SB2481eng 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB2481 Engrossed LRB095 15748 NHT 41755 b

AN ACT concerning education.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Sections 21-1a and 21-10 as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/21-1a) (from Ch. 122, par. 21-1a)

Sec. 21-1a. Tests required for certification and teacher preparation.

(a) After July 1, 1988, in addition to all other requirements, early childhood, elementary, special, high school, school service personnel, or, except as provided in Section 34-6, administrative certificates shall be issued to persons who have satisfactorily passed a test of basic skills and subject matter knowledge. A person who holds a valid and comparable out-of-state certificate, however, is not required to take a test of basic skills and is not required to take a test of subject matter knowledge, provided that the person has successfully passed a test of subject matter knowledge in another state or territory of the United States that is directly related in content to the specific subject area of certification. The tests of basic skills and subject matter knowledge shall be the tests which from time to time are designated by the State Board of Education in consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board and may be tests prepared by an educational testing organization or tests designed by the State Board of Education in consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board. The areas to be covered by the test of basic skills shall include the basic skills of reading, writing, grammar and mathematics. The test of subject matter knowledge shall assess content knowledge in the specific subject field. The tests shall be designed to be racially neutral to assure that no person in taking the tests is thereby discriminated against on the basis of race, color, national origin or other factors unrelated to the person's ability to perform as a certificated employee. The score required to pass the tests of basic skills and subject matter knowledge shall be fixed by the State Board of Education in consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board. The tests shall be held not fewer than 3 times a year at such time and place as may be designated by the State Board of Education in consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board.

(b) Except as provided in Section 34-6, the provisions of subsection (a) of this Section shall apply equally in any school district subject to Article 34, provided that the State Board of Education shall determine which certificates issued under Sections 34-8.1 and 34-83 prior to July 1, 1988 are comparable to any early childhood certificate, elementary school certificate, special certificate, high school certificate, school service personnel certificate or administrative certificate issued under this Article as of July 1, 1988.

(c) A person who holds an early childhood, elementary, special, high school or school service personnel certificate issued under this Article on or at any time before July 1, 1988, including a person who has been issued any such certificate pursuant to Section 21-11.1 or in exchange for a comparable certificate theretofore issued under Section 34-8.1 or Section 34-83, shall not be required to take or pass the tests in order to thereafter have such certificate renewed.

(d) The State Board of Education in consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board shall conduct a pilot administration of the tests by administering the test to students completing teacher education programs in the 1986-87 school year for the purpose of determining the effect and impact of testing candidates for certification.

Beginning with the 2002-2003 academic year, a student may not enroll in a teacher preparation program at a recognized teacher training institution until he or she has passed the basic skills test.

Beginning on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 94th General Assembly, prior to completing an approved teacher preparation program, a preservice education candidate must satisfactorily pass the test of subject matter knowledge in the discipline in which he or she will be certified to teach. The teacher preparation program may require passage of the test of subject matter knowledge at any time during the program, including prior to student teaching.

(e) The rules and regulations developed to implement the required test of basic skills and subject matter knowledge shall include the requirements of subsections (a), (b), and (c) and shall include specific regulations to govern test selection; test validation and determination of a passing score; administration of the tests; frequency of administration; applicant fees; frequency of applicants' taking the tests; the years for which a score is valid; and, waiving certain additional tests for additional certificates to individuals who have satisfactorily passed the test of basic skills and subject matter knowledge as required in subsection (a). The State Board of Education shall provide, by rule, specific policies that assure uniformity in the difficulty level of each form of the basic skills test and each subject matter knowledge test from test-to-test and year-to-year. The State Board of Education shall also set a passing score for the tests.

(f) The State Teacher Certification Board may issue a nonrenewable temporary certificate between July 1, 1988 and August 31, 1988 to individuals who have taken the tests of basic skills and subject matter knowledge prescribed by this Section but have not received such test scores by August 31, 1988. Such temporary certificates shall expire on December 31, 1988.

(g) Beginning February 15, 2000, the State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board, shall implement and administer a new system of certification for teachers in the State of Illinois. The State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board, shall design and implement a system of examinations and various other criteria which shall be required prior to the issuance of Initial Teaching Certificates and Standard Teaching Certificates. These examinations and indicators shall be based on national and State professional teaching standards, as determined by the State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board. The State Board of Education may adopt any and all regulations necessary to implement and administer this Section.

(h) The State Board of Education shall report to the Illinois General Assembly and the Governor with recommendations for further changes and improvements to the teacher certification system no later than July 1, 1999 and on an annual basis until July 1, 2001.

(Source: P.A. 93-679, eff. 6-30-04; 94-208, eff. 7-14-05.)

