,749,403, which is equal to 5% of the total state reserve.

2. Evidence-Based Summer Learning and Enrichment Programs: Describe how the
SEA will use the funds it reserves under section 2001(f)(2) of the ARP Act

(totaling not less than | percent of the State’s total allocation of ARP ESSER
funds) for evidence-based summer learning and enrichment programs, including
those that begin in Summer 2021, and ensure such programs respond to students’
academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs. The description must
include:

34
A description of the evidence-based programs that address the
academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs of students
(e.g., providing intensive or high-dosage tutoring, accelerating
learning) the SEA has selected, and the extent to which the SEA will
evaluate the impact of those programs;

To address evidenced-based summer learning and enrichment
programs, ISBE will use the funds it reserves under Section
2001(f)(1) of the ARP Act (totaling not less than | percent of the
state’s total allocation of ARP ESSER funds) to provide an equity-
based allocations to all LEAs, including non-title 1 LEA’s,
Regional Offices of Education, and Special Education
Cooperatives. Entities are required to use these funds for the
specific purpose of evidence-based interventions to address summer
learning and enrichment programs in their local communities.

LEA’s will use the funds with the strict direction to implement
evidence-based interventions aligned to summer learning and
enrichment programs. As part of the application process and a
condition of funding, ISBE requires each and all LEA’s to describe
the evidence-based intervention(s) it has selected, how the LEA
will evaluate the impact of those interventions on an ongoing basis
to determine if they are working, how the evidence-based
interventions will specifically address the disproportionate impact
of COVID-19 on certain groups of students, and the extent to which
the LEA will use these funds to identify and engage both students
who have missed the most in-person instruction and students who
did not consistently participate in remote instruction. LEA’s will
receive an allocation in the amount of $42,857,142.

Special education cooperatives will be allocated $7,692,739 using a
per pupil allocation, considering the percentage of adequacy of
member districts. They will use the funds strictly to implement
evidence-based interventions aligned to summer learning and
enrichment programs. As part of the grant process and a condition
of funding, ISBE requires each special education cooperative to
describe the evidence-based intervention(s) it has selected, how
they will evaluate the impact of those interventions on an ongoing
basis to determine if they are working, how the evidence-based
interventions will specifically address the disproportionate impact
of COVID-19 on certain groups of students, and the extent to which
they will use funds to identify and engage both students who have
missed the most in-person instruction and students who did not
consistently participate in remote instruction.

35
The total amount of state funds reserved for this activity is
$50,549,881 which is equal to 1% of the total state reserve.

il. How the evidence-based programs will specifically address the
disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on certain groups of students,
including each of the student groups listed in question A.3. i.--viii.
When possible, please indicate which data sources the SEA will use
to identify students most in need of summer learning and enrichment
programs; and

ISBE will utilize homeless counts, attendance data, health
submission data, and culture and climate survey results to identify
and target groups disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.
While ISBE works internally to analyze data, staff will also be
working in conjunction with statewide partners to have districts
conduct a needs assessment and develop an action plan that
addresses such needs. Staff will then merge the two sets of
information and deploy resources, as needed.

iii. The extent to which the SEA will use funds it reserves to identify
and engage 1) students who have missed the most in-person
instruction during the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years; and 2)
students who did not consistently participate in remote instruction
when offered during school building closures.

ISBE requires all entities receiving state reserve funds to describe
the evidence-based interventions it has selected, how they will
evaluate the impact of those interventions on an ongoing basis to
determine if they are working, how the evidence-based
interventions will specifically address the disproportionate impact
of COVID-19 on certain groups of students including the extent to
which they will use funds to identify and engage both students who
have missed the most in-person instruction and students who did
not consistently participate in remote instruction.

3. Evidence-Based Comprehensive Afterschool Programs: Describe how the SEA
will use the funds it reserves under section 2001(f)(3) of the ARP Act (totaling
not less than | percent of the State’s total allocation of ARP ESSER funds) for
evidence-based comprehensive afterschool programs (including, for example,
before-school programming), and ensure such programs respond to students’
academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs. The description must
include:

i. A description of the evidence-based programs (e.g., including
partnerships with community-based organizations) the SEA has

36
selected, and the extent to which the SEA will evaluate the impact of
those programs;

To address evidenced-based comprehensive afterschool programs,
ISBE will use the funds it reserves under Section 2001(f)(1) of the
ARP Acct (totaling not less than | percent of the state’s total
allocation of ARP ESSER funds) to provide an equity-based
allocations to all LEAs, including non-title 1 LEA’s, Regional
Offices of Education, and Special Education Cooperatives. Entities
are required to use these funds for the specific purpose of evidence-
based interventions to address comprehensive afterschool programs
in their local communities.

LEA’s will use the funds with the strict direction to implement
evidence-based interventions aligned to comprehensive after school
programs. As part of the grant process and a condition of funding,
ISBE requires each and all LEA’s to describe the evidence-based
intervention(s) it has selected, how the LEA will evaluate the
impact of those interventions on an ongoing basis to determine if
they are working, how the evidence-based interventions will
specifically address the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on
certain groups of students, and the extent to which the LEA will use
funds it reserves to identify and engage both students who have
missed the most in-person instruction and students who did not
consistently participate in remote instruction. LEA’s will receive
an allocation in the amount of $42,857,142.

Special education cooperatives will be provided $7,692,739 using a
per pupil allocation, considering the percentage of adequacy of
member districts. They will use the funds with the strict direction
to implement evidence-based interventions aligned to
comprehensive after school programs. As part of the grant process
and a condition of funding, ISBE requires each special education
cooperative to describe the evidence-based intervention(s) it has
selected, how they will evaluate the impact of those interventions
on an ongoing basis to determine if they are working, how the
evidence-based interventions will specifically address the
disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on certain groups of
students, and the extent to which they will use funds it reserves to
identify and engage both students who have missed the most in-
person instruction and students who did not consistently participate
in remote instruction.

