Public Act 0592 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB1647 Enrolled LRB095 07887 NHT 28048 b

Public Act 095-0592

AN ACT concerning education.

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

Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section 21-25 as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/21-25) (from Ch. 122, par. 21-25)

Sec. 21-25. School service personnel certificate.

(a) For purposes of this Section, "school service personnel" means persons employed and performing appropriate services in an Illinois public or State-operated elementary school, secondary school, or cooperative or joint agreement with a governing body or board of control or a charter school operating in compliance with the Charter Schools Law in a position requiring a school service personnel certificate.

Subject to the provisions of Section 21-1a, a school service personnel certificate shall be issued to those applicants of good character, good health, a citizen of the United States and at least 19 years of age who have a Bachelor's degree with not fewer than 120 semester hours from a regionally accredited institution of higher learning and who meets the requirements established by the State Superintendent of Education in consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board. A school service personnel certificate with a school nurse endorsement may be issued to a person who holds a bachelor of science degree from an institution of higher learning accredited by the North Central Association or other comparable regional accrediting association. Persons seeking any other endorsement on the school service personnel certificate shall be recommended for the endorsement by a recognized teacher education institution as having completed a program of preparation approved by the State Superintendent of Education in consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board.

(b) Until August 30, 2002, a school service personnel certificate endorsed for school social work may be issued to a student who has completed a school social work program that has not been approved by the State Superintendent of Education, provided that each of the following conditions is met:

(1) The program was offered by a recognized, public teacher education institution that first enrolled students in its master's degree program in social work in 1998;

(2) The student applying for the school service personnel certificate was enrolled in the institution's master's degree program in social work on or after May 11, 1998;

(3) The State Superintendent verifies that the student has completed coursework that is substantially similar to that required in approved school social work programs, including (i) not fewer than 600 clock hours of a supervised internship in a school setting or (ii) if the student has completed part of a supervised internship in a school setting prior to the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 92nd General Assembly and receives the prior approval of the State Superintendent, not fewer than 300 additional clock hours of supervised work in a public school setting under the supervision of a certified school social worker who certifies that the supervised work was completed in a satisfactory manner; and

(4) The student has passed a test of basic skills and the test of subject matter knowledge required by Section 21-1a.

This subsection (b) does not apply after August 29, 2002.

(c) A school service personnel certificate shall be endorsed with the area of Service as determined by the State Superintendent of Education in consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board.

The holder of such certificate shall be entitled to all of the rights and privileges granted holders of a valid teaching certificate, including teacher benefits, compensation and working conditions.

When the holder of such certificate has earned a master's degree, including 8 semester hours of graduate professional education from a recognized institution of higher learning, and has at least 2 years of successful school experience while holding such certificate, the certificate may be endorsed for supervision.

(d) Persons who have successfully achieved National Board certification through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards shall be issued a Master School Service Personnel Certificate, valid for 10 years and renewable thereafter every 10 years through compliance with requirements set forth by the State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board. However, each holder of a Master School Service Personnel Certificate shall be eligible for a corresponding position in this State in the areas for which he or she holds a Master Certificate without satisfying any other requirements of this Code, except for those requirements pertaining to criminal background checks.

(e) School service personnel certificates are renewable every 5 years and may be renewed as provided in this Section. Requests for renewals must be submitted, in a format prescribed by the State Board of Education, to the regional office of education responsible for the school where the holder is employed.

Upon completion of at least 80 hours of continuing professional development as provided in this subsection (e), a person who holds a valid school service personnel certificate shall have his or her certificate renewed for a period of 5 years. A person who (i) holds an active license issued by the State as a clinical professional counselor, a professional counselor, a clinical social worker, a social worker, or a speech-language pathologist; (ii) holds national certification as a Nationally Certified School Psychologist from the National School Psychology Certification Board; (iii) is nationally certified as a National Certified School Nurse from the National Board for Certification of School Nurses; (iv) is nationally certified as a National Certified Counselor or National Certified School Counselor from the National Board for Certified Counselors; or (v) holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association shall be deemed to have satisfied the continuing professional development requirements established by the State Board of Education and the State Teacher Certification Board to renew a school service personnel certificate.

