093_HB1255
LRB093 06583 NHT 06711 b
1 AN ACT regarding 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 Section 21-14 as follows:
6 (105 ILCS 5/21-14) (from Ch. 122, par. 21-14)
7 Sec. 21-14. Registration and renewal of certificates.
8 (a) A limited four-year certificate or a certificate
9 issued after July 1, 1955, shall be renewable at its
10 expiration or within 60 days thereafter by the county
11 superintendent of schools having supervision and control over
12 the school where the teacher is teaching upon certified
13 evidence of meeting the requirements for renewal as required
14 by this Act and prescribed by the State Board of Education in
15 consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board. An
16 elementary supervisory certificate shall not be renewed at
17 the end of the first four-year period covered by the
18 certificate unless the holder thereof has filed certified
19 evidence with the State Teacher Certification Board that he
20 has a master's degree or that he has earned 8 semester hours
21 of credit in the field of educational administration and
22 supervision in a recognized institution of higher learning.
23 The holder shall continue to earn 8 semester hours of credit
24 each four-year period until such time as he has earned a
25 master's degree.
26 All certificates not renewed or registered as herein
27 provided shall lapse after a period of 5 years from the
28 expiration of the last year of registration. Such
29 certificates may be reinstated for a one year period upon
30 payment of all accumulated registration fees. Such
31 reinstated certificates shall only be renewed: (1) by earning
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1 5 semester hours of credit in a recognized institution of
2 higher learning in the field of professional education or in
3 courses related to the holder's contractual teaching duties;
4 or (2) by presenting evidence of holding a valid regular
5 certificate of some other type. Any certificate may be
6 voluntarily surrendered by the certificate holder. A
7 voluntarily surrendered certificate shall be treated as a
8 revoked certificate.
9 (b) When those teaching certificates issued before
10 February 15, 2000 are renewed for the first time after
11 February 15, 2000, all such teaching certificates shall be
12 exchanged for Standard Teaching Certificates as provided in
13 subsection (c) of Section 21-2. All Initial and Standard
14 Teaching Certificates, including those issued to persons who
15 previously held teaching certificates issued before February
16 15, 2000, shall be renewable under the conditions set forth
17 in this subsection (b).
18 Initial Teaching Certificates are nonrenewable and are
19 valid for four 4 years of teaching. Standard Teaching
20 Certificates are renewable every five 5 years as provided in
21 subsection (c) of Section 21-2 and subsection (c) of this
22 Section. For purposes of this Section, "teaching" is defined
23 as employment and performance of services in an Illinois
24 public or State-operated elementary school, secondary school,
25 or cooperative or joint agreement with a governing body or
26 board of control, in a certificated teaching position, or a
27 charter school operating in compliance with the Charter
28 Schools Law.
29 (c) In compliance with subsection (c) of Section 21-2 of
30 this Code, which provides that a Standard Teaching
31 Certificate may be renewed by the State Teacher Certification
32 Board based upon proof of continuing professional
33 development, the State Board of Education and the State
34 Teacher Certification Board shall jointly:
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1 (1) establish a procedure for renewing Standard
2 Teaching Certificates, which shall include but not be
3 limited to annual timelines for the renewal process and
4 the components set forth in subsections (d) through (k)
5 of this Section;
6 (2) establish the standards for certificate
7 renewal;
8 (3) approve the providers of continuing
9 professional development activities;
10 (4) determine the maximum credit for each category
11 of continuing professional development activities, based
12 upon recommendations submitted by a continuing
13 professional development activity task force, which shall
14 consist of 6 staff members from the State Board of
15 Education, appointed by the State Superintendent of
16 Education, and 6 teacher representatives, 3 of whom are
17 selected by the Illinois Education Association and 3 of
18 whom are selected by the Illinois Federation of Teachers;
19 (5) designate the type and amount of documentation
20 required to show that continuing professional development
21 activities have been completed; and
22 (6) provide, on a timely basis to all Illinois
23 teachers, certificate holders, regional superintendents
24 of schools, school districts, and others with an interest
25 in continuing professional development, information about
26 the standards and requirements established pursuant to
27 this subsection (c).