The total amount of state funds reserved for this activity is
$50,549,881 which is equal to 1% of the total state reserve.

37
il.

ili.

How the evidence-based programs will specifically address the
disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on certain groups of students,
including each of the student groups listed in question A.3.i.-viii.
When possible, please indicate which data sources the SEA will use
to identify students most in need of comprehensive afterschool
programming; and

ISBE will provide statewide training on the Trauma Responsive
School Assessment (TRS-A). Trainers will then work with school
districts to identify their needs and develop an action plan to
address such needs. Running parallel to this, ISBE will work with
external partners to identify communities of practice providers who
can provide evidenced based supports and trainings to districts.
Areas of focus will include racism & equity (incl. anti-racism),
family and community engagement, youth voice, restorative
Practices, Tier II evidence-based programming, and Tier I SEL for
students and educators.

Additionally, ISBE will provide for community partnership grants
in which funding will be utilized to create or further develop an
existing partnership between school districts, community health
providers, and community-based organizations to meet the needs
of the whole child. Embedded within each of these initiatives is a
continuous improvement evaluation component that will enable
ISBE to assess and adjust programming to meet the dynamic needs
of students as we come out of the pandemic.

the extent to which the SEA will use funds it reserves to identify and
engage 1) students who have missed the most in-person instruction
during the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years; and 2) students
who did not consistently participate in remote instruction when
offered during school building closures.

ISBE requires all entities receiving state reserve funds to describe
the evidence-based interventions it has selected, how they will
evaluate the impact of those interventions on an ongoing basis to
determine if they are working, how the evidence-based
interventions will specifically address the disproportionate impact
of COVID-19 on certain groups of students including, and the
extent to which they will use funds to identify and engage both

38
students who have missed the most in-person instruction and
students who did not consistently participate in remote instruction.

4. Emergency Needs: If the SEA plans to reserve funds for emergency needs under
section 2001(f)(4) of the ARP Act to address issues responding to the COVID-19
pandemic, describe the anticipated use of those funds, including the extent to
which these funds will build SEA and LEA capacity to ensure students’ and
staff's health and safety; to meet students’ academic, social, emotional, and
mental health needs; and to use ARP ESSER funds to implement evidence-based
interventions.

ISBE plans to use the state reserve funds not already designated for lost
instructional time (5%), comprehensive after school programs (1%), and
summer learning and enrichment (1%) to support schools across the state.
A total of $126,374,700 will be spent in the following areas:

e $3,391,979 will be allocated to non-Title I Eligible schools on a
per pupil of $142 per student

e $52,000,000 will be provided to bridge the digital divide. LEA’s
will receive an allocation using a formula that provides additional
funds to districts furthest from adequacy and in consideration of
their technology needs.

e $9,000,000 will be made available to support the administration of
interim assessments to LEA’s that do not have these types of
assessments.

e $1,200,000 in competitive grants will be made available to eligible
entities to provide mentoring services to all new principals in the
state.

e $1,000,000 in competitive grants will be made available to eligible
entities to support Affinity groups. The purpose of the Affinity
groups is to close the gap of our minority teachers employed
within the state through retention.

e $50,000,000 in competitive grants will be made available to
schools and community-based organizations to create Community
Partnerships to support the social emotional and mental health
needs of students and staff. Priority will be given to those
applicants proposing to serve districts in counties most greatly
impacted by COVID-19

e $9,682,721 in competitive grants will be made available to eligible
entities to increase the educator and school personnel pipeline.

E. Supporting LEAs in Planning for and Meeting Students’ Needs
The Department recognizes that the safe return to in-person instruction must be accompanied
by a focus on meeting students’ academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs, and by

39
addressing the opportunity gaps that existed before — and were exacerbated by — the
pandemic. In this section, SEAs will describe how they will support their LEAs in
developing high-quality plans for LEAs’ use of ARP ESSER funds to achieve these
objectives.

1. LEA Plans for the Use of ARP ESSER Funds: Describe what the SEA will
require its LEAs to include in LEA plans consistent with the ARP ESSER
requirements for the use of ARP ESSER funds, how the SEA will require such
plans to be made available to the public, and the deadline by which the LEA must
submit its ARP ESSER plan (which must be a reasonable timeline and should be
within no later than 90 days after receiving its ARP ESSER allocation). The LEA
plans must include, at a minimum:

i. The extent to which and how the funds will be used to implement
prevention and mitigation strategies that are, to the greatest extent
practicable, in line with the most recent CDC guidance, in order to
continuously and safely operate schools for in-person learning;

il. How the LEA will use the funds it reserves under section 2001(e)(1)
of the ARP Act (totaling not less than 20 percent of the LEA’s total
allocation of ARP ESSER funds) to address the academic impact of
lost instructional time through the implementation of evidence-based
interventions, such as summer learning or summer enrichment,
extended day, comprehensive afterschool programs, or extended
school year programs;

iii. How the LEA will spend its remaining ARP ESSER funds consistent
with section 2001(e)(2) of the ARP Act; and
IV. How the LEA will ensure that the interventions it implements,

including but not limited to the interventions under section
2001(e)(1) of the ARP Act to address the academic impact of lost
instructional time, will respond to the academic, social, emotional,
and mental health needs of all students, and particularly those
students disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic,
including students from low-income families, students of color,
English learners, children with disabilities, students experiencing
homelessness, children and youth in foster care, and migratory
students.
The Illinois State Board of Education will support LEAs in the crafting of their plans
for the use of ARP ESSER funds. LEAs are required to fill out an application as part
of creating their plan. The following questions will help LEAs through the planning
process:
e How will be ARP ESSER funds be used by your
district to implement prevention and mitigation
strategies that are, to the greatest extent practicable, in
line with the most recent CDC guidance so
that schools can be continuously and safely operated
for in-person learning?

