HB5002 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB093 19902 NHT 45645 b

93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2003 and 2004
HB5002

Introduced 02/05/04, by Jay C. Hoffman

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

105 ILCS 5/21-14

from Ch. 122, par. 21-14

Amends the School Code with regard to Standard and Master teaching certificates. Provides that for the holder of an Early Childhood or Elementary type of certificate, 50% of the continuing professional development activities included in a certificate renewal plan must be coursework or activities that expand the holder's knowledge and application of best practices in the teaching of reading.

A BILL FOR

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 Section 21-14 as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/21-14) (from Ch. 122, par. 21-14)

Sec. 21-14. Registration and renewal of certificates.

(a) A limited four-year certificate or a certificate issued after July 1, 1955, shall be renewable at its expiration or within 60 days thereafter by the county superintendent of schools having supervision and control over the school where the teacher is teaching upon certified evidence of meeting the requirements for renewal as required by this Act and prescribed by the State Board of Education in consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board. An elementary supervisory certificate shall not be renewed at the end of the first four-year period covered by the certificate unless the holder thereof has filed certified evidence with the State Teacher Certification Board that he has a master's degree or that he has earned 8 semester hours of credit in the field of educational administration and supervision in a recognized institution of higher learning. The holder shall continue to earn 8 semester hours of credit each four-year period until such time as he has earned a master's degree.

All certificates not renewed or registered as herein provided shall lapse after a period of 5 years from the expiration of the last year of registration. Such certificates may be reinstated for a one year period upon payment of all accumulated registration fees. Such reinstated certificates shall only be renewed: (1) by earning 5 semester hours of credit in a recognized institution of higher learning in the field of professional education or in courses related to the holder's contractual teaching duties; or (2) by presenting evidence of holding a valid regular certificate of some other type. Any certificate may be voluntarily surrendered by the certificate holder. A voluntarily surrendered certificate shall be treated as a revoked certificate.

(b) When those teaching certificates issued before February 15, 2000 are renewed for the first time after February 15, 2000, all such teaching certificates shall be exchanged for Standard Teaching Certificates as provided in subsection (c) of Section 21-2. All Initial and Standard Teaching Certificates, including those issued to persons who previously held teaching certificates issued before February 15, 2000, shall be renewable under the conditions set forth in this subsection (b).

Initial Teaching Certificates are nonrenewable and are valid for 4 years of teaching. Standard Teaching Certificates are renewable every 5 years as provided in subsection (c) of Section 21-2 and subsection (c) of this Section. For purposes of this Section, "teaching" is defined as employment and performance of services in an Illinois public or State-operated elementary school, secondary school, or cooperative or joint agreement with a governing body or board of control, in a certificated teaching position, or a charter school operating in compliance with the Charter Schools Law.

(c) In compliance with subsection (c) of Section 21-2 of this Code, which provides that a Standard Teaching Certificate may be renewed by the State Teacher Certification Board based upon proof of continuing professional development, the State Board of Education and the State Teacher Certification Board shall jointly:

(1) establish a procedure for renewing Standard Teaching Certificates, which shall include but not be limited to annual timelines for the renewal process and the components set forth in subsections (d) through (k) of this Section;

(2) establish the standards for certificate renewal;

(3) approve the providers of continuing professional development activities;

(4) determine the maximum credit for each category of continuing professional development activities, based upon recommendations submitted by a continuing professional development activity task force, which shall consist of 6 staff members from the State Board of Education, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education, and 6 teacher representatives, 3 of whom are selected by the Illinois Education Association and 3 of whom are selected by the Illinois Federation of Teachers;

(5) designate the type and amount of documentation required to show that continuing professional development activities have been completed; and

(6) provide, on a timely basis to all Illinois teachers, certificate holders, regional superintendents of schools, school districts, and others with an interest in continuing professional development, information about the standards and requirements established pursuant to this subsection (c).

