101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2019 and 2020
SB2503

 

Introduced 1/28/2020, by Sen. Dale A. Righter

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
105 ILCS 5/21B-30
105 ILCS 5/21B-50

    Amends the Educator Licensure Article of the School Code. Removes the requirement that educator licensure candidates pass a teacher performance assessment. Makes related changes.


LRB101 16504 NHT 65885 b

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

SB2503LRB101 16504 NHT 65885 b

1    AN ACT concerning education.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Sections
521B-30 and 21B-50 as follows:
 
6    (105 ILCS 5/21B-30)
7    Sec. 21B-30. Educator testing.
8    (a) (Blank).
9    (b) The State Board of Education, in consultation with the
10State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, shall design
11and implement a system of examinations, which shall be required
12prior to the issuance of educator licenses. These examinations
13and indicators must be based on national and State professional
14teaching standards, as determined by the State Board of
15Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation
16and Licensure Board. The State Board of Education may adopt
17such rules as may be necessary to implement and administer this
18Section.
19    (c) (Blank).
20    (c-5) The State Board must adopt rules to implement a
21paraprofessional competency test. This test would allow an
22applicant seeking an Educator License with Stipulations with a
23paraprofessional educator endorsement to obtain the

 

 

SB2503- 2 -LRB101 16504 NHT 65885 b

1endorsement if he or she passes the test and meets the other
2requirements of subparagraph (J) of paragraph (2) of Section
321B-20 other than the higher education requirements.
4    (d) All applicants seeking a State license shall be
5required to pass a test of content area knowledge for each area
6of endorsement for which there is an applicable test. There
7shall be no exception to this requirement. No candidate shall
8be allowed to student teach or serve as the teacher of record
9until he or she has passed the applicable content area test.
10    (e) (Blank).
11    (f) (Blank). Except as otherwise provided in this Article,
12beginning on September 1, 2015, all candidates completing
13teacher preparation programs in this State and all candidates
14subject to Section 21B-35 of this Code are required to pass a
15teacher performance assessment approved by the State Board of
16Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation
17and Licensure Board. Subject to appropriation, an individual
18who holds a Professional Educator License and is employed for a
19minimum of one school year by a school district designated as
20Tier 1 under Section 18-8.15 may, after application to the
21State Board, receive from the State Board a refund for any
22costs associated with completing the teacher performance
23assessment under this subsection.
24    (g) The content area knowledge test and the teacher
25performance assessment shall be the test tests that from time
26to time are designated by the State Board of Education, in

 

 

SB2503- 3 -LRB101 16504 NHT 65885 b

1consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure
2Board, and may include a test be tests prepared by an
3educational testing organization or a test tests designed by
4the State Board of Education, in consultation with the State
5Educator Preparation and Licensure Board. The test of content
6area knowledge shall assess content knowledge in a specific
7subject field. The test tests must be designed to be racially
8neutral to ensure that no person taking the test tests is
9discriminated against on the basis of race, color, national
10origin, or other factors unrelated to the person's ability to
11perform as a licensed employee. The score required to pass the
12test tests shall be fixed by the State Board of Education, in
13consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure
14Board. The test tests shall be administered not fewer than 3
15times a year at such time and place as may be designated by the
16State Board of Education, in consultation with the State
17Educator Preparation and Licensure Board.
18    The State Board shall implement a test or tests to assess
19the speaking, reading, writing, and grammar skills of
20applicants for an endorsement or a license issued under
21subdivision (G) of paragraph (2) of Section 21B-20 of this Code
22in the English language and in the language of the transitional
23bilingual education program requested by the applicant.
24    (h) Except as provided in Section 34-6 of this Code, the
25provisions of this Section shall apply equally in any school
26district subject to Article 34 of this Code.

 

 

SB2503- 4 -LRB101 16504 NHT 65885 b

1    (i) The rules developed to implement and enforce the
2testing requirements under this Section shall include without
3limitation provisions governing test selection, test
4validation and determination of a passing score,
5administration of the tests, frequency of administration,
6applicant fees, frequency of applicants taking the tests, the
7years for which a score is valid, and appropriate special
8accommodations. The State Board of Education shall develop such
9rules as may be needed to ensure uniformity from year to year
10in the level of difficulty for each form of an assessment.
11(Source: P.A. 100-596, eff. 7-1-18; 100-863, eff. 8-14-18;
12100-932, eff. 8-17-18; 101-81, eff. 7-12-19; 101-220, eff.
138-7-19; 101-594, eff. 12-5-19.)
 
14    (105 ILCS 5/21B-50)
15    Sec. 21B-50. Alternative Educator Licensure Program.
16    (a) There is established an alternative educator licensure
17program, to be known as the Alternative Educator Licensure
18Program for Teachers.
19    (b) The Alternative Educator Licensure Program for
20Teachers may be offered by a recognized institution approved to
21offer educator preparation programs by the State Board of
22Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation
23and Licensure Board.
24    The program shall be comprised of 4 phases:
25        (1) A course of study that at a minimum includes

 

 