40
How will your district use the funds it reserves under
Section 2001(e)(1) of the ARP Act (totaling not less
than 20 percent of the LEA’s total allocation of APR
ESSER funds) to address the academic impact of lost
instructional time through the implementation of
evidenced based interventions such as summer
enrichment, extended day or extended school year
programs, or comprehensive after-school programs?
Please refer to the P-20 Council Learning Renewal
Resource Guide as a tool to assist in your response.
How will your district spend its remaining ARP
ESSER funds consistent with Section 2001(e)(2) of the
ARP Act?

How will your district ensure that the interventions it
implements, including, but not limited to, the
interventions under Section 2001(e)(1) of the ARP Act,
address the academic impact of lost instructional time?
How will such interventions address the academic,
social, emotional, and mental health needs of all
students, particularly

those students disproportionately impacted by the COV
ID-19 pandemic (including students from low-income
families, students of color, ELs, children with
disabilities, students experiencing homelessness,
children and youth in foster care, and

migratory students)?

How will your district engage in meaningful
consultation with stakeholders?

How will your district provide the public with
opportunities to provide input in the development of
the district plan for the use of ARP ESSER funds and
take such input into account?

How will your district use

ARP ESSER funds to identify, re-

engage, and support students most likely to have
experienced the impact of lost instructional time on
student learning?

How will your district allocate funding both to schools
and for districtwide activities based on student need?
How will your district implement an equitable and
inclusive return to in-person instruction? An inclusive
return to in-person instruction includes, but is not
limited to, establishing policies and practices that avoid
the overuse of exclusionary discipline measures
(including in- and out- of-school suspensions) and

41
creating a positive and supportive learning environment
for all students.

e What are your overall plans and policies related to district
support for return to in-person instruction and maximizing
in-person instruction time, including how funds will
support a return to and maximize in-person instruction
time, and advance equity and inclusivity in
participation in in-person instruction?

e How will your district use its ARP
ESSER funds to meet students’ social, emotional,
and academic needs, including through summer enrichment
programming and other evidence-based interventions, and
how will they be used to advance equity for
underserved students?

e How will your district use its ARP ESSER funds to sustain
and support access to early childhood education programs?

LEAs will be required to inform the public by including this
information as part of their Return to In-Person Instruction and
Continuity of Service Plans, which will be posted on their website
within 30 days of receiving their ARP ESSER award.

2. LEA Consultation: Describe how the SEA will, in planning for the use of ARP

ESSER funds, ensure that, consistent with the ARP ESSER requirements], its
LEAs engage in meaningful consultation with stakeholders, including, but not

limited to:
i.
ii.
ili.

iv.

students;

families;

school and district administrators (including special education
administrators); and

teachers, principals, school leaders, other educators, school staff, and
their unions.

The LEA must also engage in meaningful consultation with each of the following
to the extent present in or served by the LEA:

i.
il.

iil.

Tribes;

civil rights organizations (including disability rights organizations);
and

stakeholders representing the interests of children with disabilities,
English learners, children experiencing homelessness, children and
youth in foster care, migratory students, children who are
incarcerated, and other underserved students.

42
The description must also include how the SEA will ensure that LEAs provide the
public the opportunity to provide input in the development of the LEA’s plan for
the use of ARP ESSER funds and take such input into account.

Districts will be required to detail in their LEA ESSER application how they
have consulted with all stakeholders listed above. This same information will
be included in their Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of
Services Plans that will be posted on their website within 30 days of receiving
their ARP ESSER award.

Describe how the SEA will support and monitor its LEAs in using ARP ESSER
funds. The description must include:

1.

il.

How the SEA will support and monitor its LEAs’ implementation of
evidence-based interventions that respond to students’ academic,
social, emotional, and mental health needs, such as through summer
learning or summer enrichment, extended day, comprehensive
afterschool programs, or extended school year programs — including
the extent to which the SEA will collect evidence of the
effectiveness of interventions employed;

The P-20 Council has created a Learning Renewal Resource Guide
to help support LEAs as they make decisions that are best for
students and school communities. ISBE continues to provide
technical assistance to all LEAs, as needed, as well as updated
guidance to the field. ISBE will take advantage of existing
structures in place to help us collect the needed information and
monitor LEAs. This includes the Illinois Report Card, the
5Essentials Survey, and the biannual Youth Risk Behavior Survey.
The agency will also continue to study the exclusionary discipline
practices of suspension and expulsion. ISBE will create a detailed
report to capture how schools are using ESSER funds for specific
interventions, which include summer school; summer programming;
extended day, extended year, and after-school programming;
academic interventions; social/emotional interventions; and mental
health interventions. This report will provide an indication regarding
how much was spent for each of the activities and the portion of
ARP ESSER funds that were allocated to achieve the success of such
interventions.

How the SEA will support and monitor its LEAs in specifically
addressing the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
on certain groups of students, including each of the student groups
listed in question A.3.i.-vill; and

The P-20 Council has created a Learning Renewal Resource
Guide to help support LEAs as they make decisions that are best

43
lll.

for the students and school communities. ISBE continues to
provide technical assistance to all LEAs, as needed, as well as
updated guidance to the field. ISBE will collect data regarding
certain groups of students and create a new report, which will be
compiled annually.

