Public Act 098-1036
 
HB3948 EnrolledLRB098 15504 NHT 50534 b



    AN ACT concerning education.

 
    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 5, 10, 13, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 
90 as follows:
 


    (110 ILCS 48/5)


    Sec. 5. Purpose.  The Grow Your Own Teacher preparation
  
programs established under this Act shall comprise a major new
  
statewide initiative, known as the Grow Your Own Teacher
  
Education Initiative, to prepare highly skilled, committed
  
teachers who will teach in hard-to-staff schools, including 
within the Department of Juvenile Justice School District, and
  
hard-to-staff teaching positions and who will remain in these
  
schools for substantial periods of time.
    
      The Grow Your Own Teacher Education Initiative shall
  help 
to create a statewide pipeline of teachers who are likely 
effectively recruit and prepare parent and community leaders
  
and paraeducators to become effective teachers statewide in 
hard-to-staff schools serving a substantial percentage of 
low-income students and
  hard-to-staff teaching positions in 
schools
  serving a substantial percentage of low-income 
students.
  Further, the Initiative shall increase the diversity 
of
  teachers, including diversity based on race and ethnicity.
      
    The Grow Your Own Teacher Education Initiative shall ensure
  
educational rigor by effectively preparing candidates in
  
accredited bachelor's degree programs in teaching, through
  
which graduates shall meet the requirements to secure an
  
Illinois initial teaching certificate.
  
    The goal of the Grow Your Own Teacher Education Initiative 
is to add 1,000 teachers to low-income, hard-to-staff Illinois 
schools by 2016.



(Source: P.A. 95-476, eff. 1-1-08; 96-144, eff. 8-7-09; 96-414, 
eff. 1-1-10; 96-1000, eff. 7-2-10.)

 
    (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 Board of Higher 
Education 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.
    "Para educator" "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 Board of Higher Education.

(Source: P.A. 95-476, eff. 1-1-08; 96-144, eff. 8-7-09; 
96-1393, eff. 7-29-10.)
 
    (110 ILCS 48/13)
    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 were 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.

(Source: P.A. 96-1393, eff. 7-29-10.)
 
    (110 ILCS 48/15)

    Sec. 15. Creation of Initiative. The Grow Your Own Teacher 
Education Initiative is created. The Board of Higher Education 
State Board shall administer the Initiative as a grant 
competition to fund consortia that will carry out Grow Your Own 
Teacher preparation programs.

(Source: P.A. 93-802, eff. 1-1-05; 94-979, eff. 6-30-06.)
 
    (110 ILCS 48/20)

    Sec. 20. Selection of grantees. The Board of Higher 
Education State Board shall award grants to qualified consortia 
that reflect the distribution and diversity of hard-to-staff 
schools and hard-to-staff positions across this State. In 
awarding grants, the Board of Higher Education State Board 
shall select programs that successfully address Initiative 
criteria and that reflect a diversity of strategies in terms of 
serving urban areas, serving rural areas, the nature of the 
participating institutions of higher education, and the nature 
of hard-to-staff schools and
hard-to-staff teaching positions 
on which a program is focused.
     
    The Board of Higher Education State Board shall select 
consortia that meet the following requirements:
          
        (1) A consortium shall be composed of at least one 
    4-year institution of higher education with an Illinois 
    approved teacher preparation program, at least one school 
    district or group of schools, and one or more community 
    organizations. The consortium membership may also include 
    a 2-year institution of higher education, a school employee 
    union, or a regional office of education.
         
        (2) The 4-year institution of higher education 
    participating in the consortium shall have past, 
    demonstrated success in preparing teachers for elementary 
    or secondary schools serving a substantial percentage of 
    low-income students.
        (3) The consortium shall focus on a clearly defined set 
    of eligible schools that will participate in the program. 
    The consortium shall articulate the steps that it will 
    carry out in preparing teachers for its participating


    schools and in preparing teachers for one or more 
    hard-to-staff teaching positions in those