(d) Any Standard Teaching Certificate held by an individual employed and performing services in an Illinois public or State-operated elementary school, secondary school, or cooperative or joint agreement with a governing body or board of control in a certificated teaching position or a charter school in compliance with the Charter Schools Law must be maintained Valid and Active through certificate renewal activities specified in the certificate renewal procedure established pursuant to subsection (c) of this Section, provided that a holder of a Valid and Active certificate who is only employed on either a part-time basis or day-to-day basis as a substitute teacher shall pay only the required registration fee to renew his or her certificate and maintain it as Valid and Active. All other Standard Teaching Certificates held may be maintained as Valid and Exempt through the registration process provided for in the certificate renewal procedure established pursuant to subsection (c) of this Section. A Valid and Exempt certificate must be immediately activated, through procedures developed jointly by the State Board of Education and the State Teacher Certification Board, upon the certificate holder becoming employed and performing services in an Illinois public or State-operated elementary school, secondary school, or cooperative or joint agreement with a governing body or board of control in a certificated teaching position or a charter school operating in compliance with the Charter Schools Law. A holder of a Valid and Exempt certificate may activate his or her certificate through procedures provided for in the certificate renewal procedure established pursuant to subsection (c) of this Section.

(e)(1) A Standard Teaching Certificate that has been maintained as Valid and Active for the 5 years of the certificate's validity shall be renewed as Valid and Active upon the certificate holder: (i) completing an advanced degree from an approved institution in an education-related field; (ii) completing at least 8 semester hours of coursework as described in subdivision (B) of paragraph (3) of this subsection (e); (iii) earning at least 24 continuing education units as described in subdivision (C) of paragraph (3) of this subsection (e); (iv) completing the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards process as described in subdivision (D) of paragraph (3) of this subsection (e); or (v) earning 120 continuing professional development units ("CPDU") as described in subdivision (E) of paragraph (3) of this subsection (e). The maximum continuing professional development units for each continuing professional development activity identified in subdivisions (F) through (J) of paragraph (3) of this subsection (e) shall be jointly determined by the State Board of Education and the State Teacher Certification Board. If, however, the certificate holder has maintained the certificate as Valid and Exempt for a portion of the 5-year period of validity, the number of continuing professional development units needed to renew the certificate as Valid and Active shall be proportionately reduced by the amount of time the certificate was Valid and Exempt. Furthermore, if a certificate holder is employed and performs teaching services on a part-time basis for all or a portion of the certificate's 5-year period of validity, the number of continuing professional development units needed to renew the certificate as Valid and Active shall be reduced by 50% for the amount of time the certificate holder has been employed and performed teaching services on a part-time basis. Part-time shall be defined as less than 50% of the school day or school term.

Notwithstanding any other requirements to the contrary, if a Standard Teaching Certificate has been maintained as Valid and Active for the 5 years of the certificate's validity and the certificate holder has completed his or her certificate renewal plan before July 1, 2002, the certificate shall be renewed as Valid and Active.

(2) Each Valid and Active Standard Teaching Certificate holder shall develop a certificate renewal plan for satisfying the continuing professional development requirement provided for in subsection (c) of Section 21-2 of this Code. Certificate holders with multiple certificates shall develop a certificate renewal plan that addresses only that certificate or those certificates that are required of his or her certificated teaching position, if the certificate holder is employed and performing services in an Illinois public or State-operated elementary school, secondary school, or cooperative or joint agreement with a governing body or board of control, or that certificate or those certificates most closely related to his or her teaching position, if the certificate holder is employed in a charter school. Except as otherwise provided in this subsection (e), a certificate renewal plan shall include a minimum of 3 individual improvement goals developed by the certificate holder and shall reflect purposes (A), (B), and (C) and may reflect purpose (D) of the following continuing professional development purposes:

(A) Advance both the certificate holder's knowledge and skills as a teacher consistent with the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards and the Illinois Content Area Standards in the certificate holder's areas of certification, endorsement, or teaching assignment in order to keep the certificate holder current in those areas.

(B) Develop the certificate holder's knowledge and skills in areas determined to be critical for all Illinois teachers, as defined by the State Board of Education, known as "State priorities".

(C) Address the knowledge, skills, and goals of the certificate holder's local school improvement plan, if the teacher is employed in an Illinois public or State-operated elementary school, secondary school, or cooperative or joint agreement with a governing body or board of control.

