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1 | AN ACT concerning education.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, | ||||||
3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 5. The Grow
Your Own Teacher Education Act is | ||||||
5 | amended by changing Sections 5, 10, 13, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, and | ||||||
6 | 90 as follows:
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7 | (110 ILCS 48/5)
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8 | Sec. 5. Purpose. The Grow Your Own Teacher preparation
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9 | programs established under this Act shall comprise a major new
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10 | statewide initiative, known as the Grow Your Own Teacher
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11 | Education Initiative, to prepare highly skilled, committed
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12 | teachers who will teach in hard-to-staff schools, including | ||||||
13 | within the Department of Juvenile Justice School District, and
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14 | hard-to-staff teaching positions and who will remain in these
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15 | schools for substantial periods of time. | ||||||
16 |
The Grow Your Own Teacher Education Initiative shall
help | ||||||
17 | to create a statewide pipeline of teachers who are likely | ||||||
18 | effectively recruit and prepare parent and community leaders
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19 | and paraeducators to become effective teachers statewide in | ||||||
20 | hard-to-staff schools serving a substantial percentage of | ||||||
21 | low-income students and
hard-to-staff teaching positions in | ||||||
22 | schools
serving a substantial percentage of low-income | ||||||
23 | students.
Further, the Initiative shall increase the diversity |
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1 | of
teachers, including diversity based on race and ethnicity.
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2 | The Grow Your Own Teacher Education Initiative shall ensure
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3 | educational rigor by effectively preparing candidates in
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4 | accredited bachelor's degree programs in teaching, through
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5 | which graduates shall meet the requirements to secure an
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6 | Illinois initial teaching certificate.
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7 | The goal of the Grow Your Own Teacher Education Initiative | ||||||
8 | is to add 1,000 teachers to low-income, hard-to-staff Illinois | ||||||
9 | schools by 2016.
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10 | (Source: P.A. 95-476, eff. 1-1-08; 96-144, eff. 8-7-09; 96-414, | ||||||
11 | eff. 1-1-10; 96-1000, eff. 7-2-10.)
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12 | (110 ILCS 48/10) | ||||||
13 | Sec. 10. Definitions. In this Act: | ||||||
14 | "Accredited teacher preparation program" means a
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15 | regionally accredited, Illinois approved teacher education | ||||||
16 | program authorized to
prepare individuals to fulfill all of the | ||||||
17 | requirements to
receive an Illinois initial teaching | ||||||
18 | certificate. | ||||||
19 | "Cohort" means a group of teacher education candidates who | ||||||
20 | are enrolled in and share experiences in the same program and | ||||||
21 | are linked by their desire to become Illinois teachers in | ||||||
22 | hard-to-staff schools and by their need for the services and | ||||||
23 | supports offered by the Initiative. | ||||||
24 | "Community organization" means a nonprofit organization | ||||||
25 | that has a demonstrated capacity to train, develop, and |
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1 | organize parents and community leaders into a constituency that | ||||||
2 | will hold the school and the school district accountable for | ||||||
3 | achieving high academic standards; in addition to | ||||||
4 | organizations with a geographic focus, "community | ||||||
5 | organization" includes general parent organizations, | ||||||
6 | organizations of special education or bilingual education | ||||||
7 | parents, and school employee unions. | ||||||
8 | "Developmental classes" means classes in basic skill | ||||||
9 | areas, such as mathematics and language arts that are | ||||||
10 | prerequisite to, but not counted towards, degree requirements | ||||||
11 | of a teacher preparation program.
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12 | "Eligible school" means a public elementary, middle, or | ||||||
13 | secondary school in this State that serves a substantial | ||||||
14 | percentage of low-income students and that is either hard to | ||||||
15 | staff or has hard-to-staff teaching positions.
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16 | "Hard-to-staff school" means a public elementary, middle, | ||||||
17 | or secondary school in this State that, based on data compiled | ||||||
18 | by the State Board of Education in conjunction with the Board | ||||||
19 | of Higher Education, serves a substantial percentage of | ||||||
20 | low-income students, as defined by the Board of Higher | ||||||
21 | Education State Board . | ||||||
22 | "Hard-to-staff teaching position" means a teaching
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23 | category (such as special education, bilingual education, | ||||||
24 | mathematics, or science)
in which statewide data compiled by | ||||||
25 | the State Board of Education
in conjunction with the Board of | ||||||
26 | Higher Education indicates a multi-year pattern of substantial
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1 | teacher shortage or that has been identified as a critical need | ||||||
2 | by the local school board.
