HB0296eng 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB0296 Engrossed LRB103 03823 RJT 48829 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 Sections 21B-30 and 21B-50 as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/21B-30)

Sec. 21B-30. Educator testing.

(a) (Blank).

(b) The State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, shall design and implement a system of examinations, which shall be required prior to the issuance of educator licenses. These examinations and indicators must be based on national and State professional teaching standards, as determined by the State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board. The State Board of Education may adopt such rules as may be necessary to implement and administer this Section.

(c) (Blank).

(c-5) The State Board must adopt rules to implement a paraprofessional competency test. This test would allow an applicant seeking an Educator License with Stipulations with a paraprofessional educator endorsement to obtain the endorsement if he or she passes the test and meets the other requirements of subparagraph (J) of paragraph (2) of Section 21B-20 other than the higher education requirements.

(d) All applicants seeking a State license shall be required to pass a test of content area knowledge for each area of endorsement for which there is an applicable test. There shall be no exception to this requirement. No candidate shall be allowed to student teach or serve as the teacher of record until he or she has passed the applicable content area test.

(e) (Blank).

(f) Beginning on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 103rd General Assembly through August 31, 2025, no candidate completing a teacher preparation program in this State or candidate subject to Section 21B-35 of this Code is required to pass a teacher performance assessment. Except as otherwise provided in this Article, beginning on September 1, 2015 until the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 103rd General Assembly and beginning again on September 1, 2025, all candidates completing teacher preparation programs in this State and all candidates subject to Section 21B-35 of this Code are required to pass a teacher performance assessment approved by the State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board. A candidate may not be required to submit test materials by video submission. Subject to appropriation, an individual who holds a Professional Educator License and is employed for a minimum of one school year by a school district designated as Tier 1 under Section 18-8.15 may, after application to the State Board, receive from the State Board a refund for any costs associated with completing the teacher performance assessment under this subsection.

(f-5) The Teacher Performance Assessment Task Force is created to evaluate potential teacher performance assessment systems for implementation in this State, with the intention of supporting a thoughtful and well-rounded licensure system that is performance-based and has consistency across programs and objectivity. The Task Force shall consist of all of the following members:

(1) One member of the Senate, appointed by the President of the Senate.

(2) One member of the Senate, appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate.

(3) One member of the House of Representatives, appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

(4) One member of the House of Representatives, appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives.

(5) One member who represents a statewide professional teachers' organization, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

(6) One member who represents a different statewide professional teachers' organization, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

(7) One member from a statewide organization representing school principals, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

(8) One member from a statewide organization representing regional superintendents of schools, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

(9) One member from a statewide organization representing school business officials, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

(10) One member representing a school district organized under Article 34 of this Code, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

(11) One member of an association representing rural and small schools, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

(12) One member representing a suburban school district, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

(13) One member from a statewide organization representing school districts in the southern suburbs of the City of Chicago, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

(14) One member from a statewide organization representing large unit school districts, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

(15) One member from a statewide organization representing school districts in the collar counties of the City of Chicago, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

(16) Three members, each representing a different public university in this State, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

(17) Three members, each representing a different 4-year nonpublic university or college in this State, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

(18) One member of the Board of Higher Education, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

(19) One member representing a statewide policy organization advocating on behalf of multilingual students and families, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

(20) One member representing a statewide organization focused on research-based education policy to support a school system that prepares all students for college, a career, and democratic citizenship, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

(21) Two members representing an early childhood advocacy organization, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.

Members of the Task Force shall serve without compensation. The Task Force shall first meet at the call of the State Superintendent of Education, and each subsequent meeting shall be called by the chairperson of the Task Force, who shall be designated by the State Superintendent of Education. The State Board of Education shall provide administrative and other support to the Task Force.

On or before August 1, 2024, the Task Force shall report on its work, including recommendations on a teacher performance assessment system in this State, to the State Board of Education. The Task Force is dissolved upon submission of this report.

(g) The content area knowledge test and the teacher performance assessment shall be the tests that from time to time are designated by the State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, and may be tests prepared by an educational testing organization or tests designed by the State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board. The test of content area knowledge shall assess content knowledge in a specific subject field. The tests must be designed to be racially neutral to ensure that no person taking the tests is discriminated against on the basis of race, color, national origin, or other factors unrelated to the person's ability to perform as a licensed employee. The score required to pass the tests shall be fixed by the State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board. The tests shall be administered not fewer than 3 times a year at such time and place as may be designated by the State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board.

The State Board shall implement a test or tests to assess the speaking, reading, writing, and grammar skills of applicants for an endorsement or a license issued under subdivision (G) of paragraph (2) of Section 21B-20 of this Code in the English language and in the language of the transitional bilingual education program requested by the applicant.

(h) Except as provided in Section 34-6 of this Code, the provisions of this Section shall apply equally in any school district subject to Article 34 of this Code.

(i) The rules developed to implement and enforce the testing requirements under this Section shall include without limitation provisions governing test selection, test validation and determination of a passing score, administration of the tests, frequency of administration, applicant fees, frequency of applicants taking the tests, the years for which a score is valid, and appropriate special accommodations. The State Board of Education shall develop such rules as may be needed to ensure uniformity from year to year in the level of difficulty for each form of an assessment.

