Rep. JoAnn D. Osmond

Filed: 3/26/2009

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 2911

2     AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 2911 by replacing
3 everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4     "Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section
5 21-1a as follows:
 
6     (105 ILCS 5/21-1a)  (from Ch. 122, par. 21-1a)
7     Sec. 21-1a. Tests required for certification and teacher
8 preparation.
9     (a) After July 1, 1988, in addition to all other
10 requirements, early childhood, elementary, special, high
11 school, school service personnel, or, except as provided in
12 Section 34-6, administrative certificates shall be issued to
13 persons who have satisfactorily passed a test of basic skills
14 and subject matter knowledge. A person who holds a valid and
15 comparable out-of-state certificate, however, is not required
16 to take a test of basic skills and is not required to take a

 

 

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1 test of subject matter knowledge, provided that the person has
2 successfully passed a test of subject matter knowledge in
3 another state or territory of the United States that is
4 directly related in content to the specific subject area of
5 certification. The tests of basic skills and subject matter
6 knowledge shall be the tests which from time to time are
7 designated by the State Board of Education in consultation with
8 the State Teacher Certification Board and may be tests prepared
9 by an educational testing organization or tests designed by the
10 State Board of Education in consultation with the State Teacher
11 Certification Board. The areas to be covered by the test of
12 basic skills shall include the basic skills of reading,
13 writing, grammar and mathematics. The test of subject matter
14 knowledge shall assess content knowledge in the specific
15 subject field. The tests shall be designed to be racially
16 neutral to assure that no person in taking the tests is thereby
17 discriminated against on the basis of race, color, national
18 origin or other factors unrelated to the person's ability to
19 perform as a certificated employee. The score required to pass
20 the tests of basic skills and subject matter knowledge shall be
21 fixed by the State Board of Education in consultation with the
22 State Teacher Certification Board. The tests shall be held not
23 fewer than 3 times a year at such time and place as may be
24 designated by the State Board of Education in consultation with
25 the State Teacher Certification Board.
26     (b) Except as provided in Section 34-6, the provisions of

 

 

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1 subsection (a) of this Section shall apply equally in any
2 school district subject to Article 34, provided that the State
3 Board of Education shall determine which certificates issued
4 under Sections 34-8.1 and 34-83 prior to July 1, 1988 are
5 comparable to any early childhood certificate, elementary
6 school certificate, special certificate, high school
7 certificate, school service personnel certificate or
8 administrative certificate issued under this Article as of July
9 1, 1988.
10     (c) A person who holds an early childhood, elementary,
11 special, high school or school service personnel certificate
12 issued under this Article on or at any time before July 1,
13 1988, including a person who has been issued any such
14 certificate pursuant to Section 21-11.1 or in exchange for a
15 comparable certificate theretofore issued under Section 34-8.1
16 or Section 34-83, shall not be required to take or pass the
17 tests in order to thereafter have such certificate renewed.
18     (d) The State Board of Education in consultation with the
19 State Teacher Certification Board shall conduct a pilot
20 administration of the tests by administering the test to
21 students completing teacher education programs in the 1986-87
22 school year for the purpose of determining the effect and
23 impact of testing candidates for certification.
24     Beginning with the 2002-2003 academic year, a student may
25 not enroll in a teacher preparation program at a recognized
26 teacher training institution until he or she has passed the

 

 

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1 basic skills test. In addition, a student may not enroll in a
2 teacher preparation program at a recognized teacher training
3 institution until he or she has shown proof of having undergone
4 psychological testing within the last 6 months by a
5 psychologist licensed in this State.
6     Beginning on the effective date of this amendatory Act of
7 the 94th General Assembly, prior to completing an approved
8 teacher preparation program, a preservice education candidate
9 must satisfactorily pass the test of subject matter knowledge
10 in the discipline in which he or she will be certified to
11 teach. The teacher preparation program may require passage of
12 the test of subject matter knowledge at any time during the
13 program, including prior to student teaching.
14     (e) The rules and regulations developed to implement the
15 required test of basic skills and subject matter knowledge
16 shall include the requirements of subsections (a), (b), and (c)
17 and shall include specific regulations to govern test
18 selection; test validation and determination of a passing
19 score; administration of the tests; frequency of
20 administration; applicant fees; frequency of applicants'
21 taking the tests; the years for which a score is valid; and,
22 waiving certain additional tests for additional certificates
23 to individuals who have satisfactorily passed the test of basic
24 skills and subject matter knowledge as required in subsection
25 (a). The State Board of Education shall provide, by rule,
26 specific policies that assure uniformity in the difficulty

 

 

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1 level of each form of the basic skills test and each subject
2 matter knowledge test from test-to-test and year-to-year. The
3 State Board of Education shall also set a passing score for the
4 tests.
5     (f) The State Teacher Certification Board may issue a
6 nonrenewable temporary certificate between July 1, 1988 and
7 August 31, 1988 to individuals who have taken the tests of
8 basic skills and subject matter knowledge prescribed by this
9 Section but have not received such test scores by August 31,
10 1988. Such temporary certificates shall expire on December 31,
11 1988.
12     (g) Beginning February 15, 2000, the State Board of
13 Education, in consultation with the State Teacher
14 Certification Board, shall implement and administer a new
15 system of certification for teachers in the State of Illinois.
16 The State Board of Education, in consultation with the State
17 Teacher Certification Board, shall design and implement a
18 system of examinations and various other criteria which shall
19 be required prior to the issuance of Initial Teaching
20 Certificates and Standard Teaching Certificates. These
21 examinations and indicators shall be based on national and
22 State professional teaching standards, as determined by the
23 State Board of Education, in consultation with the State
24 Teacher Certification Board. The State Board of Education may
25 adopt any and all regulations necessary to implement and
26 administer this Section.

 

 

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1     (h) The State Board of Education shall report to the
2 Illinois General Assembly and the Governor with
3 recommendations for further changes and improvements to the
4 teacher certification system no later than July 1, 1999 and on
5 an annual basis until July 1, 2001.
6 (Source: P.A. 93-679, eff. 6-30-04; 94-208, eff. 7-14-05.)
 
7     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
8 becoming law.".