Public Act 098-0688
 
HB4767 EnrolledLRB098 18672 NHT 53815 b

    AN ACT concerning education.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section
21-5c as follows:
 
    (105 ILCS 5/21-5c)
    (Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2017)
    (Text of Section before amendment by P.A. 98-603)
    Sec. 21-5c. Alternative route to teacher certification.
The State Board of Education, in consultation with the State
Teacher Certification Board, shall establish and implement one
or more alternative route to teacher certification programs
under which persons who meet the requirements of and
successfully complete the programs established by this Section
shall be issued an initial teaching certificate for teaching in
schools in this State. The State Board of Education may approve
a course of study that persons in such programs must
successfully complete in order to satisfy one criterion for
issuance of a certificate under this Section. The Alternative
Route to Teacher Certification programs course of study must
include content and skills which have been approved by the
State Board of Education, in consultation with the State
Teacher Certification Board, as meeting the requirement for
State teacher certification.
    Programs established under this Section shall be known as
Alternative Route to Teacher Certification programs. The
programs may be offered by a university that offers 4-year
baccalaureate and masters degree programs and that is a
recognized institution as defined in Section 21B-105 of this
Code, by one or more not-for-profit organizations in the State,
or a combination thereof. The programs shall be comprised of
the following 3 phases: (a) a course of study offered on an
intensive basis in education theory, instructional methods,
and practice teaching; (b) the person's assignment to a
full-time teaching position for one school year, including the
designation of a mentor teacher to advise and assist the person
with that teaching assignment; and (c) a comprehensive
assessment of the person's teaching performance by school
officials and program participants and a recommendation by the
program sponsor to the State Board of Education that the person
be issued an initial teaching certificate. Successful
completion of Alternative Route to Teacher Certification
programs shall be deemed to satisfy any other practice or
student teaching and subject matter requirements established
by law.
    A provisional alternative teaching certificate, valid for
one year of teaching in the common schools and not renewable,
shall be issued under this Section 21-5c to persons who at the
time of applying for the provisional alternative teaching
certificate under this Section:
        (1) have graduated from an accredited college or
    university with a bachelor's degree;
        (2) have been employed for a period of at least 5 years
    in an area requiring application of the individual's
    education;
        (3) have successfully completed the first phase of the
    Alternative Teacher Certification program as provided in
    this Section; and
        (4) have passed the tests of basic skills and subject
    matter knowledge required by Section 21-1a.
    An initial teaching certificate, valid for teaching in the
common schools, shall be issued under Section 21-3 or 21-5 to
persons who first complete the requirements for the provisional
alternative teaching certificate and who at the time of
applying for an initial teaching certificate have successfully
completed the second and third phases of the Alternative Route
to Teacher Certification program as provided in this Section.
    A person possessing a provisional alternative certificate
or an initial teaching certificate earned under this Section
shall be treated as a regularly certified teacher for purposes
of compensation, benefits, and other terms and conditions of
employment afforded teachers in the school who are members of a
bargaining unit represented by an exclusive bargaining
representative, if any.
    The State Board of Education may adopt rules and
regulations that are consistent with this Section and that the
State Board deems necessary to establish and implement the
program.
    No one may be admitted to an alternative certification
program under this Section after September 1, 2014 2013, and
those alternative certification candidates who are admitted on
or before September 1, 2014 2013 must complete their coursework
the program before January 1, 2016 2015, except that candidates
admitted to an alternative certification program at Governors
State University and participants in the Teacher Quality
Partnership Grant program must be admitted on or before March
31, 2014, complete their coursework on or before August 31,
2015, and be entitled to certification on or before September
30, 2016 31, 2015. An The alternative certification program at
Governors State University shall provide the State Board of
Education with the names of the candidates who will be eligible
for certification under this exception.
    This Section is repealed on January 1, 2017 2016.
(Source: P.A. 97-607, eff. 8-26-11; 97-702, eff. 6-25-12;
98-38, eff. 6-28-13.)
 
