Public Act 096-1393
 
SB2487 EnrolledLRB096 15061 RCE 30059 b



    AN ACT concerning State government.

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



 
    Section 5. The Grow
  Your Own Teacher Education Act is 
amended  by changing Sections 10 and 30 and by adding Section 13 
as follows:
 
    (110 ILCS 48/10)
    Sec. 10. Definitions. In this Act:
    "Accredited teacher preparation program" means a
  
regionally accredited, Illinois approved teacher education 
program authorized to
  prepare individuals to fulfill all of the 
requirements to
  receive an Illinois initial teaching 
certificate.
    "Cohort" means a group of teacher education candidates who 
are enrolled in and share experiences in the same program and 
are linked by their desire to become Illinois teachers in 
hard-to-staff schools and by their need for the services and 
supports offered by the Initiative.
    "Community organization" means a nonprofit organization 
that has a demonstrated capacity to train, develop, and 
organize parents and community leaders into a constituency that 
will hold the school and the school district accountable for 
achieving high academic standards; in addition to 
organizations with a geographic focus, "community 
organization" includes general parent organizations, 
organizations of special education or bilingual education 
parents, and school employee unions. 
    "Developmental classes" means classes in basic skill 
areas, such as mathematics and language arts that are 
prerequisite to, but not counted towards, degree requirements 
of a teacher preparation program.

    "Eligible school" means a public elementary, middle, or 
secondary school in this State that serves a substantial 
percentage of low-income students and that is either hard to 
staff or has hard-to-staff teaching positions.

    "Hard-to-staff school" means a public elementary, middle, 
or secondary school in this State that, based on data compiled 
by the State Board of Education in conjunction with the Board 
of Higher Education, serves a substantial percentage of 
low-income students, as defined by the State Board.
    "Hard-to-staff teaching position" means a teaching
  
category (such as special education, bilingual education, 
mathematics, or science)
  in which statewide data compiled by 
the State Board of Education
  in conjunction with the Board of 
Higher Education indicates a multi-year pattern of substantial
  
teacher shortage or that has been identified as a critical need 
by the local school board.
      
    "Initiative" means the Grow Your Own Teacher Education
  
Initiative created under this Act.
    "Paraeducator" means an individual with a history of
  
demonstrated accomplishments in school staff positions (such
  
as teacher assistants, school-community liaisons, school
  
clerks, and security aides) in schools that meet the definition 
of a hard-to-staff school under this Section.
      
    "Parent and community leader" means an individual who has 
or had a child enrolled in a school or schools that meet the 
definition of a hard-to-staff school under this Section and who 
has a history of active involvement in the school or who has a 
history of working to improve schools serving a
  substantial 
percentage of low-income students, including membership in a 
community organization.
    "Program" means a Grow Your  Own Teacher preparation program
  
established by a consortium under this Act.
      
    "Schools serving a substantial percentage of low-income
  
students" means  schools that maintain any of grades 
pre-kindergarten through 8, in which at least 35% of the 
students are eligible to receive free or reduced-price lunches 
and schools that maintain any of grades 9 through 12, in which 
at least 25% of the students are eligible to receive free or 
reduced price lunches.
    "State Board" means the State Board of Higher Education.

(Source: P.A. 95-476, eff. 1-1-08; 96-144, eff. 8-7-09.)
 
    (110 ILCS 48/13 new)
    Sec. 13. Transfer of powers and duties to the Board of 
Higher Education.   On July 1, 2010, all powers and duties of 
the State Board of Education under this Act shall be 
transferred to the Board of Higher Education.  All rules, 
standards, guidelines, and procedures adopted by the State 
Board of Education under this Act shall continue in effect as 
the rules, standards, guidelines, and procedures of the Board 
of Higher Education, until they are modified or abolished by 
the Board of Higher Education.
 
    (110 ILCS 48/30)
    Sec. 30. Implementation of Initiative. The State Board 
shall develop guidelines and application procedures for the 
Initiative in fiscal year 2011 2005.  The State Board may, if it 
chooses, award a small number of planning grants during any

fiscal year to potential consortia. Other than existing 
cohorts, the first programs under the Initiative shall be 
awarded grants in such a way as to allow candidates to begin 
their work at the beginning of the 2006-2007 school year.  
(Source: P.A. 93-802, eff. 1-1-05; 94-979, eff. 6-30-06.)
 

    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, 
2010.