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| [ Introduced ] | [ Enrolled ] | [ Senate Amendment 001 ] |
92_SB1953eng SB1953 Engrossed 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 Engrossed -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 Engrossed -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 Engrossed -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.