HB0296 EngrossedLRB103 03823 RJT 48829 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
12required prior to the issuance of educator licenses. These
13examinations and indicators must be based on national and
14State professional teaching standards, as determined by the
15State Board of Education, in consultation with the State
16Educator Preparation and Licensure Board. The State Board of
17Education may adopt such rules as may be necessary to
18implement and administer this Section.
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

 

 

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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) Beginning on the effective date of this amendatory Act
12of the 103rd General Assembly through August 31, 2025, no
13candidate completing a teacher preparation program in this
14State or candidate subject to Section 21B-35 of this Code is
15required to pass a teacher performance assessment. Except as
16otherwise provided in this Article, beginning on September 1,
172015 until the effective date of this amendatory Act of the
18103rd General Assembly and beginning again on September 1,
192025, all candidates completing teacher preparation programs
20in this State and all candidates subject to Section 21B-35 of
21this Code are required to pass a teacher performance
22assessment approved by the State Board of Education, in
23consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure
24Board. A candidate may not be required to submit test
25materials by video submission. Subject to appropriation, an
26individual who holds a Professional Educator License and is

 

 

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1employed for a minimum of one school year by a school district
2designated as Tier 1 under Section 18-8.15 may, after
3application to the State Board, receive from the State Board a
4refund for any costs associated with completing the teacher
5performance assessment under this subsection.
6    (f-5) The Teacher Performance Assessment Task Force is
7created to evaluate potential teacher performance assessment
8systems for implementation in this State, with the intention
9of supporting a thoughtful and well-rounded licensure system
10that is performance-based and has consistency across programs
11and objectivity. The Task Force shall consist of all of the
12following members:
13        (1) One member of the Senate, appointed by the
14    President of the Senate.
15        (2) One member of the Senate, appointed by the
16    Minority Leader of the Senate.
17        (3) One member of the House of Representatives,
18    appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
19        (4) One member of the House of Representatives,
20    appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of
21    Representatives.
22        (5) One member who represents a statewide professional
23    teachers' organization, appointed by the State
24    Superintendent of Education.
25        (6) One member who represents a different statewide
26    professional teachers' organization, appointed by the

 

 

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1    State Superintendent of Education.
2        (7) One member from a statewide organization
3    representing school principals, appointed by the State
4    Superintendent of Education.
5        (8) One member from a statewide organization
6    representing regional superintendents of schools,
7    appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.
8        (9) One member from a statewide organization
9    representing school business officials, appointed by the
10    State Superintendent of Education.
11        (10) One member representing a school district
12    organized under Article 34 of this Code, appointed by the
13    State Superintendent of Education.
14        (11) One member of an association representing rural
15    and small schools, appointed by the State Superintendent
16    of Education.
17        (12) One member representing a suburban school
18    district, appointed by the State Superintendent of
19    Education.
20        (13) One member from a statewide organization
21    representing school districts in the southern suburbs of
22    the City of Chicago, appointed by the State Superintendent
23    of Education.
24        (14) One member from a statewide organization
25    representing large unit school districts, appointed by the
26    State Superintendent of Education.

 

 

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1        (15) One member from a statewide organization
2    representing school districts in the collar counties of
3    the City of Chicago, appointed by the State Superintendent
4    of Education.
5        (16) Three members, each representing a different
6    public university in this State, appointed by the State
7    Superintendent of Education.
8        (17) Three members, each representing a different
9    4-year nonpublic university or college in this State,
10    appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.
11        (18) One member of the Board of Higher Education,
12    appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.
13        (19) One member representing a statewide policy
14    organization advocating on behalf of multilingual students
15    and families, appointed by the State Superintendent of
16    Education.
17        (20) One member representing a statewide organization
18    focused on research-based education policy to support a
19    school system that prepares all students for college, a
20    career, and democratic citizenship, appointed by the State
21    Superintendent of Education.
22        (21) Two members representing an early childhood
23    advocacy organization, appointed by the State
24    Superintendent of Education.
25    Members of the Task Force shall serve without
26compensation. The Task Force shall first meet at the call of

 

 

