Public Act 1039 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB0860 Enrolled LRB094 04494 NHT 34523 b

Public Act 094-1039

AN ACT concerning education.

WHEREAS, The new principal mentoring program is intended to exist as a statewide program in which different providers around the State, including statewide organizations, regional offices of education, higher education institutions, school districts, and others, may be approved as providers by the State Board of Education to offer mentoring programs if they meet the standards and criteria of the new principal mentoring program; and

WHEREAS, Mentors must complete mentoring training offered by the different providers approved by the State Board and work with the new principals to identify areas for professional growth that will assist the principal when making Administrators' Academy and professional development choices, allowing the new principals, with the approval of their mentors, to select any appropriate Administrators' Academy courses even though it might be a duplication of an Illinois Professional Standards for School Leaders standard; therefore

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Sections 2-3.53a, 21-5e, 21-7.5, 21-7.10, 21-7.15, 24A-15, and 34-18.33 and by changing Section 10-23.8a as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/2-3.53a new)

Sec. 2-3.53a. New principal mentoring program.

(a) Beginning on July 1, 2007, and subject to an annual appropriation by the General Assembly, to establish a new principal mentoring program for new principals. Any individual who is hired as a principal in the State of Illinois on or after July 1, 2007 shall participate in a new principal mentoring program for the duration of his or her first year as a principal and must complete the program in accordance with the requirements established by the State Board of Education by rule or, for a school district created by Article 34 of this Code, in accordance with the provisions of Section 34-18.27 of this Code. School districts created by Article 34 are not subject to the requirements of subsection (b), (c), (d), (e), (f), or (g) of this Section. The new principal mentoring program shall match an experienced principal who meets the requirements of subsection (b) of this Section with each new principal in his or her first year in that position in order to assist the new principal in the development of his or her professional growth and to provide guidance during the new principal's first year of service.

(b) Any individual who has been a principal in Illinois for 3 or more years and who has demonstrated success as an instructional leader, as determined by the State Board by rule, is eligible to apply to be a mentor under a new principal mentoring program. Mentors shall complete mentoring training by entities approved by the State Board and meet any other requirements set forth by the State Board and by the school district employing the mentor.

(c) The State Board shall certify an entity or entities approved to provide training of mentors.

(d) A mentor shall be assigned to a new principal based on (i) similarity of grade level or type of school, (ii) learning needs of the new principal, and (iii) geographical proximity of the mentor to the new principal. The principal, in collaboration with the mentor, shall identify areas for improvement of the new principal's professional growth, including, but not limited to, each of the following:

(1) Analyzing data and applying it to practice.

(2) Aligning professional development and instructional programs.

(3) Building a professional learning community.

(4) Observing classroom practices and providing feedback.

(5) Facilitating effective meetings.

(6) Developing distributive leadership practices.

(7) Facilitating organizational change. The mentor shall not be required to provide an evaluation of the new principal on the basis of the mentoring relationship.

(e) On or after January 1, 2008 and on or after January 1 of each year thereafter, each mentor and each new principal shall complete a survey of progress on a form developed by their respective school districts. On or before July 1, 2008 and on or after July 1 of each year thereafter, the State Board shall facilitate a review and evaluate the mentoring training program in collaboration with the approved providers. Each new principal and his or her mentor must complete a verification form developed by the State Board in order to certify their completion of a new principal mentoring program.

(f) The requirements of this Section do not apply to any individual who has previously served as an assistant principal in Illinois acting under an administrative certificate for 5 or more years and who is hired, on or after July 1, 2007, as a principal by the school district in which the individual last served as an assistant principal, although such an individual may choose to participate in this program or shall be required to participate by the school district.

(g) The State Board may adopt any rules necessary for the implementation of this Section.

(105 ILCS 5/10-23.8a) (from Ch. 122, par. 10-23.8a)

Sec. 10-23.8a. Principal and other administrator contracts. After the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1997 and the expiration of contracts in effect on the effective date of this amendatory Act, school districts may only employ principals and other school administrators under either a contract for a period not to exceed one year or a performance-based contract for a period not to exceed 5 years, unless the provisions of Section 10-23.8b of this Code or subsection (e) of Section 24A-15 of this Code otherwise apply.

