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| [ Introduced ] | [ House Amendment 001 ] |
92_HB6007eng HB6007 Engrossed LRB9215035ACsb 1 AN ACT concerning teacher certification. 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 changing 5 Section 21-5b as follows: 6 (105 ILCS 5/21-5b) 7 Sec. 21-5b. Alternative certification. The State Board 8 of Education, in consultation with the State Teacher 9 Certification Board, shall establish and implement an 10 alternative certification program under which persons who 11 meet the requirements of and successfully complete the 12 program established by this Section shall be issued an 13 alternative teaching certificate for teaching in the schools. 14 The program shall be limited tonot more than 260new 15 participants not to exceed the number of unfilled positions 16 as reported to the State Board of Education during the prior 17 school yeareach year that the program is in effect. The 18 State Board of Education, in cooperation with a partnership 19 formed with a university that offers 4-year baccalaureate and 20 masters degree programs and that is a recognized institution 21 as defined in Section 21-21 and one or more not-for-profit 22 organizations in the State which support excellence in 23 teaching, shall within 30 days after submission by the 24 partnership approve a course of study developed by the 25 partnership that persons in the program must successfully 26 complete in order to satisfy one criterion for issuance of an 27 alternative certificate under this Section. The Alternative 28 Teacher Certification program course of study must include 29 the current content and skills contained in the university's 30 current courses for State certification which have been 31 approved by the State Board of Education, in consultation HB6007 Engrossed -2- LRB9215035ACsb 1 with the State Teacher Certification Board, as the 2 requirement for State teacher certification. 3 The alternative certification program established under 4 this Section shall be known as the Alternative Teacher 5 Certification program. The Alternative Teacher Certification 6 Program shall be offered by the submitting partnership and 7 may be offered in conjunction with one or more not-for-profit 8 organizations in the State which support excellence in 9 teaching. The program shall be comprised of the following 3 10 phases: (a) the first phase is the course of study offered on 11 an intensive basis in education theory, instructional 12 methods, and practice teaching; (b) the second phase is the 13 person's assignment to a full-time teaching position for one 14 school year; and (c) the third phase is a comprehensive 15 assessment of the person's teaching performance by school 16 officials and the partnership participants and a 17 recommendation by the partner institution of higher education 18 to the State Board of Education that the person be issued a 19 standard alternative teaching certificate. Successful 20 completion of the Alternative Teacher Certification program 21 shall be deemed to satisfy any other practice or student 22 teaching and subject matter requirements established by law. 23 A provisional alternative teaching certificate, valid for 24 one year of teaching in the common schools and not renewable, 25 shall be issued under this Section 21-5b to persons who at 26 the time of applying for the provisional alternative teaching 27 certificate under this Section: 28 (1) have graduated from an accredited college or 29 university with a bachelor's degree; 30 (2) have successfully completed the first phase of 31 the Alternative Teacher Certification program as provided 32 in this Section; 33 (3) have passed the tests of basic skills and 34 subject matter knowledge required by Section 21-1a; and HB6007 Engrossed -3- LRB9215035ACsb 1 (4) have been employedfor a period of at least 52yearsin an area requiring application of the 3 individual's education; however, this requirement does 4 not apply with respect to a provisional alternative 5 teaching certificate for teaching in schools situated in 6 a school district that is located in a city having a 7 population in excess of 500,000 inhabitants. 8 A person possessing a provisional alternative certificate 9 under this Section shall be treated as a regularly certified 10 teacher for purposes of compensation, benefits, and other 11 terms and conditions of employment afforded teachers in the 12 school who are members of a bargaining unit represented by an 13 exclusive bargaining representative, if any. 14 Until February 15, 2000, a standard alternative teaching 15 certificate, valid for 4 years for teaching in the schools 16 and renewable as provided in Section 21-14, shall be issued 17 under this Section 21-5b to persons who first complete the 18 requirements for the provisional alternative teaching 19 certificate and who at the time of applying for a standard 20 alternative teaching certificate under this Section have 21 successfully completed the second and third phases of the 22 Alternative Teacher Certification program as provided in this 23 Section. Alternatively, beginning February 15, 2000, at the 24 end of the 4-year validity period, persons who were issued a 25 standard alternative teaching certificate shall be eligible, 26 on the same basis as holders of an Initial Teaching 27 Certificate issued under subsection (b) of Section 21-2 of 28 this Code, to apply for a Standard Teaching Certificate, 29 provided they meet the requirements of subsection (c) of 30 Section 21-2 of this Code and further provided that a person 31 who does not apply for and receive a Standard Teaching 32 Certificate shall be able to teach only in schools situated 33 in a school district that is located in a city having a 34 population in excess of 500,000 inhabitants. HB6007 Engrossed -4- LRB9215035ACsb 1 Beginning February 15, 2000, persons who have completed 2 the requirements for a standard alternative teaching 3 certificate under this Section shall be issued an Initial 4 Alternative Teaching Certificate valid for 4 years of 5 teaching and not renewable. At the end of the 4-year 6 validity period, these persons shall be eligible, on the same 7 basis as holders of an Initial Teaching Certificate issued 8 under subsection (b) of Section 21-2 of this Code, to apply 9 for a Standard Teaching Certificate, provided they meet the 10 requirements of subsection (c) of Section 21-2. 11 This alternative certification program shall be 12 implemented so that the first provisional alternative 13 teaching certificates issued under this Section are effective 14 upon the commencement of the 1997-1998 academic year and the 15 first standard alternative teaching certificates issued under 16 this Section are effective upon the commencement of the 17 1998-1999 academic year. 18 The State Board of Education, in cooperation with the 19 partnership establishing the Alternative Teacher 20 Certification program, shall adopt rules and regulations that 21 are consistent with this Section and that the State Board of 22 Education deems necessary to establish and implement the 23 program. 24 (Source: P.A. 91-609, eff. 1-1-00.)