Section 35.60   Approval and Role of Providers

The State Superintendent of Education shall approve one or more organizations representing Illinois principals, institutions of higher education, community colleges, regional offices of education, school districts, or other educational entities to administer and implement the new principal mentoring program according to the requirements stated in Section 35.30 of this Part, including delivering the training program for mentors that is required under Section 35.50 of this Part.

a)         Any entity seeking approval under this Section shall submit to the State Superintendent an application, in a format prescribed by the State Superintendent, outlining the organization's qualifications for providing professional development to educators, including information specific to the organization's experience with serving potential mentors and recipients of mentoring.

b)         The State Superintendent shall approve as providers one or more entities whose applications:

1)         provide evidence of an overall commitment to professionalizing education and school improvement efforts;

2)         demonstrate capacity to meet the needs of an identified geographic area or set of districts; and

3)         indicate that the applicants have staff or access to other presenters who:

A)        have been employed in roles requiring mastery of the Illinois Professional School Leader Standards; and

B)        have experience in providing professional development to educators.

c)         Each approved provider shall, with respect to each mentor who enrolls with that provider:

1)         provide the initial training required under Section 35.50 of this Part if the individual has not already completed it;

2)         to the extent necessitated by the level of demand, facilitate the individual's assignment to one or more new principals based on the factors set forth in Section 2-3.53a of the School Code;

3)         provide support and professional resources to the mentor in the course of his or her mentoring relationships;

4)         provide quarterly networking sessions to enhance the mentor's skills and provide structured opportunities for problem-solving;

5)         guide the mentor in the compilation of information that will contribute to the evaluation of individual mentoring relationships and of the mentoring program as a whole;

6)         receive and distribute payments to mentors as delineated in Section 35.20(e) of this Part; and

7)         provide annual "refresher" training.

d)         Approval of providers shall be valid for three years.  To request renewal, a provider shall, no later than March 1 of the year of expiration, submit an application in a format specified by the State Superintendent of Education, containing:

1)         a description of any significant changes in the material submitted as part of its approved application; or

2)         a statement that no significant changes have occurred.

e)         A provider's approval shall be renewed if the application conforms to the requirements of subsection (d) of this Section, provided that the State Superintendent has received no evidence of the provider's failure to provide the required services under the program.

f)          The State Superintendent of Education may evaluate any approved provider at any time to ensure the consistent quality of the mentoring program.  Upon request by the State Superintendent, a provider shall supply information regarding its activities in conjunction with the mentoring program, which the State Superintendent may monitor at any time.  In the event an evaluation indicates that a provider is not furnishing services in keeping with subsection (c) of this Section, the State Superintendent may withdraw approval of the provider.

(Source:  Amended at 32 Ill. Reg. 17768, effective October 30, 2008)