28 (d) Any Standard Teaching Certificate held by an
29 individual employed and performing services in an Illinois
30 public or State-operated elementary school, secondary school,
31 or cooperative or joint agreement with a governing body or
32 board of control in a certificated teaching position or a
33 charter school in compliance with the Charter Schools Law
34 must be maintained Valid and Active through certificate
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1 renewal activities specified in the certificate renewal
2 procedure established pursuant to subsection (c) of this
3 Section, provided that a holder of a Valid and Active
4 certificate who is only employed on either a part-time basis
5 or day-to-day basis as a substitute teacher shall pay only
6 the required registration fee to renew his or her certificate
7 and maintain it as Valid and Active. All other Standard
8 Teaching Certificates held may be maintained as Valid and
9 Exempt through the registration process provided for in the
10 certificate renewal procedure established pursuant to
11 subsection (c) of this Section. A Valid and Exempt
12 certificate must be immediately activated, through procedures
13 developed jointly by the State Board of Education and the
14 State Teacher Certification Board, upon the certificate
15 holder becoming employed and performing services in an
16 Illinois public or State-operated elementary school,
17 secondary school, or cooperative or joint agreement with a
18 governing body or board of control in a certificated teaching
19 position or a charter school operating in compliance with the
20 Charter Schools Law. A holder of a Valid and Exempt
21 certificate may activate his or her certificate through
22 procedures provided for in the certificate renewal procedure
23 established pursuant to subsection (c) of this Section.
24 (e)(1) A Standard Teaching Certificate that has been
25 maintained as Valid and Active for the 5 years of the
26 certificate's validity shall be renewed as Valid and Active
27 upon the certificate holder: (i) completing an advanced
28 degree from an approved institution in an education-related
29 field; (ii) completing at least 8 semester hours of
30 coursework as described in subdivision (B) of paragraph (3)
31 of this subsection (e); (iii) earning at least 24 continuing
32 education units as described in subdivision (C) of paragraph
33 (3) of this subsection (e); (iv) completing the National
34 Board for Professional Teaching Standards process as
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1 described in subdivision (D) of paragraph (3) of this
2 subsection (e); or (v) earning 120 continuing professional
3 development units ("CPDU") as described in subdivision (E) of
4 paragraph (3) of this subsection (e). The maximum continuing
5 professional development units for each continuing
6 professional development activity identified in subdivisions
7 (F) through (J) of paragraph (3) of this subsection (e) shall
8 be jointly determined by the State Board of Education and the
9 State Teacher Certification Board. If, however, the
10 certificate holder has maintained the certificate as Valid
11 and Exempt for a portion of the 5-year period of validity,
12 the number of continuing professional development units
13 needed to renew the certificate as Valid and Active shall be
14 proportionately reduced by the amount of time the certificate
15 was Valid and Exempt. Furthermore, if a certificate holder is
16 employed and performs teaching services on a part-time basis
17 for all or a portion of the certificate's 5-year period of
18 validity, the number of continuing professional development
19 units needed to renew the certificate as Valid and Active
20 shall be reduced by 50% for the amount of time the
21 certificate holder has been employed and performed teaching
22 services on a part-time basis. Part-time shall be defined as
23 less than 50% of the school day or school term.
24 (2) Each Valid and Active Standard Teaching Certificate
25 holder shall develop a certificate renewal plan for
26 satisfying the continuing professional development
27 requirement provided for in subsection (c) of Section 21-2 of
28 this Code. Certificate holders with multiple certificates
29 shall develop a certificate renewal plan that addresses only
30 that certificate or those certificates that are required of
31 his or her certificated teaching position, if the certificate
32 holder is employed and performing services in an Illinois
33 public or State-operated elementary school, secondary school,
34 or cooperative or joint agreement with a governing body or
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1 board of control, or that certificate or those certificates
2 most closely related to his or her teaching position, if the
3 certificate holder is employed in a charter school. Except
4 as otherwise provided in this subsection (e), a certificate
5 renewal plan shall include a minimum of 3 individual
6 improvement goals developed by the certificate holder and
7 shall reflect purposes (A), (B), and (C) and may reflect
8 purpose (D) of the following continuing professional
9 development purposes:
10 (A) Advance both the certificate holder's knowledge
11 and skills as a teacher consistent with the Illinois
12 Professional Teaching Standards and the Illinois Content
13 Area Standards in the certificate holder's areas of
14 certification, endorsement, or teaching assignment in
15 order to keep the certificate holder current in those
16 areas.
