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1 | AN ACT concerning education.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 5. The Grow
Your Own Teacher Education Act is | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5 | amended by changing Sections 20 and 25 as follows: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
6 | (110 ILCS 48/20)
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7 | Sec. 20. Selection of grantees. The State Board shall award | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
8 | grants to qualified consortia that reflect the distribution and | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
9 | diversity of hard-to-staff schools and hard-to-staff positions | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10 | across this State. In awarding grants, the State Board shall | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
11 | select programs that successfully address Initiative criteria | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12 | and that reflect a diversity of strategies in terms of serving | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
13 | urban areas, serving rural areas, the nature of the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
14 | participating institutions of higher education, and the nature | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
15 | of hard-to-staff schools and
hard-to-staff teaching positions | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
16 | on which a program is focused.
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17 | The State Board shall select consortia that meet the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
18 | following requirements:
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19 | (1) A consortium shall be composed of at least one | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
20 | 4-year institution of higher education with an accredited | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
21 | teacher preparation program, at least one school district | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
22 | or group of schools, and one or more community | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
23 | organizations. The consortium may also include a 2-year |
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1 | institution of higher education or a school employee union | ||||||
2 | or both.
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3 | (2) The 4-year institution of higher education | ||||||
4 | participating in the consortium shall have past, | ||||||
5 | demonstrated success in preparing teachers for elementary | ||||||
6 | or secondary schools serving a substantial percentage of | ||||||
7 | low-income students. | ||||||
8 | (3) The consortium shall focus on a clearly defined set | ||||||
9 | of target schools serving a substantial percentage of | ||||||
10 | low-income students that will be the primary focus of the | ||||||
11 | program. The consortium shall articulate the steps that it | ||||||
12 | will carry out in preparing teachers for its target | ||||||
13 | hard-to-staff schools and in preparing teachers for one or | ||||||
14 | more hard-to-staff teaching positions in its target | ||||||
15 | schools. | ||||||
16 | (4) Candidate in a program under the Initiative must | ||||||
17 | hold a high school diploma or its equivalent and must meet | ||||||
18 | either the definition of "parent and community leaders" or | ||||||
19 | the definition of "paraeducators" contained in Section 10 | ||||||
20 | of this Act. | ||||||
21 | (5) The consortium shall employ effective procedures | ||||||
22 | for teaching the skills and knowledge needed to prepare | ||||||
23 | highly competent teachers. Professional preparation shall | ||||||
24 | include on-going direct experience in target schools and | ||||||
25 | evaluation of this experience. | ||||||
26 | (6) The consortium shall offer the program to cohorts |
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1 | of candidates who begin by moving through the program | ||||||
2 | together. The program shall be offered on a schedule that | ||||||
3 | enables candidates to work full time while participating in | ||||||
4 | the program and allows paraeducators to continue in their | ||||||
5 | current positions. In any fiscal year in which an | ||||||
6 | appropriation for the Initiative is made, the
The | ||||||
7 | consortium shall guarantee that support will be available | ||||||
8 | to an admitted cohort for the cohort's training for that | ||||||
9 | fiscal year
through the cohort's full period of training . | ||||||
10 | At the beginning of the Initiative, programs that are | ||||||
11 | already operating and existing cohorts of candidates under | ||||||
12 | this model shall be eligible for funding. | ||||||
13 | (7) The institutions of higher education participating | ||||||
14 | in the consortium shall document and agree to expend the | ||||||
15 | same amount of funds in implementing the program that these | ||||||
16 | institutions spend per student on similar educational | ||||||
17 | programs. Grants received by the consortium shall | ||||||
18 | supplement and not supplant these amounts. | ||||||
19 | (8) The State Board shall establish additional | ||||||
20 | criteria for review of proposals, including criteria that | ||||||
21 | address the following issues: | ||||||
22 | (A) Previous experience of the institutions of | ||||||
23 | higher education in preparing candidates for | ||||||
24 | hard-to-staff schools and positions and in working | ||||||
25 | with students with non-traditional backgrounds. | ||||||
26 | (B) The quality of the implementation plan, |
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1 | including strategies for overcoming institutional | ||||||
2 | barriers to the progress of non-traditional | ||||||
3 | candidates. | ||||||
4 | (C) If a community college is a participant, the | ||||||
5 | nature and extent of existing articulation agreements | ||||||
6 | and guarantees between the community college and the | ||||||
7 | 4-year institution of higher education. | ||||||
8 | (D) The number of candidates to be trained in the | ||||||
9 | planned cohort or cohorts and the capacity of the | ||||||
10 | consortium for adding cohorts in future cycles. | ||||||
11 | (E) Experience of the community organization or | ||||||
12 | organizations in organizing parents and community | ||||||
13 | leaders to achieve school improvement and a strong | ||||||
14 | relational school culture. | ||||||
15 | (F) The qualifications of the person or persons | ||||||
16 | designated by the 4-year institution of higher | ||||||
17 | education to be responsible for cohort support and the | ||||||
18 | development of a shared learning and social | ||||||
19 | environment among candidates. | ||||||
20 | (G) The consortium's plan for collective | ||||||
21 | consortium decision-making, including mechanisms for | ||||||
