102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2021 and 2022
HB0655

 

Introduced 2/8/2021, by Rep. Thomas M. Bennett and Chris Miller

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
105 ILCS 5/21B-30
105 ILCS 5/21B-50

    Amends the Educator Licensure Article of the School Code. Removes the requirement that educator licensure candidates pass a teacher performance assessment. Makes related changes. Effective July 1, 2021.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB0655LRB102 04292 CMG 14310 b

1    AN ACT concerning education.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Sections
521B-30 and 21B-50 as follows:
 
6    (105 ILCS 5/21B-30)
7    Sec. 21B-30. Educator testing.
8    (a) (Blank).
9    (b) The State Board of Education, in consultation with the
10State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, shall design
11and implement a system of examinations, which shall be
12required prior to the issuance of educator licenses. These
13examinations and indicators must be based on national and
14State professional teaching standards, as determined by the
15State Board of Education, in consultation with the State
16Educator Preparation and Licensure Board. The State Board of
17Education may adopt such rules as may be necessary to
18implement and administer this Section.
19    (c) (Blank).
20    (c-5) The State Board must adopt rules to implement a
21paraprofessional competency test. This test would allow an
22applicant seeking an Educator License with Stipulations with a
23paraprofessional educator endorsement to obtain the

 

 

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1endorsement if he or she passes the test and meets the other
2requirements of subparagraph (J) of paragraph (2) of Section
321B-20 other than the higher education requirements.
4    (d) All applicants seeking a State license shall be
5required to pass a test of content area knowledge for each area
6of endorsement for which there is an applicable test. There
7shall be no exception to this requirement. No candidate shall
8be allowed to student teach or serve as the teacher of record
9until he or she has passed the applicable content area test.
10    (e) (Blank).
11    (f) (Blank). Except as otherwise provided in this Article,
12beginning on September 1, 2015, all candidates completing
13teacher preparation programs in this State and all candidates
14subject to Section 21B-35 of this Code are required to pass a
15teacher performance assessment approved by the State Board of
16Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation
17and Licensure Board. Subject to appropriation, an individual
18who holds a Professional Educator License and is employed for
19a minimum of one school year by a school district designated as
20Tier 1 under Section 18-8.15 may, after application to the
21State Board, receive from the State Board a refund for any
22costs associated with completing the teacher performance
23assessment under this subsection.
24    (g) The content area knowledge test and the teacher
25performance assessment shall be the test tests that from time
26to time are designated by the State Board of Education, in

 

 

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1consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure
2Board, and may include a test be tests prepared by an
3educational testing organization or a test tests designed by
4the State Board of Education, in consultation with the State
5Educator Preparation and Licensure Board. The test of content
6area knowledge shall assess content knowledge in a specific
7subject field. The test tests must be designed to be racially
8neutral to ensure that no person taking the test tests is
9discriminated against on the basis of race, color, national
10origin, or other factors unrelated to the person's ability to
11perform as a licensed employee. The score required to pass the
12test tests shall be fixed by the State Board of Education, in
13consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure
14Board. The test tests shall be administered not fewer than 3
15times a year at such time and place as may be designated by the
16State Board of Education, in consultation with the State
17Educator Preparation and Licensure Board.
18    The State Board shall implement a test or tests to assess
19the speaking, reading, writing, and grammar skills of
20applicants for an endorsement or a license issued under
21subdivision (G) of paragraph (2) of Section 21B-20 of this
22Code in the English language and in the language of the
23transitional bilingual education program requested by the
24applicant.
25    (h) Except as provided in Section 34-6 of this Code, the
26provisions of this Section shall apply equally in any school

 

 

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1district subject to Article 34 of this Code.
2    (i) The rules developed to implement and enforce the
3testing requirements under this Section shall include without
4limitation provisions governing test selection, test
5validation and determination of a passing score,
6administration of the tests, frequency of administration,
7applicant fees, frequency of applicants taking the tests, the
8years for which a score is valid, and appropriate special
9accommodations. The State Board of Education shall develop
10such rules as may be needed to ensure uniformity from year to
11year in the level of difficulty for each form of an assessment.
12(Source: P.A. 100-596, eff. 7-1-18; 100-863, eff. 8-14-18;
13100-932, eff. 8-17-18; 101-81, eff. 7-12-19; 101-220, eff.
148-7-19; 101-594, eff. 12-5-19.)
 
