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91_HB2940
LRB9109229NTsb
1 AN ACT to amend the School Code by changing Section 21-4.
2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
4 Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing
5 Section 21-4 as follows:
6 (105 ILCS 5/21-4) (from Ch. 122, par. 21-4)
7 Sec. 21-4. Special certificate.
8 (a) A special certificate shall be valid for 4 years for
9 teaching the special subjects named therein in all grades of
10 the common schools. Subject to the provisions of Section
11 21-1a, it shall be issued to persons who have graduated from
12 a recognized institution of higher learning with a bachelor's
13 degree and with not fewer than 120 semester hours including a
14 minimum of 16 semester hours in professional education, 5 of
15 which shall be in student teaching under competent and close
16 supervision. When the holder of such certificate has earned a
17 master's degree, including eight semester hours of graduate
18 professional education from a recognized institution of
19 higher learning and with two years' teaching experience, it
20 may be endorsed for supervision.
21 Such persons shall be recommended for the special
22 certificate by a recognized institution as having completed
23 an approved program of preparation which includes academic
24 and professional courses approved by the State Superintendent
25 of Education in consultation with the State Teacher
26 Certification Board.
27 (b) Those persons holding special certificates on
28 February 15, 2000 shall be eligible for one of the following:
29 (1) The issuance of Standard Elementary and
30 Standard Secondary Certificates with appropriate special
31 certification designations as determined by the State
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1 Board of Education, in consultation with the State
2 Teacher Certification Board, and consistent with rules
3 adopted by the State Board of Education. These
4 certificates shall be renewed as provided in subsection
5 (c) of Section 21-2.
6 (2) The issuance of Standard Special K-12
7 Certificates with appropriate special certification
8 designations, which shall be renewed as provided in
9 subsection (c) of Section 21-2. These certificates shall
10 not be eligible for additional certification designations
11 except as approved by the State Board of Education, in
12 consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board.
13 (c) Those persons eligible to receive K-12 certification
14 after February 15, 2000 shall be issued Initial Elementary
15 and Initial Secondary Certificates with appropriate special
16 certification designations pursuant to this Section or
17 Initial Special K-12 Certificates with appropriate special
18 certification designations pursuant to this Section. These
19 Initial K-12 Special Certificates shall not be eligible for
20 additional certification designations except as approved by
21 the State Board of Education, in consultation with the State
22 Teacher Certification Board.
23 (d) Beginning February 15, 2000, All persons holding
24 exchanging a special certificate with a special education
25 endorsement are exempt from the provisions of Section 2-3.71
26 of this Code, provided they meet all the other requirements
27 for teaching as established by the State Board of Education,
28 in consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board.
29 Beginning February 15, 2000, all persons exchanging a
30 special certificate pursuant to subsection (b) of this
31 Section with a special education endorsement or receiving a
32 special education designation on either a special certificate
33 or an elementary certificate issued pursuant to subsection
34 (c) of this Section are exempt from the provisions of Section
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1 2-3.71 of this Code, provided they meet all the other
2 requirements for teaching as established by the State Board
3 of Education, in consultation with the State Teacher
4 Certification Board.
5 Certificates exchanged or issued pursuant to this
6 subsection (d) shall be valid for teaching children with
7 disabilities, as defined in Section 14-1.02 of this Code, and
8 these special certificates shall be called Initial or
9 Standard Special Preschool - Age 21 Certificates. Nothing in
10 this subsection (d) shall be construed to adversely affect
11 the rights of any person presently certificated, any person
12 whose certification is currently pending, or any person who
13 is currently enrolled or enrolls prior to February 15, 2000
14 in an approved Special K-12 certification program.
15 (Source: P.A. 90-548, eff. 1-1-98; 90-653, eff. 7-29-98;
16 90-811, eff. 1-26-99; 91-102, eff. 7-12-99.)
17 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
18 becoming law.
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