103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
SB1487
 
Introduced 2/7/2023, by Sen. Sally J. Turner
 
SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 

 
105 ILCS 5/21B-20

     Amends the Educator Licensure Article of the School Code. Provides that a specialized educator endorsement on an Educator License with Stipulations may be issued to an applicant who is employed in a teaching position at an accredited institution of higher education in this State that has officially announced its intent to cease all academic programming at the time the announcement was officially made or was employed in a teaching position at an accredited institution of higher education in this State that has ceased all academic programming within 5 years prior to or on or after the effective date of the amendatory Act and who, at the time of applying for the endorsement, meets specified criteria. Provides that the specialized educator endorsement is valid until June 30 immediately following 5 years of the endorsement being issued and may be renewed.  Provides that the holder of a specialized educator endorsement shall be permitted to teach in the content area in which he or she previously taught at the accredited institution of higher education.  Effective immediately.
  


LRB103 26357 RJT 52718 b

 
 
A BILL FOR
 

  
SB1487LRB103 26357 RJT 52718 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 5. The School Code is amended  by changing Section 
521B-20 as follows:
 
6    (105 ILCS 5/21B-20)
7    Sec. 21B-20. Types of licenses. The State Board of 
8Education shall implement a system of educator licensure, 
9whereby individuals employed in school districts who are 
10required to be licensed must have one of the following 
11licenses: (i) a professional educator license; (ii) an 
12educator license with stipulations; (iii) a substitute 
13teaching license; or (iv) until June 30, 2023, a short-term 
14substitute teaching license. References in law regarding 
15individuals certified or certificated or required to be 
16certified or certificated under Article 21 of this Code shall 
17also include individuals licensed or required to be licensed 
18under this Article.  The first year of all licenses ends on June 
1930 following one full year of the license being issued.
20    The State Board of Education, in consultation with the 
21State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, may adopt such 
22rules as may be necessary to govern the requirements for 
23licenses and endorsements under this Section. 
 
 
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1        (1) Professional Educator License.  Persons who (i) 
2    have successfully completed an approved educator 
3    preparation program and are recommended for licensure by 
4    the Illinois institution offering the educator preparation 
5    program, (ii) have successfully completed the required 
6    testing under Section 21B-30 of this Code, (iii) have 
7    successfully completed coursework on the psychology of, 
8    the identification of, and the methods of instruction for 
9    the exceptional child, including without limitation 
10    children with learning disabilities, (iv) have 
11    successfully completed coursework in methods of reading 
12    and reading in the content area, and (v) have met all other 
13    criteria established by rule of the State Board of 
14    Education shall be issued a Professional Educator License. 
15    All Professional Educator Licenses are valid until June 30 
16    immediately following 5 years of the license being issued. 
17    The Professional Educator License shall be endorsed with 
18    specific areas and grade levels in which the individual is 
19    eligible to practice. For an early childhood education 
20    endorsement, an individual may satisfy the student 
21    teaching requirement of his or her early childhood teacher 
22    preparation program through placement in a setting with 
23    children from birth through grade 2, and the individual 
24    may be paid and receive credit while student teaching. The 
25    student teaching experience must meet the requirements of 
26    and be approved by the individual's early childhood 
 
 
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1    teacher preparation program.
2        Individuals can receive subsequent endorsements on the 
3    Professional Educator License. Subsequent endorsements 
4    shall require a minimum of 24 semester hours of coursework 
5    in the endorsement area and passage of the applicable 
6    content area test, unless otherwise specified by rule.
7        (2) Educator License with Stipulations.  An Educator 
8    License with Stipulations shall be issued an endorsement 
9    that limits the license holder to one particular position 
10    or does not require completion of an approved educator 
11    program or both.
12        An individual with an Educator License with 
13    Stipulations must not be employed by a school district or 
14    any other entity to replace any presently employed teacher 
15    who otherwise would not be replaced for any reason.
16        An Educator License with Stipulations may be issued 
17    with the following endorsements:
18            (A) (Blank). 
19            (B)  Alternative provisional educator.  An 
20        alternative provisional educator endorsement on an 
21        Educator License with Stipulations may be issued to an 
22        applicant who, at the time of applying for the 
23        endorsement, has done all of the following:
24                (i)  Graduated from a regionally accredited 
25            college or university with a minimum of a 
26            bachelor's degree.
 
