[ Search ] [ PDF text ] [ Legislation ]
[ Home ] [ Back ] [ Bottom ]
92_SB0972
LRB9203658NTsb
1 AN ACT with regard to education.
2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
4 Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Article
5 24B as follows:
6 (105 ILCS 5/Art. 24B heading new)
7 ARTICLE 24B. NEW ADMINISTRATOR SUPPORT PROGRAM
8 (105 ILCS 5/24B-5 new)
9 Sec. 24B-5. Legislative findings, declarations, and
10 intent.
11 (a) The General Assembly finds and declares the
12 following:
13 (1) The beginning years of a school administrator's
14 career is a critical time in which it is necessary that
15 intensive professional development, mentoring, and
16 assistance occur.
17 (2) It is critical for the State's reforms related
18 to pupil achievement and school accountability to succeed
19 in public elementary and secondary schools. For this
20 success to be realized, school administrators must be
21 well-trained and fully prepared to provide leadership in
22 curriculum, instruction, school assessment, school
23 accountability, and the management of teaching programs,
24 resources, and communications with parents and
25 communities. It is also vital that administrators be
26 prepared to meet the challenges of improving
27 low-performing schools by improving the quality of
28 learning and teaching by pupils and teachers.
29 (3) Just as beginning teachers need intensive
30 professional induction, the same type of support must be
-2- LRB9203658NTsb
1 provided to new school administrators in order to build
2 on the preparation that precedes initial administrative
3 certification and to transform academic preparation into
4 practical success managing the school, working with
5 teachers in the classroom, and providing a high quality
6 academic program to all pupils.
7 (4) In order for this State's low-performing
8 schools to improve, it is critical that each
9 low-performing school be managed by a qualified school
10 administrator. The provision of support and assistance
11 by an experienced mentor is especially important for new
12 administrators.
13 (b) It is the intent of the General Assembly that all of
14 the following occur:
15 (1) A new administrator receive support and
16 assistance from an experienced school administrator as an
17 essential component of an intensive induction program for
18 new administrators.
19 (2) A funding program should be established to
20 provide support and induction for new administrators in
21 the form of mentoring by experienced administrators.
22 (3) The State Superintendent of Education shall
23 administer funding for the support of new administrators
24 in local programs pursuant to this Article.
25 (105 ILCS 5/24B-10 new)
26 Sec. 24B-10. Definitions. In this Article:
27 "Low-performing school" means a school on the academic
28 watch list, as provided in Section 2-3.25d of this Code.
29 "New administrator" means a person who holds an
30 administrative certificate and is in his or her first or
31 second year as a practicing school administrator.
32 (105 ILCS 5/24B-15 new)
-3- LRB9203658NTsb
1 Sec. 24B-15. New Administrator Support Program.
2 (a) Subject to an appropriation made for purposes of
3 this Section, there is established the New Administrator
4 Support Program, to be administered by the State
5 Superintendent of Education, consistent with policy direction
6 from the State Board of Education. In administering the
7 Program, the State Superintendent of Education shall fund the
8 most cost-effective local programs of support for new
9 administrators in an amount per administrator as specified in
10 this Article.
11 (b) The New Administrator Support Program shall do all
12 of the following:
13 (1) Provide an effective transition into school
14 administrative careers for new administrators in this
15 State by providing one-on-one support and mentoring by
16 experienced administrators.
17 (2) Assist new administrators in curricular and
18 instructional leadership, time management techniques,
19 positive interactions with all school and district staff
20 and parents, pupil discipline, and due process rights for
21 all pupils and staff.
22 (3) Improve the abilities of new administrators to
23 assess the performance of teachers. New administrators
24 shall be prepared to do all of the following:
25 (A) Assess the ability of teachers to prepare
26 their pupils to meet the academic standards
27 established by the State Board of Education under
28 Section 2-3.64 of this Code.
29 (B) Assess adopted textbooks and materials to
30 determine whether they meet State content and
31 performance standards.
32 (4) Provide a foundation for the proper
33 implementation and examination of all pupil assessments
34 by ensuring that each new administrator is made aware of
-4- LRB9203658NTsb
1 the academic standards established by the State Board of
2 Education under Section 2-3.64 of this Code.
3 (5) Ensure that a support provider or coach
4 provides intensive individualized support and assistance
5 to each participating new administrator.
6 (6) Examine alternative ways in which the general
7 public and the education profession may be assured that
8 new administrators have attained acceptable levels of
9 professional competence.
