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1     AN ACT concerning education.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 5. The Grow Your Own Teacher Education Act is
5 amended by changing Sections 5, 10, 20 and 25 as follows:
 
6     (110 ILCS 48/5)
7     Sec. 5. Purpose. The Grow Your Own Teacher preparation
8 programs established under this Act shall comprise a major new
9 statewide initiative, known as the Grow Your Own Teacher
10 Education Initiative, to prepare highly skilled, committed
11 teachers who will teach in hard-to-staff schools and
12 hard-to-staff teaching positions and who will remain in these
13 schools for substantial periods of time.
14      The Grow Your Own Teacher Education Initiative shall
15 effectively recruit and prepare parent and community leaders
16 and paraeducators to become effective teachers statewide in
17 hard-to-staff schools serving a substantial percentage of
18 low-income students and hard-to-staff teaching positions in
19 schools serving a substantial percentage of low-income
20 students. Further, the Initiative shall increase the diversity
21 of teachers, including diversity based on race, ethnicity, and
22 disability.
23     The Grow Your Own Teacher Education Initiative shall ensure

 

 

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1 educational rigor by effectively preparing candidates in
2 accredited bachelor's degree programs in teaching, through
3 which graduates shall meet the requirements to secure an
4 Illinois initial teaching certificate.
5     The goal of the Grow Your Own Teacher Education Initiative
6 is to add 1,000 teachers to low-income, and other hard-to-staff
7 Illinois schools by 2016 with an average retention period of 7
8 years, as opposed to the current rate of 2.5 years for new
9 teachers in such areas.
10 (Source: P.A. 93-802, eff. 1-1-05; 94-979, eff. 6-30-06.)
 
11     (110 ILCS 48/10)
12     Sec. 10. Definitions. In this Act:
13     "Accredited teacher preparation program" means a State or
14 regionally accredited higher education program authorized to
15 prepare individuals to fulfill all of the requirements to
16 receive an Illinois initial teaching certificate.
17     "Developmental classes" means classes in basic skill
18 areas, such as mathematics and language arts that are
19 prerequisite to, but not counted towards, degree requirements
20 of a teacher preparation program.
21     "Eligible school" means a public elementary or secondary
22 school in this State that serves a substantial percentage of
23 low-income students and that is either hard to staff or has
24 hard-to-staff teaching positions.
25     "Hard-to-staff school" means a public school in this State

 

 

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1 an elementary or secondary school that, based on data compiled
2 by the State Board of Education, ranks in the upper third among
3 public schools of its type (elementary, middle, or secondary)
4 in terms of rate of attrition of its teachers of schools in
5 this State on a combined index measuring the percentage of the
6 school's teachers who are not fully certified and the
7 percentage of the school's teachers who leave their positions
8 annually.
9     "Hard-to-staff teaching position" means a teaching
10 category (such as special education, mathematics, or science)
11 in which statewide data compiled by the State Board of
12 Education indicates a multi-year pattern of substantial
13 teacher shortage or that has been identified as a critical need
14 by the local school board.
15     "Initiative" means the Grow Your Own Teacher Education
16 Initiative created under this Act.
17     "Paraeducators" means individuals with a history of
18 demonstrated accomplishments in school staff positions (such
19 as teacher assistants, school-community liaisons, school
20 clerks, and security aides) in schools serving a substantial
21 percentage of low-income students.
22     "Parent and community leaders" means individuals with a
23 history of working to improve schools serving a substantial
24 percentage of low-income students, including membership in a
25 community organization.
26     "Community organization" means a nonprofit organization

 

 

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1 that has a demonstrated capacity to train, develop, and
2 organize parents and community leaders into a constituency that
3 will hold the school and the school district accountable for
4 achieving high academic standards; in addition to
5 organizations with a geographic focus, "community
6 organization" includes general parent organizations,
7 organizations of special education or bilingual education
8 parents, and school employee unions.
9     "Program" means a Grow Your Own Teacher preparation program
10 established by a consortium under this Act.
11     "Schools serving a substantial percentage of low-income
12 students" means schools that maintain any of grades
13 pre-kindergarten through 8, in which at least 35% of the
14 students are eligible to receive free or reduced-price lunches
15 and schools that maintain any of grades 9 through 12, in which
16 at least 25% of the students are eligible to receive free or
17 reduced price lunches.
18     "State Board" means the State Board of Education.
19 (Source: P.A. 93-802, eff. 1-1-05; 94-979, eff. 6-30-06.)
 
