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91_HB0534eng
HB0534 Engrossed LRB9101849NTsbA
1 AN ACT to amend the School Code by changing Section
2 14C-8.
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 14C-8 as follows:
7 (105 ILCS 5/14C-8) (from Ch. 122, par. 14C-8)
8 Sec. 14C-8. Teacher certification - Qualifications -
9 Issuance of certificates. No person shall be eligible for
10 employment by a school district as a teacher of transitional
11 bilingual education without either (a) holding a valid
12 teaching certificate issued pursuant to Article 21 of this
13 Code and meeting such additional language and course
14 requirements as prescribed by the State Board of Education or
15 (b) meeting the requirements set forth in this Section. The
16 Certification Board shall issue certificates valid for
17 teaching in all grades of the common school in transitional
18 bilingual education programs to any person who presents it
19 with satisfactory evidence that he possesses an adequate
20 speaking and reading ability in a language other than English
21 in which transitional bilingual education is offered and
22 communicative skills in English, and possessed within 5 five
23 years previous to his or her applying for a certificate under
24 this Section a valid teaching certificate issued by a foreign
25 country, or by a State or possession or territory of the
26 United States, or other evidence of teaching preparation as
27 may be determined to be sufficient by the Certification
28 Board, or holds a degree from an institution of higher
29 learning in a foreign country which the Certification Board
30 determines to be the equivalent of a bachelor's degree from a
31 recognized institution of higher learning in the United
HB0534 Engrossed -2- LRB9101849NTsbA
1 States; provided that any person seeking a certificate under
2 this Section must meet the following additional requirements:
3 (1) Such persons must be in good health;
4 (2) Such persons must be of sound moral character;
5 (3) Such persons must be legally present in the United
6 States and possess legal authorization for employment;
7 (4) Such persons must not be employed to replace any
8 presently employed teacher who otherwise would not be
9 replaced for any reason.
10 Certificates issuable pursuant to this Section shall be
11 issuable only during the 5 years immediately following the
12 effective date of this Act and thereafter for additional
13 periods of one year only upon a determination by the State
14 Board of Education that a school district lacks the number of
15 teachers necessary to comply with the mandatory requirements
16 of Sections 14C-2.1 and 14C-3 of this Article for the
17 establishment and maintenance of programs of transitional
18 bilingual education and said certificates issued by the
19 Certification Board shall be valid for a period of 6 years
20 following their date of issuance and shall not be renewed,
21 except that one renewal for a period of two years may be
22 granted if necessary to permit the holder of a certificate
23 issued under this Section to acquire a teaching certificate
24 pursuant to Article 21 of this Code. Such certificates and
25 the persons to whom they are issued shall be exempt from the
26 provisions of Article 21 of this Code except that Sections
27 21-12, 21-13, 21-16, 21-17, 21-19, 21-21, 21-22, 21-23 and
28 21-24 shall continue to be applicable to all such
29 certificates.
30 After the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1984,
31 an additional renewal for a period to expire August 31, 1985,
32 may be granted. The State Board of Education shall report to
33 the General Assembly on or before January 31, 1985 its
34 recommendations for the qualification of teachers of
HB0534 Engrossed -3- LRB9101849NTsbA
1 bilingual education and for the qualification of teachers of
2 English as a second language. Said qualification program
3 shall take effect no later than August 31, 1985.
4 Beginning July 1, 2001, the State Board of Education
5 shall implement a test or tests to assess the speaking,
6 reading, writing, and grammar skills of applicants for a
7 certificate issued under this Section in the English language
8 and in the language of the transitional bilingual education
9 program requested by the applicant and shall establish
10 appropriate fees for these tests. The State Board of
11 Education, in consultation with the Certification Board,
12 shall promulgate rules to implement the required tests,
13 including specific provisions to govern test selection, test
14 validation, determination of a passing score, administration
15 of the test or tests, frequency of administration, applicant
16 fees, identification requirements for test takers, frequency
17 of applicants taking the tests, the years for which a score
18 is valid, waiving tests for individuals who have
19 satisfactorily passed other tests, and the consequences of
20 dishonest conduct in the application for or taking of the
21 tests.
22 If the qualifications of an applicant for a certificate
23 valid for teaching in transitional bilingual education
24 programs in all grades of the common schools do not meet the
25 requirements established for the issuance of that
26 certificate, the Certification Board nevertheless shall issue
27 the applicant a substitute teacher's certificate under
28 Section 21-9 whenever it appears from the face of the
29 application submitted for certification as a teacher of
30 transitional bilingual education and the evidence presented
31 in support thereof that the applicant's qualifications meet
32 the requirements established for the issuance of a
33 certificate under Section 21-9; provided, that if it does not
34 appear from the face of such application and supporting
HB0534 Engrossed -4- LRB9101849NTsbA
1 evidence that the applicant is qualified for issuance of a
2 certificate under Section 21-9 the Certification Board shall
3 evaluate the application with reference to the requirements
4 for issuance of certificates under Section 21-9 and shall
5 inform the applicant, at the time it denies the application
6 submitted for certification as a teacher of transitional
7 bilingual education, of the additional qualifications which
8 the applicant must possess in order to meet the requirements
9 established for issuance of (i) a certificate valid for
10 teaching in transitional bilingual education programs in all
11 grades of the common schools and (ii) a substitute teacher's
12 certificate under Section 21-9.
13 (Source: P.A. 86-1002.)
14 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
15 becoming law.
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