17 (B) Develop the certificate holder's knowledge and
18 skills in areas determined to be critical for all
19 Illinois teachers, as defined by the State Board of
20 Education, known as "State priorities".
21 (C) Address the knowledge, skills, and goals of the
22 certificate holder's local school improvement plan, if
23 the teacher is employed in an Illinois public or
24 State-operated elementary school, secondary school, or
25 cooperative or joint agreement with a governing body or
26 board of control.
27 (D) Expand the certificate holder's knowledge and
28 skills in an additional teaching field or toward the
29 acquisition of another teaching certificate, endorsement,
30 or relevant education degree.
31 A certificate renewal plan must include a description of how
32 these goals are to be achieved and an explanation of selected
33 continuing professional development activities to be
34 completed, each of which must meet one or more of the
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1 continuing professional development purposes specified in
2 this paragraph (2). The plan shall identify potential
3 activities and include projected timelines for those
4 activities that will assure completion of the plan before the
5 expiration of the 5-year validity of the Standard Teaching
6 Certificate. Except as otherwise provided in this subsection
7 (e), at least 50% of continuing professional development
8 units must relate to purposes (A) and (B) set forth in this
9 paragraph (2): the advancement of a certificate holder's
10 knowledge and skills as a teacher consistent with the
11 Illinois Professional Teaching Standards and the Illinois
12 Content Area Standards in the certificate holder's areas of
13 certification, endorsement, or teaching assignment in order
14 to keep the certificate holder current in those areas and the
15 development of a certificate holder's knowledge and skills in
16 the State priorities that exist at the time the certificate
17 renewal plan is developed.
18 A speech-language pathologist or audiologist who is
19 licensed under the Illinois Speech-Language Pathology and
20 Audiology Practice Act and who has met the continuing
21 education requirements of that Act and the rules promulgated
22 under that Act shall be deemed to have satisfied the
23 continuing professional development requirements established
24 by the State Board of Education and the Teacher Certification
25 Board to renew a Standard Certificate.
26 (3) Continuing professional development activities
27 included in a certificate renewal plan may include, but are
28 not limited to, the following activities:
29 (A) completion of an advanced degree from an
30 approved institution in an education-related field;
31 (B) at least 8 semester hours of coursework in an
32 approved education-related program, of which at least 2
33 semester hours relate to the continuing professional
34 development purpose set forth in purpose (A) of paragraph
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1 (2) of this subsection (e), provided that such a plan
2 need not include any other continuing professional
3 development activities nor reflect or contain activities
4 related to the other continuing professional development
5 purposes set forth in paragraph (2) of this subsection
6 (e);
7 (C) continuing education units that satisfy the
8 continuing professional development purposes set forth in
9 paragraph (2) of this subsection (e), with each
10 continuing education unit equal to 5 clock hours,
11 provided that a plan that includes at least 24 continuing
12 education units (or 120 clock/contact hours) need not
13 include any other continuing professional development
14 activities;
15 (D) completion of the National Board of
16 Professional Teaching Standards ("NBPTS") process,
17 provided that a plan that includes completion of the
18 NBPTS process need not include any other continuing
19 professional development activities nor reflect or
20 contain activities related to the continuing professional
21 development purposes set forth in paragraph (2) of
22 subsection (e) of this Section;
23 (E) completion of 120 continuing professional
24 development units that satisfy the continuing
25 professional development purposes set forth in paragraph
26 (2) of this subsection (e) and may include without
27 limitation the activities identified in subdivisions (F)
28 through (J) of this paragraph (3);
29 (F) collaboration and partnership activities
30 related to improving the teacher's knowledge and skills
31 as a teacher, including the following:
32 (i) participating on collaborative planning
33 and professional improvement teams and committees;
34 (ii) peer review and coaching;
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1 (iii) mentoring in a formal mentoring program,
2 including service as a consulting teacher
3 participating in a remediation process formulated
4 under Section 24A-5 of this Code;
5 (iv) participating in site-based management or
6 decision making teams, relevant committees, boards,
7 or task forces directly related to school
8 improvement plans;
9 (v) coordinating community resources in
10 schools, if the project is a specific goal of the
11 school improvement plan;
12 (vi) facilitating parent education programs