10 (7) Ensure that an individual induction plan is in
11 place for each participating new administrator that is
12 based on each administrator's professional development
13 needs. Common learning activities, as needed, may be
14 included in the induction plans for all participating new
15 administrators.
16 (8) Ensure continuous program improvement through
17 ongoing research, development, and evaluation.
18 (c) Participation in the New Administrator Support
19 Program is voluntary for administrators, school districts,
20 and regional offices of education. Participation by
21 administrative employees may not be made a condition of
22 employment.
23 (d) The highest priority for funding under this Article
24 shall be given to school districts that have the highest
25 percentage of new administrators assigned to and practicing
26 in low-performing or hard-to-staff schools. Support
27 providers must be practicing, retired, or former school
28 administrators. Administrative certificate holders employed
29 primarily at the school district office may not participate
30 in the program as new administrators.
31 (e) The State Superintendent of Education shall develop,
32 and the State Board of Education shall approve, a performance
33 assessment designed to provide useful, helpful feedback to
34 new administrators and their support providers. That
-5- LRB9203658NTsb
1 information may not be used for employment-related
2 evaluations, as a condition of employment, or as a basis for
3 terminating employment.
4 (105 ILCS 5/24B-20 new)
5 Sec. 24B-20. Administration of Program.
6 (a) The State Superintendent of Education shall
7 administer the New Administrator Support Program pursuant to
8 this Article and shall provide for or contract for all of the
9 following:
10 (1) Conducting and tracking research related to new
11 administrator support and assessment, especially its
12 impact on improving pupil performance.
13 (2) Evaluating the effectiveness of the New
14 Administrator Support Program 2 years following full
15 implementation and reporting the findings to the General
16 Assembly. An interim report shall be provided to the
17 General Assembly not later than January 1, 2005.
18 (b) As part of the New Administrator Support Program,
19 the State Superintendent of Education shall adopt and
20 implement criteria for participation in the Program,
21 including criteria regarding the eligibility of
22 administrators and criteria for local new administrator
23 support program quality and intensity for school districts,
24 consortiums of school districts, regional offices of
25 education, and other educational and professional
26 organizations. The criteria shall be consistent with the
27 purposes of the New Administrator Support Program. The State
28 Superintendent of Education shall also establish requirements
29 for local new administrator support programs.
30 (c) The State Superintendent of Education shall develop
31 and adopt local new administrator support program funding
32 requirements.
-6- LRB9203658NTsb
1 (105 ILCS 5/24B-25 new)
2 Sec. 24B-25. Program of beginning administration support
3 and assistance. A school district, consortium of school
4 districts, or regional office of education, alone or in a
5 consortium that may include a professional leadership
6 academy, may seek approval from the State Board of Education
7 to develop and implement a program of beginning
8 administration support and assistance designed to offer an
9 intensive induction program of mentoring support and
10 assistance for new administrators.
11 (105 ILCS 5/24B-30 new)
12 Sec. 24B-30. Funding of local programs.
13 (a) A school district, consortium of school districts,
14 or regional office of education may apply to the State
15 Superintendent of Education for funding to establish a local
16 new administrator support program pursuant to this Article.
17 (b) The State Superintendent of Education shall award
18 grants based on a determination pursuant to Section 24B-20 of
19 this Code of an applicant's ability to provide an adequate
20 level of support to new administrators. School districts and
21 regional offices of education participating in the New
22 Administrator Support Program may contract with academies
23 offered by professional associations, institutions of higher
24 education, and other professional development providers to
25 develop programs and services pursuant to Section 24B-25 of
26 this Code.
27 (c) From amounts appropriated for the purposes of this
28 Section, the State Superintendent of Education shall allocate
29 up to $3,000 for each new administrator participating in the
30 New Administrator Support Program. Commencing with the 2004
31 fiscal year and each fiscal year thereafter, that amount
32 shall be adjusted by an inflation factor.
33 (d) To be eligible to receive funding, a school
-7- LRB9203658NTsb
1 district, consortium of school districts, or regional office
2 of education shall, at a minimum, meet all of the following
3 requirements:
4 (1) Develop, implement, and evaluate a local new
5 administrator support program that meets the local new
6 administrator support program funding requirements
7 adopted by the State Superintendent of Education.
8 (2) Meet criteria established by the State
9 Superintendent of Education for the cost-effective
10 delivery of the local new administrator support program.
11 (3) From private, federal, local, or State
12 resources, contribute not less than $2,000 for the costs
13 of each new administrator served in the local new
14 administrator support program.