(D) Expand the certificate holder's knowledge and skills in an additional teaching field or toward the acquisition of another teaching certificate, endorsement, or relevant education degree.

A certificate renewal plan must include a description of how these goals are to be achieved and an explanation of selected continuing professional development activities to be completed, each of which must meet one or more of the continuing professional development purposes specified in this paragraph (2). The plan shall identify potential activities and include projected timelines for those activities that will assure completion of the plan before the expiration of the 5-year validity of the Standard Teaching Certificate. Except as otherwise provided in this subsection (e), at least 50% of continuing professional development units must relate to purposes (A) and (B) set forth in this paragraph (2): the advancement of a certificate holder's knowledge and skills as a teacher consistent with the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards and the Illinois Content Area Standards in the certificate holder's areas of certification, endorsement, or teaching assignment in order to keep the certificate holder current in those areas and the development of a certificate holder's knowledge and skills in the State priorities that exist at the time the certificate renewal plan is developed. For the holder of an Early Childhood or Elementary type of certificate who is developing a certificate renewal plan on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 93rd General Assembly, 50% of the continuing professional development activities included in the certificate renewal plan must be coursework or activities that expand the holder's knowledge and application of best practices in the teaching of reading.

A speech-language pathologist or audiologist who is licensed under the Illinois Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Practice Act and who has met the continuing education requirements of that Act and the rules promulgated under that Act shall be deemed to have satisfied the continuing professional development requirements established by the State Board of Education and the Teacher Certification Board to renew a Standard Certificate.

(3) Continuing professional development activities included in a certificate renewal plan may include, but are not limited to, the following activities:

(A) completion of an advanced degree from an approved institution in an education-related field;

(B) at least 8 semester hours of coursework in an approved education-related program, of which at least 2 semester hours relate to the continuing professional development purpose set forth in purpose (A) of paragraph (2) of this subsection (e), provided that such a plan need not include any other continuing professional development activities nor reflect or contain activities related to the other continuing professional development purposes set forth in paragraph (2) of this subsection (e);

(C) continuing education units that satisfy the continuing professional development purposes set forth in paragraph (2) of this subsection (e), with each continuing education unit equal to 5 clock hours, provided that a plan that includes at least 24 continuing education units (or 120 clock/contact hours) need not include any other continuing professional development activities;

(D) completion of the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards ("NBPTS") process, provided that a plan that includes completion of the NBPTS process need not include any other continuing professional development activities nor reflect or contain activities related to the continuing professional development purposes set forth in paragraph (2) of subsection (e) of this Section;

(E) completion of 120 continuing professional development units that satisfy the continuing professional development purposes set forth in paragraph (2) of this subsection (e) and may include without limitation the activities identified in subdivisions (F) through (J) of this paragraph (3);

(F) collaboration and partnership activities related to improving the teacher's knowledge and skills as a teacher, including the following:

(i) participating on collaborative planning and professional improvement teams and committees;

(ii) peer review and coaching;

(iii) mentoring in a formal mentoring program, including service as a consulting teacher participating in a remediation process formulated under Section 24A-5 of this Code;

(iv) participating in site-based management or decision making teams, relevant committees, boards, or task forces directly related to school improvement plans;

(v) coordinating community resources in schools, if the project is a specific goal of the school improvement plan;

(vi) facilitating parent education programs for a school, school district, or regional office of education directly related to student achievement or school improvement plans;

(vii) participating in business, school, or community partnerships directly related to student achievement or school improvement plans; or

(viii) supervising a student teacher or teacher education candidate in clinical supervision, provided that the supervision may only be counted once during the course of 5 years;

(G) college or university coursework related to improving the teacher's knowledge and skills as a teacher as follows:

(i) completing undergraduate or graduate credit earned from a regionally accredited institution in coursework relevant to the certificate area being renewed, including coursework that incorporates induction activities and development of a portfolio of both student and teacher work that provides experience in reflective practices, provided the coursework meets Illinois Professional Teaching Standards or Illinois Content Area Standards and supports the essential characteristics of quality professional development; or

(ii) teaching college or university courses in areas relevant to the certificate area being renewed, provided that the teaching may only be counted once during the course of 5 years;