13 for a school, school district, or regional office of
14 education directly related to student achievement or
15 school improvement plans;
16 (vii) participating in business, school, or
17 community partnerships directly related to student
18 achievement or school improvement plans; or
19 (viii) supervising a student teacher or
20 teacher education candidate in clinical supervision,
21 provided that the supervision may only be counted
22 once during the course of 5 years;
23 (G) college or university coursework related to
24 improving the teacher's knowledge and skills as a teacher
25 as follows:
26 (i) completing undergraduate or graduate
27 credit earned from a regionally accredited
28 institution in coursework relevant to the
29 certificate area being renewed, including coursework
30 that incorporates induction activities and
31 development of a portfolio of both student and
32 teacher work that provides experience in reflective
33 practices, provided the coursework meets Illinois
34 Professional Teaching Standards or Illinois Content
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1 Area Standards and supports the essential
2 characteristics of quality professional development;
3 or
4 (ii) teaching college or university courses in
5 areas relevant to the certificate area being
6 renewed, provided that the teaching may only be
7 counted once during the course of 5 years;
8 (H) conferences, workshops, institutes, seminars,
9 and symposiums related to improving the teacher's
10 knowledge and skills as a teacher, including the
11 following:
12 (i) completing non-university credit directly
13 related to student achievement, school improvement
14 plans, or State priorities;
15 (ii) participating in or presenting at
16 workshops, seminars, conferences, institutes, and
17 symposiums;
18 (iii) training as external reviewers for
19 Quality Assurance; or
20 (iv) training as reviewers of university
21 teacher preparation programs;
22 (I) other educational experiences related to
23 improving the teacher's knowledge and skills as a
24 teacher, including the following:
25 (i) participating in action research and
26 inquiry projects;
27 (ii) observing programs or teaching in
28 schools, related businesses, or industry that is
29 systematic, purposeful, and relevant to certificate
30 renewal;
31 (iii) traveling related to ones teaching
32 assignment, directly related to student achievement
33 or school improvement plans and approved at least 30
34 days prior to the travel experience, provided that
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1 the traveling shall not include time spent commuting
2 to destinations where the learning experience will
3 occur;
4 (iv) participating in study groups related to
5 student achievement or school improvement plans;
6 (v) serving on a statewide education-related
7 committee, including but not limited to the State
8 Teacher Certification Board, State Board of
9 Education strategic agenda teams, or the State
10 Advisory Council on Education of Children with
11 Disabilities;
12 (vi) participating in work/learn programs or
13 internships; or
14 (vii) developing a portfolio of student and
15 teacher work;
16 (J) professional leadership experiences related to
17 improving the teacher's knowledge and skills as a
18 teacher, including the following:
19 (i) participating in curriculum development or
20 assessment activities at the school, school
21 district, regional office of education, State, or
22 national level;
23 (ii) participating in team or department
24 leadership in a school or school district;
25 (iii) participating on external or internal
26 school or school district review teams;
27 (iv) publishing educational articles, columns,
28 or books relevant to the certificate area being
29 renewed; or
30 (v) participating in non-strike related
31 professional association or labor organization
32 service or activities related to professional
33 development.
34 (4) A certificate renewal plan must initially be
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1 approved by the certificate holder's local professional
2 development committee, as provided for in subsection (f) of
3 this Section. If the local professional development
4 committee does not approve the certificate renewal plan, the
5 certificate holder may appeal that determination to the
6 regional professional development review committee, as
7 provided for in paragraph (2) of subsection (g) of this
8 Section. If the regional professional development review
9 committee disagrees with the local professional development
10 committee's determination, the certificate renewal plan shall
11 be deemed approved and the certificate holder may begin
12 satisfying the continuing professional development activities
13 set forth in the plan. If the regional professional
14 development review committee agrees with the local
15 professional development committee's determination, the
16 certificate renewal plan shall be deemed disapproved and
17 shall be returned to the certificate holder to develop a
18 revised certificate renewal plan. In all cases, the regional
19 professional development review committee shall immediately
20 notify both the local professional development committee and
21 the certificate holder of its determination.
