Section 25.855  Approval of Professional Development Providers

A licensee may not receive credit for professional development activities completed for the purpose of renewing the PEL with respect to activities offered by entities that are not approved under Section 21B-45(g) of the Code or this Subpart J.  The State Superintendent of Education shall post by July 1 of each year a list of the entities approved for this purpose.

a)         A provider meeting the requirements of subsection (c) must be granted approval under this Section in order to continue to serve as an approved provider for license renewal purposes. 

b)         In accordance with Section 21B-45(g), the entities listed in this subsection (b) are deemed approved to provide professional development activities for the renewal of the PEL.  No further approval is necessary.

1)         The State Board of Education;

2)         ROEs and intermediate service centers;

3)         Regionally accredited institutions of higher education that have been approved under Subpart C to offer educator preparation programs;

4)         Illinois public school districts;

5)         Charter schools authorized under Article 27A of the Code;

6)         Joint education programs established under Article 10 of the Code for the purposes of providing special education services or CTE; and

7)         Any other entity as identified in Section 21B-45(g) of the Code.

c)         An Illinois professional association that represents one of the groups of educators listed in this subsection (c) may be approved as a provider under this Section.  (See Section 21B-45(g)(3) of the Code.)  For purposes of this subsection (c), "represents" means advocating for a group or advocating for or representing a group's interests in local, State or federal legislative processes; acting for, in place of, or on behalf of a group; or serving as a spokesman, proxy or attorney for a group.  "Represent" also shall refer to Illinois professional associations whose primary purpose is to provide support to or promote the goals of a group of educators or conduct research about issues of interest to a group.  An eligible Illinois professional association shall represent one or more of the following:

1)         School administrators holding Illinois educator licensure;

2)         Principals holding Illinois educator licensure;

3)         School business officials serving in Illinois public schools;

4)         Teachers holding Illinois educator licensure (e.g., special education teachers, bilingual education teachers, early childhood teachers, career and technical educators, teachers in various content areas);

5)         Boards of education established under Article 10 or Article 34 of the Code;

6)         Illinois public school districts;

7)         Parents of students enrolled in Illinois public schools; or

8)         School support personnel holding Illinois educator licensure.

d)         Each association eligible under subsection (c) wishing to receive approval shall submit an application in a format specified by the State Board that shall include:

1)         evidence that the professional development activities to be provided will align to the Standards for Professional Learning Revised (2022) promulgated by Learning Forward, 504 South Locust Street, Oxford OH  45056 and posted at https://standards.learningforward.org/standards-for-professional-learning/;

2)         a description of the intended offerings in terms of relevant State learning standards to be addressed, including identification of the expected effect on student achievement or school improvement that will result from the skills and knowledge the licensee is expected to acquire from the activity;

3)         a description linking the professional development activities to one or more of the purposes listed in Section 21B-45(h) of the Code, which are to:

A)        increase the knowledge and skills of school and district leaders who guide continuous professional development;

B)        improve the learning of students;

C)        organize adults into learning communities, the goals of which are aligned to those of the school and district;

D)        deepen educator's content knowledge;

E)        provide educators with research-based instructional strategies to assist students in meeting rigorous academic standards;

F)         prepare educators to appropriately use various types of classroom assessments;

G)        use learning strategies appropriate to the intended goals;

H)        provide educators with the knowledge and skills to collaborate; and

I)         prepare educators to apply research to decision-making;

J)         provide educators with training on inclusive practices in the classroom that examines instructional and behavioral strategies that improve academic and social-emotional outcomes for all students, with or without disabilities, in a general education setting;

4)         the qualifications and experience the provider will require of presenters to be assigned in each area;

5)         the mode of delivery of the professional development; and

6)         assurances that the requirements of subsection (e) will be met.

e)         Each provider approved to issue credit for professional development activities under Section 21B-45 of the Code and this Section shall:

1)         verify attendance at its professional development activities, provide to participants the standard forms referred to in Section 25.865, and require completion of the evaluation form;

2)         maintain participants' evaluation forms for a period of not less than six years and make them available for review upon request by staff of the State Board;

3)         maintain attendance records for each event or activity it conducts for a period of not less than six years; and

4)         register annually with the State Board of Education prior to offering any professional development opportunities in the current fiscal year. (Section 21B-45(i)(7) of the Code)

f)         Applicants may be asked to clarify particular aspects of their materials.

g)         The State Superintendent shall respond to each application for approval no later than 45 days after receiving it.

h)         A provider shall be approved to issue credit for clock hours completed in increments of at least a quarter hour for a given type of activity only if the provider's application provides evidence that:

1)         the activities it sponsors or conducts will be developed and presented by persons with education and experience in the applicable content areas; and

2)         there is an apparent correlation between the proposed content of the professional development activities, the relevant standards set forth in Section 25.115(e), and one or more of the criteria set forth in Section 21B-45(d) of the Code and Section 25.805(a) of this Part.

i)          A provider not approved under this Section may work with any provider listed under subsection (b) to offer professional development activities.

j)          Approval of any provider under Section 21B-45 of the Code shall be valid until June 30 of the following year. Continuation of that approval shall be contingent upon the provider's annual registration with SBE (see Section 25.856) and the State Superintendent receiving no evidence of noncompliance with the requirements of this Subpart J.

(Source:  Amended at 47 Ill. Reg. 5954, effective April 11, 2023)