Public Act 094-0105
 
SB1676 Enrolled LRB094 11209 NHT 41915 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
21-25 and 21-27 as follows:
 
    (105 ILCS 5/21-25)  (from Ch. 122, par. 21-25)
    Sec. 21-25. School service personnel certificate.
    (a) Subject to the provisions of Section 21-1a, a school
service personnel certificate shall be issued to those
applicants of good character, good health, a citizen of the
United States and at least 19 years of age who have a
Bachelor's degree with not fewer than 120 semester hours from a
regionally accredited institution of higher learning and who
meets the requirements established by the State Superintendent
of Education in consultation with the State Teacher
Certification Board. A school service personnel certificate
with a school nurse endorsement may be issued to a person who
holds a bachelor of science degree from an institution of
higher learning accredited by the North Central Association or
other comparable regional accrediting association. Persons
seeking any other endorsement on the school service personnel
certificate shall be recommended for the endorsement by a
recognized teacher education institution as having completed a
program of preparation approved by the State Superintendent of
Education in consultation with the State Teacher Certification
Board.
    (b) Until August 30, 2002, a school service personnel
certificate endorsed for school social work may be issued to a
student who has completed a school social work program that has
not been approved by the State Superintendent of Education,
provided that each of the following conditions is met:
        (1) The program was offered by a recognized, public
    teacher education institution that first enrolled students
    in its master's degree program in social work in 1998;
        (2) The student applying for the school service
    personnel certificate was enrolled in the institution's
    master's degree program in social work on or after May 11,
    1998;
        (3) The State Superintendent verifies that the student
    has completed coursework that is substantially similar to
    that required in approved school social work programs,
    including (i) not fewer than 600 clock hours of a
    supervised internship in a school setting or (ii) if the
    student has completed part of a supervised internship in a
    school setting prior to the effective date of this
    amendatory Act of the 92nd General Assembly and receives
    the prior approval of the State Superintendent, not fewer
    than 300 additional clock hours of supervised work in a
    public school setting under the supervision of a certified
    school social worker who certifies that the supervised work
    was completed in a satisfactory manner; and
        (4) The student has passed a test of basic skills and
    the test of subject matter knowledge required by Section
    21-1a.
    This subsection (b) does not apply after August 29, 2002.
    (c) A school service personnel certificate shall be
endorsed with the area of Service as determined by the State
Superintendent of Education in consultation with the State
Teacher Certification Board.
    The holder of such certificate shall be entitled to all of
the rights and privileges granted holders of a valid teaching
certificate, including teacher benefits, compensation and
working conditions.
    When the holder of such certificate has earned a master's
degree, including 8 semester hours of graduate professional
education from a recognized institution of higher learning, and
has at least 2 years of successful school experience while
holding such certificate, the certificate may be endorsed for
supervision.
    (d) Persons who have successfully achieved National Board
certification through the National Board for Professional
Teaching Standards shall be issued a Master School Service
Personnel Certificate, valid for 10 years and renewable
thereafter every 10 years through compliance with requirements
set forth by the State Board of Education, in consultation with
the State Teacher Certification Board. However, each holder of
a Master School Service Personnel Certificate shall be eligible
for a corresponding position in this State in the areas for
which he or she holds a Master Certificate without satisfying
any other requirements of this Code, except for those
requirements pertaining to criminal background checks.
(Source: P.A. 91-102, eff. 7-12-99; 92-254, eff. 1-1-02.)
 
    (105 ILCS 5/21-27)
    Sec. 21-27. The Illinois Teaching Excellence Program. The
Illinois Teaching Excellence Program is hereby established to
provide categorical funding for monetary incentives and
bonuses for teachers and school counselors who are employed by
school districts and who hold a Master Certificate. The State
Board of Education shall allocate and distribute to each school
district an amount as annually appropriated by the General
Assembly from federal funds for the Illinois Teaching
Excellence Program. Unless otherwise provided by
appropriation, each school district's annual allocation shall
be the sum of the amounts earned for the following incentives
and bonuses:
        (1) An annual payment of $3,000 to be paid to (A) each
    teacher who successfully completes the program leading to
    and who receives a Master Certificate and is employed as a
    teacher by a school district and (B) each school counselor
    who successfully completes the program leading to and who
    receives a Master Certificate and is employed as a school
    counselor by a school district. The school district shall
    distribute this payment to each eligible teacher or school
    counselor as a single payment or in not more than 3
    payments.
        (2) An annual incentive equal to $1,000 shall be paid
    to each teacher who holds a Master Certificate, who is
    employed as a teacher by a school district, and who agrees,
    in writing, to provide 60 hours of mentoring during that
    year to classroom teachers. This mentoring may include,
    either singly or in combination, (i) providing high quality
    professional development for new and experienced teachers,
    and (ii) assisting National Board for Professional
    Teaching Standards (NBPTS) candidates through the NBPTS
    certification process. The school district shall
    distribute 50% of each annual incentive payment upon
    completion of 30 hours of the required mentoring and the
    remaining 50% of the incentive upon completion of the
    required 60 hours of mentoring. Credit may not be granted
    by a school district for mentoring or related services
    provided during a regular school day or during the total
    number of days of required service for the school year.
        (3) An annual incentive equal to $3,000 shall be paid
    to each teacher who holds a Master Certificate, who is
    employed as a teacher by a school district, and who agrees,
    in writing, to provide 60 hours of mentoring during that
    year to classroom teachers in schools on academic early
    warning status or in schools in which 50% or more of the
    students receive free or reduced price lunches, or both.
    The school district shall distribute 50% of each annual
    incentive payment upon completion of 30 hours of the
    required mentoring and the remaining 50% of the incentive
    upon completion of the required 60 hours of mentoring.
    Credit may not be granted by a school district for
    mentoring or related services provided during a regular
    school day or during the total number of days of required
    service for the school year.
    Each regional superintendent of schools shall provide
information about the Master Certificate Program of the
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) and
this amendatory Act of the 91st General Assembly to each
individual seeking to register or renew a certificate under
Section 21-14 of this Code.
(Source: P.A. 92-796, eff. 8-10-02; 93-470, eff. 8-8-03.)
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.

Effective Date: 7/1/2005