093_SB0346
LRB093 07460 NHT 07627 b
1 AN ACT concerning education.
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 adding Article
5 21A as follows:
6 (105 ILCS 5/Art. 21A heading new)
7 ARTICLE 21A. NEW TEACHER INDUCTION AND MENTORING
8 (105 ILCS 5/21A-5 new)
9 Sec. 21A-5. Findings and declarations. The General
10 Assembly finds and declares all of the following:
11 (1) The revised system of teacher certification
12 established under subsection (g) of Section 21-1a of this
13 Code recognizes that the first years of teaching are
14 particularly critical to a teacher's professional
15 development and that teachers who hold Initial Teaching
16 Certificates need to develop their knowledge, skills, and
17 abilities before being issued Standard Teaching
18 Certificates.
19 (2) When new teachers are provided with focused
20 professional development opportunities and support and
21 guidance from experienced teachers, a process known as
22 induction and mentoring, the new teachers more quickly
23 and effectively develop the knowledge, skills, and
24 abilities expected of teachers holding Standard Teaching
25 Certificates.
26 (3) To be effective, induction and mentoring
27 programs must be designed to enhance the knowledge,
28 skills, and abilities described in the Illinois
29 Professional Teaching Standards and content area
30 standards. These programs must be based on research and
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1 best practices, targeted toward a set of clearly defined
2 purposes, and must include mentoring, continuing support
3 and professional development, and regular opportunities
4 for formative assessment of a new teacher.
5 (4) In authorizing induction and mentoring
6 programs, it is the intent of the General Assembly to
7 create programs to maximize the development of the
8 knowledge, skills, and abilities of teachers who hold
9 Initial Teaching Certificates and to provide adequate
10 funding for these programs.
11 (105 ILCS 5/21A-10 new)
12 Sec. 21A-10. Definitions. In this Article:
13 "New teacher" means the holder of an Initial Teaching
14 Certificate, as set forth in Section 21-2 of this Code, who
15 is employed by a public school and who has not previously
16 participated in a new teacher induction and mentoring program
17 required by this Article, except as provided in Section
18 21A-30 of this Code.
19 "Public school" means any school operating pursuant to
20 the authority of this Code, including without limitation a
21 school district, a charter school, a cooperative or joint
22 agreement with a governing body or board of control, and a
23 school operated by a regional office of education.
24 (105 ILCS 5/21A-15 new)
25 Sec. 21A-15. Development of program required. During
26 the 2003-2004 school year, each public school or 2 or more
27 public schools acting jointly shall develop, in conjunction
28 with its exclusive representative or their exclusive
29 representatives, if any, a new teacher induction and
30 mentoring program to assist new teachers in developing the
31 skills and strategies necessary for instructional excellence,
32 provided that funding is made available by the State Board of
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1 Education from an appropriation made for this purpose.
2 (105 ILCS 5/21A-20 new)
3 Sec. 21A-20. When program is to be established and
4 implemented. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this
5 Code, by the beginning of the 2004-2005 school year, each
6 public school or 2 or more public schools acting jointly
7 shall establish and implement, in conjunction with its
8 exclusive representative or their exclusive representatives,
9 if any, the new teacher induction and mentoring program as
10 set forth in this Article, provided that funding is made
11 available by the State Board of Education, from an
12 appropriation made for this purpose, as described in Section
13 21A-30 of this Code. A public school may contract with an
14 institution of higher education or other independent party to
15 assist in implementing the program.
16 (105 ILCS 5/21A-25 new)
17 Sec. 21A-25. Program requirements. Each new teacher
18 induction and mentoring program must be based on a plan that
19 at least does all of the following:
20 (1) Assigns a mentor teacher to each new teacher
21 for a period of time established by the public school,
22 which must be for a period of at least 2 school years.
23 (2) Aligns with the Illinois Professional Teaching
24 Standards, content area standards, and applicable local
25 school improvement and professional development plans, if
26 any.
27 (3) Addresses all of the following elements and how
28 they will be provided:
29 (A) Mentoring of the new teacher.
30 (B) Professional development specifically
31 designed to ensure the growth of the new teacher's
32 knowledge and skills.
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1 (C) Formative assessment designed to ensure
2 feedback and reflection, which must not be used in
3 any evaluation of the new teacher.
4 (4) Describes the role of mentor teachers, the
5 criteria and process for their selection, and how they
6 will be trained, provided that each mentor teacher shall
7 demonstrate the best practices in teaching his or her
8 respective field of practice. A mentor teacher may not
9 directly or indirectly participate in the evaluation of a
10 new teacher pursuant to Article 24A of this Code or the
11 evaluation procedure of the public school.
12 (105 ILCS 5/21A-30 new)
13 Sec. 21A-30. Funding. From a separate appropriation
14 made for the purposes of this Article, for each new teacher
15 participating in a new teacher induction and mentoring
16 program, the State Board of Education shall pay the public
17 school $1,200 annually for each of 2 school years for the
18 purpose of providing one or more of the following:
19 (1) Mentor teacher compensation.
20 (2) Mentor teacher training or new teacher training
21 or both.
22 (3) Release time.
23 However, if a new teacher, after participating in the new
24 teacher induction and mentoring program for one school year,
25 becomes employed by another public school, the State Board of
26 Education shall pay the teacher's new school $1,200 for the
27 second school year and the teacher shall continue to be a
28 new teacher as defined in this Article. Each public school
29 shall determine, in conjunction with its exclusive
30 representative, if any, how the $1,200 per school year for
31 each new teacher shall be used, provided that if a mentor
32 teacher receives additional release time to support a new
33 teacher, the total workload of other teachers regularly
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1 employed by the public school shall not increase in any
2 substantial manner. The State Board of Education may retain
3 up to $1,000,000 of the appropriation for new teacher
4 induction and mentoring programs to train mentor teachers,
5 administrators, and other personnel, to provide best
6 practices information, and to conduct an evaluation of these
7 programs' impact and effectiveness.
8 (105 ILCS 5/21A-35 new)
9 Sec. 21A-35. Evaluation of programs. The State Board of
10 Education and the State Teacher Certification Board shall
11 jointly contract with an independent party to conduct a
12 comprehensive evaluation of new teacher induction and
13 mentoring programs established pursuant to this Article. The
14 first report of this evaluation shall be presented to the
15 General Assembly on or before January 1, 2009. Subsequent
16 evaluations shall be conducted and reports presented to the
17 General Assembly on or before January 1 of every third year
18 thereafter.
19 (105 ILCS 5/21A-40 new)
20 Sec. 21A-40. Rules. The State Board of Education, in
21 consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board,
22 shall adopt rules for the implementation of this Article.