Section 1.737  Minimum Requirements for the Assignment of Teachers in Grades 9 through 12 Beginning July 1, 2004

a)         Beginning July 1, 2004, no teacher may be assigned to teach a particular subject in any of grades 9 through 12 unless he or she holds a certificate that is valid for the grade level or levels to be taught and:

1)         holds the applicable endorsement for the subject area (and, in the case of the provisional vocational certificate, has also completed the work experience required pursuant to subsection (c) of this Section); or

2)         met the requirements of Section 1.730, 1.735, or 1.736 of this Part, or their predecessor requirements, at a time when they were applicable to that assignment, as confirmed by the employing district's verification of the individual's qualifications; or

3)         meets the minimum requirements for that assignment identified in subsection (b) of this Section and has not exhausted the three-year period of eligibility available pursuant to 23 Ill. Adm. Code 25.100(l); or

4)         meets the requirements of Section 1.745 of this Part, if applicable; or

5)         is assigned pursuant to authorization received under 23 Ill. Adm. Code 25.464 (Short-Term Authorization for Positions Otherwise Unfilled).

b)         Beginning July 1, 2004, the provisions of this Section shall replace those of Sections 1.730, 1.735, and 1.736 of this Part as one basis upon which school districts and other entities subject to this Part may assign individuals to teach specific subjects.  The qualifications identified in this subsection (b) are not the same as those for the respective endorsements, nor are they intended to match the requirements for identification as a "highly qualified" teacher in any particular subject area.  Each individual who is first assigned to a subject area based upon the qualifications delineated in this subsection (b) shall be subject to the requirement for acquiring an endorsement in the respective field within three years after the date of assignment, in accordance with 23 Ill. Adm. Code 25.100(l).  For purposes of the applicability of this requirement, an individual shall be considered "first assigned" to any field in which he or she has not taught in Illinois prior to July 1, 2004.

1)         For agricultural education; visual or drama/theatre arts; business, marketing, and computer education; dance; English language arts; health education; health careers; family and consumer sciences; technology education; mathematics; music; physical education; reading; biology; chemistry; earth and space science; environmental science; physics; economics; geography; history; political science; psychology; sociology and anthropology; and for library information specialists:  24 semester hours in the field.

2)         For foreign language:  20 semester hours in the language (unless 23 Ill. Adm. Code 25.85 or 25.86 applies).

3)         For safety and driver education:  The 16 semester hours in the field that are specified in Section 1.730(q) of this Part shall continue to apply through January 31, 2012.  Each individual first assigned to teach safety and driver education on or after February 1, 2012 shall be required to hold a certificate valid for the secondary grades and an endorsement received pursuant to 23 Ill. Adm. Code 25.100(n).

c)         Additional Requirements for Career and Technical Education

1)         Assignments at the "skill-level" (grades 11 and 12) in reimbursable career and technical education generally require 2,000 hours of work experience in the area to be taught or, for more than one area, a total of 2,000 hours with no fewer than 250 hours in each area taught.  A district may, however, employ an individual who holds a secondary certificate with the appropriate career and technical education endorsement but who has not completed 2,000 hours of work experience in the occupational area to be taught, provided that the individual acquires this experience in paid employment outside the teaching profession within four years after the date of first assignment.  The employing entity shall maintain records to substantiate this experience, which may include written statements from former supervisors who can be reached for verification or, in cases where supervisors are no longer available to verify the individual's employment, affidavits by the applicant's instructors describing the work experience.

2)         A teacher who is eligible under this Section to provide skill-level instruction in a particular area shall also be eligible to serve as a coordinator of either a specific cooperative education program or interrelated cooperative education, provided that he or she has also completed six semester hours of coursework in the organization and administration of cooperative education.

3)         A teacher serving as a coordinator of cooperative education for special education students shall be required to meet the requirements for assignment as a special education teacher rather than those for assignment as a teacher of career and technical education, except that an individual serving in this capacity shall be required to have completed 2,000 hours of work experience as provided in subsection (c)(1) of this Section and six semester hours of coursework in the organization and administration of cooperative education.

(Source:  Amended at 33 Ill. Reg. 15193, effective October 20, 2009)