(Source: P.A. 101-81, eff. 7-12-19; 101-220, eff. 8-7-19; 101-594, eff. 12-5-19; 102-301, eff. 8-26-21.)

(105 ILCS 5/21B-50)

Sec. 21B-50. Alternative Educator Licensure Program.

(a) There is established an alternative educator licensure program, to be known as the Alternative Educator Licensure Program for Teachers.

(b) The Alternative Educator Licensure Program for Teachers may be offered by a recognized institution approved to offer educator preparation programs by the State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board.

The program shall be comprised of 4 phases:

(1) A course of study that at a minimum includes instructional planning; instructional strategies, including special education, reading, and English language learning; classroom management; and the assessment of students and use of data to drive instruction.

(2) A year of residency, which is a candidate's assignment to a full-time teaching position or as a co-teacher for one full school year. An individual must hold an Educator License with Stipulations with an alternative provisional educator endorsement in order to enter the residency and must complete additional program requirements that address required State and national standards, pass the State Board's teacher performance assessment, if required under Section 21B-30, no later than the end of the first semester of the second year of residency, as required under phase (3) of this subsection (b), and be recommended by the principal or qualified equivalent of a principal, as required under subsection (d) of this Section, and the program coordinator to continue with the second year of the residency.

(3) A second year of residency, which shall include the candidate's assignment to a full-time teaching position for one school year. The candidate must be assigned an experienced teacher to act as a mentor and coach the candidate through the second year of residency.

(4) A comprehensive assessment of the candidate's teaching effectiveness, as evaluated by the principal or qualified equivalent of a principal, as required under subsection (d) of this Section, and the program coordinator, at the end of the second year of residency. If there is disagreement between the 2 evaluators about the candidate's teaching effectiveness, the candidate may complete one additional year of residency teaching under a professional development plan developed by the principal or qualified equivalent and the preparation program. At the completion of the third year, a candidate must have positive evaluations and a recommendation for full licensure from both the principal or qualified equivalent and the program coordinator or no Professional Educator License shall be issued.

Successful completion of the program shall be deemed to satisfy any other practice or student teaching and content matter requirements established by law.

(c) An alternative provisional educator endorsement on an Educator License with Stipulations is valid for 2 years of teaching in the public schools, including without limitation a preschool educational program under Section 2-3.71 of this Code or charter school, or in a State-recognized nonpublic school in which the chief administrator is required to have the licensure necessary to be a principal in a public school in this State and in which a majority of the teachers are required to have the licensure necessary to be instructors in a public school in this State, but may be renewed for a third year if needed to complete the Alternative Educator Licensure Program for Teachers. The endorsement shall be issued only once to an individual who meets all of the following requirements:

(1) Has graduated from a regionally accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree or higher.

(2) (Blank).

(3) Has completed a major in the content area if seeking a middle or secondary level endorsement or, if seeking an early childhood, elementary, or special education endorsement, has completed a major in the content area of reading, English/language arts, mathematics, or one of the sciences. If the individual does not have a major in a content area for any level of teaching, he or she must submit transcripts to the State Board of Education to be reviewed for equivalency.

(4) Has successfully completed phase (1) of subsection (b) of this Section.

(5) Has passed a content area test required for the specific endorsement for admission into the program, as required under Section 21B-30 of this Code.

A candidate possessing the alternative provisional educator endorsement may receive a salary, benefits, and any other terms of employment offered to teachers in the school who are members of an exclusive bargaining representative, if any, but a school is not required to provide these benefits during the years of residency if the candidate is serving only as a co-teacher. If the candidate is serving as the teacher of record, the candidate must receive a salary, benefits, and any other terms of employment. Residency experiences must not be counted towards tenure.

(d) The recognized institution offering the Alternative Educator Licensure Program for Teachers must partner with a school district, including without limitation a preschool educational program under Section 2-3.71 of this Code or charter school, or a State-recognized, nonpublic school in this State in which the chief administrator is required to have the licensure necessary to be a principal in a public school in this State and in which a majority of the teachers are required to have the licensure necessary to be instructors in a public school in this State. A recognized institution that partners with a public school district administering a preschool educational program under Section 2-3.71 of this Code must require a principal to recommend or evaluate candidates in the program. A recognized institution that partners with an eligible entity administering a preschool educational program under Section 2-3.71 of this Code and that is not a public school district must require a principal or qualified equivalent of a principal to recommend or evaluate candidates in the program. The program presented for approval by the State Board of Education must demonstrate the supports that are to be provided to assist the provisional teacher during the 2-year residency period. These supports must provide additional contact hours with mentors during the first year of residency.

(e) Upon completion of the 4 phases outlined in subsection (b) of this Section and all assessments required under Section 21B-30 of this Code, an individual shall receive a Professional Educator License.

(f) The State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, may adopt such rules as may be necessary to establish and implement the Alternative Educator Licensure Program for Teachers.

(Source: P.A. 100-596, eff. 7-1-18; 100-822, eff. 1-1-19; 101-220, eff. 8-7-19; 101-570, eff. 8-23-19; 101-643, eff. 6-18-20; 101-654, eff. 3-8-21.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.