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1the State Superintendent of Education, and each subsequent
2meeting shall be called by the chairperson of the Task Force,
3who shall be designated by the State Superintendent of
4Education. The State Board of Education shall provide
5administrative and other support to the Task Force.
6    On or before August 1, 2024, the Task Force shall report on
7its work, including recommendations on a teacher performance
8assessment system in this State, to the State Board of
9Education. The Task Force is dissolved upon submission of this
10report.
11    (g) The content area knowledge test and the teacher
12performance assessment shall be the tests that from time to
13time are designated by the State Board of Education, in
14consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure
15Board, and may be tests prepared by an educational testing
16organization or tests designed by the State Board of
17Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation
18and Licensure Board. The test of content area knowledge shall
19assess content knowledge in a specific subject field. The
20tests must be designed to be racially neutral to ensure that no
21person taking the tests is discriminated against on the basis
22of race, color, national origin, or other factors unrelated to
23the person's ability to perform as a licensed employee. The
24score required to pass the tests shall be fixed by the State
25Board of Education, in consultation with the State Educator
26Preparation and Licensure Board. The tests shall be

 

 

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1administered not fewer than 3 times a year at such time and
2place as may be designated by the State Board of Education, in
3consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure
4Board.
5    The State Board shall implement a test or tests to assess
6the speaking, reading, writing, and grammar skills of
7applicants for an endorsement or a license issued under
8subdivision (G) of paragraph (2) of Section 21B-20 of this
9Code in the English language and in the language of the
10transitional bilingual education program requested by the
11applicant.
12    (h) Except as provided in Section 34-6 of this Code, the
13provisions of this Section shall apply equally in any school
14district subject to Article 34 of this Code.
15    (i) The rules developed to implement and enforce the
16testing requirements under this Section shall include without
17limitation provisions governing test selection, test
18validation and determination of a passing score,
19administration of the tests, frequency of administration,
20applicant fees, frequency of applicants taking the tests, the
21years for which a score is valid, and appropriate special
22accommodations. The State Board of Education shall develop
23such rules as may be needed to ensure uniformity from year to
24year in the level of difficulty for each form of an assessment.
25(Source: P.A. 101-81, eff. 7-12-19; 101-220, eff. 8-7-19;
26101-594, eff. 12-5-19; 102-301, eff. 8-26-21.)
 

 

 

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1    (105 ILCS 5/21B-50)
2    Sec. 21B-50. Alternative Educator Licensure Program.
3    (a) There is established an alternative educator licensure
4program, to be known as the Alternative Educator Licensure
5Program for Teachers.
6    (b) The Alternative Educator Licensure Program for
7Teachers may be offered by a recognized institution approved
8to offer educator preparation programs by the State Board of
9Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation
10and Licensure Board.
11    The program shall be comprised of 4 phases:
12        (1) A course of study that at a minimum includes
13    instructional planning; instructional strategies,
14    including special education, reading, and English language
15    learning; classroom management; and the assessment of
16    students and use of data to drive instruction.
17        (2) A year of residency, which is a candidate's
18    assignment to a full-time teaching position or as a
19    co-teacher for one full school year. An individual must
20    hold an Educator License with Stipulations with an
21    alternative provisional educator endorsement in order to
22    enter the residency and must complete additional program
23    requirements that address required State and national
24    standards, pass the State Board's teacher performance
25    assessment, if required under Section 21B-30, no later

 

 

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1    than the end of the first semester of the second year of
2    residency, as required under phase (3) of this subsection
3    (b), and be recommended by the principal or qualified
4    equivalent of a principal, as required under subsection
5    (d) of this Section, and the program coordinator to
6    continue with the second year of the residency.
7        (3) A second year of residency, which shall include
8    the candidate's assignment to a full-time teaching
9    position for one school year. The candidate must be
10    assigned an experienced teacher to act as a mentor and
11    coach the candidate through the second year of residency.
12        (4) A comprehensive assessment of the candidate's
13    teaching effectiveness, as evaluated by the principal or
14    qualified equivalent of a principal, as required under
15    subsection (d) of this Section, and the program
16    coordinator, at the end of the second year of residency.
17    If there is disagreement between the 2 evaluators about
18    the candidate's teaching effectiveness, the candidate may
19    complete one additional year of residency teaching under a
20    professional development plan developed by the principal
21    or qualified equivalent and the preparation program. At
22    the completion of the third year, a candidate must have
23    positive evaluations and a recommendation for full
24    licensure from both the principal or qualified equivalent
25    and the program coordinator or no Professional Educator
26    License shall be issued.