22 (5) A certificate holder who wishes to modify the
23 continuing professional development activities or goals in
24 his or her certificate renewal plan must submit the proposed
25 modifications to his or her local professional development
26 committee for approval prior to engaging in the proposed
27 activities. If the local professional development committee
28 does not approve the proposed modification, the certificate
29 holder may appeal that determination to the regional
30 professional development review committee, as set forth in
31 paragraph (4) of this subsection (e).
32 (6) When a certificate holder changes assignments or
33 school districts during the course of completing a
34 certificate renewal plan, the professional development and
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1 continuing education credit earned pursuant to the plan shall
2 transfer to the new assignment or school district and count
3 toward the total requirements. This certificate renewal plan
4 must be reviewed by the appropriate local professional
5 development committee and may be modified to reflect the
6 certificate holder's new work assignment or the school
7 improvement plan of the new school district or school
8 building.
9 (f) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Code,
10 each school district, charter school, and cooperative or
11 joint agreement with a governing body or board of control
12 that employs certificated staff, shall establish and
13 implement, in conjunction with its exclusive representative,
14 if any, one or more local professional development
15 committees, as set forth in this subsection (f), which shall
16 perform the following functions:
17 (1) review and approve certificate renewal plans
18 and any modifications made to these plans, including
19 transferred plans;
20 (2) maintain a file of approved certificate renewal
21 plans;
22 (3) monitor certificate holders' progress in
23 completing approved certificate renewal plans, provided
24 that a local professional development committee shall not
25 be required to maintain materials submitted by
26 certificate holders to demonstrate their progress in
27 completing their certificate renewal plans after the
28 committee has reviewed the materials and the credits have
29 been awarded;
30 (4) assist in the development of professional
31 development plans based upon needs identified in
32 certificate renewal plans;
33 (5) determine whether certificate holders have met
34 the requirements of their certificate renewal plans and
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1 notify certificate holders of its determination;
2 (6) provide a certificate holder with the
3 opportunity to address the committee when it has
4 determined that the certificate holder has not met the
5 requirements of his or her certificate renewal plan;
6 (7) issue and forward recommendations for renewal
7 or nonrenewal of certificate holders' Standard Teaching
8 Certificates to the appropriate regional superintendent
9 of schools, based upon whether certificate holders have
10 met the requirements of their approved certificate
11 renewal plans, with 30-day written notice of its
12 recommendation provided to the certificate holder prior
13 to forwarding the recommendation to the regional
14 superintendent of schools, provided that if the local
15 professional development committee's recommendation is
16 for certificate nonrenewal, the written notice provided
17 to the certificate holder shall include a return receipt;
18 and
19 (8) reconsider its recommendation of certificate
20 nonrenewal, upon request of the certificate holder within
21 30 days of receipt of written notification that the local
22 professional development committee will make such a
23 recommendation, and forward to the regional
24 superintendent of schools its recommendation within 30
25 days of receipt of the certificate holder's request.
26 Each local professional development committee shall
27 consist of at least 3 classroom teachers; one superintendent
28 or chief administrator of the school district, charter
29 school, or cooperative or joint agreement or his or her
30 designee; and one at-large member who shall be either (i) a
31 parent, (ii) a member of the business community, (iii) a
32 community member, or (iv) an administrator, with preference
33 given to an individual chosen from among those persons listed
34 in items (i), (ii), and (iii) in order to secure
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1 representation of an interest not already represented on the
2 committee. Except in a school district in a city having a
3 population exceeding 500,000, a local professional
4 development committee shall be responsible for no more than
5 200 certificate renewal plans annually unless otherwise
6 mutually agreed upon by the school district, charter school,
7 or governing body or board of control of a cooperative or
8 joint agreement and its exclusive representative, if any. If
9 mutually agreed upon by the school district, charter school,
10 or governing body or board of control of a cooperative or
11 joint agreement and its exclusive representative, if any,
12 additional members may be added to a local professional
13 development committee, provided that a majority of members
14 are classroom teachers. Except in a school district in a
15 city having a population exceeding 500,000, if additional
16 members are added to a local professional development
17 committee, the maximum number of certificate renewal plans
18 for which the committee shall annually be responsible may be
19 increased by 50 plans for each additional member, unless
20 otherwise mutually agreed upon by the school district,
21 charter school, or governing body or board of control of a
22 cooperative or joint agreement and its exclusive
23 representative, if any. The school district, charter school,
24 or governing body or board of control of a cooperative or
25 joint agreement and its exclusive representative, if any,
26 shall determine the term of service of the members of a local
27 professional development committee. All individuals selected
28 to serve on local professional development committees must be
29 known to demonstrate the best practices in teaching or their
30 respective field of practice.