(H) conferences, workshops, institutes, seminars, and symposiums related to improving the teacher's knowledge and skills as a teacher, including the following:

(i) completing non-university credit directly related to student achievement, school improvement plans, or State priorities;

(ii) participating in or presenting at workshops, seminars, conferences, institutes, and symposiums;

(iii) training as external reviewers for Quality Assurance; or

(iv) training as reviewers of university teacher preparation programs;

(I) other educational experiences related to improving the teacher's knowledge and skills as a teacher, including the following:

(i) participating in action research and inquiry projects;

(ii) observing programs or teaching in schools, related businesses, or industry that is systematic, purposeful, and relevant to certificate renewal;

(iii) traveling related to ones teaching assignment, directly related to student achievement or school improvement plans and approved at least 30 days prior to the travel experience, provided that the traveling shall not include time spent commuting to destinations where the learning experience will occur;

(iv) participating in study groups related to student achievement or school improvement plans;

(v) serving on a statewide education-related committee, including but not limited to the State Teacher Certification Board, State Board of Education strategic agenda teams, or the State Advisory Council on Education of Children with Disabilities;

(vi) participating in work/learn programs or internships; or

(vii) developing a portfolio of student and teacher work;

(J) professional leadership experiences related to improving the teacher's knowledge and skills as a teacher, including the following:

(i) participating in curriculum development or assessment activities at the school, school district, regional office of education, State, or national level;

(ii) participating in team or department leadership in a school or school district;

(iii) participating on external or internal school or school district review teams;

(iv) publishing educational articles, columns, or books relevant to the certificate area being renewed; or

(v) participating in non-strike related professional association or labor organization service or activities related to professional development.

(4) A certificate renewal plan must initially be approved by the certificate holder's local professional development committee, as provided for in subsection (f) of this Section. If the local professional development committee does not approve the certificate renewal plan, the certificate holder may appeal that determination to the regional professional development review committee, as provided for in paragraph (2) of subsection (g) of this Section. If the regional professional development review committee disagrees with the local professional development committee's determination, the certificate renewal plan shall be deemed approved and the certificate holder may begin satisfying the continuing professional development activities set forth in the plan. If the regional professional development review committee agrees with the local professional development committee's determination, the certificate renewal plan shall be deemed disapproved and shall be returned to the certificate holder to develop a revised certificate renewal plan. In all cases, the regional professional development review committee shall immediately notify both the local professional development committee and the certificate holder of its determination.

(5) A certificate holder who wishes to modify the continuing professional development activities or goals in his or her certificate renewal plan must submit the proposed modifications to his or her local professional development committee for approval prior to engaging in the proposed activities. If the local professional development committee does not approve the proposed modification, the certificate holder may appeal that determination to the regional professional development review committee, as set forth in paragraph (4) of this subsection (e).

(6) When a certificate holder changes assignments or school districts during the course of completing a certificate renewal plan, the professional development and continuing education credit earned pursuant to the plan shall transfer to the new assignment or school district and count toward the total requirements. This certificate renewal plan must be reviewed by the appropriate local professional development committee and may be modified to reflect the certificate holder's new work assignment or the school improvement plan of the new school district or school building.

(f) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Code, each school district, charter school, and cooperative or joint agreement with a governing body or board of control that employs certificated staff, shall establish and implement, in conjunction with its exclusive representative, if any, one or more local professional development committees, as set forth in this subsection (f), which shall perform the following functions:

(1) review and approve certificate renewal plans and any modifications made to these plans, including transferred plans;

(2) maintain a file of approved certificate renewal plans;

(3) monitor certificate holders' progress in completing approved certificate renewal plans, provided that a local professional development committee shall not be required to maintain materials submitted by certificate holders to demonstrate their progress in completing their certificate renewal plans after the committee has reviewed the materials and the credits have been awarded;

(4) assist in the development of professional development plans based upon needs identified in certificate renewal plans;

(5) determine whether certificate holders have met the requirements of their certificate renewal plans and notify certificate holders of its determination;

(6) provide a certificate holder with the opportunity to address the committee when it has determined that the certificate holder has not met the requirements of his or her certificate renewal plan;