15    (105 ILCS 5/21B-50)
16    Sec. 21B-50. Alternative Educator Licensure Program.
17    (a) There is established an alternative educator licensure
18program, to be known as the Alternative Educator Licensure
19Program for Teachers.
20    (b) The Alternative Educator Licensure Program for
21Teachers may be offered by a recognized institution approved
22to offer educator preparation programs by the State Board of
23Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation
24and Licensure Board.
25    The program shall be comprised of 4 phases:

 

 

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1        (1) A course of study that at a minimum includes
2    instructional planning; instructional strategies,
3    including special education, reading, and English language
4    learning; classroom management; and the assessment of
5    students and use of data to drive instruction.
6        (2) A year of residency, which is a candidate's
7    assignment to a full-time teaching position or as a
8    co-teacher for one full school year. An individual must
9    hold an Educator License with Stipulations with an
10    alternative provisional educator endorsement in order to
11    enter the residency and must complete additional program
12    requirements that address required State and national
13    standards, pass the State Board's teacher performance
14    assessment no later than the end of the first semester of
15    the second year of residency, as required under phase (3)
16    of this subsection (b), and be recommended by the
17    principal or qualified equivalent of a principal, as
18    required under subsection (d) of this Section, and the
19    program coordinator to continue with the second year of
20    the residency.
21        (3) A second year of residency, which shall include
22    the candidate's assignment to a full-time teaching
23    position for one school year. The candidate must be
24    assigned an experienced teacher to act as a mentor and
25    coach the candidate through the second year of residency.
26        (4) A comprehensive assessment of the candidate's

 

 

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1    teaching effectiveness, as evaluated by the principal or
2    qualified equivalent of a principal, as required under
3    subsection (d) of this Section, and the program
4    coordinator, at the end of the second year of residency.
5    If there is disagreement between the 2 evaluators about
6    the candidate's teaching effectiveness, the candidate may
7    complete one additional year of residency teaching under a
8    professional development plan developed by the principal
9    or qualified equivalent and the preparation program. At
10    the completion of the third year, a candidate must have
11    positive evaluations and a recommendation for full
12    licensure from both the principal or qualified equivalent
13    and the program coordinator or no Professional Educator
14    License shall be issued.
15    Successful completion of the program shall be deemed to
16satisfy any other practice or student teaching and content
17matter requirements established by law.
18    (c) An alternative provisional educator endorsement on an
19Educator License with Stipulations is valid for 2 years of
20teaching in the public schools, including without limitation a
21preschool educational program under Section 2-3.71 of this
22Code or charter school, or in a State-recognized nonpublic
23school in which the chief administrator is required to have
24the licensure necessary to be a principal in a public school in
25this State and in which a majority of the teachers are required
26to have the licensure necessary to be instructors in a public

 

 

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1school in this State, but may be renewed for a third year if
2needed to complete the Alternative Educator Licensure Program
3for Teachers. The endorsement shall be issued only once to an
4individual who meets all of the following requirements:
5        (1) Has graduated from a regionally accredited college
6    or university with a bachelor's degree or higher.
7        (2) Has a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or
8    greater on a 4.0 scale or its equivalent on another scale.
9        (3) Has completed a major in the content area if
10    seeking a middle or secondary level endorsement or, if
11    seeking an early childhood, elementary, or special
12    education endorsement, has completed a major in the
13    content area of reading, English/language arts,
14    mathematics, or one of the sciences. If the individual
15    does not have a major in a content area for any level of
16    teaching, he or she must submit transcripts to the State
17    Board of Education to be reviewed for equivalency.
18        (4) Has successfully completed phase (1) of subsection
19    (b) of this Section.
20        (5) Has passed a content area test required for the
21    specific endorsement for admission into the program, as
22    required under Section 21B-30 of this Code.
23    A candidate possessing the alternative provisional
24educator endorsement may receive a salary, benefits, and any
25other terms of employment offered to teachers in the school
26who are members of an exclusive bargaining representative, if

 

 

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1any, but a school is not required to provide these benefits
2during the years of residency if the candidate is serving only
3as a co-teacher. If the candidate is serving as the teacher of
4record, the candidate must receive a salary, benefits, and any
5other terms of employment. Residency experiences must not be
6counted towards tenure.
7    (d) The recognized institution offering the Alternative
8Educator Licensure Program for Teachers must partner with a
9school district, including without limitation a preschool
10educational program under Section 2-3.71 of this Code or
11charter school, or a State-recognized, nonpublic school in
12this State in which the chief administrator is required to
13have the licensure necessary to be a principal in a public
14school in this State and in which a majority of the teachers
15are required to have the licensure necessary to be instructors
16in a public school in this State. A recognized institution
17that partners with a public school district administering a
18preschool educational program under Section 2-3.71 of this
19Code must require a principal to recommend or evaluate
20candidates in the program. A recognized institution that
21partners with an eligible entity administering a preschool
22educational program under Section 2-3.71 of this Code and that
23is not a public school district must require a principal or
24qualified equivalent of a principal to recommend or evaluate
25candidates in the program. The program presented for approval
26by the State Board of Education must demonstrate the supports

 

 

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1that are to be provided to assist the provisional teacher
2during the 2-year residency period. These supports must
3provide additional contact hours with mentors during the first
4year of residency.
5    (e) Upon completion of the 4 phases outlined in subsection
6(b) of this Section and all assessments required under Section
721B-30 of this Code, an individual shall receive a
8Professional Educator License.
9    (f) The State Board of Education, in consultation with the
10State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, may adopt such
11rules as may be necessary to establish and implement the
12Alternative Educator Licensure Program for Teachers.
13(Source: P.A. 100-596, eff. 7-1-18; 100-822, eff. 1-1-19;
14101-220, eff. 8-7-19; 101-570, eff. 8-23-19; 101-643, eff.
156-18-20.)
 
16    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1,
172021.