    (Text of Section after amendment by P.A. 98-603)
    Sec. 21-5c. Alternative route to teacher certification.
The State Board of Education, in consultation with the State
Teacher Certification Board, shall establish and implement one
or more alternative route to teacher certification programs
under which persons who meet the requirements of and
successfully complete the programs established by this Section
shall be issued an initial teaching certificate for teaching in
schools in this State. The State Board of Education may approve
a course of study that persons in such programs must
successfully complete in order to satisfy one criterion for
issuance of a certificate under this Section. The Alternative
Route to Teacher Certification programs course of study must
include content and skills which have been approved by the
State Board of Education, in consultation with the State
Teacher Certification Board, as meeting the requirement for
State teacher certification.
    Programs established under this Section shall be known as
Alternative Route to Teacher Certification programs. The
programs may be offered by a university that offers 4-year
baccalaureate and masters degree programs and that is a
recognized institution as defined in Section 21B-105 of this
Code, by one or more not-for-profit organizations in the State,
or a combination thereof. The programs shall be comprised of
the following 3 phases: (a) a course of study offered on an
intensive basis in education theory, instructional methods,
and practice teaching; (b) the person's assignment to a
full-time teaching position for one school year, including the
designation of a mentor teacher to advise and assist the person
with that teaching assignment; and (c) a comprehensive
assessment of the person's teaching performance by school
officials and program participants and a recommendation by the
program sponsor to the State Board of Education that the person
be issued an initial teaching certificate. Successful
completion of Alternative Route to Teacher Certification
programs shall be deemed to satisfy any other practice or
student teaching and subject matter requirements established
by law.
    A provisional alternative teaching certificate, valid for
one year of teaching in the common schools and not renewable,
shall be issued under this Section 21-5c to persons who at the
time of applying for the provisional alternative teaching
certificate under this Section:
        (1) have graduated from an accredited college or
    university with a bachelor's degree;
        (2) have been employed for a period of at least 5 years
    in an area requiring application of the individual's
    education;
        (3) have successfully completed the first phase of the
    Alternative Teacher Certification program as provided in
    this Section; and
        (4) have passed the tests of basic skills and subject
    matter knowledge required by Section 21-1a.
    An initial teaching certificate, valid for teaching in the
common schools, shall be issued under Section 21-3 or 21-5 to
persons who first complete the requirements for the provisional
alternative teaching certificate and who at the time of
applying for an initial teaching certificate have successfully
completed the second and third phases of the Alternative Route
to Teacher Certification program as provided in this Section.
    A person possessing a provisional alternative certificate
or an initial teaching certificate earned under this Section
shall be treated as a regularly certified teacher for purposes
of compensation, benefits, and other terms and conditions of
employment afforded teachers in the school who are members of a
bargaining unit represented by an exclusive bargaining
representative, if any.
    The State Board of Education may adopt rules and
regulations that are consistent with this Section and that the
State Board deems necessary to establish and implement the
program.
    No one may be admitted to an alternative certification
program under this Section after September 1, 2014, and those
alternative certification candidates who are admitted on or
before September 1 June 30, 2014 must complete their coursework
before January 1, 2016 and be entitled to certification on or
before September 30, 2016. An alternative certification
program shall provide the State Board of Education with the
names of the candidates who will be eligible for certification.
    This Section is repealed on January 1, 2017.
(Source: P.A. 97-607, eff. 8-26-11; 97-702, eff. 6-25-12;
98-38, eff. 6-28-13; 98-603, eff. 6-1-14.)
 
    Section 95. No acceleration or delay. Where this Act makes
changes in a statute that is represented in this Act by text
that is not yet or no longer in effect (for example, a Section
represented by multiple versions), the use of that text does
not accelerate or delay the taking effect of (i) the changes
made by this Act or (ii) provisions derived from any other
Public Act.
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.

Effective Date: 6/30/2014