(7) issue and forward recommendations for renewal or nonrenewal of certificate holders' Standard Teaching Certificates to the appropriate regional superintendent of schools, based upon whether certificate holders have met the requirements of their approved certificate renewal plans, with 30-day written notice of its recommendation provided to the certificate holder prior to forwarding the recommendation to the regional superintendent of schools, provided that if the local professional development committee's recommendation is for certificate nonrenewal, the written notice provided to the certificate holder shall include a return receipt; and

(8) reconsider its recommendation of certificate nonrenewal, upon request of the certificate holder within 30 days of receipt of written notification that the local professional development committee will make such a recommendation, and forward to the regional superintendent of schools its recommendation within 30 days of receipt of the certificate holder's request.

Each local professional development committee shall consist of at least 3 classroom teachers; one superintendent or chief administrator of the school district, charter school, or cooperative or joint agreement or his or her designee; and one at-large member who shall be either (i) a parent, (ii) a member of the business community, (iii) a community member, or (iv) an administrator, with preference given to an individual chosen from among those persons listed in items (i), (ii), and (iii) in order to secure representation of an interest not already represented on the committee. Except in a school district in a city having a population exceeding 500,000, a local professional development committee shall be responsible for no more than 200 certificate renewal plans annually unless otherwise mutually agreed upon by the school district, charter school, or governing body or board of control of a cooperative or joint agreement and its exclusive representative, if any. If mutually agreed upon by the school district, charter school, or governing body or board of control of a cooperative or joint agreement and its exclusive representative, if any, additional members may be added to a local professional development committee, provided that a majority of members are classroom teachers. Except in a school district in a city having a population exceeding 500,000, if additional members are added to a local professional development committee, the maximum number of certificate renewal plans for which the committee shall annually be responsible may be increased by 50 plans for each additional member, unless otherwise mutually agreed upon by the school district, charter school, or governing body or board of control of a cooperative or joint agreement and its exclusive representative, if any. The school district, charter school, or governing body or board of control of a cooperative or joint agreement and its exclusive representative, if any, shall determine the term of service of the members of a local professional development committee. All individuals selected to serve on local professional development committees must be known to demonstrate the best practices in teaching or their respective field of practice.

The exclusive representative, if any, shall select the classroom teacher members of the local professional development committee. If no exclusive representative exists, then the classroom teacher members of a local professional development committee shall be selected by the classroom teachers that come within the local professional development committee's authority. The school district, charter school, or governing body or board of control of a cooperative or joint agreement shall select the 2 non-classroom teacher members (the superintendent or chief administrator of the school district, charter school, or cooperative or joint agreement or his or her designee and the at-large member) of a local professional development committee. Vacancies in positions on a local professional development committee shall be filled in the same manner as the original selections. The members of a local professional development committee shall select a chairperson. Local professional development committee meetings shall be scheduled so as not to interfere with committee members' regularly scheduled teaching duties, except when otherwise permitted by the policies of or agreed to or approved by the school district, charter school, or governing body or board of control of a cooperative or joint agreement, or its designee.

The board of education or governing board shall convene the first meeting of the local professional development committee. All actions taken by the local professional development committee shall require that a majority of committee members be present, and no committee action may be taken unless 50% or more of those present are teacher members.

The State Board of Education and the State Teacher Certification Board shall jointly provide local professional development committee members with a training manual, and the members shall certify that they have received and read the manual.

Notwithstanding any other provisions of this subsection (f), for a teacher employed and performing services in a nonpublic or State-operated elementary or secondary school, all references to a local professional development committee shall mean the regional superintendent of schools of the regional office of education for the geographic area where the teaching is done.