31 The exclusive representative, if any, shall select the
32 classroom teacher members of the local professional
33 development committee. If no exclusive representative
34 exists, then the classroom teacher members of a local
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1 professional development committee shall be selected by the
2 classroom teachers that come within the local professional
3 development committee's authority. The school district,
4 charter school, or governing body or board of control of a
5 cooperative or joint agreement shall select the 2
6 non-classroom teacher members (the superintendent or chief
7 administrator of the school district, charter school, or
8 cooperative or joint agreement or his or her designee and the
9 at-large member) of a local professional development
10 committee. Vacancies in positions on a local professional
11 development committee shall be filled in the same manner as
12 the original selections. The members of a local professional
13 development committee shall select a chairperson. Local
14 professional development committee meetings shall be
15 scheduled so as not to interfere with committee members'
16 regularly scheduled teaching duties, except when otherwise
17 permitted by the policies of or agreed to or approved by the
18 school district, charter school, or governing body or board
19 of control of a cooperative or joint agreement, or its
20 designee.
21 The board of education or governing board shall convene
22 the first meeting of the local professional development
23 committee. All actions taken by the local professional
24 development committee shall require that a majority of
25 committee members be present, and no committee action may be
26 taken unless 50% or more of those present are teacher
27 members.
28 The State Board of Education and the State Teacher
29 Certification Board shall jointly provide local professional
30 development committee members with a training manual, and the
31 members shall certify that they have received and read the
32 manual.
33 Notwithstanding any other provisions of this subsection
34 (f), for a teacher employed and performing services in a
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1 nonpublic or State-operated elementary or secondary school,
2 all references to a local professional development committee
3 shall mean the regional superintendent of schools of the
4 regional office of education for the geographic area where
5 the teaching is done.
6 (g)(1) Each regional superintendent of schools shall
7 review and concur or nonconcur with each recommendation for
8 renewal or nonrenewal of a Standard Teaching Certificate he
9 or she receives from a local professional development
10 committee or, if a certificate holder appeals the
11 recommendation to the regional professional development
12 review committee, the recommendation for renewal or
13 nonrenewal he or she receives from a regional professional
14 development review committee and, within 14 days of receipt
15 of the recommendation, shall provide the State Teacher
16 Certification Board with verification of the following, if
17 applicable:
18 (A) a certificate renewal plan was filed and
19 approved by the appropriate local professional
20 development committee;
21 (B) the professional development and continuing
22 education activities set forth in the approved
23 certificate renewal plan have been satisfactorily
24 completed;
25 (C) the local professional development committee
26 has recommended the renewal of the certificate holder's
27 Standard Teaching Certificate and forwarded the
28 recommendation, along with all supporting documentation
29 as jointly required by the State Board of Education and
30 the State Teacher Certification Board, to the regional
31 superintendent of schools;
32 (D) the certificate holder has appealed his or her
33 local professional development committee's recommendation
34 of nonrenewal to the regional professional development
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1 review committee and the result of that appeal;
2 (E) the regional superintendent of schools has
3 concurred or nonconcurred with the local professional
4 development committee's or regional professional
5 development review committee's recommendation to renew or
6 nonrenew the certificate holder's Standard Teaching
7 Certificate and made a recommendation to that effect; and
8 (F) the established registration fee for the
9 Standard Teaching Certificate has been paid.
10 At the same time the regional superintendent of schools
11 provides the State Teacher Certification Board with the
12 notice required by this subsection (g), he or she shall also
13 notify the certificate holder in writing that this notice has
14 been provided to the State Teacher Certification Board,
15 provided that if the notice provided by the regional
16 superintendent of schools to the State Teacher Certification
17 Board includes a recommendation of certificate nonrenewal,
18 the written notice provided to the certificate holder shall
19 be by certified mail, return receipt requested.
