State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

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[ Introduced ][ Engrossed ][ Senate Amendment 001 ]


92_SB1953enr

 
SB1953 Enrolled                                LRB9215890NTpk

 1        AN ACT regarding 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 changing
 5    Section 21-1a as follows:

 6        (105 ILCS 5/21-1a) (from Ch. 122, par. 21-1a)
 7        Sec. 21-1a. Tests required for certification and  teacher
 8    preparation.
 9        (a)  After  July  1,  1988,  in  addition  to  all  other
10    requirements,  early  childhood,  elementary,  special,  high
11    school,  school  service personnel, or, except as provided in
12    Section 34-6, administrative certificates shall be issued  to
13    persons who have satisfactorily passed a test of basic skills
14    and  subject  matter knowledge. The tests of basic skills and
15    subject matter knowledge shall be the tests which  from  time
16    to  time  are  designated  by the State Board of Education in
17    consultation with the State Teacher Certification  Board  and
18    may  be tests prepared by an educational testing organization
19    or  tests  designed  by  the  State  Board  of  Education  in
20    consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board.  The
21    areas to be covered by the test of basic skills shall include
22    the  basic  skills   of   reading,   writing,   grammar   and
23    mathematics.   The  test  of  subject  matter knowledge shall
24    assess content knowledge in the specific subject  field.  The
25    tests shall be designed to be racially neutral to assure that
26    no  person  in  taking  the  tests  is  thereby discriminated
27    against on the basis of race, color, national origin or other
28    factors unrelated to the person's ability  to  perform  as  a
29    certificated  employee.  The score required to pass the tests
30    of basic skills and subject matter knowledge shall  be  fixed
31    by  the  State  Board  of  Education in consultation with the
 
SB1953 Enrolled             -2-                LRB9215890NTpk
 1    State Teacher Certification Board.  The tests shall  be  held
 2    not  fewer  than 3 times a year at such time and place as may
 3    be designated by the State Board of Education in consultation
 4    with the State Teacher Certification Board.
 5        (b)  Except as provided in Section 34-6,  the  provisions
 6    of  subsection (a) of this Section shall apply equally in any
 7    school district subject to  Article  34,  provided  that  the
 8    State  Board  of Education shall determine which certificates
 9    issued under Sections 34-8.1 and 34-83 prior to July 1,  1988
10    are comparable to any early childhood certificate, elementary
11    school   certificate,   special   certificate,   high  school
12    certificate,  school   service   personnel   certificate   or
13    administrative  certificate  issued  under this Article as of
14    July 1, 1988.
15        (c)  A person who holds an early  childhood,  elementary,
16    special,  high school or school service personnel certificate
17    issued under this Article on or at any time  before  July  1,
18    1988,  including  a  person  who  has  been  issued  any such
19    certificate pursuant to Section 21-11.1 or in exchange for  a
20    comparable   certificate  theretofore  issued  under  Section
21    34-8.1 or Section 34-83, shall not be  required  to  take  or
22    pass  the  tests in order to thereafter have such certificate
23    renewed.
24        (d)  The State Board of Education  in  consultation  with
25    the  State  Teacher Certification Board shall conduct a pilot
26    administration of the tests  by  administering  the  test  to
27    students completing teacher education programs in the 1986-87
28    school  year  for  the  purpose of determining the effect and
29    impact of testing candidates for certification.
30        Beginning with the 2002-2003 academic year, a student may
31    not enroll in a teacher preparation program at  a  recognized
32    teacher  training  institution until he or she has passed the
33    basic skills test.
34        Beginning with the 2004-2005 academic year, a  preservice
 
SB1953 Enrolled             -3-                LRB9215890NTpk
 1    education  teacher  may not student teach until he or she has
 2    passed the subject matter test in the discipline in which  he
 3    or she will student teach.
 4        (e)  The rules and regulations developed to implement the
 5    required  test  of  basic skills and subject matter knowledge
 6    shall include the requirements of subsections (a),  (b),  and
 7    (c)  and  shall  include  specific regulations to govern test
 8    selection; test validation and  determination  of  a  passing
 9    score;    administration   of   the   tests;   frequency   of
10    administration;  applicant  fees;  frequency  of  applicants'
11    taking the tests; the years for which a score is valid;  and,
12    waiving  certain additional tests for additional certificates
13    to individuals who have satisfactorily  passed  the  test  of
14    basic  skills  and  subject  matter  knowledge as required in
15    subsection (a). The State Board of Education  shall  provide,
16    by  rule,  specific  policies  that  assure uniformity in the
17    difficulty level of each form of the basic  skills  test  and
18    each  subject  matter  knowledge  test  from test-to-test and
19    year-to-year.  The State Board of Education shall also set  a
20    passing score for the tests.
21        (f)  The  State  Teacher  Certification Board may issue a
22    nonrenewable temporary certificate between July 1,  1988  and
23    August  31,  1988  to individuals who have taken the tests of
24    basic skills and subject matter knowledge prescribed by  this
25    Section  but have not received such test scores by August 31,
26    1988.  Such temporary certificates shall expire  on  December
27    31, 1988.
28        (g)  Beginning  February  15,  2000,  the  State Board of
29    Education,   in   consultation   with   the   State   Teacher
30    Certification Board, shall implement  and  administer  a  new
31    system   of  certification  for  teachers  in  the  State  of
32    Illinois.  The State Board of Education, in consultation with
33    the State  Teacher  Certification  Board,  shall  design  and
34    implement a system of examinations and various other criteria
 
SB1953 Enrolled             -4-                LRB9215890NTpk
 1    which  shall  be  required  prior  to the issuance of Initial
 2    Teaching Certificates  and  Standard  Teaching  Certificates.
 3    These  examinations and indicators shall be based on national
 4    and State professional teaching standards, as  determined  by
 5    the  State Board of Education, in consultation with the State
 6    Teacher Certification Board. The State Board of Education may
 7    adopt any and all  regulations  necessary  to  implement  and
 8    administer this Section.
 9        (h)  The  State  Board  of  Education shall report to the
10    Illinois   General   Assembly   and   the    Governor    with
11    recommendations  for  further changes and improvements to the
12    teacher certification system no later than July 1,  1999  and
13    on an annual basis until July 1, 2001.
14    (Source:  P.A.  90-548,  eff.  1-1-98;  90-811, eff. 1-26-99;
15    91-102, eff. 7-12-99.)

16        Section 99.  Effective date.  This Act  takes  effect  on
17    June 30, 2002.

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