 

 

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1    Successful completion of the program shall be deemed to
2satisfy any other practice or student teaching and content
3matter requirements established by law.
4    (c) An alternative provisional educator endorsement on an
5Educator License with Stipulations is valid for 2 years of
6teaching in the public schools, including without limitation a
7preschool educational program under Section 2-3.71 of this
8Code or charter school, or in a State-recognized nonpublic
9school in which the chief administrator is required to have
10the licensure necessary to be a principal in a public school in
11this State and in which a majority of the teachers are required
12to have the licensure necessary to be instructors in a public
13school in this State, but may be renewed for a third year if
14needed to complete the Alternative Educator Licensure Program
15for Teachers. The endorsement shall be issued only once to an
16individual who meets all of the following requirements:
17        (1) Has graduated from a regionally accredited college
18    or university with a bachelor's degree or higher.
19        (2) (Blank).
20        (3) Has completed a major in the content area if
21    seeking a middle or secondary level endorsement or, if
22    seeking an early childhood, elementary, or special
23    education endorsement, has completed a major in the
24    content area of reading, English/language arts,
25    mathematics, or one of the sciences. If the individual
26    does not have a major in a content area for any level of

 

 

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1    teaching, he or she must submit transcripts to the State
2    Board of Education to be reviewed for equivalency.
3        (4) Has successfully completed phase (1) of subsection
4    (b) of this Section.
5        (5) Has passed a content area test required for the
6    specific endorsement for admission into the program, as
7    required under Section 21B-30 of this Code.
8    A candidate possessing the alternative provisional
9educator endorsement may receive a salary, benefits, and any
10other terms of employment offered to teachers in the school
11who are members of an exclusive bargaining representative, if
12any, but a school is not required to provide these benefits
13during the years of residency if the candidate is serving only
14as a co-teacher. If the candidate is serving as the teacher of
15record, the candidate must receive a salary, benefits, and any
16other terms of employment. Residency experiences must not be
17counted towards tenure.
18    (d) The recognized institution offering the Alternative
19Educator Licensure Program for Teachers must partner with a
20school district, including without limitation a preschool
21educational program under Section 2-3.71 of this Code or
22charter school, or a State-recognized, nonpublic school in
23this State in which the chief administrator is required to
24have the licensure necessary to be a principal in a public
25school in this State and in which a majority of the teachers
26are required to have the licensure necessary to be instructors

 

 

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1in a public school in this State. A recognized institution
2that partners with a public school district administering a
3preschool educational program under Section 2-3.71 of this
4Code must require a principal to recommend or evaluate
5candidates in the program. A recognized institution that
6partners with an eligible entity administering a preschool
7educational program under Section 2-3.71 of this Code and that
8is not a public school district must require a principal or
9qualified equivalent of a principal to recommend or evaluate
10candidates in the program. The program presented for approval
11by the State Board of Education must demonstrate the supports
12that are to be provided to assist the provisional teacher
13during the 2-year residency period. These supports must
14provide additional contact hours with mentors during the first
15year of residency.
16    (e) Upon completion of the 4 phases outlined in subsection
17(b) of this Section and all assessments required under Section
1821B-30 of this Code, an individual shall receive a
19Professional Educator License.
20    (f) The State Board of Education, in consultation with the
21State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, may adopt such
22rules as may be necessary to establish and implement the
23Alternative Educator Licensure Program for Teachers.
24(Source: P.A. 100-596, eff. 7-1-18; 100-822, eff. 1-1-19;
25101-220, eff. 8-7-19; 101-570, eff. 8-23-19; 101-643, eff.
266-18-20; 101-654, eff. 3-8-21.)
 

 

 

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1    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
2becoming law.