20 (2) Each certificate holder shall have the right to
21 appeal his or her local professional development committee's
22 recommendation of nonrenewal to the regional professional
23 development review committee, within 14 days of receipt of
24 notice that the recommendation has been sent to the regional
25 superintendent of schools. Each regional superintendent of
26 schools shall establish a regional professional development
27 review committee or committees for the purpose of advising
28 the regional superintendent of schools, upon request, and
29 handling certificate holder appeals. This committee shall
30 consist of at least 4 classroom teachers, one
31 non-administrative certificated educational employee, 2
32 administrators, and one at-large member who shall be either
33 (i) a parent, (ii) a member of the business community, (iii)
34 a community member, or (iv) an administrator, with preference
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1 given to an individual chosen from among those persons listed
2 in items (i), (ii), and (iii) in order to secure
3 representation of an interest not already represented on the
4 committee. The teacher and non-administrative certificated
5 educational employee members of the review committee shall be
6 selected by their exclusive representative, if any, and the
7 administrators and at-large member shall be selected by the
8 regional superintendent of schools. A regional
9 superintendent of schools may add additional members to the
10 committee, provided that the same proportion of teachers to
11 administrators and at-large members on the committee is
12 maintained. Any additional teacher and non-administrative
13 certificated educational employee members shall be selected
14 by their exclusive representative, if any. Vacancies in
15 positions on a regional professional development review
16 committee shall be filled in the same manner as the original
17 selections. Committee members shall serve staggered 3-year
18 terms. All individuals selected to serve on regional
19 professional development review committees must be known to
20 demonstrate the best practices in teaching or their
21 respective field of practice.
22 The exclusive representative responsible for choosing the
23 individuals that serve on a regional professional development
24 review committee shall notify each school district, charter
25 school, or governing body or board of control of a
26 cooperative or joint agreement employing the individuals
27 chosen to serve and provide their names to the appropriate
28 regional superintendent of schools. Regional professional
29 development review committee meetings shall be scheduled so
30 as not to interfere with the committee members' regularly
31 scheduled teaching duties, except when otherwise permitted by
32 the policies of or agreed to or approved by the school
33 district, charter school, or governing body or board of
34 control of a cooperative or joint agreement, or its designee,
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1 provided that the school district, charter school, or
2 governing body or board of control shall not unreasonably
3 withhold permission for a committee member to attend regional
4 professional development review committee meetings.
5 In a city having a population exceeding 500,000 that does
6 not have a regional office of education, one or more separate
7 regional professional development review committees shall be
8 established as mutually agreed upon by the board of education
9 of the school district organized under Article 34 of this
10 Code and the exclusive representative. The composition of
11 each committee shall be the same as for a regional
12 professional development review committee, except that
13 members of the committee shall be jointly appointed by the
14 board of education and the exclusive representative. All
15 other provisions of this Section concerning regional
16 professional development review committees shall apply to
17 these committees.
18 The regional professional development review committee
19 may require information in addition to that received from a
20 certificate holder's local professional development committee
21 or request that the certificate holder appear before it,
22 shall either concur or nonconcur with a local professional
23 development committee's recommendation of nonrenewal, and
24 shall forward to the regional superintendent of schools its
25 recommendation of renewal or nonrenewal. All actions taken
26 by the regional professional development review committee
27 shall require a quorum and be by a simple majority of those
28 present and voting. A record of all votes shall be
29 maintained. The committee shall have 45 days from receipt of
30 a certificate holder's appeal to make its recommendation to
31 the regional superintendent of schools.
32 The State Board of Education and the State Teacher
33 Certification Board shall jointly provide regional
34 professional development review committee members with a
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1 training manual, and the members shall be required to attend
2 one training seminar sponsored jointly by the State Board of
3 Education and the State Teacher Certification Board.
4 (h)(1) The State Teacher Certification Board shall
5 review the regional superintendent of schools'
6 recommendations to renew or nonrenew Standard Teaching
7 Certificates and notify certificate holders in writing
8 whether their certificates have been renewed or nonrenewed
9 within 90 days of receipt of the recommendations, unless a
10 certificate holder has appealed a regional superintendent of
11 schools' recommendation of nonrenewal, as provided in
12 paragraph (2) of this subsection (h). The State Teacher
13 Certification Board shall verify that the certificate holder
14 has met the renewal criteria set forth in paragraph (1) of
15 subsection (g) of this Section.