(g)(1) Each regional superintendent of schools shall review and concur or nonconcur with each recommendation for renewal or nonrenewal of a Standard Teaching Certificate he or she receives from a local professional development committee or, if a certificate holder appeals the recommendation to the regional professional development review committee, the recommendation for renewal or nonrenewal he or she receives from a regional professional development review committee and, within 14 days of receipt of the recommendation, shall provide the State Teacher Certification Board with verification of the following, if applicable:

(A) a certificate renewal plan was filed and approved by the appropriate local professional development committee;

(B) the professional development and continuing education activities set forth in the approved certificate renewal plan have been satisfactorily completed;

(C) the local professional development committee has recommended the renewal of the certificate holder's Standard Teaching Certificate and forwarded the recommendation, along with all supporting documentation as jointly required by the State Board of Education and the State Teacher Certification Board, to the regional superintendent of schools;

(D) the certificate holder has appealed his or her local professional development committee's recommendation of nonrenewal to the regional professional development review committee and the result of that appeal;

(E) the regional superintendent of schools has concurred or nonconcurred with the local professional development committee's or regional professional development review committee's recommendation to renew or nonrenew the certificate holder's Standard Teaching Certificate and made a recommendation to that effect; and

(F) the established registration fee for the Standard Teaching Certificate has been paid.

At the same time the regional superintendent of schools provides the State Teacher Certification Board with the notice required by this subsection (g), he or she shall also notify the certificate holder in writing that this notice has been provided to the State Teacher Certification Board, provided that if the notice provided by the regional superintendent of schools to the State Teacher Certification Board includes a recommendation of certificate nonrenewal, the written notice provided to the certificate holder shall be by certified mail, return receipt requested.

(2) Each certificate holder shall have the right to appeal his or her local professional development committee's recommendation of nonrenewal to the regional professional development review committee, within 14 days of receipt of notice that the recommendation has been sent to the regional superintendent of schools. Each regional superintendent of schools shall establish a regional professional development review committee or committees for the purpose of advising the regional superintendent of schools, upon request, and handling certificate holder appeals. This committee shall consist of at least 4 classroom teachers, one non-administrative certificated educational employee, 2 administrators, and one at-large member who shall be either (i) a parent, (ii) a member of the business community, (iii) a community member, or (iv) an administrator, with preference given to an individual chosen from among those persons listed in items (i), (ii), and (iii) in order to secure representation of an interest not already represented on the committee. The teacher and non-administrative certificated educational employee members of the review committee shall be selected by their exclusive representative, if any, and the administrators and at-large member shall be selected by the regional superintendent of schools. A regional superintendent of schools may add additional members to the committee, provided that the same proportion of teachers to administrators and at-large members on the committee is maintained. Any additional teacher and non-administrative certificated educational employee members shall be selected by their exclusive representative, if any. Vacancies in positions on a regional professional development review committee shall be filled in the same manner as the original selections. Committee members shall serve staggered 3-year terms. All individuals selected to serve on regional professional development review committees must be known to demonstrate the best practices in teaching or their respective field of practice.

The exclusive representative responsible for choosing the individuals that serve on a regional professional development review committee shall notify each school district, charter school, or governing body or board of control of a cooperative or joint agreement employing the individuals chosen to serve and provide their names to the appropriate regional superintendent of schools. Regional professional development review committee meetings shall be scheduled so as not to interfere with the committee members' regularly scheduled teaching duties, except when otherwise permitted by the policies of or agreed to or approved by the school district, charter school, or governing body or board of control of a cooperative or joint agreement, or its designee, provided that the school district, charter school, or governing body or board of control shall not unreasonably withhold permission for a committee member to attend regional professional development review committee meetings.

In a city having a population exceeding 500,000 that does not have a regional office of education, one or more separate regional professional development review committees shall be established as mutually agreed upon by the board of education of the school district organized under Article 34 of this Code and the exclusive representative. The composition of each committee shall be the same as for a regional professional development review committee, except that members of the committee shall be jointly appointed by the board of education and the exclusive representative. All other provisions of this Section concerning regional professional development review committees shall apply to these committees.

The regional professional development review committee may require information in addition to that received from a certificate holder's local professional development committee or request that the certificate holder appear before it, shall either concur or nonconcur with a local professional development committee's recommendation of nonrenewal, and shall forward to the regional superintendent of schools its recommendation of renewal or nonrenewal. All actions taken by the regional professional development review committee shall require a quorum and be by a simple majority of those present and voting. A record of all votes shall be maintained. The committee shall have 45 days from receipt of a certificate holder's appeal to make its recommendation to the regional superintendent of schools.

The State Board of Education and the State Teacher Certification Board shall jointly provide regional professional development review committee members with a training manual, and the members shall be required to attend one training seminar sponsored jointly by the State Board of Education and the State Teacher Certification Board.