How the SEA will support and monitor its LEAs in using ARP

ESSER funds to identify, reengage, and support students most likely

to have experienced the impact of lost instructional time on student

learning, such as:

a. Students who have missed the most in-person instruction during
the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years;

b. Students who did not consistently participate in remote
instruction when offered during school building closures; and

c. Students most at-risk of dropping out of school.
d.
The P-20 Council has created a Learning Renewal Resource

Guide to help support LEAs as they make decisions that are best
for the students and school communities. ISBE continues to
provide technical assistance to all LEAs, as needed, as well as
updated guidance to the field. ISBE will take advantage of
existing structures in place that will help us collect the
information that is needed to monitor LEAs. This includes
attendance data and statistics that pertain to the exclusionary
discipline practices of suspension and expulsion. ISBE will
create a detailed report that will help us better understand how
schools served students who missed the most in-person
instruction during the pandemic, students who did not
consistently participate in remote instruction when it was offered
during school building closures, and students most at risk of
dropping out of school; the report will be compiled annually.

4. Describe the extent to which the SEA will support its LEAs in implementing
additional strategies for taking educational equity into account in expending ARP
ESSER funds, including but not limited to:

1.

ii.

Allocating funding both to schools and for districtwide activities
based on student need, and

Implementing an equitable and inclusive return to in-person
instruction. An inclusive return to in-person instruction includes, but
is not limited to, establishing policies and practices that avoid the
over-use of exclusionary discipline measures (including in- and out-

44
of-school suspensions) and creating a positive and supportive
learning environment for all students.
The law requires use of Title I formula to generate the 90

percent allocations to districts. Eligibility for Title I equal ten
students in poverty as determined by the census and a poverty
concentration rate of 2 percent or more.

As we are committed to ensuring all LEA’s receive the
support they need, non-Title I schools administered by
Regional Offices of Education receive funding at the rates

listed below. ISBE uses a portion of the 2.5 percent
emergency funds of SEA set-aside to provide non-Title I

schools with an allocation so that all LEA’s have access to
these funds. These funds do not come from the portion of the
state reserve designated for lost instructional time,
comprehensive after school programs, or summer learning
and enrichment.

1) ESSER I - $19 per student
2) ESSER II - $63 per student
3) ARP ESSER - $142 per student

The $142 per pupil amount for ARP ESSER represents the
minimum allocation provided to a Title I eligible school
district identified as a Tier 1 School district in Evidenced-
Based Funding, which is the State’s primary funding
mechanism. Illinois identifies Tier | districts as those which
are furthest away from adequate funding.

ISBE utilized the Evidence-Based Funding (EBF) to determine the
allocations $300m of the state set aside for learning loss, after
school and summer school. EBF is the state of Illinois’ primary
education funding formula which distributes the majority (99%) of
new state funding to school districts with less than 90% of adequate
funding. Adequate funding is determined by 34 cost factors that are
utilized in determining an Adequacy Target (AT) for each district
that takes into account 1) Enrollment 2) English Learners 3) Low
Income Pupils and 4) regional variances in cost. The AT is the
denominator in the ratio that determines the Percentage of

45
Adequacy. The numerator in the ratio is the Available Funding
which is comprised of 1) Prior Year EBF Payments and 2) local
funds. School districts are placed into tiers where

o Tier 1 - School Districts with a % of adequacy less than the
tier 1 target ration

o Tier 2 - School Districts below 90% of adequacy

o Tier 3 - School Districts at or above 90% of adequacy but
less than 100% of adequacy

o Tier 4 - School Districts at or above 100% of adequacy

99% of the $300m was allocated to Tier 1 and Tier 2 Districts. The
remaining 1% was allocated to Tier 3 and Tier 4 school districts.
Those allocations were determined by statutory formula. The
designation of each school district’s allocation of the $300m was
proportionally allocated to learning loss, after school and summer
school after consideration of other state level activities that were
attributable to the requirements outlined in the ARP statute to
ensure that the state was meeting the requirements for these
activities .

More information regarding EBF can be reviewed here

The state will continue to provide targeted support, technical
assistance, webinars, and office hours to help LEAs apply for
and use ARP ESSER funds. To the extent possible and
practical, LEAs will be given autonomy to use these funds to
best support the needs of their school communities.

Through the grant process, LEA’s will describe how they will
use their funds to support all students in an equitable manner.
Through reporting, LEA’s will explain their strategies and
spending of the ARP funds for specific groups, including
low-income, race/ethnicity, gender, English learners, children
with disabilities, students experiencing homelessness,
migratory students, and students who missed the most in-
person instruction.

46
F. Supporting the Educator Workforce

The Department recognizes the toll that the COVID-19 pandemic has taken on the Nation’s
educators as well as students. In this section, SEAs will describe strategies for supporting and
stabilizing the educator workforce and for making staffing decisions that will support
students’ academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs.

1. Supporting and Stabilizing the Educator Workforce:

1.

Describe the extent to which the State is facing shortages of
educators, education administration personnel, and other school
personnel involved in safely reopening schools, and the extent to
which they vary by region/type of school district and/or groups of
educators (e.g., special educators and related services personnel and
paraprofessionals; bilingual or English as a second language
educators; science, technology, engineering, and math (“STEM”)
educators; career and technical education (“CTE”) educators; early
childhood educators). Cite specific data on shortages and needs
where available.

Complete the table below, changing or adding additional rows as
needed, or provide a narrative description.

