103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
HB4787

 

Introduced 2/6/2024, by Rep. Amy L. Grant

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
New Act

    Creates the Paraprofessional Fast Track to Teaching Degree Pilot Program Act. Makes findings. Provides that the Paraprofessional Fast Track to Teaching Degree Pilot Program is created for a 2-year degree pathway by which paraprofessional educators may enroll to achieve the education requirements to attain a professional educator license in this State, which shall comply with the standards of the State Board of Education and the Board of Higher Education. Provides that, subject to appropriation, beginning with the 2024-2025 academic year or, if funds are not appropriated for the Program that academic year, beginning with the academic year in which funds are appropriated for the Program, the State Board of Education and the Board of Higher Education shall coordinate with each other to assign a qualified individual to serve as a Program director to develop the curriculum for the Program. Provides that one public elementary or public secondary school and one public university in this State shall be chosen to develop a program for transitioning paraprofessionals to teachers. Includes the core components of the Program. Provides that the State Board of Education and the Board of Higher Education must submit a report to the Governor, the General Assembly, and the Legislative Reference Bureau detailing the impact of the Program and then the Program is dissolved and the Act is repealed. Effective immediately.


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A BILL FOR

 

HB4787LRB103 36274 RJT 66371 b

1    AN ACT concerning education.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5Paraprofessional Fast Track to Teaching Degree Pilot Program
6Act.
 
7    Section 5. Findings. The General Assembly makes all of the
8following findings:
9        (1) In Illinois, starting 4-year, licensed to teach,
10    college graduates earn $45,000 to $55,000 a year as
11    compared to education paraprofessionals, who are paid an
12    average annual salary of $29,232 and have an average
13    starting salary of $23,000.
14        (2) Education paraprofessionals are required to have a
15    2-year associate degree to teach in Illinois. Comparing
16    this with other 2-year college technician certificates,
17    such as veterinary technicians who have an average salary
18    of $42,000, human resource assistants who have an average
19    salary of $45,000, forestry technicians who have an
20    average salary of $42,000, and paralegals who have an
21    average salary of $61,000, education paraprofessionals are
22    not seeing the return on their educational investment.
23        (3) School districts have strongly voiced their need

 

 

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1    for more qualified teachers.
2        (4) Alternative routes to teacher licensure, which
3    tend to be faster and less expensive than traditional
4    programs, should be explored by the State to produce more
5    teachers.
6        (5) It is in the interests of State residents to
7    identify affordable pathways to secure a teacher license
8    in Illinois.
9        (6) Paraprofessional educators are particularly
10    well-positioned to take advantage of such pathways into
11    teaching. Given access to high-quality licensure programs
12    tailored to their specific experiences and needs, they can
13    make a significant contribution to local efforts to
14    address teacher shortages.
15        (7) It is in the interests of State residents to have
16    an accredited paraprofessional-to-teaching degree pathway
17    based on both campus-based instruction and courses offered
18    in the schools where candidates work, while also giving
19    them opportunities to earn academic credit by
20    demonstrating the knowledge and skills they have mastered
21    in their jobs.
 
22    Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Act, unless the
23context otherwise requires:
24    "Paraprofessional" or "paraprofessional educator" means a
25person who holds a paraprofessional educator endorsement in

 

 

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1accordance with the School Code.
2    "Program" means the Paraprofessional Fast Track to
3Teaching Degree Pilot Program.
 
4    Section 15. Creation of Program. The Paraprofessional Fast
5Track to Teaching Degree Pilot Program is created for a 2-year
6degree pathway by which paraprofessional educators may enroll
7to achieve the education requirements to attain a professional
8educator license in this State, which shall comply with the
9standards of the State Board of Education and the Board of
10Higher Education.
 
11    Section 20. Program requirements.
12    (a) Subject to appropriation, beginning with the 2024-2025
13academic year or, if funds are not appropriated for the
14Program that academic year, beginning with the academic year
15in which funds are appropriated for the Program, the State
16Board of Education and the Board of Higher Education shall
17coordinate with each other to assign a qualified individual to
18serve as a Program director to develop the curriculum for the
19Program. If a source of outside funding for the Program
20director is secured to support the development of the Program,
21the State Board of Education and Board of Higher Education
22shall facilitate the approval of a paraprofessional-to-teacher
23bachelor's degree curriculum pathway for the public
24universities agreeing to participate in the Program.

 

 

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1    (b) Under the Program, one public elementary or public
2secondary school and one public university in this State shall
3be chosen to develop a program for transitioning
4paraprofessionals to teachers through the Program.
5    The core components of the Program must include all of the
6following:
7        (1) Allowing paraprofessionals to enroll in the public
8    university and enroll in courses that allow them to
9    complete 30 college coursework credits toward a
10    baccalaureate degree that would meet Illinois
11    teacher-licensing standards.
12        (2) Allowing paraprofessionals to earn 30 college
13    coursework credits for the work that they perform in their
14    role as a paraprofessional educator at a public elementary
15    school or public secondary school.
16        (3) Using online course options to reduce costs and
17    required travel.
18        (4) The inclusion of evaluations by the mentor teacher
19    of the paraprofessional for the approval of the 30 college
20    coursework credits earned teaching in the classroom.
21        (5) A promise by the participating elementary or
22    secondary school that it will consider hiring the
23    paraprofessionals as full-time teachers after the
24    paraprofessionals complete the Program.
25    (c) The curriculum of the Program shall be established by
26the public university's educator preparation program. This

 

 

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1curriculum shall reflect the core components of the Program
2identified in subsection (b).
3    (d) The Program director may expand participation in the
4Program if the director finds multiple willing and able
5schools and universities.
 
6    Section 25. Reporting.
7    (a) After the cohort of students completes the Program,
8the State Board of Education and the Board of Higher Education
9must submit a report to the Governor, the General Assembly,
10and the Legislative Reference Bureau detailing the impact of
11the Program on all of the following:
12        (1) The number of paraprofessionals that attained a
13    baccalaureate degree.
14        (2) The successes and failures of the Program.
15        (3) Reducing the costs of attending an institution of
16    higher learning and overall student loan debt for
17    individuals pursuing a degree in teaching.
18        (4) Creating a model curriculum that can be replicated
19    through partnerships between other institutions of higher
20    learning and school districts across the State.
21    (b) The Program is dissolved on the day the State Board of
22Education and the Board of Higher Education submit the report
23required under subsection (a).
 
24    Section 30. Repeal. On the date that the Legislative

 

 

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1Reference Bureau receives the report sent to it under
2subsection (a) of Section 25, this Act is repealed.
 
3    Section 90. Rules. The State Board of Education and the
4Board of Higher Education must adopt rules to implement this
5Act.
 
6    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
7becoming law.