 
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1                (ii) Successfully completed the first phase of 
2            the Alternative Educator Licensure Program for 
3            Teachers, as described in Section 21B-50 of this 
4            Code.
5                (iii) Passed a content area test, as required 
6            under Section 21B-30 of this Code.
7        The alternative provisional educator endorsement is 
8    valid for 2 years of teaching and may be renewed for a 
9    third year by an individual meeting the requirements set 
10    forth in Section 21B-50 of this Code. 
11            (C)  Alternative provisional superintendent.  An 
12        alternative provisional superintendent endorsement on 
13        an Educator License with Stipulations entitles the 
14        holder to serve only as a superintendent or assistant 
15        superintendent in a school district's central office. 
16        This endorsement may only be issued to an applicant 
17        who, at the time of applying for the endorsement, has 
18        done all of the following:
19                (i)  Graduated from a regionally accredited 
20            college or university with a minimum of a master's 
21            degree in a management field other than education.
22                (ii)  Been employed for a period of at least 5 
23            years in a management level position in a field 
24            other than education.
25                (iii)  Successfully completed the first phase 
26            of an alternative route to superintendent 
 
 
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1            endorsement  program, as provided in Section 21B-55 
2            of this Code.
3                (iv)  Passed a content area test required under 
4            Section 21B-30 of this Code.
5            The endorsement is valid for 2 fiscal years in 
6        order to complete one full year of serving as a 
7        superintendent or assistant superintendent.
8            (D) (Blank).
9            (E)  Career and technical educator.  A career and 
10        technical educator endorsement on an Educator License 
11        with Stipulations may be issued to an applicant who 
12        has a minimum of 60 semester hours of coursework from a 
13        regionally accredited institution of higher education 
14        or an accredited trade and technical institution and 
15        has a minimum of 2,000 hours of experience outside of 
16        education in each area to be taught.
17            The career and technical educator endorsement on 
18        an Educator License with Stipulations is valid until 
19        June 30 immediately following 5 years of the 
20        endorsement being issued and may be renewed.
21            An individual who holds a valid career and 
22        technical educator endorsement on an Educator License 
23        with Stipulations but does not hold a bachelor's 
24        degree may substitute teach in career and technical 
25        education classrooms. 
26            (F) (Blank).
 
 
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1            (G) Transitional bilingual educator.  A 
2        transitional bilingual educator endorsement on an 
3        Educator License with Stipulations may be issued for 
4        the purpose of providing instruction in accordance 
5        with Article 14C of this Code to an applicant who 
6        provides satisfactory evidence that he or she meets 
7        all of the following requirements:
8                (i) Possesses adequate speaking, reading, and 
9            writing ability in the language other than English 
10            in which transitional bilingual education is 
11            offered.
12                (ii) Has the ability to successfully 
13            communicate in English.
14                (iii) Either possessed, within 5 years 
15            previous to his or her applying for a transitional 
16            bilingual educator endorsement, a valid and 
17            comparable teaching certificate or comparable 
18            authorization issued by a foreign country or holds 
19            a degree from an institution of higher learning in 
20            a foreign country that the State Educator 
21            Preparation and Licensure Board determines to be 
22            the equivalent of a bachelor's degree from a 
23            regionally accredited institution of higher 
24            learning in the United States.
25            A transitional bilingual educator endorsement 
26        shall be valid for prekindergarten through grade 12, 
 
 
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1        is valid until June 30 immediately following 5 years 
2        of the endorsement being issued, and shall not be 
3        renewed.
4            Persons holding a transitional bilingual educator 
5        endorsement shall not be employed to replace any 
6        presently employed teacher who otherwise would not be 
7        replaced for any reason. 
8            (H) Language endorsement.  In an effort to 
9        alleviate the shortage of teachers speaking a language 
10        other than English in the public schools, an 
11        individual who holds an Educator License with 
12        Stipulations may also apply for a language 
13        endorsement, provided that the applicant provides 
14        satisfactory evidence that he or she meets all of the 
15        following requirements:
16                (i) Holds a transitional bilingual 
17            endorsement. 
18                (ii) Has demonstrated proficiency in the 
19            language for which the endorsement is to be issued 
20            by passing the applicable language content test 
21            required by the State Board of Education.
22                (iii) Holds a bachelor's degree or higher from 
23            a regionally accredited institution of higher 
24            education or, for individuals educated in a 
25            country other than the United States, holds a 
26            degree from an institution of higher learning in a 
 
