093_HB0195
LRB093 03782 NHT 03817 b
1 AN ACT concerning education.
2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
4 Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing
5 Sections 21-5b and 21-5c as follows:
6 (105 ILCS 5/21-5b)
7 Sec. 21-5b. Alternative certification. The State Board
8 of Education, in consultation with the State Teacher
9 Certification Board, shall establish and implement an
10 alternative certification program under which persons who
11 meet the requirements of and successfully complete the
12 program established by this Section shall be issued an
13 alternative teaching certificate for teaching in the schools.
14 The program shall be limited to not more than 260 new
15 participants during each year that the program is in effect.
16 The State Board of Education, in cooperation with a
17 partnership formed with a university that offers 4-year
18 baccalaureate and masters degree programs and that is a
19 recognized institution as defined in Section 21-21 and one or
20 more not-for-profit organizations in the State which support
21 excellence in teaching, shall within 30 days after submission
22 by the partnership approve a course of study developed by the
23 partnership that persons in the program must successfully
24 complete in order to satisfy one criterion for issuance of an
25 alternative certificate under this Section. The Alternative
26 Teacher Certification program course of study must include
27 the current content and skills contained in the university's
28 current courses for State certification which have been
29 approved by the State Board of Education, in consultation
30 with the State Teacher Certification Board, as the
31 requirement for State teacher certification.
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1 The alternative certification program established under
2 this Section shall be known as the Alternative Teacher
3 Certification program. The Alternative Teacher Certification
4 Program shall be offered by the submitting partnership and
5 may be offered in conjunction with one or more not-for-profit
6 organizations in the State which support excellence in
7 teaching. The program shall be comprised of the following 3
8 phases: (a) the first phase is the course of study offered on
9 an intensive basis in education theory, instructional
10 methods, and practice teaching; (b) the second phase is the
11 person's assignment to a full-time teaching position for one
12 school year; and (c) the third phase is a comprehensive
13 assessment of the person's teaching performance by school
14 officials and the partnership participants and a
15 recommendation by the partner institution of higher education
16 to the State Board of Education that the person be issued a
17 standard alternative teaching certificate. If a person holds
18 a substitute certificate, the number of hours that he or she
19 has taught as a substitute teacher shall be counted towards
20 the number of hours of practice teaching required in the
21 first phase of the program. Successful completion of the
22 Alternative Teacher Certification program shall be deemed to
23 satisfy any other practice or student teaching and subject
24 matter requirements established by law.
25 A provisional alternative teaching certificate, valid for
26 one year of teaching in the common schools and not renewable,
27 shall be issued under this Section 21-5b to persons who at
28 the time of applying for the provisional alternative teaching
29 certificate under this Section:
30 (1) have graduated from an accredited college or
31 university with a bachelor's degree;
32 (2) have successfully completed the first phase of
33 the Alternative Teacher Certification program as provided
34 in this Section;
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1 (3) have passed the tests of basic skills and
2 subject matter knowledge required by Section 21-1a; and
3 (4) have been employed for a period of at least 5
4 years in an area requiring application of the
5 individual's education; however, this requirement does
6 not apply with respect to a provisional alternative
7 teaching certificate for teaching in schools situated in
8 a school district that is located in a city having a
9 population in excess of 500,000 inhabitants.
10 A person possessing a provisional alternative certificate
11 under this Section shall be treated as a regularly certified
12 teacher for purposes of compensation, benefits, and other
13 terms and conditions of employment afforded teachers in the
14 school who are members of a bargaining unit represented by an
15 exclusive bargaining representative, if any.
16 Until February 15, 2000, a standard alternative teaching
17 certificate, valid for 4 years for teaching in the schools
18 and renewable as provided in Section 21-14, shall be issued
19 under this Section 21-5b to persons who first complete the
20 requirements for the provisional alternative teaching
21 certificate and who at the time of applying for a standard
22 alternative teaching certificate under this Section have
23 successfully completed the second and third phases of the
24 Alternative Teacher Certification program as provided in this
25 Section. Alternatively, beginning February 15, 2000, at the
26 end of the 4-year validity period, persons who were issued a
27 standard alternative teaching certificate shall be eligible,
28 on the same basis as holders of an Initial Teaching
29 Certificate issued under subsection (b) of Section 21-2 of
30 this Code, to apply for a Standard Teaching Certificate,
31 provided they meet the requirements of subsection (c) of
32 Section 21-2 of this Code and further provided that a person
33 who does not apply for and receive a Standard Teaching
34 Certificate shall be able to teach only in schools situated
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1 in a school district that is located in a city having a
2 population in excess of 500,000 inhabitants.
