093_HB0371eng HB0371 Engrossed LRB093 06894 NHT 07040 b 1 AN ACT concerning teacher certification. 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 Section 21-5b 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 500260new 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. HB0371 Engrossed -2- LRB093 06894 NHT 07040 b 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. Successful 18 completion of the Alternative Teacher Certification program 19 shall be deemed to satisfy any other practice or student 20 teaching and subject matter requirements established by law. 21 A provisional alternative teaching certificate, valid for 22 one year of teaching in the common schools and not renewable, 23 shall be issued under this Section 21-5b to persons who at 24 the time of applying for the provisional alternative teaching 25 certificate under this Section: 26 (1) have graduated from an accredited college or 27 university with a bachelor's degree; 28 (2) have successfully completed the first phase of 29 the Alternative Teacher Certification program as provided 30 in this Section; 31 (3) have passed the tests of basic skills and 32 subject matter knowledge required by Section 21-1a; and 33 (4) have been employedfor a period of at least 534yearsin an area requiring application of the HB0371 Engrossed -3- LRB093 06894 NHT 07040 b 1 individual's education; however, this requirement does 2 not apply with respect to a provisional alternative 3 teaching certificate for teaching in schools situated in 4 a school district that is located in a city having a 5 population in excess of 500,000 inhabitants. 6 A person possessing a provisional alternative certificate 7 under this Section shall be treated as a regularly certified 8 teacher for purposes of compensation, benefits, and other 9 terms and conditions of employment afforded teachers in the 10 school who are members of a bargaining unit represented by an 11 exclusive bargaining representative, if any. 12 Until February 15, 2000, a standard alternative teaching 13 certificate, valid for 4 years for teaching in the schools 14 and renewable as provided in Section 21-14, shall be issued 15 under this Section 21-5b to persons who first complete the 16 requirements for the provisional alternative teaching 17 certificate and who at the time of applying for a standard 18 alternative teaching certificate under this Section have 19 successfully completed the second and third phases of the 20 Alternative Teacher Certification program as provided in this 21 Section. Alternatively, beginning February 15, 2000, at the 22 end of the 4-year validity period, persons who were issued a 23 standard alternative teaching certificate shall be eligible, 24 on the same basis as holders of an Initial Teaching 25 Certificate issued under subsection (b) of Section 21-2 of 26 this Code, to apply for a Standard Teaching Certificate, 27 provided they meet the requirements of subsection (c) of 28 Section 21-2 of this Code and further provided that a person 29 who does not apply for and receive a Standard Teaching 30 Certificate shall be able to teach only in schools situated 31 in a school district that is located in a city having a 32 population in excess of 500,000 inhabitants. 33 Beginning February 15, 2000, persons who have completed 34 the requirements for a standard alternative teaching HB0371 Engrossed -4- LRB093 06894 NHT 07040 b 1 certificate under this Section shall be issued an Initial 2 Alternative Teaching Certificate valid for 4 years of 3 teaching and not renewable. At the end of the 4-year 4 validity period, these persons shall be eligible, on the same 5 basis as holders of an Initial Teaching Certificate issued 6 under subsection (b) of Section 21-2 of this Code, to apply 7 for a Standard Teaching Certificate, provided they meet the 8 requirements of subsection (c) of Section 21-2. 9 This alternative certification program shall be 10 implemented so that the first provisional alternative 11 teaching certificates issued under this Section are effective 12 upon the commencement of the 1997-1998 academic year and the 13 first standard alternative teaching certificates issued under 14 this Section are effective upon the commencement of the 15 1998-1999 academic year. 16 The State Board of Education, in cooperation with the 17 partnership establishing the Alternative Teacher 18 Certification program, shall adopt rules and regulations that 19 are consistent with this Section and that the State Board of 20 Education deems necessary to establish and implement the 21 program. 22 (Source: P.A. 91-609, eff. 1-1-00.) 23 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect on 24 July 1, 2003.