Section 25.444  Illinois Teaching Excellence Program

The annual payments and incentives established under Section 21-27 of the School Code [105 ILCS 5/21-27] shall be subject to the requirements of this Section and shall be contingent upon the appropriation of sufficient funds (see subsection (a) of this Section).  For purposes of this Section, "State Superintendent of Education" means the State Superintendent or a designee, and an "eligible individual" is one who holds the certificate or certificates specified in the portion of Section 21-27 of the School Code that applies to the payment sought.  When permitted or required by the State Superintendent, documentation called for in this Section may be submitted via electronic means.

a)         When the funding available in any fiscal year is inadequate to cover all the payments described in this Section, payments shall be prioritized as specified in this subsection (a).  No funds shall be allotted for use under any subsection of this Section until all higher-priority expenditures have been covered.  Therefore, although a "qualifying individual" is someone who meets the requirements for a particular payment, not all qualifying individuals in any given year will be assured of receiving the applicable payments.

1)         As a first priority, funds shall be allotted for the annual stipends described in subsection (b) of this Section.

2)         As a second priority, funds shall be allotted for the incentive payments for the first 30 hours of service described in Section 21-27(a)(3) of the School Code.

3)         As a third priority, funds shall be allotted for the incentive payments for the first 30 hours of service described in Section 21-27(a)(2) of the School Code.

4)         As a fourth priority, funds shall be allotted for the incentive payments for the additional 30 hours of service described in Section 21-27(a)(3) of the School Code.

5)         As a fifth priority, funds shall be allotted for the incentive payments for the additional 30 hours of service described in Section 21-27(a)(2) of the School Code.

6)         If funds remain after accounting for all the payments described in subsections (a)(1) through (5) of this Section, funds shall be allotted for the expenditures described in subsections (g) through (j) of this Section, in accordance with the order of priority established in Section 21-27(a)(4) of the School Code.  The State Superintendent shall use funds appropriated for a given fiscal year to reimburse only individuals whose fees were paid during that fiscal year, as reflected in the electronic database maintained for this purpose on behalf of the State Board of Education.

7)         If funds are available for use under a particular subsection of this Section but are insufficient to cover all the payments that would be due under that subsection, the State Superintendent shall pro-rate the amount available among all those who qualify, except as further specified in subsection (i) of this Section.

8)         In order to facilitate the use of funds for payments in priority order for each fiscal year, the State Superintendent may establish deadlines for the submission of forms and other documentation required under this Section.  An individual who fails to comply with any relevant deadline may forfeit his or her claim to the affected payment.

b)         An eligible individual shall qualify for an annual payment as called for in Section 21-27(a)(1) of the School Code for each school year during which:

1)         he or she is employed by a school district or other public entity providing early childhood, elementary, or secondary education, including special education, as the individual originally assigned to a full-year, full-time position whose functions:

A)        are specifically authorized by a teaching certificate and include the provision of instruction to students; or

B)        are specifically authorized by a school service personnel certificate endorsed for school counseling and include the provision of counseling services to students; and

2)         he or she was certified by NBPTS prior to October 1 and, as of October 1, was employed as specified in subsection (b)(1) of this Section, or was certified by NBPTS on or after October 1 and, as of January 1, was employed as specified in subsection (b)(1) of this Section, as verified by the employer using a format specified by the State Superintendent of Education, which shall be submitted by the individual as documentation of eligibility for the payment.

c)         An eligible individual shall qualify for one or more incentive payments under Section 21-27(a)(2) or (a)(3) of the School Code for each year during which:

1)         he or she is either:

A)        employed by a school district or other public entity providing early childhood, elementary, or secondary education, including special education, in a position that meets the requirements of subsection (b)(1) of this Section, as verified by the employer using a format specified by the State Superintendent of Education; or

B)        retired (i.e., drawing an annuity from either the Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois pursuant to Article 16 of the Illinois Pension Code [40 ILCS 5/Art. 16] or the Public School Teachers' Pension and Retirement Fund − Cities Over 500,000 Inhabitants pursuant to Article 17 of the Illinois Pension Code [40 ILCS 5/Art. 17]); and

2)         he or she agrees in writing, using a format prescribed by the State Superintendent of Education, to provide at least 30 hours of mentoring to classroom teachers that conforms to the requirements of Section 21-27(a)(2) or (a)(3) of the School Code and consists of:

A)        high-quality professional development for new and experienced teachers or school counselors, as applicable; and/or

B)        assistance to candidates for certification by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in completing that certification process.  (Section 21-27(a)(2) of the School Code; Section 21-27(a)(3) of the School Code)

d)         Requirements for Professional Development and Assistance to NBPTS Candidates

1)         As verification that he or she qualifies for the applicable incentive payment, an eligible individual who provides professional development to new or experienced teachers or school counselors under subsection (c) of this Section shall submit to the State Superintendent of Education a written log of the assistance provided, using a format specified by the State Superintendent, demonstrating that he or she addressed one or more of the standards set forth in 23 Ill. Adm. Code 24 (Standards for All Illinois Teachers) as relevant to the classroom-based needs of the recipient teachers, or one or more of the standards set forth in 23 Ill. Adm. Code 23.110 (Standards for the School Counselor), as applicable.  Each recipient of professional development shall be identified by name, shall be working in an Illinois public educational setting, and shall sign the log as verification of the dates and hours of service indicated.