schools.
        (4) The consortium shall recruit potential candidates 
    for the program and shall take into consideration when 
    selecting a candidate whether the candidate: 
            (A) holds A candidate in a program under the 
        Initiative must hold a high school diploma or its 
        equivalent; , 
            (B) meets must meet either the definition of 
        "parent and community leader" or the definition of 
        "para educator" contained in Section 10 of this Act; , 
            (C) has must not have attended college right after 
        high school or must have experienced an interruption in 
        his or her college education; , and does not hold a 
        bachelor's degree.
            (D) exhibits a willingness to be a teacher in a 
        hard-to-staff school with the goal of maintaining 
        academic excellence;
            (E) shows an interest in postsecondary education 
        and may hold an associate's degree, a bachelor's 
        degree, or another postsecondary degree, but a 
        postsecondary education is not required;
            (F) is a parent, a para educator, a community 
        leader, or any other individual from a community with a 
        hard-to-staff school;
            (G) commits to completing and passing all State 
        standards, including the licensure test to obtain an 
        educator license;
            (H) shows a willingness to set high standards of 
        performance for himself or herself and students; and
            (I) demonstrates commitment to the program by:
                (i) maintaining a cumulative grade point 
            average of at least a 2.5 on a 4.0 scale (or the 
            equivalent as determined by the Board of Higher 
            Education);
                (ii)  attending monthly cohort meetings; and
                (iii) applying for financial aid from all 
            other financial aid resources before applying for 
            assistance from the program. 
        (5) The consortium shall employ effective procedures 
    for teaching the skills and knowledge needed to prepare 
    highly competent teachers. Professional preparation shall 
    include on-going direct experience in target schools and 
    evaluation of this experience.
        (6) The consortium shall offer the program to cohorts 
    of candidates, as defined in Section 10 of this Act, on a 
    schedule that enables candidates to work full time while 
    participating in the program and allows para educators 
    paraeducators to continue in their current positions. In 
    any fiscal year in which an appropriation for the 
    Initiative is made, the

consortium shall guarantee that 
    support will be available to an admitted cohort for the 
    cohort's education for that fiscal year. At the beginning 
    of the Initiative, programs that are already operating and 
    existing cohorts of candidates under this model shall be 
    eligible for funding.
        (7) The institutions of higher education participating 
    in the consortium shall document and agree to expend the 
    same amount of funds in implementing the program that these 
    institutions spend per student on similar educational 
    programs. Grants received by the consortium shall 
    supplement and not supplant these amounts.
        (8) The Board of Higher Education State Board shall 
    establish additional criteria for review of proposals, 
    including criteria that address the following issues:
            (A) Previous experience of the institutions of 
        higher education in preparing candidates for 
        hard-to-staff schools and positions and in working 
        with students with non-traditional backgrounds.
            (B) The quality of the implementation plan, 
        including strategies for overcoming institutional 
        barriers to the progress of non-traditional 
        candidates.
            (C) If a community college is a participant, the 
        nature and extent of existing articulation agreements 
        and guarantees between the community college and the 
        4-year institution of higher education.
            (D) The number of candidates to be educated in the 
        planned cohort or cohorts and the capacity of the 
        consortium for adding cohorts in future cycles.
            (E) Experience of the community organization or 
        organizations in organizing parents and community 
        leaders to achieve school improvement and a strong 
        relational school culture.
            (F) The qualifications of the person or persons 
        designated by the 4-year institution of higher 
        education to be responsible for cohort support and the 
        development of a shared learning and social 
        environment among candidates.
            (G) The consortium's plan for collective 
        consortium decision-making, involving all consortium 
        members, including mechanisms for candidate input.
            (H) The consortium's plan for direct impact of the 
        program on the quality of education in the eligible 
        schools.
            (I) The relevance of the curriculum to the needs of 
        the eligible schools and positions, and the use in 
        curriculum and instructional planning of principles 
        for effective education for adults.
            (J) The availability of classes under the program 
        in places and times accessible to the candidates.
            (K) Provision of a level of performance to be 
        maintained by candidates as a condition of continuing 
        in the program.
            (L) The plan of the 4-year institution of higher 
        education to ensure that candidates take advantage of 
        existing financial aid resources before using the loan 
        funds described in Section 25 of this Act.
            (M) The availability of supportive services, 
        including, but not limited to, counseling, tutoring, 
        transportation, technology and technology support, and 
        child care.
            (N) A plan for continued participation of 
        graduates of the program in a program of support for at 
        least 2 years, including mentoring and group meetings.
            (O) A plan for testing and qualitative evaluation 
        of candidates' teaching skills that ensures that 
        graduates of the program are as prepared for teaching 
        as other individuals completing the institution of 
        higher education's preparation program for the 
        certificate sought.
            (P) A plan for internal evaluation that provides 
        reports at least yearly on the progress of candidates 
        towards graduation and the impact of the program on the 
        target schools and their communities.
            (Q) Contributions from schools, school districts, 
        and other consortia members to the program, including 
        stipends for candidates during their student teaching.
            (R) Consortium commitment for sustaining the 
        program over time, as evidenced by plans for reduced 
        requirements for external funding, in subsequent 
        cycles.