20     (110 ILCS 48/20)
21     Sec. 20. Selection of grantees. The State Board shall award
22 grants to qualified consortia that reflect the distribution and
23 diversity of hard-to-staff schools and hard-to-staff positions
24 across this State. In awarding grants, the State Board shall
25 select programs that successfully address Initiative criteria

 

 

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1 and that reflect a diversity of strategies in terms of serving
2 urban areas, serving rural areas, the nature of the
3 participating institutions of higher education, and the nature
4 of hard-to-staff schools and hard-to-staff teaching positions
5 on which a program is focused.
6     The State Board shall select consortia that meet the
7 following requirements:
8         (1) A consortium shall be composed of at least one
9     4-year institution of higher education with an accredited
10     teacher preparation program, at least one school district
11     or group of schools, and one or more community
12     organizations. The consortium may also include a 2-year
13     institution of higher education or a school employee union
14     or both.
15         (2) The 4-year institution of higher education
16     participating in the consortium shall have past,
17     demonstrated success in preparing teachers for elementary
18     or secondary schools serving a substantial percentage of
19     low-income students.
20         (3) The consortium shall focus on a clearly defined set
21     of eligible target schools serving a substantial
22     percentage of low-income students that will participate in
23     be the primary focus of the program. The consortium shall
24     articulate the steps that it will carry out in preparing
25     teachers for its participating target hard-to-staff
26     schools and in preparing teachers for one or more

 

 

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1     hard-to-staff teaching positions in those its target
2     schools.
3         (4) A candidate Candidate in a program under the
4     Initiative must hold a high school diploma or its
5     equivalent and must meet either the definition of "parent
6     and community leaders" or the definition of
7     "paraeducators" contained in Section 10 of this Act.
8         (5) The consortium shall employ effective procedures
9     for teaching the skills and knowledge needed to prepare
10     highly competent teachers. Professional preparation shall
11     include on-going direct experience in target schools and
12     evaluation of this experience.
13         (6) The consortium shall offer the program to cohorts
14     of candidates who begin by moving through the program
15     together. The program shall be offered on a schedule that
16     enables candidates to work full time while participating in
17     the program and allows paraeducators to continue in their
18     current positions. In any fiscal year in which an
19     appropriation for the Initiative is made, the The
20     consortium shall guarantee that support will be available
21     to an admitted cohort for the cohort's training for that
22     fiscal year through the cohort's full period of training.
23     At the beginning of the Initiative, programs that are
24     already operating and existing cohorts of candidates under
25     this model shall be eligible for funding.
26         (7) The institutions of higher education participating

 

 

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1     in the consortium shall document and agree to expend the
2     same amount of funds in implementing the program that these
3     institutions spend per student on similar educational
4     programs. Grants received by the consortium shall
5     supplement and not supplant these amounts.
6         (8) The State Board shall establish additional
7     criteria for review of proposals, including criteria that
8     address the following issues:
9             (A) Previous experience of the institutions of
10         higher education in preparing candidates for
11         hard-to-staff schools and positions and in working
12         with students with non-traditional backgrounds.
13             (B) The quality of the implementation plan,
14         including strategies for overcoming institutional
15         barriers to the progress of non-traditional
16         candidates.
17             (C) If a community college is a participant, the
18         nature and extent of existing articulation agreements
19         and guarantees between the community college and the
20         4-year institution of higher education.
21             (D) The number of candidates to be trained in the
22         planned cohort or cohorts and the capacity of the
23         consortium for adding cohorts in future cycles.
24             (E) Experience of the community organization or
25         organizations in organizing parents and community
26         leaders to achieve school improvement and a strong

 

 

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1         relational school culture.
2             (F) The qualifications of the person or persons
3         designated by the 4-year institution of higher
4         education to be responsible for cohort support and the
5         development of a shared learning and social
6         environment among candidates.
7             (G) The consortium's plan for collective
8         consortium decision-making, including mechanisms for
9         community and candidate input.
10             (H) The consortium's plan for direct impact of the
11         program on the quality of education in the eligible
12         target schools.
13             (I) The relevance of the curriculum to the needs of
14         the eligible targeted schools and positions, and the
15         use in curriculum and instructional planning of
16         principles for effective education for adults.
17             (J) The availability of classes under the program
18         in places and times accessible to the candidates.
19             (K) Provision of a level of performance to be
20         maintained by candidates as a condition of continuing
21         in the program.
22             (L) The plan of the 4-year institution of higher
23         education to ensure that candidates take advantage of
24         existing financial aid resources before using the loan
25         funds described in Section 25 of this Act.
26             (M) The availability of supportive services,