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3 | "Initiative" means the Grow Your Own Teacher Education
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4 | Initiative created under this Act. | ||||||
5 | "Para educator" "Paraeducator" means an individual with a | ||||||
6 | history of
demonstrated accomplishments in school staff | ||||||
7 | positions (such
as teacher assistants, school-community | ||||||
8 | liaisons, school
clerks, and security aides) in schools that | ||||||
9 | meet the definition of a hard-to-staff school under this | ||||||
10 | Section.
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11 | "Parent and community leader" means an individual who has | ||||||
12 | or had a child enrolled in a school or schools that meet the | ||||||
13 | definition of a hard-to-staff school under this Section and who | ||||||
14 | has a history of active involvement in the school or who has a | ||||||
15 | history of working to improve schools serving a
substantial | ||||||
16 | percentage of low-income students, including membership in a | ||||||
17 | community organization. | ||||||
18 | "Program" means a Grow Your Own Teacher preparation program
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19 | established by a consortium under this Act.
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20 | "Schools serving a substantial percentage of low-income
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21 | students" means schools that maintain any of grades | ||||||
22 | pre-kindergarten through 8, in which at least 35% of the | ||||||
23 | students are eligible to receive free or reduced-price lunches | ||||||
24 | and schools that maintain any of grades 9 through 12, in which | ||||||
25 | at least 25% of the students are eligible to receive free or | ||||||
26 | reduced price lunches. |
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1 | "State Board" means the Board of Higher Education.
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2 | (Source: P.A. 95-476, eff. 1-1-08; 96-144, eff. 8-7-09; | ||||||
3 | 96-1393, eff. 7-29-10.) | ||||||
4 | (110 ILCS 48/13) | ||||||
5 | Sec. 13. Transfer of powers and duties to the Board of | ||||||
6 | Higher Education. On July 1, 2010, all powers and duties of | ||||||
7 | the State Board of Education under this Act were shall be | ||||||
8 | transferred to the Board of Higher Education. All rules, | ||||||
9 | standards, guidelines, and procedures adopted by the State | ||||||
10 | Board of Education under this Act shall continue in effect as | ||||||
11 | the rules, standards, guidelines, and procedures of the Board | ||||||
12 | of Higher Education, until they are modified or abolished by | ||||||
13 | the Board of Higher Education.
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14 | (Source: P.A. 96-1393, eff. 7-29-10.) | ||||||
15 | (110 ILCS 48/15)
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16 | Sec. 15. Creation of Initiative. The Grow Your Own Teacher | ||||||
17 | Education Initiative is created. The Board of Higher Education | ||||||
18 | State Board shall administer the Initiative as a grant | ||||||
19 | competition to fund consortia that will carry out Grow Your Own | ||||||
20 | Teacher preparation programs.
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21 | (Source: P.A. 93-802, eff. 1-1-05; 94-979, eff. 6-30-06.) | ||||||
22 | (110 ILCS 48/20)
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23 | Sec. 20. Selection of grantees. The Board of Higher |
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1 | Education State Board shall award grants to qualified consortia | ||||||
2 | that reflect the distribution and diversity of hard-to-staff | ||||||
3 | schools and hard-to-staff positions across this State. In | ||||||
4 | awarding grants, the Board of Higher Education State Board | ||||||
5 | shall select programs that successfully address Initiative | ||||||
6 | criteria and that reflect a diversity of strategies in terms of | ||||||
7 | serving urban areas, serving rural areas, the nature of the | ||||||
8 | participating institutions of higher education, and the nature | ||||||
9 | of hard-to-staff schools and
hard-to-staff teaching positions | ||||||
10 | on which a program is focused.
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11 | The Board of Higher Education State Board shall select | ||||||
12 | consortia that meet the following requirements:
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13 | (1) A consortium shall be composed of at least one | ||||||
14 | 4-year institution of higher education with an Illinois | ||||||
15 | approved teacher preparation program, at least one school | ||||||
16 | district or group of schools, and one or more community | ||||||
17 | organizations. The consortium membership may also include | ||||||
18 | a 2-year institution of higher education, a school employee | ||||||
19 | union, or a regional office of education.