SB2503- 5 -LRB101 16504 NHT 65885 b

1    instructional planning; instructional strategies,
2    including special education, reading, and English language
3    learning; classroom management; and the assessment of
4    students and use of data to drive instruction.
5        (2) A year of residency, which is a candidate's
6    assignment to a full-time teaching position or as a
7    co-teacher for one full school year. An individual must
8    hold an Educator License with Stipulations with an
9    alternative provisional educator endorsement in order to
10    enter the residency and must complete additional program
11    requirements that address required State and national
12    standards, pass the State Board's teacher performance
13    assessment before entering the second residency year, as
14    required under phase (3) of this subsection (b), and be
15    recommended by the principal or qualified equivalent of a
16    principal, as required under subsection (d) of this
17    Section, and the program coordinator to continue with the
18    second year of the residency.
19        (3) A second year of residency, which shall include the
20    candidate's assignment to a full-time teaching position
21    for one school year. The candidate must be assigned an
22    experienced teacher to act as a mentor and coach the
23    candidate through the second year of residency.
24        (4) A comprehensive assessment of the candidate's
25    teaching effectiveness, as evaluated by the principal or
26    qualified equivalent of a principal, as required under

 

 

SB2503- 6 -LRB101 16504 NHT 65885 b

1    subsection (d) of this Section, and the program
2    coordinator, at the end of the second year of residency. If
3    there is disagreement between the 2 evaluators about the
4    candidate's teaching effectiveness, the candidate may
5    complete one additional year of residency teaching under a
6    professional development plan developed by the principal
7    or qualified equivalent and the preparation program. At the
8    completion of the third year, a candidate must have
9    positive evaluations and a recommendation for full
10    licensure from both the principal or qualified equivalent
11    and the program coordinator or no Professional Educator
12    License shall be issued.
13    Successful completion of the program shall be deemed to
14satisfy any other practice or student teaching and content
15matter requirements established by law.
16    (c) An alternative provisional educator endorsement on an
17Educator License with Stipulations is valid for 2 years of
18teaching in the public schools, including without limitation a
19preschool educational program under Section 2-3.71 of this Code
20or charter school, or in a State-recognized nonpublic school in
21which the chief administrator is required to have the licensure
22necessary to be a principal in a public school in this State
23and in which a majority of the teachers are required to have
24the licensure necessary to be instructors in a public school in
25this State, but may be renewed for a third year if needed to
26complete the Alternative Educator Licensure Program for

 

 

SB2503- 7 -LRB101 16504 NHT 65885 b

1Teachers. The endorsement shall be issued only once to an
2individual who meets all of the following requirements:
3        (1) Has graduated from a regionally accredited college
4    or university with a bachelor's degree or higher.
5        (2) Has a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or
6    greater on a 4.0 scale or its equivalent on another scale.
7        (3) Has completed a major in the content area if
8    seeking a middle or secondary level endorsement or, if
9    seeking an early childhood, elementary, or special
10    education endorsement, has completed a major in the content
11    area of reading, English/language arts, mathematics, or
12    one of the sciences. If the individual does not have a
13    major in a content area for any level of teaching, he or
14    she must submit transcripts to the State Board of Education
15    to be reviewed for equivalency.
16        (4) Has successfully completed phase (1) of subsection
17    (b) of this Section.
18        (5) Has passed a content area test required for the
19    specific endorsement for admission into the program, as
20    required under Section 21B-30 of this Code.
21    A candidate possessing the alternative provisional
22educator endorsement may receive a salary, benefits, and any
23other terms of employment offered to teachers in the school who
24are members of an exclusive bargaining representative, if any,
25but a school is not required to provide these benefits during
26the years of residency if the candidate is serving only as a

 

 

SB2503- 8 -LRB101 16504 NHT 65885 b

1co-teacher. If the candidate is serving as the teacher of
2record, the candidate must receive a salary, benefits, and any
3other terms of employment. Residency experiences must not be
4counted towards tenure.
5    (d) The recognized institution offering the Alternative
6Educator Licensure Program for Teachers must partner with a
7school district, including without limitation a preschool
8educational program under Section 2-3.71 of this Code or
9charter school, or a State-recognized, nonpublic school in this
10State in which the chief administrator is required to have the
11licensure necessary to be a principal in a public school in
12this State and in which a majority of the teachers are required
13to have the licensure necessary to be instructors in a public
14school in this State. A recognized institution that partners
15with a public school district administering a preschool
16educational program under Section 2-3.71 of this Code must
17require a principal to recommend or evaluate candidates in the
18program. A recognized institution that partners with an
19eligible entity administering a preschool educational program
20under Section 2-3.71 of this Code and that is not a public
21school district must require a principal or qualified
22equivalent of a principal to recommend or evaluate candidates
23in the program. The program presented for approval by the State
24Board of Education must demonstrate the supports that are to be
25provided to assist the provisional teacher during the 2-year
26residency period. These supports must provide additional

 

 

SB2503- 9 -LRB101 16504 NHT 65885 b

1contact hours with mentors during the first year of residency.
2    (e) Upon completion of the 4 phases outlined in subsection
3(b) of this Section and all assessments required under Section
421B-30 of this Code, an individual shall receive a Professional
5Educator License.
6    (f) The State Board of Education, in consultation with the
7State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, may adopt such
8rules as may be necessary to establish and implement the
9Alternative Educator Licensure Program for Teachers.
10(Source: P.A. 100-596, eff. 7-1-18; 100-822, eff. 1-1-19;
11101-220, eff. 8-7-19; 101-570, eff. 8-23-19; revised 9-19-19.)