|
|
|
|
95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2007 and 2008
SB0306
Introduced 2/7/2007, by Sen. Terry Link SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
|
|
|
|
Amends the School Code. With respect to the Alternative Teacher Certification program, provides that a provisional alternative teaching certificate may be issued to an applicant who has attained at least a cumulative grade average of a "B" if the individual is assigned either to a school district that has not met the annual measurable objective for highly qualified teachers required by the Illinois Revised Highly Qualified Teachers (HQT) Plan or to a school district whose data filed with the State Board of Education indicates that the district's poor and minority students are taught by teachers who are not highly qualified at a higher rate than other students (instead of just if the applicant has been employed for a period of at least 5 years in an area requiring application of the individual's education). Effective immediately.
|
| |
|
|
| FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY | |
|
|
|
A BILL FOR
|
|
|
|
|
SB0306 |
|
LRB095 08155 NHT 28320 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 Section |
| 5 |
| 21-5b as follows:
|
| 6 |
| (105 ILCS 5/21-5b)
|
| 7 |
| Sec. 21-5b. Alternative certification. The State Board of |
| 8 |
| Education, in
consultation with the State Teacher |
| 9 |
| Certification Board, shall
establish and implement an |
| 10 |
| alternative certification program under which
persons who meet |
| 11 |
| the requirements of and successfully complete the program
|
| 12 |
| established by this Section shall be issued an alternative |
| 13 |
| teaching certificate
for teaching in the schools. The program |
| 14 |
| shall be
limited to not more than 260 new participants during |
| 15 |
| each year that the program
is in effect. The State Board of |
| 16 |
| Education, in cooperation with a partnership
formed with a |
| 17 |
| university that offers 4-year baccalaureate and masters degree
|
| 18 |
| programs and that is a recognized institution as defined in |
| 19 |
| Section 21-21 and
one or more
not-for-profit
organizations in |
| 20 |
| the State which support excellence in teaching, shall within
30 |
| 21 |
| days after submission by the partnership approve
a course of |
| 22 |
| study developed by the partnership that persons
in the program |
| 23 |
| must successfully complete in order to satisfy one
criterion |
|
|
|
SB0306 |
- 2 - |
LRB095 08155 NHT 28320 b |
|
|
| 1 |
| for issuance of an alternative certificate under this Section.
|
| 2 |
| The Alternative Teacher Certification program course of study |
| 3 |
| must include the
current content and skills contained in the |
| 4 |
| university's current courses for
State certification which |
| 5 |
| have been approved by the State Board of Education,
in |
| 6 |
| consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board, as the |
| 7 |
| requirement
for State teacher certification.
|
| 8 |
| The alternative certification program established under |
| 9 |
| this Section shall be
known as the Alternative Teacher |
| 10 |
| Certification program. The Alternative
Teacher Certification |
| 11 |
| Program shall be offered by the submitting partnership
and may |
| 12 |
| be offered in conjunction with one or more not-for-profit
|
| 13 |
| organizations in the State which support excellence in |
| 14 |
| teaching. The program
shall be
comprised of the following 3 |
| 15 |
| phases: (a) the first phase is the
course of study offered on |
| 16 |
| an intensive basis in education theory,
instructional methods, |
| 17 |
| and
practice
teaching; (b) the second phase is the person's |
| 18 |
| assignment to a full-time
teaching position for one school |
| 19 |
| year; and (c) the third phase is a
comprehensive assessment of |
| 20 |
| the person's teaching performance by school
officials and the |
| 21 |
| partnership participants
and a recommendation by the partner |
| 22 |
| institution of higher education to the
State Board of Education |
| 23 |
| that the person be issued a standard alternative
teaching |
| 24 |
| certificate. Successful completion of the Alternative Teacher
|
| 25 |
| Certification program shall be deemed to satisfy any other
|
| 26 |
| practice or student teaching and subject matter requirements |
|
|
|
SB0306 |
- 3 - |
LRB095 08155 NHT 28320 b |
|
|
| 1 |
| established by
law.