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20 | (2) The 4-year institution of higher education | ||||||
21 | participating in the consortium shall have past, | ||||||
22 | demonstrated success in preparing teachers for elementary | ||||||
23 | or secondary schools serving a substantial percentage of | ||||||
24 | low-income students. | ||||||
25 | (3) The consortium shall focus on a clearly defined set | ||||||
26 | of eligible schools that will participate in the program. |
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1 | The consortium shall articulate the steps that it will | ||||||
2 | carry out in preparing teachers for its participating
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3 | schools and in preparing teachers for one or more | ||||||
4 | hard-to-staff teaching positions in those
schools. | ||||||
5 | (4) The consortium shall recruit potential candidates | ||||||
6 | for the program and shall take into consideration when | ||||||
7 | selecting a candidate whether the candidate: | ||||||
8 | (A) holds A candidate in a program under the | ||||||
9 | Initiative must hold a high school diploma or its | ||||||
10 | equivalent ; , | ||||||
11 | (B) meets must meet either the definition of | ||||||
12 | "parent and community leader" or the definition of | ||||||
13 | "para educator" contained in Section 10 of this Act ; , | ||||||
14 | (C) has must not have attended college right after | ||||||
15 | high school or must have experienced an interruption in | ||||||
16 | his or her college education ; , and does not hold a | ||||||
17 | bachelor's degree. | ||||||
18 | (D) exhibits a strong desire to be a teacher in a | ||||||
19 | hard-to-staff school with the passion for academic | ||||||
20 | excellence and the commitment to teach; | ||||||
21 | (E) shows an interest in postsecondary education | ||||||
22 | and may hold an associate's degree, a bachelor's | ||||||
23 | degree, or another postsecondary degree, but a | ||||||
24 | postsecondary education is not required; | ||||||
25 | (F) exhibits a passion to become a teacher and is a | ||||||
26 | parent, a para educator, a community leader, or any |
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1 | other individual from a community with a hard-to-staff | ||||||
2 | school; | ||||||
3 | (G) commits to completing and passing all State | ||||||
4 | standards, including the licensure test to obtain an | ||||||
5 | educator license; | ||||||
6 | (H) possesses a passion for children and teaching; | ||||||
7 | (I) communicates effectively with students, | ||||||
8 | parents, and others; and | ||||||
9 | (J) shows a willingness to set high standards of | ||||||
10 | performance for himself or herself and students. | ||||||
11 | (5) The consortium shall employ effective procedures | ||||||
12 | for teaching the skills and knowledge needed to prepare | ||||||
13 | highly competent teachers. Professional preparation shall | ||||||
14 | include on-going direct experience in target schools and | ||||||
15 | evaluation of this experience. | ||||||
16 | (6) The consortium shall offer the program to cohorts | ||||||
17 | of candidates, as defined in Section 10 of this Act, on a | ||||||
18 | schedule that enables candidates to work full time while | ||||||
19 | participating in the program and allows para educators | ||||||
20 | paraeducators to continue in their current positions. In | ||||||
21 | any fiscal year in which an appropriation for the | ||||||
22 | Initiative is made, the
consortium shall guarantee that | ||||||
23 | support will be available to an admitted cohort for the | ||||||
24 | cohort's education for that fiscal year. At the beginning | ||||||
25 | of the Initiative, programs that are already operating and | ||||||
26 | existing cohorts of candidates under this model shall be |
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1 | eligible for funding. | ||||||
2 | (7) The institutions of higher education participating | ||||||
3 | in the consortium shall document and agree to expend the | ||||||
4 | same amount of funds in implementing the program that these | ||||||
5 | institutions spend per student on similar educational | ||||||
6 | programs. Grants received by the consortium shall | ||||||
7 | supplement and not supplant these amounts. | ||||||
8 | (8) The Board of Higher Education State Board shall | ||||||
9 | establish additional criteria for review of proposals, | ||||||