Table F1.
Area Data on shortages Narrative
and needs description
Special educators 125 unfilled The following
and related service | positions position codes
personnel and were included in
paraprofessionals the data: Bilingual
Education and
Special Education —
Bilingual
Bilingual educators | 30 unfilled The following
positions position codes
were included in
the data: English
as a Second
Language
English asa second | 224 unfilled The following
language educators | nositions position codes

47
Area

Data on shortages
and needs

Narrative
description

were included in
the data: Science —
Physics, Science —
Other, Science —
General, Science —
Chemistry, Science
— Biology, Math —
Algebra, Math —
Basic, Math —
Geometry, Math —
Other,
Mathematics,
Resource Teacher,
Title I Remedial
Math, Computer
Literacy and Tech,
Technology
Specialist,
Vocational Tech —
Business,
Marketing, and
Management,
Vocational Tech -
Family and
Consumer Science,
Vocational Tech —
Industrial
Occupations,
Vocational Tech —
Miscellaneous

STEM educators

224 unfilled
positions

The following
position codes
were included in
the data: Science —
Physics, Science —
Other, Science —
General, Science —
Chemistry, Science
— Biology, Math —
Algebra, Math —
Basic, Math —
Geometry, Math —
Other,
Mathematics,

48
Area Data on shortages Narrative
and needs description
Resource Teacher,
Title I Remedial

Math, Computer
Literacy and Tech,
Technology
Specialist,
Vocational Tech —
Business,
Marketing, and
Management,
Vocational Tech -
Family and
Consumer Science,
Vocational Tech —
Industrial
Occupations,
Vocational Tech —
Miscellaneous

CTE educators

21 unfilled
positions

The following
position codes
were included in
the data: Career
and Technical
Educator

Early childhood
educators

17

The following
position codes
were included in
the data: Pre-K at
Risk (only data
available)

School counselors

24

The following
position codes
were included in
the data: Guidance
Counselor

Social workers

144

The following
position codes
were included in
the data: Interim
Social Worker,
Social Worker

Nurses

101

The following
position codes

49
il.

iil,

Area Data on shortages Narrative
and needs description

were included in
the data: Nurse

School psychologists | 122 The following
position codes
were included in
the data: Intern
Psychologist,

Psychologist

Describe how the SEA will assist its LEAs in identifying the most
urgent areas of shortages or potential shortages, with particular plans
for individual LEAs facing the most significant needs (e.g., by
avoiding layoffs, providing high-quality professional learning
opportunities, and addressing the impact of stress or trauma on
educators). Include a description of how other Federal COVID-19
funding (e.g., ESSER and GEER funds under the CARES Act and
CRRSA Act) have already been used to avoid layoffs during the
COVID-19 pandemic.

ISBE has consistently made clear to LEAs that COVID-19
funding can be used to avoid layoffs and support educators. ISBE
also used ESSER funds under the CARES Act to provide grants
to LEAs to support high-quality digital professional learning and
to develop a statewide virtual instructional coaching and
mentoring program for new teachers. ISBE also set aside money
from ESSER funds under the CRRSA Act to support affinity
groups for teachers to improve their satisfaction, efficacy, and
retention. Further, ISBE has shared best practices for addressing
the impact of the stress and trauma of the pandemic on educators
via timely release of resource documents, including Remote
Learning Recommendations, Fall Learning Recommendations,
and Return to In-Person: Lessons Learned from the Pandemic.

Describe the actions the SEA will take to fill anticipated gaps in
certified teachers for the start of the 2021-2022 school year and to
what extent the SEA will further support its LEAs in expanding the
educator pipeline and educator diversity while addressing the
immediate needs of students disproportionately impacted by the
pandemic (e.g., recruiting teaching candidates to provide high-
dosage tutoring or implementing residencies for teacher candidates).

50
One of ISBE’s top priorities is to support LEAs in filling gaps for
future school years through expansion and diversification of the educator
pipeline. In fact, this is featured as one of three main goals (along with
student learning and learning conditions) in the agency’s Strategic Plan.
ISBE further recognizes the added significance of this goal because the
pandemic has shown that students who have been disproportionately
impacted by the pandemic need high-quality educators now more than
ever. So, in accordance with its Strategic Plan, ISBE is working on
several initiatives that strengthen the teacher pipeline by leveraging and
aligning partnerships in support of improved educator recruitment and
retention outcomes to ensure that student needs are met, especially the
needs of those most impacted by COVID-19. These partnerships include
data-driven work with educator preparation programs to set and achieve
specific diversity targets for recruitment and retention; collaboration with
other education agencies, such as the Illinois Community College Board
and Illinois Board of High Education, to streamline articulation, promote
dual enrollment, emphasize recruitment, and develop seamless curriculum
for future educators from early college experiences through licensure; and
support for residency programs and other proven preparation models that
prepare candidates for high-needs placements, such as Golden Apple,
Grow Your Own Teachers Illinois, Teach for America. In the past two
years, ISBE has also funded two cohorts of CTE Educator Career Pathway
grants to attract high school students to careers in education and accelerate
their preparation and readiness through education-related field experiences
and dual credit coursework. The agency also has approved Culturally
Responsive Teaching and Leading Standards to ensure that all newly
prepared Illinois educators develop the skills required to meet the needs of
all students. ISBE intends to continue to monitor unfilled position data and
educator preparation program data closely over the next several years to
identify and address the impacts of COVID-19 on the educator pipeline
and to continue supporting the expansion and diversification of our
educator workforce.

2. Staffing to Support Student Needs: Describe the extent to which the SEA has
developed or will develop strategies and will support its LEAs in increasing
student access to key support staff within school buildings, including school
counselors, special education personnel, nurses, social workers, and psychologists
(e.g. hiring additional personnel or freeing up these staff to focus on providing
services to students).