|
| 2 |
| A provisional alternative teaching certificate, valid for |
| 3 |
| one year of
teaching
in the common schools and not renewable, |
| 4 |
| shall be issued under this Section
21-5b to persons who at the |
| 5 |
| time of applying for the provisional alternative
teaching |
| 6 |
| certificate under this Section:
|
| 7 |
| (1) have graduated from an accredited college or |
| 8 |
| university with a
bachelor's degree;
|
| 9 |
| (2) have successfully completed the first phase of the |
| 10 |
| Alternative Teacher
Certification program as provided in |
| 11 |
| this Section;
|
| 12 |
| (3) have passed the tests of basic skills and subject |
| 13 |
| matter knowledge
required by Section
21-1a; and
|
| 14 |
| (4) (i) have been employed for a period of at least 5 |
| 15 |
| years in an area
requiring application of the individual's |
| 16 |
| education or (ii) have attained at least a cumulative grade |
| 17 |
| average of a "B" if the individual is assigned either to a |
| 18 |
| school district that has not met the annual measurable |
| 19 |
| objective for highly qualified teachers required by the |
| 20 |
| Illinois Revised Highly Qualified Teachers (HQT) Plan or to |
| 21 |
| a school district whose data filed with the State Board of |
| 22 |
| Education indicates that the district's poor and minority |
| 23 |
| students are taught by teachers who are not highly |
| 24 |
| qualified at a higher rate than other students; however, |
| 25 |
| this item (4)
requirement
does not apply with respect to a |
| 26 |
| provisional alternative teaching certificate
for
teaching |
|
|
|
SB0306 |
- 4 - |
LRB095 08155 NHT 28320 b |
|
|
| 1 |
| in schools situated in a school district that is located in |
| 2 |
| a city
having a
population in excess of 500,000 |
| 3 |
| inhabitants.
|
| 4 |
| A person possessing a provisional alternative certificate |
| 5 |
| under this Section
shall be treated as a regularly certified |
| 6 |
| teacher for purposes of compensation,
benefits, and other terms |
| 7 |
| and conditions of employment afforded teachers in the
school |
| 8 |
| who are members of a bargaining unit represented by an |
| 9 |
| exclusive
bargaining representative, if any.
|
| 10 |
| Until February 15, 2000, a standard alternative teaching |
| 11 |
| certificate,
valid for 4 years for teaching
in the schools and |
| 12 |
| renewable as provided in
Section 21-14, shall be
issued under |
| 13 |
| this Section 21-5b to persons who first complete the |
| 14 |
| requirements
for the provisional alternative teaching |
| 15 |
| certificate
and who at the time of applying for a standard |
| 16 |
| alternative teaching certificate
under this Section have |
| 17 |
| successfully completed the second and third phases of
the |
| 18 |
| Alternative Teacher Certification program as provided in this |
| 19 |
| Section.
Alternatively, beginning February 15, 2000, at the end |
| 20 |
| of the 4-year
validity
period,
persons who were issued a |
| 21 |
| standard alternative teaching certificate shall be
eligible, |
| 22 |
| on
the same basis as holders of an Initial Teaching Certificate |
| 23 |
| issued under
subsection (b) of
Section 21-2 of this Code, to |
| 24 |
| apply for a Standard Teaching Certificate,
provided they
meet |
| 25 |
| the requirements of
subsection (c) of Section 21-2 of this Code |
| 26 |
| and further provided that a
person who
does not
apply for and |
|
|
|
SB0306 |
- 5 - |
LRB095 08155 NHT 28320 b |
|
|
| 1 |
| receive a Standard Teaching Certificate shall be able to teach
|
| 2 |
| only in
schools situated in a school district that is located |
| 3 |
| in a city having a
population in excess
of 500,000 inhabitants.
|
| 4 |
| Beginning February 15, 2000, persons who have completed the |
| 5 |
| requirements for
a
standard alternative teaching certificate |
| 6 |
| under this Section shall be issued an
Initial
Alternative |
| 7 |
| Teaching Certificate valid for 4 years of teaching and not
|
| 8 |
| renewable. At the end of the 4-year validity period, these |
| 9 |
| persons shall be
eligible, on the same
basis as
holders of an |
| 10 |
| Initial Teaching Certificate issued under subsection (b) of
|
| 11 |
| Section 21-2 of
this Code, to apply for a Standard Teaching |
| 12 |
| Certificate, provided they meet the
requirements of subsection |
| 13 |
| (c) of Section 21-2.
|
| 14 |
| This alternative certification program shall be |
| 15 |
| implemented so that the first
provisional alternative teaching |
| 16 |
| certificates issued under this Section are
effective upon the |
| 17 |
| commencement of the 1997-1998 academic year and the first
|
| 18 |
| standard alternative teaching certificates issued under this |
| 19 |
| Section are
effective upon the commencement of the 1998-1999 |
| 20 |
| academic year.
|
| 21 |
| The State Board of Education, in cooperation with the |
| 22 |
| partnership
establishing the Alternative Teacher Certification |
| 23 |
| program, shall adopt rules
and regulations that are consistent |
| 24 |
| with this Section and that the State Board
of Education deems |
| 25 |
| necessary to establish and implement the program.
|
| 26 |
| (Source: P.A. 91-609, eff. 1-1-00.)
|