10 | including criteria that address the following issues: | ||||||
11 | (A) Previous experience of the institutions of | ||||||
12 | higher education in preparing candidates for | ||||||
13 | hard-to-staff schools and positions and in working | ||||||
14 | with students with non-traditional backgrounds. | ||||||
15 | (B) The quality of the implementation plan, | ||||||
16 | including strategies for overcoming institutional | ||||||
17 | barriers to the progress of non-traditional | ||||||
18 | candidates. | ||||||
19 | (C) If a community college is a participant, the | ||||||
20 | nature and extent of existing articulation agreements | ||||||
21 | and guarantees between the community college and the | ||||||
22 | 4-year institution of higher education. | ||||||
23 | (D) The number of candidates to be educated in the | ||||||
24 | planned cohort or cohorts and the capacity of the | ||||||
25 | consortium for adding cohorts in future cycles. | ||||||
26 | (E) Experience of the community organization or |
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1 | organizations in organizing parents and community | ||||||
2 | leaders to achieve school improvement and a strong | ||||||
3 | relational school culture. | ||||||
4 | (F) The qualifications of the person or persons | ||||||
5 | designated by the 4-year institution of higher | ||||||
6 | education to be responsible for cohort support and the | ||||||
7 | development of a shared learning and social | ||||||
8 | environment among candidates. | ||||||
9 | (G) The consortium's plan for collective | ||||||
10 | consortium decision-making, involving all consortium | ||||||
11 | members, including mechanisms for candidate input. | ||||||
12 | (H) The consortium's plan for direct impact of the | ||||||
13 | program on the quality of education in the eligible | ||||||
14 | schools. | ||||||
15 | (I) The relevance of the curriculum to the needs of | ||||||
16 | the eligible schools and positions, and the use in | ||||||
17 | curriculum and instructional planning of principles | ||||||
18 | for effective education for adults. | ||||||
19 | (J) The availability of classes under the program | ||||||
20 | in places and times accessible to the candidates. | ||||||
21 | (K) Provision of a level of performance to be | ||||||
22 | maintained by candidates as a condition of continuing | ||||||
23 | in the program. | ||||||
24 | (L) The plan of the 4-year institution of higher | ||||||
25 | education to ensure that candidates take advantage of | ||||||
26 | existing financial aid resources before using the loan |
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1 | funds described in Section 25 of this Act. | ||||||
2 | (M) The availability of supportive services, | ||||||
3 | including, but not limited to, counseling, tutoring, | ||||||
4 | transportation, technology and technology support, and | ||||||
5 | child care. | ||||||
6 | (N) A plan for continued participation of | ||||||
7 | graduates of the program in a program of support for at | ||||||
8 | least 2 years, including mentoring and group meetings. | ||||||
9 | (O) A plan for testing and qualitative evaluation | ||||||
10 | of candidates' teaching skills that ensures that | ||||||
11 | graduates of the program are as prepared for teaching | ||||||
12 | as other individuals completing the institution of | ||||||
13 | higher education's preparation program for the | ||||||
14 | certificate sought. | ||||||
15 | (P) A plan for internal evaluation that provides | ||||||
16 | reports at least yearly on the progress of candidates | ||||||
17 | towards graduation and the impact of the program on the | ||||||
18 | target schools and their communities. | ||||||
19 | (Q) Contributions from schools, school districts, | ||||||
20 | and other consortia members to the program, including | ||||||
21 | stipends for candidates during their student teaching. | ||||||
22 | (R) Consortium commitment for sustaining the | ||||||
23 | program over time, as evidenced by plans for reduced | ||||||
24 | requirements for external funding, in subsequent | ||||||
25 | cycles.
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26 | (S) The inclusion in the planned program of |
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1 | strategies derived from community organizing that will | ||||||
2 | help candidates develop tools for working with parents | ||||||
3 | and other community members.