ISBE has proposed Illinois Administrative Code additions that include new
short-term approvals in the areas of school counselor, school nurse, speech
language pathologist, school social worker, and school psychologist. To earn an
approval, an educator must hold a master’s degree, be licensed at the state or
national level in the area sought, pass the applicable licensure content test, and
be recruited by a district to serve in a specific position. Each approval is valid for

31
three full fiscal years, during which time educators shall be completing
remaining requirements to become fully licensed. Approvals shall be available
through June 30, 2023, but this timeline may be extended if the state is still
experiencing chronic school support personnel shortages. ISBE plans to work
with educator preparation programs to incentivize timely completion of full
licensure for individuals with these approvals through targeted supports.

G. Monitoring and Measuring Progress

The Department recognizes that transparency on how ARP ESSER funds are used and their
impact on the Nation’s education system is a fundamental responsibility of Federal, State,
and local government. In this section, SEAs will describe how they are building capacity at
the SEA and LEA levels to ensure high-quality data collection and reporting and to safeguard
funds for their intended purposes.

l.

Capacity for Data Collection and Reporting: It is important for an SEA to
continuously monitor progress and make adjustments to its strategies, as well as
to support its LEAs in making adjustments to LEA strategies, based on impact.
Describe how the SEA will ensure its capacity and the capacity of its LEAs to
collect data on reporting requirements, including but not limited to the examples
of reporting requirements described in the SEA’s Grant Award Notification (listed
in Appendix B). Describe the SEA’s capacity and strategy to collect data from its
LEAs (disaggregated by student group, where applicable), to the greatest extent
practicable, including any steps the SEA will take to build its capacity in the
future (which may include the use of ARP ESSER and other Federal COVID-19
pandemic funds at the SEA and LEA levels), on issues that may include the
following:

i. Student learning, including the academic impact of lost instructional
time during the COVID-19 pandemic;
il. Opportunity to learn measures (e.g., chronic absenteeism; student

engagement; use of exclusionary discipline; access to and
participation in advanced coursework; access to technology,
including educator access to professional development on the
effective use of technology; access to high-quality educators; access
to school counselors, social workers, nurses, and school
psychologists; and results from student, parent, and/or educator

surveys);

iii. Fiscal data that is comparable across the State (e.g., per-pupil
expenditures at the LEA and school levels);

iv. Jobs created and retained (by position type);

V. Participation in programs funded by ARP ESSER resources (e.g.,
summer and afterschool programs); and

Vi. Other reporting requirements reasonably required by the Secretary

(please refer to Appendix B of this template; final requirements will
be issued separately).

52
Learning data, including assessment data and course grade data, as well as
attendance data are collected at the individual student level and can be
aggregated into various student groups. Opportunity-to-learn measures,
including, but not limited to, chronic absenteeism, discipline rates, and
advanced and college coursework, are reported annually on our Illinois
Report Card. Information regarding funding for each school and district is
reported annually on the Illinois Report Card. Overall teacher retention
is reported at the school, district, and state levels on the Illinois Report
Card. Also, the agency also publicly reports every three years on various
subgroups, including position type, regarding the state of educator supply
and demand across the state. LEAs will complete a detailed annual
report that looks at how schools are using ESSER funds for specific
interventions, which include summer school; summer programming;
extended day, extended year, and after-school programming; academic
interventions; social/emotional interventions and mental health
interventions. This report will provide an indication regarding how much
was spent for each of the activities and the portion of ARP ESSER funds
that was allocated to achieve the success of such interventions.

2. Monitoring and Internal Controls: Describe how the SEA will implement
appropriate fiscal monitoring of and internal controls for the ARP ESSER funds
(e.g., by updating the SEA’s plan for monitoring funds and internal controls under
the CARES and CRRSA Acts; addressing potential sources of waste, fraud, and
abuse; conducting random audits; or other tools). In this response, please describe
the SEA’s current capacity to monitor ARP ESSER; steps, if needed, to increase
capacity; and any foreseeable gaps in capacity, including how the SEA will
provide its LEAs with technical assistance in the anticipated areas of greatest
need.

The Federal and State Monitoring Department (FSM) performs an annual risk
assessment that is used to select the programs and grantees toward which we
direct monitoring activities. FSM will incorporate ARP ESSER grant funds into
the risk assessment tool. FSM will monitor, on a sample basis, the usage of ARP
ESSER funding by selected grant recipients to ensure the funding is used for
authorized purposes with special attention paid to any indicators of fraud, waste,
or abuse. FSM will review required financial reports and the underlying
documentation to determine whether funds were utilized appropriately. Should
any monitoring findings be issued related to ARP ESSER funding, FSM will
require and obtain corrective action plans that ensure timely and appropriate
action is taken with respect to any underlying control issues. FSM will begin
monitoring ARP ESSER funds with existing staff. We will continually evaluate
the need for additional staff or contractual assistance. Technical assistance on
appropriate usage of funds and proper tracking of fund usage will be provided by
program staff throughout the grant application and budgeting process, and it will
be reinforced via training materials, guidance documents, and during reviews.

53
Appendix A: School Operating Status and Instructional Mode Data Template
Indicate the date or time period represented by the following data.

The data is updated as of May 5, 2021.

Table 1

In the most recent time period available, how many schools in your State offered each mode of
instruction or learning model described below? Each row should account for all schools in your
State, so that, for each row, the sum of the numbers in the “offered to all students,” “offered to
some students,” and “not offered” columns is equal to the number in the “all schools” column.

Add or change rows as needed

Number of All schools Offered to all Offered to Not offered
schools students some students

Remote or 3976 174 3802 0

online only

School 3976 2655 0 1321
buildings open

with both

remote/online
and in-person
instruction
(hybrid)
School 3976 1147 0 2829
buildings open
with full-time

in-person
instruction
To the extent data are available, please complete the above table for 1) all schools in the State,
and 2) separately for each instructional level (e.g., pre-kindergarten/elementary schools, middle
schools, high schools).

