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92_HB5605
LRB9213144NTgc
1 AN ACT in relation to 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 21E as follows:
6 (105 ILCS 5/Art. 21E heading new)
7 ARTICLE 21E. NEW TEACHER INDUCTION AND MENTORING
8 (105 ILCS 5/21E-5 new)
9 Sec. 21E-5. Definitions. In this Article:
10 "Formative assessment" means activities that help a
11 teacher understand and improve his or her teaching, at a
12 minimum including all of the following activities:
13 (1) Formative assessment by the mentor.
14 (2) Self-assessment by the teacher.
15 (3) Teacher reflection on practice.
16 "Induction and mentoring program" means a formal program
17 developed and provided by a school district to support the
18 continuing professional development of new teachers, at a
19 minimum including all of the following elements:
20 (1) Mentoring for the new teacher.
21 (2) Professional development designed to enhance
22 the new teacher's knowledge and skills.
23 (3) Formative assessment of the new teacher.
24 "Mentoring" means the professional practice that occurs
25 in the context of teaching where experienced, trained
26 educators work with new teachers to support, challenge, and
27 guide the continued development of new teachers' teaching
28 practices and facilitate structured reflection of those
29 practices. "Mentoring" is not limited to one-on-one relations
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1 between a mentor and new teacher.
2 "New teacher" means the holder of an Initial Teaching
3 Certificate, as set forth in Section 21-2 of this Code, who
4 is employed by a school district and who has not previously
5 participated in an induction and mentoring program as
6 required by this Article.
7 "Professional development" means activities that expand
8 and deepen a new teacher's knowledge and skills, regarding at
9 a minimum all of the following:
10 (1) Classroom and time management.
11 (2) The area of teaching certification.
12 (3) Effective teaching practices.
13 (4) Alignment of curriculum and instruction with
14 the Illinois Learning Standards.
15 "School district" means a public school district operated
16 pursuant to the authority of the School Code, including
17 without limitation a school district, charter school,
18 cooperative or joint agreement with a governing body or board
19 of control, or school operated by a regional office of
20 education.
21 (105 ILCS 5/21E-10 new)
22 Sec. 21E-10. Induction and mentoring program for new
23 teachers required.
24 (a) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Code,
25 (i) by the beginning of the 2003-2004 school year, each
26 school designated as a low-performing school by the State
27 Board of Education and (ii) by the 2005-2006 school year, all
28 school districts must establish and administer an induction
29 and mentoring program to assist new teachers in developing
30 the skills and strategies necessary for instructional
31 excellence. Two or more school districts, charter schools, or
32 cooperative or joint agreements may jointly establish and
33 implement an induction and mentoring program.
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1 (b) A plan must be developed for the induction and
2 mentoring program. The plan must comply with all of the
3 following requirements.
4 (1) The plan must be developed in conjunction with
5 the exclusive bargaining representative for teachers, if
6 any.
7 (2) The plan must be aligned with the Illinois
8 Professional Teaching Standards.
9 (3) The plan must provide a formal program of
10 induction and mentoring that covers at least the first
11 and second years of teaching by a new teacher.
12 (4) The plan must describe provisions for mentoring
13 of the new teacher, professional development designed
14 specifically to ensure the growth of the new teacher's
15 knowledge and skills, and formative assessment designed
16 to ensure feedback and reflection. A mentor teacher may
17 not directly or indirectly participate in any evaluation
18 of the new teacher, and the formative assessment must not
19 be used in the evaluation of the new teacher.
20 (5) The plan must describe the role of mentor
21 teachers, the criteria and process for their selection
22 (provided that each mentor teacher shall demonstrate the
23 best practices in teaching of his or her respective field
24 of practice), and how they will be trained.
25 (6) The plan must provide for annual evaluation of
26 the induction and mentoring program and demonstrate how
27 the data will be used to improve the program in the
28 future.
29 (c) The State Board of Education may provide the
30 framework for induction and mentoring programs based on the
31 plan requirements listed in subsection (b) of this Section.
32 (105 ILCS 5/21E-15 new)
33 Sec. 21E-15. State assistance.
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1 (a) For the purposes of this Article, the State Board of
2 Education shall provide or sponsor statewide training of
3 mentors and local administrators and provide technical
4 assistance and support for school districts, professional
5 development opportunities appropriate for new teachers, and
6 other support services as needed.
7 (b) Ninety-seven percent of the funds appropriated by
8 the General Assembly for the purposes of this Article shall
9 be distributed as grants to school districts for
10 implementation of their locally developed plans for induction
11 and mentoring programs. The amount of each grant shall be
12 $2,000 for each first year new teacher and $2,000 for each
13 second year new teacher. A school district shall determine,
14 in conjunction with its exclusive bargaining representative
15 for teachers, if any, how the $2,000 for each first or second
16 year new teacher shall be used, provided that if a mentor
17 receives additional release time to support a new teacher,
18 the total workload of other teachers regularly employed by
19 the school district shall not increase in any substantial
20 manner.
21 To receive funds for a given school year pursuant to this
22 Section, a school district shall file a claim with the State
23 Superintendent of Education by October 15 of that school
24 year, verifying the number of new teachers employed as of the
25 beginning of the school year and verifying that the school
26 district has established and is implementing an induction and
27 mentoring program. Each school district that receives funds
28 for a given school year under this Section shall file a
29 report with the State Superintendent of Education on or
30 before August 1 preceding the start of the next school year
31 concerning compliance with the requirements of this Section
32 during the school year for which the funds were given.
33 (c) Three percent of the funds appropriated by the
34 General Assembly for the purposes of this Article shall be
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1 used by the State Board of Education to encourage and assist
2 school districts in developing and implementing high-quality
3 induction and mentoring programs, including without
4 limitation training for local administrators and mentors,
5 professional development opportunities appropriate for new
6 teachers, and technical assistance to school districts.
7 (d) The State Board of Education shall annually compile
8 and analyze statewide data on induction and mentoring
9 programs. This information shall be included in the State
10 Board of Education's annual report and budget request to the
11 General Assembly. Beginning in 2007, every 3 years the State
12 Board of Education shall conduct a comprehensive statewide
13 evaluation of all induction and mentoring programs, to be
14 provided to the Governor and the General Assembly by December
15 31.
16 (105 ILCS 5/21E-90 new)
17 Sec. 21E-90. Rules. The State Board of Education and the
18 State Teacher Certification Board shall jointly adopt rules
19 for the implementation of this Article.
20 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
21 becoming law.