2)         As verification that he or she qualifies for the applicable incentive payment, an eligible individual who assists other Illinois educators in preparing for certification by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards under subsection (c) of this Section shall submit to the State Superintendent of Education a written log of the assistance provided, using a format specified by the State Superintendent.  This record shall identify the activities performed and verify that these activities addressed specific requirements candidates must meet for NBPTS certification.

e)         Requirements for Mentoring

1)         Mentoring provided in accordance with subsection (c) of this Section shall be conducted either:

A)        as part of and in conformance with a mentoring program formally established by a school district; or

B)        under the terms of a written agreement among the mentor, the building administrator, mentor coordinator, or other responsible official of the school district employing one or more recipients, and those recipients, that describes the goals of the mentoring, the duration of the mentor's involvement, and the amount of time expected to be devoted to each recipient.

2)         Mentoring may be provided to recipients either individually or in groups, provided that the mentor must address one or more of the areas of practice enumerated in subsection (d)(1) of this Section as relevant to the needs of each recipient.

3)         An individual who provides mentoring under this Section shall notify his or her employing district (if different from that of the recipients) to this effect and, as verification that he or she qualifies for the applicable incentive payment, shall submit to the State Superintendent of Education a written log that:

A)        meets the requirements of subsection (d)(1) of this Section; and

B)        discusses how the mentoring was related to the academic needs of the recipient teachers' students or the needs of the students served by the recipient counselors, as applicable.

f)          Certified teachers shall receive incentive payments only for providing mentoring and professional development to other teachers, and certified school counselors shall receive incentive payments only for providing mentoring and professional development to other school counselors.  In any given school year, and in addition to the annual payment discussed in Section 21-27(a)(1) of the School Code, a particular individual may qualify for any combination of the payments discussed in Section 21-27(a)(2) and (a)(3) of the School Code, provided that the logs submitted by the individual demonstrate that no portion of the individual's service to other teachers or school counselors is counted toward more than one incentive payment.

g)         First-Time Application Fees

If sufficient funds are available for all the qualifying individuals who have submitted timely requests, the State Superintendent shall reimburse each individual in the amount of $2,000 or the actual amount of the application fee, whichever is less.

h)         Take One! Subsidy

NBPTS permits an individual to submit one portfolio entry for review and scoring before making the decision to become a candidate for National Board certification.  For purposes of reimbursement under this subsection (h), the schools deemed to be a priority by the State Board of Education (Section 21-27(a)(4)(B) of the School Code) shall be those in academic watch status, and teachers shall be considered members of cohorts whenever at least three from the same school sign up for Take One!  If sufficient funds are available for all the qualifying individuals who have submitted timely requests, the State Superintendent shall reimburse each individual in the amount of $395 or the actual amount of the Take One! fee, whichever is less.

i)          Retake Subsidy

NBPTS permits a candidate to submit portfolio entries and assessment exercises as "retakes" if the required fee for each has been paid by the January 31 that follows the release of original scores in November.  If sufficient funds are available for all qualifying individuals who have submitted timely requests, the State Superintendent shall reimburse each individual for the fees paid for as many as three portfolio entries or assessment exercises, in any combination.  However, all qualifying individuals shall receive reimbursement for one retake before any individual receives reimbursement for a second retake, and all qualifying individuals shall receive reimbursement for two retakes, as applicable, before any individual receives reimbursement for a third retake.

j)          Renewal Subsidy

NBPTS establishes a schedule for certificate renewal and for payment of the required fee.  If sufficient funds are available for all qualifying individuals who have submitted timely requests, the State Superintendent shall reimburse each individual in the amount of $850 or the actual amount of the NBPTS renewal fee, whichever is less.

k)         In the event that funds remain available for any fiscal year after accounting for all payments described in subsections (a) through (j) of this Section and for necessary expenditures related to the electronic system identified in Section 21-27(c) of the School Code, those remaining funds shall be devoted to one or more initiatives under Section 21-27(d) of the School Code, as the State Superintendent may deem appropriate in light of the amount available and the needs of Illinois public schools.

1)         "Candidate support" shall include efforts designed to support candidates in completing NBPTS' certification process, such as mentoring and observation.

2)         "Candidate recruitment" shall include efforts designed to increase the pool of candidates for certification by NBPTS, particularly in areas of shortage identified by the State Board of Education.

(Source:  Amended at 34 Ill. Reg. 1582, effective January 12, 2010)