Section 25.65  Alternative Certification

a)         Section 21-5b of the School Code [105 ILCS 5/21-5b] provides for the issuance of provisional alternative teaching certificates and initial alternative teaching certificates to eligible candidates, as defined in that Section, who successfully complete a program consisting of:

1)         a course of study approved by the State Board of Education;

2)         one year's full-time teaching; and

3)         a comprehensive assessment of the candidate's teaching performance, culminating in a favorable recommendation by the institution of higher education responsible for the course of study.

b)         Proposals seeking to establish programs meeting the specifications of subsection (a) of this Section shall be addressed as follows:

State Board of Education

Alternative Certification Program

100 North First Street

Springfield, Illinois  62777-0001

c)         Each proposal shall indicate the maximum number of teaching candidates to be served by the proposed program in each of its sessions.

d)         Each proposal, simultaneously with State Board of Education staff's review, will be reviewed by the State Teacher Certification Board, which shall provide its recommendation to the State Board of Education so that the State Board of Education may comply with the timeline set forth in Section 21-5b of the School Code.

e)         A proposed course of study will be approved by the State Board of Education if the proposal demonstrates how candidates will acquire the knowledge of the content and the skills equivalent to the content and skills contained in the participating institution's program approved pursuant to Subpart B of this Part with regard to:

1)         educational theory;

2)         instructional methods; and

3)         practice teaching.

f)          The assessment of the candidate's teaching performance for the year referred to in this Section shall include components that are designed to demonstrate that the candidate is:

1)         knowledgeable about specific subject matter and strategies for teaching that subject matter to students with differing needs; and

2)         skilled in managing and monitoring students' learning.

(Source:  Amended at 24 Ill. Reg. 12930, effective August 14, 2000)