(105 ILCS 5/21-10) (from Ch. 122, par. 21-10)

Sec. 21-10. Provisional certificate.

(A) Until July 1, 1972, the State Teacher Certification Board may issue a provisional certificate valid for teaching in elementary, high school or special subject fields subject to the following conditions:

A provisional certificate may be issued to a person who presents certified evidence of having earned a bachelor's degree from a recognized institution of higher learning. The academic and professional courses offered as a basis of the provisional certificate shall be courses approved by the State Board of Education in consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board.

A certificate earned under this plan may be renewed at the end of each two-year period upon evidence filed with the State Teacher Certification Board that the holder has earned 8 semester hours of credit within the period; provided the requirements for the certificate of the same type issued for the teaching position for which the teacher is employed shall be met by the end of the second renewal period. A second provisional certificate shall not be issued. The credits so earned must be approved by the State Board of Education in consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board and must meet the general pattern for a similar type of certificate issued on the basis of credit. No more than 4 semester hours shall be chosen from elective subjects.

(B) After July 1, 1972, the State Teacher Certification Board may issue a provisional certificate valid for teaching in early childhood, elementary, high school or special subject fields, or for providing service as school service personnel or for administering schools subject to the following conditions: A provisional certificate may be issued to a person who meets the requirements for a regular teaching, school service personnel or administrative certificate in another State and who presents certified evidence of having earned a bachelor's degree from a recognized institution of higher learning. The academic and professional courses offered as a basis of the provisional certificate shall be courses approved by the State Board of Education in consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board. A certificate earned under this plan is valid for a period of 2 years and shall not be renewed; however, the individual to whom this certificate is issued shall have passed or shall pass the examinations set forth by the State Board of Education within 9 months of the date of issuance of the provisional certificate. Failure to pass the tests, required in Section 21-1a, shall result in the cancellation of the provisional certificate.

(C) The State Teacher Certification Board may also issue a provisional vocational certificate and a temporary provisional vocational certificate.

(1) The requirements for a provisional vocational certificate shall be determined by the State Board of Education in consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board; provided, the following minimum requirements are met: (a) after July 1, 1972, at least 30 semester hours of credit from a recognized institution of higher learning; and (b) after July 1, 1974, at least 60 semester hours of credit from a recognized institution of higher learning.

(2) The requirements for a temporary provisional vocational certificate shall be determined by the State Board of Education in consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board; provided, the following minimum requirements are met: (a) after July 1, 1973, at least 4,000 hours of work experience in the skill to be certified for teaching; and (b) after July 1, 1975, at least 8,000 hours of work experience in the skill to be certified for teaching. Any certificate issued under the provisions of this paragraph shall expire on June 30 following the date of issue. Renewals may be granted on a yearly basis, but shall not be granted to any person who does not file with the State Teacher Certification Board a transcript showing at least 3 semester hours of credit earned during the previous year in a recognized institution of learning. No such certificate shall be issued except upon certification by the employing board, subject to the approval of the regional superintendent of schools, that no qualified teacher holding a regular certificate or a provisional vocational certificate is available and that actual circumstances and need require such issuance.

The courses or work experience offered as a basis for the issuance of the provisional vocational certificate or the temporary provisional vocational certificate shall be approved by the State Board of Education in consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board.

(D) Until July 1, 1972, the State Teacher Certification Board may also issue a provisional foreign language certificate valid for 4 years for teaching the foreign language named therein in all grades of the common schools and shall be issued to persons who have graduated from a recognized institution of higher learning with not fewer than 120 semester hours of credit and who have met other requirements as determined by the State Board of Education in consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board. If the holder of a provisional foreign language certificate is not a citizen of the United States within 6 years of the date of issuance of the original certificate, such certificate shall be suspended by the regional superintendent of schools of the region in which the holder is engaged to teach and shall not be reinstated until the holder is a citizen of the United States.

(E) Notwithstanding anything in this Act to the contrary, the State Teacher Certification Board shall issue part-time provisional certificates to eligible individuals who are professionals and craftsmen.

The requirements for a part-time provisional teachers certificate shall be determined by the State Board of Education in consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board, provided the following minimum requirements are met: 60 semester hours of credit from a recognized institution of higher learning or 4000 hours of work experience in the skill to be certified for teaching.

A part-time provisional certificate may be issued for teaching no more than 2 courses of study for grades 6 through 12.

A part-time provisional teachers certificate shall be valid for 2 years and may be renewed at the end of each 2 year period.

(Source: P.A. 90-548, eff. 1-1-98; 91-357, eff. 7-29-99.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, 2008.