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4 | (Source: P.A. 95-476, eff. 1-1-08; 96-144, eff. 8-7-09.) | ||||||
5 | (110 ILCS 48/25)
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6 | Sec. 25. Expenditures under the Initiative. | ||||||
7 | (a) Every program under the Initiative shall implement a | ||||||
8 | program of forgivable loans to cover any portion of tuition, | ||||||
9 | books, and fees of candidates under the program in excess of | ||||||
10 | the candidates' grants-in-aid. All students admitted to a | ||||||
11 | cohort shall be eligible for a forgivable student loan. Loans | ||||||
12 | shall be fully forgiven if a graduate completes 5 years of | ||||||
13 | service in hard-to-staff schools
or hard-to-staff teaching | ||||||
14 | positions, with partial forgiveness for shorter periods of | ||||||
15 | service. The Board of Higher Education State Board shall | ||||||
16 | establish standards for the approval of requests for waivers or | ||||||
17 | deferrals from individuals to waive this obligation. The Board | ||||||
18 | of Higher Education State Board shall also define standards for | ||||||
19 | the fiscal management of these loan funds. | ||||||
20 | (b) The Board of Higher Education State Board shall award | ||||||
21 | grants under the Initiative in such a way as to provide the | ||||||
22 | required support for a cohort of candidates for any fiscal year | ||||||
23 | in which an appropriation for the Initiative is made. Program | ||||||
24 | budgets must show expenditures and needed funds for the entire | ||||||
25 | period that candidates are expected to be enrolled. |
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1 | (c) No funds under the Initiative may be used to supplant | ||||||
2 | the average per-capita expenditures by the institution of | ||||||
3 | higher education for candidates. | ||||||
4 | (d) Where necessary, program budgets shall include the | ||||||
5 | costs of child care and other indirect expenses, such as | ||||||
6 | transportation, tutoring, technology, and technology support, | ||||||
7 | necessary to permit candidates to maintain their class | ||||||
8 | schedules. Grant funds may be used by any member of a | ||||||
9 | consortium to offset such costs, and the services may be | ||||||
10 | provided by the community organization or organizations, by any | ||||||
11 | other member of the consortium, or by independent contractors. | ||||||
12 | (e) The institution of higher education may expend grant | ||||||
13 | funds to cover the additional costs of offering classes in | ||||||
14 | community settings and for tutoring services. | ||||||
15 | (f) The community organization or organizations may | ||||||
16 | receive a portion of the grant money for the expenses of | ||||||
17 | recruitment, community orientation, and counseling of | ||||||
18 | potential candidates, for providing space in the community, and | ||||||
19 | for working with school personnel to facilitate individual work | ||||||
20 | experiences and support of candidates. | ||||||
21 | (g) The school district or school employee union or both | ||||||
22 | may receive a portion of the grant money for expenses of | ||||||
23 | supporting the work experiences of candidates and providing | ||||||
24 | mentors for graduates.
Notwithstanding the provisions of | ||||||
25 | Section 10-20.15 of the School Code, school districts may also | ||||||
26 | use these or other applicable public funds to pay participants |
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1 | in programs under the Initiative for student teaching required | ||||||
2 | by an accredited teacher preparation program. | ||||||
3 | (h) One or more members of the consortium may expend funds | ||||||
4 | to cover the salary of a site-based cohort coordinator. | ||||||
5 | (i) Grant funds may also be expended to pay directly for | ||||||
6 | required developmental classes for candidates beginning a | ||||||
7 | program.
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8 | (Source: P.A. 95-476, eff. 1-1-08; 96-144, eff. 8-7-09.) | ||||||
9 | (110 ILCS 48/30) | ||||||
10 | Sec. 30. Implementation of Initiative. The State Board | ||||||
11 | shall develop guidelines and application procedures for the | ||||||
12 | Initiative in fiscal year 2011. The Board of Higher Education | ||||||
13 | State Board may, if it chooses, award a small number of | ||||||
14 | planning grants during any
fiscal year to potential consortia. | ||||||
15 | Other than existing cohorts, the first programs under the | ||||||
16 | Initiative shall be awarded grants in such a way as to allow | ||||||
17 | candidates to begin their work at the beginning of the | ||||||
18 | 2006-2007 school year. | ||||||
19 | (Source: P.A. 96-1393, eff. 7-29-10.) | ||||||
20 | (110 ILCS 48/35)
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21 | Sec. 35. Independent program evaluation. The Board of | ||||||
22 | Higher Education State Board shall contract for an independent | ||||||
23 | evaluation of program implementation by each of its | ||||||
24 | participating consortia and of the impact of each program, |
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1 | including the extent of candidate persistence in program | ||||||
2 | enrollment, acceptance as an education major in a 4-year | ||||||
3 | institution of higher education, completion of a bachelor's | ||||||
4 | degree in teaching, obtaining a teaching position in a target | ||||||
5 | school or similar school, subsequent effectiveness as a | ||||||
6 | teacher, and persistence in teaching in a target school or | ||||||
7 | similar school. The evaluation shall assess the Initiative's | ||||||
8 | overall effectiveness and shall identify particular program | ||||||
9 | strategies that are especially effective.
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10 | (Source: P.A. 93-802, eff. 1-1-05; 94-979, eff. 6-30-06.) | ||||||
11 | (110 ILCS 48/90)
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12 | Sec. 90. Rules. The Board of Higher Education State Board | ||||||
13 | may adopt any rules necessary to carry out its responsibilities | ||||||
14 | under this Act.
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15 | (Source: P.A. 93-802, eff. 1-1-05.)
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