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collaborates to advance the goal of supporting racially and |
ethnically diverse candidates through the Illinois National |
Board for Professional Teaching Standards Comprehensive |
Support System. |
"National Board certified teacher diverse liaison" means |
an individual or entity that supports the National Board |
certified teacher leading a diverse candidate cohort. |
"National Board certified teacher liaison" means an |
individual or entity that supports the National Board |
certified teacher leading candidate cohorts other than diverse |
candidate cohorts. |
"National Board certified teacher rural or remote or |
distant candidate cohort facilitator" means a National Board |
certified teacher who collaborates to advance the goal of |
supporting rural or remote candidates through the Illinois |
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards |
Comprehensive Support System. |
"National Board certified teacher rural or remote or |
distant liaison" means an individual or entity that supports |
the National Board certified teacher leading a rural or remote |
candidate cohort. |
"Qualified educator" means a teacher or school counselor |
currently employed in a school district who is in the process |
of obtaining certification through the National Board for |
Professional Teaching Standards or who has completed |
certification and holds a current Professional Educator |
|
License with a National Board for Professional Teaching |
Standards designation or a retired teacher or school counselor |
who holds a Professional Educator License with a National |
Board for Professional Teaching Standards designation. |
"Rural or remote" or "rural or remote or distant" means |
local codes 32, 33, 41, 42, and 43 of the New Urban-Centric |
Locale Codes, as defined by the National Center for Education |
Statistics. |
"Tier 1" has the meaning given to that term under Section |
18-8.15. |
"Tier 2" has the meaning given to that term under Section |
18-8.15. |
(b) Any funds appropriated for the Illinois Teaching |
Excellence Program must be used to provide monetary assistance |
and incentives for qualified educators who are employed by or |
retired from school districts and who have or are in the |
process of obtaining licensure through the National Board for |
Professional Teaching Standards. The goal of the program is to |
improve instruction and student performance. |
The State Board of Education shall allocate an amount as |
annually appropriated by the General Assembly for the Illinois |
Teaching Excellence Program for (i) application or re-take |
fees for each qualified educator seeking to complete |
certification through the National Board for Professional |
Teaching Standards, to be paid directly to the National Board |
for Professional Teaching Standards, and (ii) incentives under |
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paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) of subsection (c) for each |
qualified educator, to be distributed to the respective school |
district, and incentives under paragraph (5) of subsection |
(c), to be distributed to the respective school district or |
directly to the qualified educator. The school district shall |
distribute this payment to each eligible teacher or school |
counselor as a single payment. |
The State Board of Education's annual budget must set out |
by separate line item the appropriation for the program. |
Unless otherwise provided by appropriation, qualified |
educators are eligible for monetary assistance and incentives |
outlined in subsections (c) and (d) of this Section. |
(c) When there are adequate funds available, monetary |
assistance and incentives shall include the following: |
(1) A maximum of $2,000 towards the application or |
re-take fee for teachers or school counselors in a Tier 1 |
school district who apply on a first-come, first-serve |
basis for National Board certification. |
(2) A maximum of $2,000 towards the application or |
re-take fee for teachers or school counselors in a school |
district other than a Tier 1 school district who apply on a |
first-come, first-serve basis for National Board |
certification. |
(3) A maximum of $1,000 towards the National Board for |
Professional Teaching Standards' renewal application fee. |
(4) (Blank). |
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(5) An annual incentive of no more than $1,500 |
prorated at $50 per hour, which shall be paid to each |
qualified educator currently employed in a school district |
who holds both a National Board for Professional Teaching |
Standards designation and a current corresponding |
certificate issued by the National Board for Professional |
Teaching Standards and who agrees, in writing, to provide |
up to 30 hours of mentoring or National Board for |
Professional Teaching Standards professional development |
or both during the school year to classroom teachers or |
school counselors, as applicable. Funds must be disbursed |
on a first-come, first-serve basis, with priority given to |
Tier 1 school districts. Mentoring shall include, either |
singly or in combination, the following: |
(A) National Board for Professional Teaching |
Standards certification candidates. |
(B) National Board for Professional Teaching |
Standards re-take candidates. |
(C) National Board for Professional Teaching |
Standards renewal candidates. |
(D) (Blank).
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Funds may also be used for instructional leadership |
training for qualified educators interested in supporting |
implementation of the Illinois Learning Standards or teaching |
and learning priorities of the State Board of Education or |
both. |
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(d) In addition to the monetary assistance and incentives |
provided under subsection (c), if adequate funds are |
available, incentives shall include the following incentives |
for the program in rural or remote schools or school districts |
or for programs working with diverse candidates or for |
retention bonuses for hard to staff schools , to be distributed |
to the respective school district or directly to the qualified |
educator or entity: |
(1) A one-time incentive of $3,000 payable to National |
Board certified teachers teaching in Tier 1 or Tier 2 |
rural or remote school districts or rural or remote |
schools in Tier 1 or Tier 2 school districts, with |
priority given to teachers teaching in Tier 1 rural or |
remote school districts or rural or remote schools in Tier |
1 school districts. |
(2) An annual incentive of $3,200 for National Board |
certified teacher rural or remote or distant candidate |
cohort facilitators, diverse candidate cohort |
facilitators, and candidate cohort facilitators. Priority |
shall be given to rural or remote candidate cohort |
facilitators and diverse candidate cohort facilitators. |
(3) An annual incentive of $2,500 for National Board |
certified teacher rural or remote or distant liaisons, |
diverse liaisons, and liaisons. Priority shall be given to |
rural or remote liaisons and diverse liaisons. |
(4) An annual retention bonus of $4,000 per year for 2 |