110 ILCS 48/10

(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. A cohort may include a high school student enrolled in a dual credit course offered by a participating institution of higher education.

"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.

"Dual credit course" has the meaning given to that term under the Dual Credit Quality Act.

"Eligible school" means an early childhood program licensed by the Department of Children and Family Services in which no less than 40% of the children it serves are receiving subsidized care under the Department of Human Services' Child Care Assistance Program, a Head Start or Early Head Start Program, a Preschool for All Program, or a prevention initiative or 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 an early childhood program licensed by the Department of Children and Family Services in which no less than 40% of the children it serves are receiving subsidized care under the Department of Human Services' Child Care Assistance Program, a Head Start or Early Head Start Program, a Preschool for All Program, or a prevention initiative or 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.

"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" 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.

(Source: P.A. 101-122, eff. 7-26-19.)