School service personnel certificates may be renewed by the State Teacher Certification Board based upon proof of continuing professional development. The State Board of Education shall (i) establish a procedure for renewing school service personnel certificates, which shall include without limitation annual timelines for the renewal process and the components set forth in this Section; (ii) approve or disapprove the providers of continuing professional development activities; and (iii) provide, on a timely basis to all school service personnel certificate holders, regional superintendents of schools, school districts, and others with an interest in continuing professional development, information about the standards and requirements established pursuant to this subsection (e).

Any school service personnel certificate held by an individual employed and performing services in an Illinois public or State-operated elementary school, secondary school, or cooperative or joint agreement with a governing body or board of control in a certificated school service personnel position or in a charter school in compliance with the Charter Schools Law must be maintained Valid and Active through certificate renewal activities specified in the certificate renewal procedure established pursuant to this Section, provided that a holder of a Valid and Active certificate who is only employed on either a part-time basis or day-to-day basis as a substitute shall pay only the required registration fee to renew his or her certificate and maintain it as Valid and Active. All other school service personnel certificates held may be maintained as Valid and Exempt through the registration process provided for in the certificate renewal procedure established pursuant to Section 21-14 of this Code. A Valid and Exempt certificate must be immediately activated, through procedures developed by the State Board of Education upon the certificate holder becoming employed and performing services in an Illinois public or State-operated elementary school, secondary school, or cooperative or joint agreement with a governing body or board of control in a certificated school service personnel position or in a charter school operating in compliance with the Charter Schools Law. A holder of a Valid and Exempt certificate may activate his or her certificate through procedures provided for in the certificate renewal procedure established pursuant to this Section.

A school service personnel certificate that has been maintained as Valid and Active for the 5 years of the certificate's validity shall be renewed as Valid and Active upon the certificate holder (i) completing the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards process in an area of concentration comparable to the holder's school service personnel certificate of endorsement or (ii) earning 80 continuing professional development units as described in this Section. If, however, the certificate holder has maintained the certificate as Valid and Exempt for a portion of the 5-year period of validity, the number of continuing professional development units needed to renew the certificate as Valid and Active must be proportionately reduced by the amount of time the certificate was Valid and Exempt. If a certificate holder is employed and performs services requiring the holder's school service personnel certificate on a part-time basis for all or a portion of the certificate's 5-year period of validity, the number of continuing professional development units needed to renew the certificate as Valid and Active shall be reduced by 50% for the amount of time the certificate holder has been employed and performing such services on a part-time basis. "Part-time" means less than 50% of the school day or school term.

Beginning July 1, 2008, in order to satisfy the requirements for continuing professional development provided for in this Section, each Valid and Active school service personnel certificate holder shall complete professional development activities that address the certificate or those certificates that are required of his or her certificated position, if the certificate holder is employed and performing services in an Illinois public or State operated elementary school, secondary school, or cooperative or joint agreement with a governing body or board of control, or that certificate or those certificates most closely related to his or her teaching position, if the certificate holder is employed in a charter school. Except as otherwise provided in this subsection (e), the certificate holder's activities must address and must reflect the following continuing professional development purposes:

(1) Advance both the certificate holder's knowledge and skills consistent with the Illinois Standards for the service area in which the certificate is endorsed in order to keep the certificate holder current in that area.

(2) Develop the certificate holder's knowledge and skills in areas determined by the State Board of Education to be critical for all school service personnel.

(3) Address the knowledge, skills, and goals of the certificate holder's local school improvement plan, if the certificate holder is employed in an Illinois public or State-operated elementary school, secondary school, or cooperative or joint agreement with a governing body or board of control.

(4) Address the needs of serving students with disabilities, including adapting and modifying clinical or professional practices to meet the needs of students with disabilities and serving such students in the least restrictive environment.