(h)(1) The State Teacher Certification Board shall review the regional superintendent of schools' recommendations to renew or nonrenew Standard Teaching Certificates and notify certificate holders in writing whether their certificates have been renewed or nonrenewed within 90 days of receipt of the recommendations, unless a certificate holder has appealed a regional superintendent of schools' recommendation of nonrenewal, as provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection (h). The State Teacher Certification Board shall verify that the certificate holder has met the renewal criteria set forth in paragraph (1) of subsection (g) of this Section.

(2) Each certificate holder shall have the right to appeal a regional superintendent of school's recommendation to nonrenew his or her Standard Teaching Certificate to the State Teacher Certification Board, within 14 days of receipt of notice that the decision has been sent to the State Teacher Certification Board, which shall hold an appeal hearing within 60 days of receipt of the appeal. When such an appeal is taken, the certificate holder's Standard Teaching Certificate shall continue to be valid until the appeal is finally determined. The State Teacher Certification Board shall review the regional superintendent of school's recommendation, the regional professional development review committee's recommendation, if any, and the local professional development committee's recommendation and all relevant documentation to verify whether the certificate holder has met the renewal criteria set forth in paragraph (1) of subsection (g) of this Section. The State Teacher Certification Board may request that the certificate holder appear before it. All actions taken by the State Teacher Certification Board shall require a quorum and be by a simple majority of those present and voting. A record of all votes shall be maintained. The State Teacher Certification Board shall notify the certificate holder in writing, within 7 days of completing the review, whether his or her Standard Teaching Certificate has been renewed or nonrenewed, provided that if the State Teacher Certification Board determines to nonrenew a certificate, the written notice provided to the certificate holder shall be by certified mail, return receipt requested. All certificate renewal or nonrenewal decisions of the State Teacher Certification Board are final and subject to administrative review, as set forth in Section 21-24 of this Code.

(i) Holders of Master Teaching Certificates shall meet the same requirements and follow the same procedures as holders of Standard Teaching Certificates, except that their renewal cycle shall be as set forth in subsection (d) of Section 21-2 of this Code.

A holder of a teaching certificate endorsed as a speech-language pathologist who has been granted the Certificate of Clinical Competence by the American Speech-Language Hearing Association may renew his or her Standard Teaching Certificate pursuant to the 10-year renewal cycle set forth in subsection (d) of Section 21-2 of this Code.

(j) Holders of Valid and Exempt Standard and Master Teaching Certificates who are not employed and performing services in an Illinois public or State-operated elementary school, secondary school, or cooperative or joint agreement with a governing body or board of control, in a certificated teaching position, may voluntarily activate their certificates by developing and submitting a certificate renewal plan to the regional superintendent of schools of the regional office of education for the geographic area where their teaching is done, who, or whose designee, shall approve the plan and serve as the certificate holder's local professional development committee. These certificate holders shall follow the same renewal criteria and procedures as all other Standard and Master Teaching Certificate holders, except that their continuing professional development plans shall not be required to reflect or address the knowledge, skills, and goals of a local school improvement plan.

(k) Each school district, charter school, or cooperative or joint agreement shall be paid an annual amount of not less than $1,000, as determined by a formula based on the number of Standard Teaching and Master Teaching Certificate holders, subject to renewal and established by rule, not to exceed $1,000,000 annually for all school districts, charter schools, and cooperatives or joint agreements, for administrative costs associated with conducting the meetings of the local professional development committee, as determined in consultation with the committee. Each regional office of education shall receive $2,000 annually to pay school districts, charter schools, or cooperatives or joint agreements for costs, as defined by rule, incurred in staff attendance at regional professional development review committee meetings and the training seminar required under paragraph (2) of subsection (g) of this Section.

(l) The State Board of Education and the State Teacher Certification Board shall jointly contract with an independent party to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the certificate renewal system pursuant to this Section. The first report of this evaluation shall be presented to the General Assembly on January 1, 2005 and on January 1 of every third year thereafter.

(Source: P.A. 92-510, eff. 6-1-02; 92-796, eff. 8-10-02; 93-81, eff. 7-2-03.)