SB1991 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

  
  

 


 
100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2017 and 2018
SB1991

 

Introduced 2/10/2017, by Sen. Scott M. Bennett

 

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

    Amends the School Code. Provides that for an applicant seeking a professional educator license who is enrolled in a program of study in an area of career or technical education defined as an area of identified staff shortages, as defined in Section 65.25 of the Higher Education Student Assistance Act, or a career and technical educator endorsement on an educator license with stipulations, the State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, shall adopt a test of work proficiency.


LRB100 11392 MLM 21801 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

SB1991LRB100 11392 MLM 21801 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 Section
521B-30 as follows:
 
6    (105 ILCS 5/21B-30)
7    Sec. 21B-30. Educator testing.
8    (a) This Section applies beginning on July 1, 2012.
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 required
12prior to the issuance of educator licenses. These examinations
13and indicators must be based on national and State professional
14teaching standards, as determined by the State Board of
15Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation
16and Licensure Board. The State Board of Education may adopt
17such rules as may be necessary to implement and administer this
18Section.
19    (c) Applicants seeking a Professional Educator License or
20an Educator License with Stipulations shall be required to pass
21a test of basic skills or a test of work proficiency, as
22applicable, before the license is issued, unless the
23endorsement the individual is seeking does not require passage

 

 

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1of the test. All applicants completing Illinois-approved,
2teacher education or school service personnel preparation
3programs shall be required to pass the State Board of
4Education's recognized test of basic skills or a test of work
5proficiency, as applicable, prior to starting their student
6teaching or starting the final semester of their internship,
7unless required earlier at the discretion of the recognized,
8Illinois institution in which they are completing their
9approved program. An individual who passes a test of basic
10skills does not need to do so again for subsequent endorsements
11or other educator licenses. For an applicant seeking a
12Professional Educator License who is enrolled in a program of
13study in an area of career or technical education defined as an
14area of identified staff shortages, as defined in Section 65.25
15of the Higher Education Student Assistance Act, or a career and
16technical educator endorsement on an Educator License with
17Stipulations, the State Board of Education, in consultation
18with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, shall
19adopt a test of work proficiency.
20    (d) All applicants seeking a State license shall be
21required to pass a test of content area knowledge for each area
22of endorsement for which there is an applicable test. There
23shall be no exception to this requirement. No candidate shall
24be allowed to student teach or serve as the teacher of record
25until he or she has passed the applicable content area test.
26    (e) (Blank). and completing their student teaching

 

 

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1experience no later than August 31, 2015 Prior to September 1,
22015, passage The APT shall be available through August 31,
32020.
4    (f) Except as otherwise provided in this Article, beginning
5on September 1, 2015, all candidates completing teacher
6preparation programs in this State and all candidates subject
7to Section 21B-35 of this Code are required to pass an
8evidence-based assessment of teacher effectiveness approved by
9the State Board of Education, in consultation with the State
10Educator Preparation and Licensure Board. All recognized
11institutions offering approved teacher preparation programs
12must begin phasing in the approved teacher performance
13assessment no later than July 1, 2013.
14    (g) Tests of basic skills and content area knowledge and
15the assessment of professional teaching shall be the tests that
16from time to time are designated by the State Board of
17Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation
18and Licensure Board, and may be tests prepared by an
19educational testing organization or tests designed by the State
20Board of Education, in consultation with the State Educator
21Preparation and Licensure Board. The areas to be covered by a
22test of basic skills shall include reading, language arts, and
23mathematics. The test of content area knowledge shall assess
24content knowledge in a specific subject field. The tests must
25be designed to be racially neutral to ensure that no person
26taking the tests is discriminated against on the basis of race,

 

 

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1color, national origin, or other factors unrelated to the
2person's ability to perform as a licensed employee. The score
3required to pass the tests shall be fixed by the State Board of
4Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation
5and Licensure Board. The tests shall be administered not fewer
6than 3 times a year at such time and place as may be designated
7by the State Board of Education, in consultation with the State
8Educator Preparation and Licensure Board.
9    The State Board shall implement a test or tests to assess
10the speaking, reading, writing, and grammar skills of
11applicants for an endorsement or a license issued under
12subdivision (G) of paragraph (2) of Section 21B-20 of this Code
13in the English language and in the language of the transitional
14bilingual education program requested by the applicant.
15    (h) Except as provided in Section 34-6 of this Code, the
16provisions of this Section shall apply equally in any school
17district subject to Article 34 of this Code.
18    (i) The rules developed to implement and enforce the
19testing requirements under this Section shall include without
20limitation provisions governing test selection, test
21validation and determination of a passing score,
22administration of the tests, frequency of administration,
23applicant fees, frequency of applicants taking the tests, the
24years for which a score is valid, and appropriate special
25accommodations. The State Board of Education shall develop such
26rules as may be needed to ensure uniformity from year to year

 

 

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1in the level of difficulty for each form of an assessment.
2(Source: P.A. 98-361, eff. 1-1-14; 98-581, eff. 8-27-13;
398-756, eff. 7-16-14; 99-58, eff. 7-16-15; 99-657, eff.
47-28-16; 99-920, eff. 1-6-17; revised 1-23-17.)