The coursework or continuing professional development units ("CPDU") required under this subsection (e) must total 80 CPDUs or the equivalent and must address 3 of the 4 purposes described in items (1) through (4) of this subsection (e). Holders of school service personnel certificates may fulfill this obligation with any combination of semester hours or CPDUs as follows:

(A) Collaboration and partnership activities related to improving the school service personnel certificate holder's knowledge and skills, including (i) participating on collaborative planning and professional improvement teams and committees; (ii) peer review and coaching; (iii) mentoring in a formal mentoring program, including service as a consulting teacher participating in a remediation process formulated under Section 24A-5 of this Code; (iv) participating in site-based management or decision-making teams, relevant committees, boards, or task forces directly related to school improvement plans; (v) coordinating community resources in schools, if the project is a specific goal of the school improvement plan; (vi) facilitating parent education programs for a school, school district, or regional office of education directly related to student achievement or school improvement plans; (vii) participating in business, school, or community partnerships directly related to student achievement or school improvement plans; or (viii) supervising a student teacher (student services personnel) or teacher education candidate in clinical supervision, provided that the supervision may be counted only once during the course of 5 years.

(B) Coursework from a regionally accredited institution of higher learning related to one of the purposes listed in items (1) through (4) of this subsection (e), which shall apply at the rate of 15 continuing professional development units per semester hour of credit earned during the previous 5-year period when the status of the holder's school service personnel certificate was Valid and Active. Proportionate reductions shall apply when the holder's status was Valid and Active for less than the 5-year period preceding the renewal.

(C) Teaching college or university courses in areas relevant to the certificate area being renewed, provided that the teaching may be counted only once during the course of 5 years.

(D) Conferences, workshops, institutes, seminars, or symposiums designed to improve the certificate holder's knowledge and skills in the service area and applicable to the purposes listed in items (1) through (4) of this subsection (e). One CPDU shall be awarded for each hour of attendance. No one shall receive credit for conferences, workshops, institutes, seminars, or symposiums that are designed for entertainment, promotional, or commercial purposes or that are solely inspirational or motivational. The State Superintendent of Education and regional superintendents of schools are authorized to review the activities and events provided or to be provided under this subdivision (D) and to investigate complaints regarding those activities and events. Either the State Superintendent of Education or a regional superintendent of schools may recommend that the State Board of Education disapprove those activities and events considered to be inconsistent with this subdivision (D).

(E) Completing non-university credit directly related to student achievement, school improvement plans, or State priorities.

(F) Participating in or presenting at workshops, seminars, conferences, institutes, or symposiums.

(G) Training as external reviewers for quality assurance.

(H) Training as reviewers of university teacher preparation programs.

(I) Other educational experiences related to improving the school service personnel's knowledge and skills as a teacher, including (i) participating in action research and inquiry projects; (ii) traveling related to one's assignment and directly related to school service personnel achievement or school improvement plans and approved by the regional superintendent of schools or his or her designee at least 30 days prior to the travel experience, provided that the traveling shall not include time spent commuting to destinations where the learning experience will occur; (iii) participating in study groups related to student achievement or school improvement plans; (iv) serving on a statewide education-related committee, including without limitation the State Teacher Certification Board, State Board of Education strategic agenda teams, or the State Advisory Council on Education of Children with Disabilities; (v) participating in work/learn programs or internships; or (vi) developing a portfolio of student and teacher work.

(J) Professional leadership experiences related to improving the teacher's knowledge and skills as a teacher, including (i) participating in curriculum development or assessment activities at the school, school district, regional office of education, State, or national level; (ii) participating in team or department leadership in a school or school district; (iii) participating on external or internal school or school district review teams; (iv) publishing educational articles, columns, or books relevant to the certificate area being renewed; or (v) participating in non-strike-related professional association or labor organization service or activities related to professional development.

(Source: P.A. 94-105, eff. 7-1-05.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, 2008.