105 ILCS 5/21B-30

(105 ILCS 5/21B-30)

Sec. 21B-30. Educator testing.

(a) (Blank).

(b) The State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, shall design and implement a system of examinations, which shall be required prior to the issuance of educator licenses. These examinations and indicators must be based on national and State professional teaching standards, as determined by the State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board. The State Board of Education may adopt such rules as may be necessary to implement and administer this Section.

(c) (Blank).

(c-5) The State Board must adopt rules to implement a paraprofessional competency test. This test would allow an applicant seeking an Educator License with Stipulations with a paraprofessional educator endorsement to obtain the endorsement if he or she passes the test and meets the other requirements of subparagraph (J) of paragraph (2) of Section 21B-20 other than the higher education requirements.

(d) All applicants seeking a State license shall be required to pass a test of content area knowledge for each area of endorsement for which there is an applicable test. There shall be no exception to this requirement.

(d-5) The State Board shall consult with any applicable vendors within 90 days after July 28, 2023 (the effective date of Public Act 103-402) to develop a plan to transition the test of content area knowledge in the endorsement area of elementary education, grades one through 6, by July 1, 2026 to a content area test that contains testing elements that cover bilingualism, biliteracy, oral language development, foundational literacy skills, and developmentally appropriate higher-order comprehension and on which a valid and reliable language and literacy subscore can be determined. The State Board shall base its rules concerning the passing subscore on the language and literacy portion of the test on the recommended cut-score determined in the formal standard-setting process. Candidates need not achieve a particular subscore in the area of language and literacy. The State Board shall aggregate and publish the number of candidates in each preparation program who take the test and the number who pass the language and literacy portion.

(e) (Blank).

(f) Beginning on August 4, 2023 (the effective date of Public Act 103-488) through August 31, 2025, no candidate completing a teacher preparation program in this State or candidate subject to Section 21B-35 of this Code is required to pass a teacher performance assessment. Except as otherwise provided in this Article, beginning on September 1, 2015 until August 4, 2023 (the effective date of Public Act 103-488) and beginning again on September 1, 2025, all candidates completing teacher preparation programs in this State and all candidates subject to Section 21B-35 of this Code are required to pass a teacher performance assessment approved by the State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board. A candidate may not be required to submit test materials by video submission. Subject to appropriation, an individual who holds a Professional Educator License and is employed for a minimum of one school year by a school district designated as Tier 1 under Section 18-8.15 may, after application to the State Board, receive from the State Board a refund for any costs associated with completing the teacher performance assessment under this subsection.

(f-5) The Teacher Performance Assessment Task Force is created to evaluate potential performance-based and objective teacher performance assessment systems for implementation across all educator preparation programs in this State, with the intention of ensuring consistency across programs and supporting a thoughtful and well-rounded licensure system. Members appointed to the Task Force must reflect the racial, ethnic, and geographic diversity of this State. The Task Force shall consist of all of the following members:

(1) One member of the Senate, appointed by the President of the Senate.

(2) One member of the Senate, appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate.

(3) One member of the House of Representatives, appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

(4) One member of the House of Representatives, appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives.

(5) One member who represents a statewide professional teachers' organization, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

(6) One member who represents a different statewide professional teachers' organization, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

(7) One member from a statewide organization representing school principals, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

(8) One member from a statewide organization representing regional superintendents of schools, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

(9) One member from a statewide organization representing school administrators, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

(10) One member representing a school district organized under Article 34 of this Code, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

(11) One member of an association representing rural and small schools, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

(12) One member representing a suburban school district, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

(13) One member from a statewide organization representing school districts in the southern suburbs of the City of Chicago, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

(14) One member from a statewide organization representing large unit school districts, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

(15) One member from a statewide organization representing school districts in the collar counties of the City of Chicago, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

(16) Three members, each representing a different public university in this State and each a current member of the faculty of an approved educator preparation program, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

(17) Three members, each representing a different 4-year nonpublic university or college in this State and each a current member of the faculty of an approved educator preparation program, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

(18) One member of the Board of Higher Education, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

(19) One member representing a statewide policy organization advocating on behalf of multilingual students and families, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

(20) One member representing a statewide organization focused on research-based education policy to support a school system that prepares all students for college, a career, and democratic citizenship, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

(21) Two members representing an early childhood advocacy organization, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

(22) One member representing a statewide organization that partners with educator preparation programs and school districts to support the growth and development of preservice teachers, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

(23) One member representing a statewide organization that advocates for educational equity and racial justice in schools, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

(24) One member representing a statewide organization that represents school boards, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

(25) One member who has, within the last 5 years, served as a cooperating teacher, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

Members of the Task Force shall serve without compensation. The Task Force shall first meet at the call of the State Superintendent of Education, and each subsequent meeting shall be called by the chairperson of the Task Force, who shall be designated by the State Superintendent of Education. The State Board of Education shall provide administrative and other support to the Task Force.

On or before October 31, 2024, the Task Force shall report on its work, including recommendations on a teacher performance assessment system in this State, to the State Board of Education and the General Assembly. The Task Force is dissolved upon submission of this report.

(g) The content area knowledge test and the teacher performance assessment shall be the tests that from time to time are designated by the State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, and may be tests prepared by an educational testing organization or tests designed by the State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board. The test of content area knowledge shall assess content knowledge in a specific subject field. The tests must be designed to be racially neutral to ensure that no person taking the tests is discriminated against on the basis of race, color, national origin, or other factors unrelated to the person's ability to perform as a licensed employee. The score required to pass the tests shall be fixed by the State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board. The State Board of Education's rules for scoring the content area knowledge test may include scoring and retaking of each test section separately and independently. The tests shall be administered not fewer than 3 times a year at such time and place as may be designated by the State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board.

The State Board shall implement a test or tests to assess the speaking, reading, writing, and grammar skills of applicants for an endorsement or a license issued under subdivision (G) of paragraph (2) of Section 21B-20 of this Code in the English language and in the language of the transitional bilingual education program requested by the applicant.

(h) Except as provided in Section 34-6 of this Code, the provisions of this Section shall apply equally in any school district subject to Article 34 of this Code.

(i) The rules developed to implement and enforce the testing requirements under this Section shall include, without limitation, provisions governing test selection, test validation, and determination of a passing score, administration of the tests, frequency of administration, applicant fees, frequency of applicants taking the tests, the years for which a score is valid, and appropriate special accommodations. The State Board of Education shall develop such rules as may be needed to ensure uniformity from year to year in the level of difficulty for each form of an assessment.

(Source: P.A. 102-301, eff. 8-26-21; 103-402, eff. 7-28-23; 103-488, eff. 8-4-23; 103-605, eff. 7-1-24; 103-780, eff. 8-2-24; 103-811, eff. 8-9-24; 103-846, eff. 8-9-24.)