 

 

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1         including counseling, tutoring, and child care.
2             (N) A plan for continued participation of
3         graduates of the program in a program of support for at
4         least 2 years, including mentoring and group meetings.
5             (O) A plan for testing and qualitative evaluation
6         of candidates' teaching skills that ensures that
7         graduates of the program are as prepared for teaching
8         as other individuals completing the institution of
9         higher education's preparation program for the
10         certificate sought.
11             (P) A plan for internal evaluation that provides
12         reports at least yearly on the progress of candidates
13         towards graduation and the impact of the program on the
14         target schools and their communities.
15             (Q) Contributions from schools, school districts,
16         and other consortia members to the program, including
17         stipends for candidates during their student teaching.
18             (R) Consortium commitment for sustaining the
19         program over time, as evidenced by plans for reduced
20         requirements for external funding in subsequent
21         cycles.
22             (S) The inclusion in the planned program of
23         strategies derived from community organizing that will
24         help candidates develop tools for working with parents
25         and other community members.
26 (Source: P.A. 93-802, eff. 1-1-05; 94-979, eff. 6-30-06.)
 

 

 

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1     (110 ILCS 48/25)
2     Sec. 25. Expenditures under the Initiative.
3     (a) Every program under the Initiative shall implement a
4 program of forgivable loans to cover any portion of tuition and
5 direct expenses of candidates under the program in excess of
6 grants-in-aid and other forgivable loans received. All
7 students admitted to a cohort shall be eligible for such loans.
8 Loans shall be fully forgiven if a graduate completes 5 years
9 of service in hard-to-staff schools or hard-to-staff teaching
10 positions, with partial forgiveness for shorter periods of
11 service. The State Board shall establish standards for the
12 approval of requests for waivers or deferrals of from programs
13 to waive this obligation for individual candidates and for
14 deferral of repayment for work interruptions after
15 certification. The State Board shall also define standards for
16 the fiscal management of these loan funds.
17     (b) Grants under the Initiative shall be awarded in such a
18 way as to provide the required support for a cohort of
19 candidates for any fiscal year in which an appropriation for
20 the Initiative is made the cohort's entire training period.
21 Program budgets must show expenditures and needed funds for the
22 entire period that candidates are expected to be enrolled.
23     (c) No funds under the Initiative may be used to supplant
24 the average per-capita expenditures by the institution of
25 higher education for candidates.

 

 

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1     (d) Where necessary, program budgets shall include the
2 costs of child care and other indirect expenses that are
3 necessary to permit candidates to maintain their a full class
4 schedules schedule. Grant funds may be used by any member of a
5 consortium to offset such costs, whether the needed services
6 are Child care may be provided by the community organization or
7 organizations, are provided by another member of the
8 consortium, or are be independently contracted for.
9     (e) The institution of higher education may expend grant
10 funds to cover the additional costs of offering classes in
11 community settings and for tutoring services.
12     (f) The community organization or organizations may
13 receive a portion of the grant money for the expenses of
14 recruitment, community orientation, and counseling of
15 potential candidates, for providing space in the community, and
16 for working with school personnel to facilitate individual work
17 experiences and support of candidates.
18     (g) The school district or school employee union or both
19 may receive a portion of the grant money for expenses of
20 supporting the work experiences of candidates and providing
21 mentors for graduates. Notwithstanding the provisions of
22 Section 10-20.15 of the School Code, school districts may also
23 use these or other applicable public funds to pay participants
24 in programs under the Initiative for student teaching required
25 by an accredited teacher preparation program.
26     (h) One member of the consortium may expend funds to cover

 

 

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1 the salary of a site-based cohort coordinator.
2     (i) Grant funds may also be expended to pay directly for
3 required developmental classes for candidates beginning a
4 program.
5 (Source: P.A. 93-802, eff. 1-1-05; 94-979, eff. 6-30-06.)