Performance-based contracts shall be linked to student performance and academic improvement attributable to the responsibilities and duties of the principal or administrator. No performance-based contract shall be extended or rolled-over prior to its scheduled expiration unless all the performance and improvement goals contained in the contract have been met. Each performance-based contract shall include the goals and indicators of student performance and academic improvement determined and used by the local school board to measure the performance and effectiveness of the principal or other administrator and such other information as the local school board may determine.

By accepting the terms of a multi-year contract, the principal or administrator waives all rights granted him or her under Sections 24-11 through 24-16 of this Act only for the term of the multi-year contract. Upon acceptance of a multi-year contract, the principal or administrator shall not lose any previously acquired tenure credit with the district.

(Source: P.A. 90-548, eff. 1-1-98; 91-314, eff. 1-1-00.)

(105 ILCS 5/21-5e new)

Sec. 21-5e. Alternative Route to Administrative Certification for National Board Certified Teachers.

(a) It shall be the policy of the State of Illinois to improve the recruitment and preparation of instructional leaders.

(b) On or before July 1, 2007, the State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board, shall establish and implement an alternative route to administrative certification for teacher leaders, to be known as the Alternative Route to an Administrative Certificate for National Board Certified Teachers. "Teacher leader" means a certified teacher who has already received National Board certification through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and who has a teacher leader endorsement under Section 21-7.5 of this Code. Persons who meet the requirements of and successfully complete the program established by this Section shall be issued a standard administrative certificate for serving in schools in this State. The State Board shall approve a course of study that persons must successfully complete in order to satisfy one criterion for issuance of the administrative certificate under this Section. The Alternative Route to an Administrative Certificate for National Board Certified Teachers must include the current content and skills contained in a college's or university's courses and the Illinois Professional School Leader Standards for State certification, with the exception of courses that contain the competency areas and the Illinois Professional School Leader Standards that a candidate has already met through National Board certification or through a teacher leadership master's degree program.

(c) The Alternative Route to an Administrative Certificate for National Board Certified Teachers shall be comprised of the following 4 phases:

(1) National Board certification and an endorsement in teacher leadership in accordance with Section 21-7.5 of this Code;

(2) a master's degree in a teacher leader program;

(3) 15 hours of coursework in which the candidate must show evidence of meeting competencies for organizational management and development, finance, supervision and evaluation, policy and legal issues, and leadership, as stated in the Illinois Professional School Leader Standards for principals; and

(4) a passing score on the Illinois Administrator Assessment.

(d) Successful completion of the Alternative Route to an Administrative Certificate for National Board Certified Teachers shall be deemed to satisfy all requirements to receive an administrative certificate established by law. The State Board shall adopt rules that are consistent with this Section and that the State Board deems necessary for the establishment and implementation of the program.

(105 ILCS 5/21-7.5 new)

Sec. 21-7.5. Teacher leader endorsement. It shall be the policy of the State of Illinois to improve the quality of instructional leaders by providing a career pathway for teachers interested in serving in leadership roles. Beginning on July 1, 2007, the State Board, in consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board, shall establish and implement a teacher leader endorsement, to be known as a teacher leader endorsement. Persons who meet the requirements of and successfully complete the requirements of the endorsement established under this Section shall be issued a teacher leader endorsement for serving in schools in this State. The endorsement shall be a career path endorsement but not a restrictive endorsement available to: (i) teachers who are certified through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and complete a specially designed strand of teacher leadership courses; (ii) teachers who have completed a master's degree program in teacher leadership; and (iii) proven teacher leaders with a master's degree who complete a specially designed strand of teacher leadership courses. Colleges and universities shall have the authority to qualify the proficiency of proven teacher leaders under clause (iii) of this Section. A teacher who meets any of clauses (i) through (iii) of this Section shall be deemed to satisfy the requirements for the teacher leader endorsement. The State Board may adopt rules that are consistent with this Section and that the State Board deems necessary to establish and implement this teacher leadership endorsement program.

(105 ILCS 5/21-7.10 new)

Sec. 21-7.10. Master principal designation program.

(a) The General Assembly recognizes the important role a principal serves as a school's instructional leader and believes it is in the best interest of the State to establish a mechanism for training and recognizing master level principals.

(b) The State Board of Education shall certify statewide organizations representing principals, institutions of higher education, and regional offices of education and one school district or organization representing principals in a school district organized under Article 34 of this Code to establish a master principal designation program if these entities meet the criteria established by the State Board. These entities shall work with a statewide design team made up of institutions of higher education, regional offices of education, statewide organizations, and other appropriate entities, as determined by the State Board, to conceptualize the master principal designation program. The State Board shall adopt rules, in consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board, for entities seeking to provide a program under this Section, including an approval process and other criteria. A master principal designation program aligned with the Illinois Professional Leadership Standards shall include at least the following components:

(1) Expansion of the principal's knowledge base and leadership.