3 Beginning February 15, 2000, persons who have completed
4 the requirements for a standard alternative teaching
5 certificate under this Section shall be issued an Initial
6 Alternative Teaching Certificate valid for 4 years of
7 teaching and not renewable. At the end of the 4-year
8 validity period, these persons shall be eligible, on the same
9 basis as holders of an Initial Teaching Certificate issued
10 under subsection (b) of Section 21-2 of this Code, to apply
11 for a Standard Teaching Certificate, provided they meet the
12 requirements of subsection (c) of Section 21-2.
13 This alternative certification program shall be
14 implemented so that the first provisional alternative
15 teaching certificates issued under this Section are effective
16 upon the commencement of the 1997-1998 academic year and the
17 first standard alternative teaching certificates issued under
18 this Section are effective upon the commencement of the
19 1998-1999 academic year.
20 The State Board of Education, in cooperation with the
21 partnership establishing the Alternative Teacher
22 Certification program, shall adopt rules and regulations that
23 are consistent with this Section and that the State Board of
24 Education deems necessary to establish and implement the
25 program.
26 (Source: P.A. 91-609, eff. 1-1-00.)
27 (105 ILCS 5/21-5c)
28 Sec. 21-5c. Alternative route to teacher certification.
29 The State Board of Education, in consultation with the State
30 Teacher Certification Board, shall establish and implement an
31 alternative route to teacher certification program under
32 which persons who meet the requirements of and successfully
33 complete the program established by this Section shall be
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1 issued an initial teaching certificate for teaching in
2 schools in this State. The State Board of Education shall
3 approve a course of study that persons in the program must
4 successfully complete in order to satisfy one criterion for
5 issuance of a certificate under this Section. The
6 Alternative Route to Teacher Certification program course of
7 study must include the current content and skills contained
8 in a university's current courses for State certification
9 which have been approved by the State Board of Education, in
10 consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board, as
11 the requirement for State teacher certification.
12 The program established under this Section shall be known
13 as the Alternative Route to Teacher Certification program.
14 The program may be offered in conjunction with one or more
15 not-for-profit organizations in the State. The program shall
16 be comprised of the following 3 phases: (a) a course of study
17 offered on an intensive basis in education theory,
18 instructional methods, and practice teaching; (b) the
19 person's assignment to a full-time teaching position for one
20 school year, including the designation of a mentor teacher to
21 advise and assist the person with that teaching assignment;
22 and (c) a comprehensive assessment of the person's teaching
23 performance by school officials and program participants and
24 a recommendation by the institution of higher education to
25 the State Board of Education that the person be issued an
26 initial teaching certificate. If a person holds a substitute
27 certificate, the number of hours that he or she has taught as
28 a substitute teacher shall be counted towards the number of
29 hours of practice teaching required in the first phase of the
30 program. Successful completion of the Alternative Route to
31 Teacher Certification program shall be deemed to satisfy any
32 other practice or student teaching and subject matter
33 requirements established by law.
34 A provisional alternative teaching certificate, valid for
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1 one year of teaching in the common schools and not renewable,
2 shall be issued under this Section 21-5c to persons who at
3 the time of applying for the provisional alternative teaching
4 certificate under this Section:
5 (1) have graduated from an accredited college or
6 university with a bachelor's degree;
7 (2) have been employed for a period of at least 5
8 years in an area requiring application of the
9 individual's education;
10 (3) have successfully completed the first phase of
11 the Alternative Teacher Certification program as provided
12 in this Section; and
13 (4) have passed the tests of basic skills and
14 subject matter knowledge required by Section 21-1a.
15 An initial teaching certificate, valid for teaching in
16 the common schools, shall be issued under Section 21-3 or
17 21-5 to persons who first complete the requirements for the
18 provisional alternative teaching certificate and who at the
19 time of applying for an initial teaching certificate have
20 successfully completed the second and third phases of the
21 Alternative Route to Teacher Certification program as
22 provided in this Section.
23 A person possessing a provisional alternative certificate
24 or an initial teaching certificate earned under this Section
25 shall be treated as a regularly certified teacher for
26 purposes of compensation, benefits, and other terms and
27 conditions of employment afforded teachers in the school who
28 are members of a bargaining unit represented by an exclusive
29 bargaining representative, if any.
30 The State Board of Education may adopt rules and
31 regulations that are consistent with this Section and that
32 the State Board deems necessary to establish and implement
33 the program.
34 (Source: P.A. 90-548, eff. 1-1-98.)
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1 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
2 becoming law.