 
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1            foreign country that the State Educator 
2            Preparation and Licensure Board determines to be 
3            the equivalent of a bachelor's degree from a 
4            regionally accredited institution of higher 
5            learning in the United States.
6                (iv) (Blank).
7            A language endorsement on an Educator License with 
8        Stipulations is valid for prekindergarten through 
9        grade 12 for the same validity period as the 
10        individual's transitional bilingual educator 
11        endorsement on the Educator License with Stipulations 
12        and shall not be renewed.
13            (I)  Visiting international educator.  A visiting 
14        international educator endorsement on an Educator 
15        License with Stipulations may be issued to an 
16        individual who is being recruited by a particular 
17        school district that conducts formal recruitment 
18        programs outside of the United States to secure the 
19        services of qualified teachers and who meets all of 
20        the following requirements:
21                (i) Holds the equivalent of a minimum of a 
22            bachelor's degree issued in the United States.
23                (ii) Has been prepared as a teacher at the 
24            grade level for which he or she will be employed.
25                (iii) Has adequate content knowledge in the 
26            subject to be taught.
 
 
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1                (iv) Has an adequate command of the English 
2            language.
3            A holder of a visiting international educator 
4        endorsement on an Educator License with Stipulations 
5        shall be permitted to teach in bilingual education 
6        programs in the language that was the medium of 
7        instruction in his or her teacher preparation program, 
8        provided that he or she passes the English Language 
9        Proficiency Examination or another test of writing 
10        skills in English identified by the State Board of 
11        Education, in consultation with the State Educator 
12        Preparation and Licensure Board.
13            A visiting international educator endorsement on 
14        an Educator License with Stipulations is valid for 5 
15        years and shall not be renewed.
16            (J) Paraprofessional educator.  A paraprofessional 
17        educator endorsement on an Educator License with 
18        Stipulations may be issued to an applicant who holds a 
19        high school diploma or its recognized equivalent and 
20        (i) holds an associate's degree or a minimum of 60 
21        semester hours of credit from a regionally accredited 
22        institution of higher education; (ii) has passed a 
23        paraprofessional competency test under subsection 
24        (c-5) of Section 21B-30; or (iii) is at least 18 years 
25        of age and will be using the Educator License with 
26        Stipulations exclusively for grades prekindergarten 
 
 
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1        through grade 8, until the individual reaches the age 
2        of 19 years and otherwise meets the criteria for a 
3        paraprofessional educator endorsement  pursuant to this 
4        subparagraph (J). The paraprofessional educator 
5        endorsement is valid until June 30 immediately 
6        following 5 years of the endorsement being issued and 
7        may be renewed through application and payment of the 
8        appropriate fee, as required under Section 21B-40 of 
9        this Code. An individual who holds only a 
10        paraprofessional educator endorsement is not subject 
11        to additional requirements in order to renew the 
12        endorsement.
13            (K) Chief school business official. A chief school 
14        business official endorsement on an Educator License 
15        with Stipulations may be issued to an applicant who 
16        qualifies by having a master's degree or higher, 2 
17        years of full-time administrative experience in school 
18        business management or 2 years of university-approved 
19        practical experience, and a minimum of 24 semester 
20        hours of graduate credit in a program approved by the 
21        State Board of Education for the preparation of school 
22        business administrators and by passage of the 
23        applicable State tests, including an applicable 
24        content area test. 
25            The chief school business official endorsement may 
26        also be affixed to the Educator License with 
 