22 | community and candidate input. | ||||||
23 | (H) The consortium's plan for direct impact of the | ||||||
24 | program on the quality of education in the target | ||||||
25 | schools. | ||||||
26 | (I) The relevance of the curriculum to the needs of |
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1 | targeted schools and positions, and the use in | ||||||
2 | curriculum and instructional planning of principles | ||||||
3 | for effective education for adults. | ||||||
4 | (J) The availability of classes under the program | ||||||
5 | in places and times accessible to the candidates. | ||||||
6 | (K) Provision of a level of performance to be | ||||||
7 | maintained by candidates as a condition of continuing | ||||||
8 | in the program. | ||||||
9 | (L) The plan of the 4-year institution of higher | ||||||
10 | education to ensure that candidates take advantage of | ||||||
11 | existing financial aid resources before using the loan | ||||||
12 | funds described in Section 25 of this Act. | ||||||
13 | (M) The availability of supportive services, | ||||||
14 | including counseling, tutoring, and child care. | ||||||
15 | (N) A plan for continued participation of | ||||||
16 | graduates of the program in a program of support for at | ||||||
17 | least 2 years, including mentoring and group meetings. | ||||||
18 | (O) A plan for testing and qualitative evaluation | ||||||
19 | of candidates' teaching skills that ensures that | ||||||
20 | graduates of the program are as prepared for teaching | ||||||
21 | as other individuals completing the institution of | ||||||
22 | higher education's preparation program for the | ||||||
23 | certificate sought. | ||||||
24 | (P) A plan for internal evaluation that provides | ||||||
25 | reports at least yearly on the progress of candidates | ||||||
26 | towards graduation and the impact of the program on the |
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1 | target schools and their communities. | ||||||
2 | (Q) Contributions from schools, school districts, | ||||||
3 | and other consortia members to the program, including | ||||||
4 | stipends for candidates during their student teaching. | ||||||
5 | (R) Consortium commitment for sustaining the | ||||||
6 | program over time, as evidenced by plans for reduced | ||||||
7 | requirements for external funding in subsequent | ||||||
8 | cycles.
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9 | (S) The inclusion in the planned program of | ||||||
10 | strategies derived from community organizing that will | ||||||
11 | help candidates develop tools for working with parents | ||||||
12 | and other community members.
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13 | (Source: P.A. 93-802, eff. 1-1-05; 94-979, eff. 6-30-06.) | ||||||
14 | (110 ILCS 48/25)
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15 | Sec. 25. Expenditures under the Initiative. | ||||||
16 | (a) Every program under the Initiative shall implement a | ||||||
17 | program of forgivable loans to cover any portion of tuition and | ||||||
18 | direct expenses of candidates under the program in excess of | ||||||
19 | grants-in-aid and other forgivable loans received. All | ||||||
20 | students admitted to a cohort shall be eligible for such loans. | ||||||
21 | Loans shall be fully forgiven if a graduate completes 5 years | ||||||
22 | of service in hard-to-staff schools
or hard-to-staff teaching | ||||||
23 | positions, with partial forgiveness for shorter periods of | ||||||
24 | service. The State Board shall establish standards for the | ||||||
25 | approval of requests from programs to waive this obligation for |
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1 | individual candidates and for requests for deferral of | ||||||
2 | repayment for work interruptions or other hardships after | ||||||
3 | certification. The State Board shall also define standards for | ||||||
4 | the fiscal management of these loan funds. | ||||||
5 | (b) Grants under the Initiative shall be awarded in such a | ||||||
6 | way as to provide the required support for a cohort of | ||||||
7 | candidates for any fiscal year in which an appropriation for | ||||||
8 | the Initiative is made
the cohort's entire training period . | ||||||
9 | Program budgets must show expenditures and needed funds for the | ||||||
10 | entire period that candidates are expected to be enrolled. | ||||||
11 | (c) No funds under the Initiative may be used to supplant | ||||||
12 | the average per-capita expenditures by the institution of | ||||||
13 | higher education for candidates. | ||||||
14 | (d) Where necessary, program budgets shall include the | ||||||
15 | costs of child care and other direct expenses that are | ||||||
16 | necessary to permit candidates to maintain their
a full class | ||||||
17 | schedules
schedule . Grant funds may be used by any member of a | ||||||
18 | consortium to offset such costs, whether the needed services | ||||||
19 | are
Child care may be provided by the community organization or | ||||||
20 | organizations or another member of the consortium or are
be | ||||||
21 | independently contracted for. | ||||||
22 | (e) The institution of higher education may expend grant | ||||||
23 | funds to cover the additional costs of offering classes in | ||||||
24 | community settings and for tutoring services. | ||||||
25 | (f) The community organization or organizations may | ||||||
26 | receive a portion of the grant money for the expenses of |
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1 | recruitment, community orientation, and counseling of | ||||||
2 | potential candidates, for providing space in the community, and | ||||||
3 | for working with school personnel to facilitate individual work | ||||||
4 | experiences and support of candidates. | ||||||
5 | (g) The school district or school employee union or both | ||||||
6 | may receive a portion of the grant money for expenses of | ||||||
7 | supporting the work experiences of candidates and providing | ||||||
8 | mentors for graduates.
Notwithstanding the provisions of | ||||||
9 | Section 10-20.15 of the School Code, school districts may also | ||||||
10 | use these or other applicable public funds to pay participants | ||||||
11 | in programs under the Initiative for student teaching required | ||||||
12 | by an accredited teacher preparation program. | ||||||
13 | (h) One member of the consortium may expend funds to cover | ||||||
14 | the salary of a site-based cohort coordinator. | ||||||
15 | (i) Grant funds may also be expended to pay directly for | ||||||
16 | required developmental classes for candidates beginning a | ||||||
17 | program.
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18 | (Source: P.A. 93-802, eff. 1-1-05; 94-979, eff. 6-30-06.)
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19 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, | ||||||
20 | 2007.
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