16 (2) Each certificate holder shall have the right to
17 appeal a regional superintendent of school's recommendation
18 to nonrenew his or her Standard Teaching Certificate to the
19 State Teacher Certification Board, within 14 days of receipt
20 of notice that the decision has been sent to the State
21 Teacher Certification Board, which shall hold an appeal
22 hearing within 60 days of receipt of the appeal. When such
23 an appeal is taken, the certificate holder's Standard
24 Teaching Certificate shall continue to be valid until the
25 appeal is finally determined. The State Teacher
26 Certification Board shall review the regional superintendent
27 of school's recommendation, the regional professional
28 development review committee's recommendation, if any, and
29 the local professional development committee's recommendation
30 and all relevant documentation to verify whether the
31 certificate holder has met the renewal criteria set forth in
32 paragraph (1) of subsection (g) of this Section. The State
33 Teacher Certification Board may request that the certificate
34 holder appear before it. All actions taken by the State
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1 Teacher Certification Board shall require a quorum and be by
2 a simple majority of those present and voting. A record of
3 all votes shall be maintained. The State Teacher
4 Certification Board shall notify the certificate holder in
5 writing, within 7 days of completing the review, whether his
6 or her Standard Teaching Certificate has been renewed or
7 nonrenewed, provided that if the State Teacher Certification
8 Board determines to nonrenew a certificate, the written
9 notice provided to the certificate holder shall be by
10 certified mail, return receipt requested. All certificate
11 renewal or nonrenewal decisions of the State Teacher
12 Certification Board are final and subject to administrative
13 review, as set forth in Section 21-24 of this Code.
14 (i) Holders of Master Teaching Certificates shall meet
15 the same requirements and follow the same procedures as
16 holders of Standard Teaching Certificates, except that their
17 renewal cycle shall be as set forth in subsection (d) of
18 Section 21-2 of this Code.
19 A holder of a teaching certificate endorsed as a
20 speech-language pathologist who has been granted the
21 Certificate of Clinical Competence by the American
22 Speech-Language Hearing Association may renew his or her
23 Standard Teaching Certificate pursuant to the 10-year renewal
24 cycle set forth in subsection (d) of Section 21-2 of this
25 Code.
26 (j) Holders of Valid and Exempt Standard and Master
27 Teaching Certificates who are not employed and performing
28 services in an Illinois public or State-operated elementary
29 school, secondary school, or cooperative or joint agreement
30 with a governing body or board of control, in a certificated
31 teaching position, may voluntarily activate their
32 certificates by developing and submitting a certificate
33 renewal plan to the regional superintendent of schools of the
34 regional office of education for the geographic area where
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1 their teaching is done, who, or whose designee, shall approve
2 the plan and serve as the certificate holder's local
3 professional development committee. These certificate
4 holders shall follow the same renewal criteria and procedures
5 as all other Standard and Master Teaching Certificate
6 holders, except that their continuing professional
7 development plans shall not be required to reflect or address
8 the knowledge, skills, and goals of a local school
9 improvement plan.
10 (k) Each school district, charter school, or cooperative
11 or joint agreement shall be paid an annual amount of not less
12 than $1,000, as determined by a formula based on the number
13 of Standard Teaching and Master Teaching Certificate holders,
14 subject to renewal and established by rule, not to exceed
15 $1,000,000 annually for all school districts, charter
16 schools, and cooperatives or joint agreements, for
17 administrative costs associated with conducting the meetings
18 of the local professional development committee, as
19 determined in consultation with the committee. Each regional
20 office of education shall receive $2,000 annually to pay
21 school districts, charter schools, or cooperatives or joint
22 agreements for costs, as defined by rule, incurred in staff
23 attendance at regional professional development review
24 committee meetings and the training seminar required under
25 paragraph (2) of subsection (g) of this Section.
26 (l) The State Board of Education and the State Teacher
27 Certification Board shall jointly contract with an
28 independent party to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of
29 the certificate renewal system pursuant to this Section. The
30 first report of this evaluation shall be presented to the
31 General Assembly on January 1, 2005 and on January 1 of every
32 third year thereafter.
33 (Source: P.A. 91-102, eff. 7-12-99; 92-510, eff. 6-1-02;
34 92-796, eff. 8-10-02.)