 
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1        Stipulations of any holder who qualifies by having a 
2        master's degree in business administration, finance, 
3        accounting, or public administration and who completes 
4        an additional 6 semester hours of internship in school 
5        business management from a regionally accredited 
6        institution of higher education and passes the 
7        applicable State tests, including an applicable 
8        content area test. This endorsement shall be required 
9        for any individual employed as a chief school business 
10        official. 
11            The chief school business official endorsement on 
12        an Educator License with Stipulations is valid until 
13        June 30 immediately following 5 years of the 
14        endorsement being issued and may be renewed if the 
15        license holder completes renewal requirements as 
16        required for individuals who hold a Professional 
17        Educator License endorsed for chief school business 
18        official under Section 21B-45 of this Code and such 
19        rules as may be adopted by the State Board of 
20        Education. 
21            The State Board of Education shall adopt any rules 
22        necessary to implement Public Act 100-288.
23            (L) Provisional in-state educator. A provisional 
24        in-state educator endorsement on an Educator License 
25        with Stipulations may be issued to a candidate who has 
26        completed an Illinois-approved educator preparation 
 
 
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1        program at an Illinois institution of higher education 
2        and who has not successfully completed an 
3        evidence-based assessment of teacher effectiveness but 
4        who meets all of the following requirements: 
5                (i) Holds at least a bachelor's degree.
6                (ii) Has completed an approved educator 
7            preparation program at an Illinois institution.
8                (iii) Has passed an applicable content area 
9            test, as required by Section 21B-30 of this Code.
10                (iv) Has attempted an evidence-based 
11            assessment of teacher effectiveness and received a 
12            minimum score on that assessment, as established 
13            by the State Board of Education in consultation 
14            with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure 
15            Board.
16            A provisional in-state educator endorsement on an 
17        Educator License with Stipulations is valid for one 
18        full fiscal year after the date of issuance and may not 
19        be renewed.
20            (M) (Blank).
21            (N) Specialized services.  A specialized services 
22        endorsement on an Educator License with Stipulations 
23        may be issued as defined and specified by rule. 
24            (O) Specialized Educator.  A specialized educator 
25        endorsement on an Educator License with Stipulations 
26        may be issued to an applicant who, at the time of 
 
 
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1        applying for the endorsement, meets all the following 
2        criteria: 
3                (i) Has graduated from an institution of 
4            higher education accredited by the Higher Learning 
5            Commission with a master's degree or higher. 
6                (ii) Was employed in good standing in a 
7            teaching position at an institution of higher 
8            education in this State accredited by the Higher 
9            Learning Commission that has officially announced 
10            its intent to cease all academic programming at 
11            the time the announcement was officially made or 
12            was employed in good standing in a teaching 
13            position at an institution of higher education in 
14            this State accredited by the Higher Learning 
15            Commission that has ceased all academic 
16            programming within 5 years prior to or on  or after 
17            the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 
18            103rd General Assembly. 
19                (iii) Has a minimum of 5 years of experience 
20            teaching at an institution of higher education in 
21            this State accredited by the Higher Learning 
22            Commission. 
23                (iv) Has completed a minimum of 6 semester 
24            hours of coursework from a State-approved educator 
25            preparation program, or has taught educational 
26            methods at an institution of higher education 
 
 
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1            accredited by the Higher Learning Commission for a 
2            minimum of 2 years if the applicant has not 
3            completed a minimum of 6 semester hours of 
4            coursework from a State-approved educator 
5            preparation program. 
6                (v) Has passed a content area test, as 
7            required under Section 21B-30 of this Code, in a 
8            content area in which he or she taught at the 
9            institution of higher education accredited by the 
10            Higher Learning Commission. 
11            The specialized educator endorsement is valid 
12        until June 30 immediately following  5 years of the 
13        endorsement being issued and may be renewed.
14            The holder of a specialized educator endorsement 
15        shall be permitted to teach in the content area in 
16        which he or she previously taught at the institution 
17        of higher education accredited by the Higher Learning 
18        Commission. 
19            The State Board of Education may adopt any rules 
20        necessary to implement this subsection. 
21        (3)  Substitute Teaching License.  A Substitute Teaching 
22    License may be issued to qualified applicants for 
23    substitute teaching in all grades of the public schools, 
24    prekindergarten through grade 12. Substitute Teaching 
25    Licenses are not eligible for endorsements.  Applicants for 
26    a Substitute Teaching License must hold a bachelor's 
 
