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Public Act 91-0370
HB0534 Enrolled LRB9101849NTsbA
AN ACT to amend the School Code by changing Section
14C-8.
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
Section 14C-8 as follows:
(105 ILCS 5/14C-8) (from Ch. 122, par. 14C-8)
Sec. 14C-8. Teacher certification - Qualifications -
Issuance of certificates. No person shall be eligible for
employment by a school district as a teacher of transitional
bilingual education without either (a) holding a valid
teaching certificate issued pursuant to Article 21 of this
Code and meeting such additional language and course
requirements as prescribed by the State Board of Education or
(b) meeting the requirements set forth in this Section. The
Certification Board shall issue certificates valid for
teaching in all grades of the common school in transitional
bilingual education programs to any person who presents it
with satisfactory evidence that he possesses an adequate
speaking and reading ability in a language other than English
in which transitional bilingual education is offered and
communicative skills in English, and possessed within 5 five
years previous to his or her applying for a certificate under
this Section a valid teaching certificate issued by a foreign
country, or by a State or possession or territory of the
United States, or other evidence of teaching preparation as
may be determined to be sufficient by the Certification
Board, or holds a degree from an institution of higher
learning in a foreign country which the Certification Board
determines to be the equivalent of a bachelor's degree from a
recognized institution of higher learning in the United
States; provided that any person seeking a certificate under
this Section must meet the following additional requirements:
(1) Such persons must be in good health;
(2) Such persons must be of sound moral character;
(3) Such persons must be legally present in the United
States and possess legal authorization for employment;
(4) Such persons must not be employed to replace any
presently employed teacher who otherwise would not be
replaced for any reason.
Certificates issuable pursuant to this Section shall be
issuable only during the 5 years immediately following the
effective date of this Act and thereafter for additional
periods of one year only upon a determination by the State
Board of Education that a school district lacks the number of
teachers necessary to comply with the mandatory requirements
of Sections 14C-2.1 and 14C-3 of this Article for the
establishment and maintenance of programs of transitional
bilingual education and said certificates issued by the
Certification Board shall be valid for a period of 6 years
following their date of issuance and shall not be renewed,
except that one renewal for a period of two years may be
granted if necessary to permit the holder of a certificate
issued under this Section to acquire a teaching certificate
pursuant to Article 21 of this Code. Such certificates and
the persons to whom they are issued shall be exempt from the
provisions of Article 21 of this Code except that Sections
21-12, 21-13, 21-16, 21-17, 21-19, 21-21, 21-22, 21-23 and
21-24 shall continue to be applicable to all such
certificates.
After the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1984,
an additional renewal for a period to expire August 31, 1985,
may be granted. The State Board of Education shall report to
the General Assembly on or before January 31, 1985 its
recommendations for the qualification of teachers of
bilingual education and for the qualification of teachers of
English as a second language. Said qualification program
shall take effect no later than August 31, 1985.
Beginning July 1, 2001, the State Board of Education
shall implement a test or tests to assess the speaking,
reading, writing, and grammar skills of applicants for a
certificate issued under this Section in the English language
and in the language of the transitional bilingual education
program requested by the applicant and shall establish
appropriate fees for these tests. The State Board of
Education, in consultation with the Certification Board,
shall promulgate rules to implement the required tests,
including specific provisions to govern test selection, test
validation, determination of a passing score, administration
of the test or tests, frequency of administration, applicant
fees, identification requirements for test takers, frequency
of applicants taking the tests, the years for which a score
is valid, waiving tests for individuals who have
satisfactorily passed other tests, and the consequences of
dishonest conduct in the application for or taking of the
tests.
If the qualifications of an applicant for a certificate
valid for teaching in transitional bilingual education
programs in all grades of the common schools do not meet the
requirements established for the issuance of that
certificate, the Certification Board nevertheless shall issue
the applicant a substitute teacher's certificate under
Section 21-9 whenever it appears from the face of the
application submitted for certification as a teacher of
transitional bilingual education and the evidence presented
in support thereof that the applicant's qualifications meet
the requirements established for the issuance of a
certificate under Section 21-9; provided, that if it does not
appear from the face of such application and supporting
evidence that the applicant is qualified for issuance of a
certificate under Section 21-9 the Certification Board shall
evaluate the application with reference to the requirements
for issuance of certificates under Section 21-9 and shall
inform the applicant, at the time it denies the application
submitted for certification as a teacher of transitional
bilingual education, of the additional qualifications which
the applicant must possess in order to meet the requirements
established for issuance of (i) a certificate valid for
teaching in transitional bilingual education programs in all
grades of the common schools and (ii) a substitute teacher's
certificate under Section 21-9.
(Source: P.A. 86-1002.)
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.
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