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