 
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1    degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution 
2    of higher education or must be enrolled in an approved 
3    educator preparation program in this State and have earned 
4    at least 90 credit hours.
5        Substitute Teaching Licenses are valid for 5 years.
6        Substitute Teaching Licenses are valid for substitute 
7    teaching in every county of this State. If an individual 
8    has had his or her Professional Educator License or 
9    Educator License with Stipulations suspended or revoked, 
10    then that individual is not eligible to obtain a 
11    Substitute Teaching License.
12        A substitute teacher may only teach in the place of a 
13    licensed teacher who is under contract with the employing 
14    board. If, however, there is no licensed teacher under 
15    contract because of an emergency situation, then a 
16    district may employ a substitute teacher for no longer 
17    than 30 calendar days per each vacant position in the 
18    district if the district notifies the appropriate regional 
19    office of education within 5 business days after the 
20    employment of the substitute teacher in the emergency 
21    situation.   An emergency situation is one in which an 
22    unforeseen vacancy has occurred and (i) a teacher is 
23    unable to fulfill his or her contractual duties or (ii) 
24    teacher capacity needs of the district exceed previous 
25    indications, and the district is actively engaged in 
26    advertising to hire a fully licensed teacher for the 
 
 
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1    vacant position.
2        There is no limit on the number of days that a 
3    substitute teacher may teach in a single school district, 
4    provided that no substitute teacher may teach for longer 
5    than 120 days beginning with the 2021-2022 school year 
6    through the 2022-2023 school year, otherwise 90 school 
7    days for any one licensed teacher under contract in the 
8    same school year. A substitute teacher who holds a 
9    Professional Educator License or Educator License with 
10    Stipulations shall not teach for more than 120 school days 
11    for any one licensed teacher under contract  in the same 
12    school year.  The limitations in this paragraph (3) on the 
13    number of days a substitute teacher may be employed do not 
14    apply to any school district operating under Article 34 of 
15    this Code.
16        A school district may not require an individual who 
17    holds a valid Professional Educator License or Educator 
18    License with Stipulations to seek or hold a Substitute 
19    Teaching License to teach as a substitute teacher. 
20        (4) Short-Term Substitute Teaching License. Beginning 
21    on July 1, 2018 and until June 30, 2023, the State Board of 
22    Education may issue a Short-Term Substitute Teaching 
23    License.  A Short-Term Substitute Teaching License may be 
24    issued to a qualified applicant for substitute teaching in 
25    all grades of the public schools, prekindergarten through 
26    grade 12.  Short-Term Substitute Teaching Licenses are not 
 
 
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1    eligible for endorsements.  Applicants for a Short-Term 
2    Substitute Teaching License must hold an associate's 
3    degree or have completed at least 60 credit hours from a 
4    regionally accredited institution of higher education.
5        Short-Term Substitute Teaching Licenses are valid for 
6    substitute teaching in every county of this State.  If an 
7    individual has had his or her Professional Educator 
8    License or Educator License with Stipulations suspended or 
9    revoked, then that individual is not eligible to obtain a 
10    Short-Term Substitute Teaching License.
11        The provisions of Sections 10-21.9 and 34-18.5 of this 
12    Code apply to short-term substitute teachers. 
13        An individual holding a Short-Term Substitute Teaching 
14    License may teach no more than 15 consecutive days per 
15    licensed teacher who is under contract.  For teacher 
16    absences lasting 6 or more days per licensed teacher who 
17    is under contract, a school district may not hire an 
18    individual holding a Short-Term Substitute Teaching 
19    License, unless the Governor has declared a disaster due 
20    to a public health emergency pursuant to Section 7 of the 
21    Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act.  An individual 
22    holding a Short-Term Substitute Teaching License must 
23    complete the training program under Section 10-20.67 or 
24    34-18.60 of this Code to be eligible to teach at a public 
25    school. This paragraph (4) is inoperative on and after 
26    July 1, 2023. 

 
 
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1(Source: P.A. 101-81, eff. 7-12-19; 101-220, eff. 8-7-19; 
2101-594, eff. 12-5-19; 101-643, eff. 6-18-20; 102-711, eff. 
31-1-23; 102-712, eff. 4-27-22; 102-713, eff. 1-1-23; 102-717, 
4eff. 4-29-22; 102-894, eff. 5-20-22; revised 12-13-22.)
 
 
5    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon 
6becoming law.