(2) Application of strategies and collection of evidence of student learning and school processes.

(3) Demonstration of the ability and skills necessary to lead sustained academic improvement in a school or district.

(c) An individual serving as a principal for at least 3 years is eligible for participation in a master principal designation program. Each year, those entities approved to offer a master principal designation program must submit to the State Board a report indicating the number of individuals enrolled in the program, the progress of candidates, anticipated changes to the program, and any other relevant information requested by the State Board. All substantive changes to an entity's master principal designation program shall require prior written approval from the State Board. An entity that fails to meet the requirements of this Section or any other criteria established by the State Board by rule shall have its authority to offer a master principal designation program revoked pursuant to procedures established by rule by the State Board.

(105 ILCS 5/21-7.15 new)

Sec. 21-7.15. Illinois Administrators' Academy Review Task Force. The State Board of Education shall create a task force to review the Illinois Administrators' Academy and recommend revisions to the program. The goal of the task force shall be to revise the Illinois Administrators' Academy so that it offers professional development opportunities tailored to the individual and collective needs of principals and other administrators. The task force shall also examine the content and duration of teacher evaluation courses required under subparagraph (B) of paragraph (3) of subsection (c-10) of Section 21-7.1 of this Act and make recommendations for improvement. The task force shall consist of members appointed by the State Superintendent of Education. The task force shall include without limitation representatives from a statewide organization representing principals, a statewide organization representing school business officials, a statewide organization representing school administrators, a statewide organization representing education leadership, a statewide organization representing school boards, regional offices of education, and other appropriate stakeholders. The task force shall file a report of its findings with the General Assembly, the Governor, and the State Board by July 1, 2007. A copy of the report shall also be delivered to the Executive Committee of the Illinois State Action for Education Leadership Project. This Section is repealed on July 2, 2007.

(105 ILCS 5/24A-15 new)

Sec. 24A-15. Development and submission of evaluation plan for principals.

(a) Beginning with the 2006-2007 school year and each school year thereafter, each school district, except for a school district organized under Article 34 of this Code, shall establish a principal evaluation plan in accordance with this Section. The plan must ensure that each principal is evaluated as follows:

(1) For a principal on a single-year contract, the evaluation must take place by February 1 of each year.

(2) For a principal on a multi-year contract under Section 10-23.8a of this Code, the evaluation must take place by February 1 of the final year of the contract. Nothing in this Section prohibits a school district from conducting additional evaluations of principals.

(b) The evaluation shall include a description of the principal's duties and responsibilities and the standards to which the principal is expected to conform.

(c) The evaluation must be performed by the district superintendent, the superintendent's designee, or, in the absence of the superintendent or his or her designee, an individual appointed by the school board who holds a registered Type 75 State administrative certificate. The evaluation must be in writing and must at least do all of the following:

(1) Consider the principal's specific duties, responsibilities, management, and competence as a principal.

(2) Specify the principal's strengths and weaknesses, with supporting reasons.

(3) Align with the Illinois Professional Standards for School Leaders or research-based district standards.

(d) One copy of the evaluation must be included in the principal's personnel file and one copy of the evaluation must be provided to the principal.

(e) Failure by a district to evaluate a principal and to provide the principal with a copy of the evaluation at least once during the term of the principal's contract, in accordance with this Section, is evidence that the principal is performing duties and responsibilities in at least a satisfactory manner and shall serve to automatically extend the principal's contract for a period of one year after the contract would otherwise expire, under the same terms and conditions as the prior year's contract. The requirements in this Section are in addition to the right of a school board to reclassify a principal pursuant to Section 10-23.8b of this Code.

(f) Nothing in this Section prohibits a school board from ordering lateral transfers of principals to positions of similar rank and salary.

(105 ILCS 5/34-18.33 new)

Sec. 34-18.33. Principal mentoring program. Beginning on July 1, 2007, and subject to an annual appropriation by the General Assembly, the school district shall develop a principal mentoring program. The school district shall submit a copy of its principal mentoring program to the State Board of Education for its review and public comment. Whenever a substantive change has been made by the school district to its principal mentoring program, these changes must be submitted to the State Board of Education for review and comment.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.