Table 2

In the most recent time period available, what was the enrollment and mode of instruction for the

schools in your State?

Add or change rows as needed

54
Number of
students

Total
enrollment

Remote or
online only

Both
remote/online
and in-person
instruction
(hybrid)

Full-time in-
person
instruction

Students from
low-income
families

900,621

417,760

258,269

137,347

White, not
Hispanic

874,862

119,268

313,045

255,127

Black or
African
American, not
Hispanic

310,214

167,556

81,775

31,996

Hispanic, of
any race

508,058

278,568

135,576

43,107

Asian, not
Hispanic

102,611

36,875

22,987

9,547

American
Indian or
Alaskan
Native, not
Hispanic

4,665

2,030

1,521

646

Native
Hawaiian or
Pacific
Islander, not
Hispanic

1,940

779

535

293

Two or more
races, not
Hispanic

73,572

18,196

26,547

15,928

Race/Ethnicity
information not
available

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

English
learners

244,139

128,467

66,689

23,833

Children with
disabilities

So2,a12

108,111

105,000

65,506

Students
experiencing
homelessness

33,439

14,301

8,707

6,159

Children and
youth in foster
care

11,732

3,063

3,874

3,232

Migratory
students

304

63

141

70

55
Appendix B: Reporting Language Included in the Grant Award Notification (“GAN”)

As described in the Grant Award Notification (“GAN”), the SEA will comply with, and ensure
that its LEAs comply with, all reporting requirements at such time and in such manner and
containing such information as the Secretary may reasonably require, including on matters such
as:

e How the State is developing strategies and implementing public health protocols
including, to the greatest extent practicable, policies and plans in line with the CDC
guidance related to mitigating COVID-19 in schools;

e Overall plans and policies related to State support for return to in-person instruction and
maximizing in-person instruction time, including how funds will support a return to and
maximize in-person instruction time, and advance equity and inclusivity in participation
in in-person instruction;

e Data on each school’s mode of instruction (fully in-person, hybrid, and fully remote) and
conditions;

e SEA and LEA uses of funds to meet students’ social, emotional, and academic needs,
including through summer enrichment programming and other evidence-based
interventions, and how they advance equity for underserved students;

e SEA and LEA uses of funds to sustain and support access to early childhood education
programs;

e Impacts and outcomes (disaggregated by student subgroup) through use of ARP ESSER
funding (e.g., quantitative and qualitative results of ARP ESSER funding, including on
personnel, student learning, and budgeting at the school and district level);

e Student data (disaggregated by student subgroup) related to how the COVID-19
pandemic has affected instruction and learning;

e Requirements under the Federal Financial Accountability Transparency Act (“FFATA”);
and

e Additional reporting requirements as may be necessary to ensure accountability and
transparency of ARP ESSER funds.

56
Appendix C: Assurances

By signing this document, the SEA assures all of the following:

The SEA will conduct all its operations so that no person shall be excluded from
participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under the ARP
ESSER program or activity based on race, color, national origin, which includes a
person’s limited English proficiency or English learner status and a person’s actual or
perceived shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics; sex; age; or disability. These non-
discrimination obligations arise under Federal civil rights laws, including but not limited
to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of
1972, section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Age Discrimination Act of
1975. In addition, the SEA must comply with all regulations, guidelines, and standards
issued by the Department under any of these statutes;
The SEA will comply with all ARP Act and other ARP ESSER requirements and all
requirements of its Grant Award Notification, including but not limited to:
o Complying with the maintenance of effort provision in section 2004(a)(1) of the
ARP Act, absent a waiver by the Secretary pursuant to section 2004(a)(2) of the
ARP Act; and
o Complying with the maintenance of equity provisions in section 2004(b) of the

ARP Act, and ensuring its LEAs comply with the maintenance of equity provision

in section 2004(c) of the ARP Act (please note that the Department will provide

additional guidance on maintenance of equity shortly);
The SEA will allocate ARP ESSER funds to LEAs in an expedited and timely manner
and, to the extent practicable, not later than 60 days after the SEA receives ARP ESSER
funds (i.e., 60 days from the date the SEA receives each portion of its ARP ESSER
funds). An SEA that is not able to allocate such funds within 60 days because it is not
practicable (e.g., because of pre-existing State board approval requirements) will provide
an explanation to the Department within 30 days of receiving each portion of its ARP
ESSER funds (submitted via email to your Program Officer at [State] OESE@ed.gov
(e.g., Alabama.OESE@ed.gov)), including a description of specific actions the SEA is
taking to provide ARP ESSER funds to LEAs in an expedited and timely manner and the
SEA’s expected timeline for doing so;
The SEA will implement evidence-based interventions as required under section 2001(f)
of the ARP Act and ensure its LEAs implement evidence-based interventions, as required
by section 2001(e)(1) of the ARP Act;
The SEA will address the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on
underserved students (i.e., students from low-income families, students from racial or
ethnic groups (e.g., identifying disparities and focusing on underserved student groups by
race or ethnicity), gender (e.g., identifying disparities and focusing on underserved
student groups by gender), English learners, children with disabilities, students
experiencing homelessness, children and youth in foster care, and migratory students), as
required under section 2001(f) of the ARP Act, and ensure its LEAs address the
disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on underserved students (i.¢.,
students from low-income families, students from racial or ethnic groups, gender, English
learners, children with disabilities, students experiencing homelessness, children and

37
youth in foster care, and migratory students), as required by section 2001(e)(1) of the
ARP Act; and

The SEA will provide to the Department: (1) the URL(s) where the public can readily
find data on school operating status and (2) the URL(s) for the SEA and/or LEA websites
where the public can find the LEA plans for a) the safe return to in-person instruction and
continuity of services required under section 2001(1) of the ARP Act, and b) use of ARP
ESSER funds. SEAs should consider ensuring a standardized URL format in all cases
(e.g., xxx.gov/COVIDplan).

