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91_SB0647
LRB9102539NTsbA
1 AN ACT to amend the School Code by changing Section
2 21-5c.
3 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
4 represented in the General Assembly:
5 Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing
6 Section 21-5c as follows:
7 (105 ILCS 5/21-5c)
8 Sec. 21-5c. Alternative route to teacher certification.
9 The State Board of Education, in consultation with the State
10 Teacher Certification Board, shall establish and implement an
11 alternative route to teacher certification program under
12 which persons who meet the requirements of and successfully
13 complete the program established by this Section shall be
14 issued an initial teaching certificate for teaching in
15 schools in this State. The State Board of Education shall
16 approve a course of study that persons in the program must
17 successfully complete in order to satisfy one criterion for
18 issuance of a certificate under this Section. The
19 Alternative Route to Teacher Certification program course of
20 study must include a compressed and accelerated review of and
21 instruction in the the current content and skills contained
22 in a university's current courses for State certification
23 which have been approved by the State Board of Education, in
24 consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board, as
25 the requirement for State teacher certification. If an
26 Illinois public university has an approved teacher
27 preparation program, the university shall offer the
28 Alternative Route to Teacher Certification program course of
29 study.
30 The program established under this Section shall be known
31 as the Alternative Route to Teacher Certification program.
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1 The program may be offered in conjunction with one or more
2 not-for-profit organizations in the State. The program shall
3 be comprised of the following 3 phases: (a) a course of study
4 offered on an intensive basis, not to exceed 3 calendar
5 months in duration or, if offered at night, not to exceed one
6 semester in duration, in education theory, instructional
7 methods, and practice teaching; (b) the person's assignment
8 to a full-time teaching position for one school year,
9 including the designation of a mentor teacher to advise and
10 assist the person with that teaching assignment; and (c) a
11 comprehensive assessment of the person's teaching performance
12 by school officials and program participants and a
13 recommendation by the institution of higher education to the
14 State Board of Education that the person be issued an initial
15 teaching certificate. Successful completion of the
16 Alternative Route to Teacher Certification program shall be
17 deemed to satisfy any other practice or student teaching and
18 subject matter requirements established by law.
19 A provisional alternative teaching certificate, valid for
20 one year of teaching in the common schools and not renewable,
21 shall be issued under this Section 21-5c to persons who at
22 the time of applying for the provisional alternative teaching
23 certificate under this Section:
24 (1) have graduated from an accredited college or
25 university with a bachelor's degree;
26 (2) have been employed for a period of at least 5
27 years in an area requiring application of the
28 individual's education;
29 (3) have successfully completed the first phase of
30 the Alternative Teacher Certification program as provided
31 in this Section; and
32 (4) have passed the tests of basic skills and
33 subject matter knowledge required by Section 21-1a.
34 An initial teaching certificate, valid for teaching in
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1 the common schools, shall be issued under Section 21-3 or
2 21-5 to persons who first complete the requirements for the
3 provisional alternative teaching certificate and who at the
4 time of applying for an initial teaching certificate have
5 successfully completed the second and third phases of the
6 Alternative Route to Teacher Certification program as
7 provided in this Section.
8 A person possessing a provisional alternative certificate
9 or an initial teaching certificate earned under this Section
10 shall be treated as a regularly certified teacher for
11 purposes of compensation, benefits, and other terms and
12 conditions of employment afforded teachers in the school who
13 are members of a bargaining unit represented by an exclusive
14 bargaining representative, if any.
15 The State Board of Education may adopt rules and
16 regulations that are consistent with this Section and that
17 the State Board deems necessary to establish and implement
18 the program.
19 (Source: P.A. 90-548, eff. 1-1-98.)
20 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
21 becoming law.