103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
HB4672

 

Introduced 2/6/2024, by Rep. Michelle Mussman

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
105 ILCS 5/21B-30

    Amends the Educator Licensure Article of the School Code. In provisions concerning educator testing, provides that an applicant for a Professional Educator License with a school support personnel endorsement for non-teaching speech-language pathologist may satisfy the requirement of passing a test of content area knowledge by passing the national Praxis test in speech-language pathology administered by the Educational Testing Service. Provides that an applicant for a Professional Educator License with a school support personnel endorsement for non-teaching speech-language pathologist may complete a school internship, externship, or practicum prior to taking the Praxis test, but must pass the Praxis test in speech-language pathology prior to licensure.


LRB103 36869 RJT 66981 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB4672LRB103 36869 RJT 66981 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 Section
521B-30 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. An
7applicant for a Professional Educator License with a school
8support personnel endorsement for non-teaching speech-language
9pathologist may satisfy the requirement of passing a test of
10content area knowledge by passing the national Praxis test in
11speech-language pathology administered by the Educational
12Testing Service. There shall be no exception to this
13requirement. No candidate shall be allowed to student teach or
14serve as the teacher of record until he or she has passed the
15applicable content area test. An applicant for a Professional
16Educator License with a school support personnel endorsement
17for non-teaching speech-language pathologist may complete a
18school internship, externship, or practicum prior to taking
19the Praxis test but must pass the Praxis test in
20speech-language pathology prior to licensure.
21    (d-5) The State Board shall consult with any applicable
22vendors within 90 days after July 28, 2023 (the effective date
23of Public Act 103-402) this amendatory Act of the 103rd
24General Assembly to develop a plan to transition the test of
25content area knowledge in the endorsement area of elementary
26education, grades one through 6, by July 1, 2026 to a content

 

 

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1area test that contains testing elements that cover
2bilingualism, biliteracy, oral language development,
3foundational literacy skills, and developmentally appropriate
4higher-order comprehension and on which a valid and reliable
5language and literacy subscore can be determined. The State
6Board shall base its rules concerning the passing subscore on
7the language and literacy portion of the test on the
8recommended cut-score determined in the formal
9standard-setting process. Candidates need not achieve a
10particular subscore in the area of language and literacy. The
11State Board shall aggregate and publish the number of
12candidates in each preparation program who take the test and
13the number who pass the language and literacy portion.
14    (e) (Blank).
15    (f) Beginning on August 4, 2023 (the effective date of
16Public Act 103-488) this amendatory Act of the 103rd General
17Assembly through August 31, 2025, no candidate completing a
18teacher preparation program in this State or candidate subject
19to Section 21B-35 of this Code is required to pass a teacher
20performance assessment. Except as otherwise provided in this
21Article, beginning on September 1, 2015 until August 4, 2023
22(the effective date of Public Act 103-488) this amendatory Act
23of the 103rd General Assembly and beginning again on September
241, 2025, all candidates completing teacher preparation
25programs in this State and all candidates subject to Section
2621B-35 of this Code are required to pass a teacher performance

 

 

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1assessment approved by the State Board of Education, in
2consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure
3Board. A candidate may not be required to submit test
4materials by video submission. Subject to appropriation, an
5individual who holds a Professional Educator License and is
6employed for a minimum of one school year by a school district
7designated as Tier 1 under Section 18-8.15 may, after
8application to the State Board, receive from the State Board a
9refund for any costs associated with completing the teacher
10performance assessment under this subsection.
11    (f-5) The Teacher Performance Assessment Task Force is
12created to evaluate potential performance-based and objective
13teacher performance assessment systems for implementation
14across all educator preparation programs in this State, with
15the intention of ensuring consistency across programs and
16supporting a thoughtful and well-rounded licensure system.
17Members appointed to the Task Force must reflect the racial,
18ethnic, and geographic diversity of this State. The Task Force
19shall consist of all of the following members:
20        (1) One member of the Senate, appointed by the
21    President of the Senate.
22        (2) One member of the Senate, appointed by the
23    Minority Leader of the Senate.
24        (3) One member of the House of Representatives,
25    appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
26        (4) One member of the House of Representatives,

 

 

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1    appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of
2    Representatives.
3        (5) One member who represents a statewide professional
4    teachers' organization, appointed by the State
5    Superintendent of Education.
6        (6) One member who represents a different statewide
7    professional teachers' organization, appointed by the
8    State Superintendent of Education.
9        (7) One member from a statewide organization
10    representing school principals, appointed by the State
11    Superintendent of Education.
12        (8) One member from a statewide organization
13    representing regional superintendents of schools,
14    appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.
15        (9) One member from a statewide organization
16    representing school administrators, appointed by the State
17    Superintendent of Education.
18        (10) One member representing a school district
19    organized under Article 34 of this Code, appointed by the
20    State Superintendent of Education.
21        (11) One member of an association representing rural
22    and small schools, appointed by the State Superintendent
23    of Education.
24        (12) One member representing a suburban school
25    district, appointed by the State Superintendent of
26    Education.

 

 

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1        (13) One member from a statewide organization
2    representing school districts in the southern suburbs of
3    the City of Chicago, appointed by the State Superintendent
4    of Education.
5        (14) One member from a statewide organization
6    representing large unit school districts, appointed by the
7    State Superintendent of Education.
8        (15) One member from a statewide organization
9    representing school districts in the collar counties of
10    the City of Chicago, appointed by the State Superintendent
11    of Education.
12        (16) Three members, each representing a different
13    public university in this State and each a current member
14    of the faculty of an approved educator preparation
15    program, appointed by the State Superintendent of
16    Education.
17        (17) Three members, each representing a different
18    4-year nonpublic university or college in this State and
19    each a current member of the faculty of an approved
20    educator preparation program, appointed by the State
21    Superintendent of Education.
22        (18) One member of the Board of Higher Education,
23    appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.
24        (19) One member representing a statewide policy
25    organization advocating on behalf of multilingual students
26    and families, appointed by the State Superintendent of

 

 

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1    Education.
2        (20) One member representing a statewide organization
3    focused on research-based education policy to support a
4    school system that prepares all students for college, a
5    career, and democratic citizenship, appointed by the State
6    Superintendent of Education.
7        (21) Two members representing an early childhood
8    advocacy organization, appointed by the State
9    Superintendent of Education.
10        (22) One member representing a statewide organization
11    that partners with educator preparation programs and
12    school districts to support the growth and development of
13    preservice teachers, appointed by the State Superintendent
14    of Education.
15        (23) One member representing a statewide organization
16    that advocates for educational equity and racial justice
17    in schools, appointed by the State Superintendent of
18    Education.
19        (24) One member representing a statewide organization
20    that represents school boards, appointed by the State
21    Superintendent of Education.
22        (25) One member who has, within the last 5 years,
23    served as a cooperating teacher, 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 and the General Assembly. The Task Force is
10dissolved upon submission of this report.
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. 102-301, eff. 8-26-21; 103-402, eff. 7-28-23;
26103-488, eff. 8-4-23; revised 9-1-23.)