38
Appendix D
OMB Control No. 1894-0005 (Exp. 06/30/2023)
NOTICE TO ALL APPLICANTS

The purpose of this enclosure is to inform you about a new provision in the Department of
Educations General Education Provisions Act ("GEPA") that applies to applicants for new grant
awards under Department programs. This provision is Section 427 of GEPA, enacted as part of
the Improving America's Schools Act of 1994 (Public Law (P.L.) 103-382).

To Whom Does This Provision Apply?

Section 427 of GEPA affects applicants for new grant awards under this program. ALL
APPLICANTS FOR NEW AWARDS MUST INCLUDE INFORMATION IN THEIR
APPLICATIONS TO ADDRESS THIS NEW PROVISION IN ORDER TO RECEIVE
FUNDING UNDER THIS PROGRAM.

(If this program is a State-formula grant program, a State needs to provide this description only
for projects or activities that it carries out with funds reserved for State-level uses. In addition,
local school districts or other eligible applicants that apply to the State for funding need to provide
this description in their applications to the State for funding. The State would be responsible for
ensuring that the school district or other local entity has submitted a sufficient section 427
statement as described below.)

What Does This Provision Require?

Section 427 requires each applicant for funds (other than an individual person) to include in its
application a description of the steps the applicant proposes to take to ensure equitable access to,
and participation in, its Federally-assisted program for students, teachers, and other program
beneficiaries with special needs. This provision allows applicants discretion in developing the
required description. The statute highlights six types of barriers that can impede equitable access
or participation: gender, race, national origin, color, disability, or age. Based on local
circumstances, you should determine whether these or other barriers may prevent your students,
teachers, etc. from such access to, or participation in, the Federally-funded project or activity. The
description in your application of steps to be taken to overcome these barriers need not be lengthy;
you may provide a clear and succinct description of how you plan to address those barriers that
are applicable to your circumstances. In addition, the information may be provided in a single
narrative, or, if appropriate, may be discussed in connection with related topics in the application.

Section 427 is not intended to duplicate the requirements of civil rights statutes, but rather to ensure
that, in designing their projects, applicants for Federal funds address equity concerns that may
affect the ability of certain potential beneficiaries to fully participate in the project and to achieve
high standards. Consistent with program requirements and its approved application, an applicant
may use the Federal funds awarded to it to eliminate barriers it identifies.

59
What are Examples of How an Applicant Might Satisfy the Requirement of This
Provision?

The following examples may help illustrate how an applicant may comply with Section 427.

(1) An applicant that proposes to carry out an adult literacy project serving, among others,
adults with limited English proficiency, might describe in its application how it intends to
distribute a brochure about the proposed project to such potential participants in their native
language.

(2) An applicant that proposes to develop instructional materials for classroom use might
describe how it will make the materials available on audio tape or in braille for students who
are blind.

(3) An applicant that proposes to carry out a model science program for secondary students
and is concerned that girls may be less likely than boys to enroll in the course, might indicate
how it intends to conduct "outreach" efforts to girls, to encourage their enrollment.

(4) An applicant that proposes a project to increase school safety might describe the special
efforts it will take to address concerns of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students, and
efforts to reach out to and involve the families of LGBT students.

We recognize that many applicants may already be implementing effective steps to ensure equity
of access and participation in their grant programs, and we appreciate your cooperation in
responding to the requirements of this provision.

In accordance with Section 427 of the Department of Education’s General Provision Act
(GEPA), the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) ensures equal access and participation to
all persons. For state-level activities as well as all other activities supported by federal assistance
under this application, ISBE will fully enforce all federal and state laws and regulations designed
to ensure equitable access to all program beneficiaries and to overcome barriers to equitable
participation. ISBE will take all steps necessary, whether by required notices, complaint
procedures, appointment of liaisons, outreach activities, pursuit of conforming state legislation,
or otherwise, to achieve these goals.

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) provides leadership, resources, assistance, and
oversight in partnership with local education agencies to support student achievement and
success. As such, students, teachers, and others with special needs in local education agencies
do not face barriers in accessing or participating in federally funded programs and activities
based on their gender, race, national origin, color, disability, or age. All potential beneficiaries
will be provided equitable access to participate in grant-funded activities and services.

In the event a barrier is identified, the ISBE is prepared to take action to remove such barriers
and ensure equitable access for all beneficiaries with special needs.

60
Illinois serves an increasingly diverse student population. Students who are Black, Hispanic,
Asian, American Indian or Alaskan Native, Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, or Two or More
Races comprised 52.4 % of the student enrollment in 2018-19. The state has identified schools
in which students are succeeding in spite of high poverty and other risk factors.

Over 120 languages are represented in Illinois by more than 200,000 students. Illinois provides
bilingual services for these students according to state law. Documents are translated, at the state
or local level; into other languages as needed (e.g., the parental notification for families of
children receiving services as Limited English Proficient Learners).

The ISBE is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and does not discriminate on the
basis of gender, race, national origin, color, disability, or age.

Estimated Burden Statement for GEPA Requirements

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a
collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. Public
reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 3 hours per
response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources,
gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of
information. The obligation to respond to this collection is required to obtain or retain
benefit (Public Law 103-382). Send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other
aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the
U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20210-4537 or
email I[CDocketMgr@ed.gov and reference the OMB Control Number 1894-0005.

61

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