            (S) The inclusion in the planned program of 
        strategies derived from community organizing that will 
        help candidates develop tools for working with parents 
        and other community members.

(Source: P.A. 95-476, eff. 1-1-08; 96-144, eff. 8-7-09.)
 
    (110 ILCS 48/25)

    Sec. 25. Expenditures under the Initiative. 
    (a) Every program under the Initiative shall implement a 
program of forgivable loans to cover any portion of tuition, 
books, and fees of candidates under the program in excess of 
the candidates' grants-in-aid. All students admitted to a 
cohort shall be eligible for a forgivable student loan. Loans 
shall be fully forgiven if a graduate completes 5 years of 
service in hard-to-staff schools

or hard-to-staff teaching 
positions, with partial forgiveness for shorter periods of 
service. The Board of Higher Education State Board shall 
establish standards for the approval of requests for waivers or 
deferrals from individuals to waive this obligation.  The Board 
of Higher Education State Board shall also define standards for 
the fiscal management of these loan funds. 
    (b) The Board of Higher Education State Board shall award 
grants under the Initiative in such a way as to provide the 
required support for a cohort of candidates for any fiscal year 
in which an appropriation for the Initiative is made. Program 
budgets must show expenditures and needed funds for the entire 
period that candidates are expected to be enrolled.
    (c) No funds under the Initiative may be used to supplant 
the average per-capita expenditures by the institution of 
higher education for candidates.
    (d) Where necessary, program budgets shall include the 
costs of child care and other indirect expenses, such as 
transportation, tutoring, technology, and technology support, 
necessary to permit candidates to maintain their class 
schedules. Grant funds may be used by any member of a 
consortium to offset such costs, and the services may be 
provided by the community organization or organizations, by any 
other member of the consortium, or by independent contractors.
    (e) The institution of higher education may expend grant 
funds to cover the additional costs of offering classes in 
community settings and for tutoring services.
    (f) The community organization or organizations may 
receive a portion of the grant money for the expenses of 
recruitment, community orientation, and counseling of 
potential candidates, for providing space in the community, and 
for working with school personnel to facilitate individual work 
experiences and support of candidates.
    (g) The school district or school employee union or both 
may receive a portion of the grant money for expenses of 
supporting the work experiences of candidates and providing 
mentors for graduates.
Notwithstanding the provisions of 
Section 10-20.15 of the School Code, school districts may also 
use these or other applicable public funds to pay participants 
in programs under the Initiative for student teaching required 
by an accredited teacher preparation program.
    (h) One or more members of the consortium may expend funds 
to cover the salary of a site-based cohort coordinator.
    (i) Grant funds may also be expended to pay directly for 
required developmental classes for candidates beginning a 
program.


(Source: P.A. 95-476, eff. 1-1-08; 96-144, eff. 8-7-09.)
 
    (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.  The Board of Higher Education 
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. 96-1393, eff. 7-29-10.)
 
    (110 ILCS 48/35)

    Sec. 35. Independent program evaluation. The Board of 
Higher Education State Board shall contract for an independent 
evaluation of program implementation by each of its 
participating consortia and of the impact of each program, 
including the extent of candidate persistence in program 
enrollment, acceptance as an education major in a 4-year 
institution of higher education, completion of a bachelor's 
degree in teaching, obtaining a teaching position in a target 
school or similar school, subsequent effectiveness as a 
teacher, and persistence in teaching in a target school or 
similar school. The evaluation shall assess the Initiative's 
overall effectiveness and shall identify particular program 
strategies that are especially effective.

(Source: P.A. 93-802, eff. 1-1-05; 94-979, eff. 6-30-06.)
 
    (110 ILCS 48/90)

    Sec. 90. Rules. The Board of Higher Education State Board 
may adopt any rules necessary to carry out its responsibilities 
under this Act.

(Source: P.A. 93-802, eff. 1-1-05.)