SB1845enr 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB1845 Enrolled LRB098 09595 NHT 39741 b

AN ACT concerning education.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Sections 21-5b and 21-5c as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/21-5b)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2016)

Sec. 21-5b. Alternative certification. The State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board, shall establish and implement an alternative certification program under which persons who meet the requirements of and successfully complete the program established by this Section shall be issued an alternative teaching certificate for teaching in the schools. The program shall be limited to not more than 260 new participants during each year that the program is in effect. The State Board of Education, in cooperation with one or more not-for-profit organizations in the State that support excellence in teaching, which may be in partnership with a university that offers 4-year baccalaureate and masters degree programs and that is a recognized institution as defined in Section 21B-105 of this Code, may within 30 days after submission by the program sponsor approve a course of study developed by the program sponsor that persons in the program must successfully complete in order to satisfy one criterion for issuance of an alternative certificate under this Section. The Alternative Teacher Certification program course of study must include content and skills which have been approved by the State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board, as meeting the requirement for State teacher certification.

The alternative certification program established under this Section shall be known as the Alternative Teacher Certification program. The Alternative Teacher Certification Program shall be offered by the submitting partnership, and such partnership may be offered by one or more not-for-profit organizations in the State which support excellence in teaching. The program shall be comprised of the following 3 phases: (a) the first phase is the course of study offered on an intensive basis in education theory, instructional methods, and practice teaching; (b) the second phase is the person's assignment to a full-time teaching position for one school year; and (c) the third phase is a comprehensive assessment of the person's teaching performance by school officials and the partnership participants and a recommendation by the program sponsor to the State Board of Education that the person be issued a standard alternative teaching certificate. Successful completion of the Alternative Teacher Certification program shall be deemed to satisfy any other practice or student teaching and subject matter requirements established by law.

A provisional alternative teaching certificate, valid for one year of teaching in the common schools and not renewable, shall be issued under this Section 21-5b to persons who at the time of applying for the provisional alternative teaching certificate under this Section:

(1) have graduated from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree;

(2) have successfully completed the first phase of the Alternative Teacher Certification program as provided in this Section;

(3) have passed the tests of basic skills and subject matter knowledge required by Section 21-1a; and

(4) (i) have been employed for a period of at least 5 years in an area requiring application of the individual's education or (ii) have 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; however, this item (4) does not apply with respect to a provisional alternative teaching certificate for teaching in schools situated in a school district that is located in a city having a population in excess of 500,000 inhabitants. Assignment may be made under clause (ii) of this item (4) only if the district superintendent and the exclusive bargaining representative of the district's teachers, if any, jointly agree to permit the assignment.

A person possessing a provisional alternative certificate under this Section shall be treated as a regularly certified teacher for purposes of compensation, benefits, and other terms and conditions of employment afforded teachers in the school who are members of a bargaining unit represented by an exclusive bargaining representative, if any.

Until February 15, 2000, a standard alternative teaching certificate, valid for 4 years for teaching in the schools and renewable as provided in Section 21-14, shall be issued under this Section 21-5b to persons who first complete the requirements for the provisional alternative teaching certificate and who at the time of applying for a standard alternative teaching certificate under this Section have successfully completed the second and third phases of the Alternative Teacher Certification program as provided in this Section. Alternatively, beginning February 15, 2000, at the end of the 4-year validity period, persons who were issued a standard alternative teaching certificate shall be eligible, on the same basis as holders of an Initial Teaching Certificate issued under subsection (b) of Section 21-2 of this Code, to apply for a Standard Teaching Certificate, provided they meet the requirements of subsection (c) of Section 21-2 of this Code and further provided that a person who does not apply for and receive a Standard Teaching Certificate shall be able to teach only in schools situated in a school district that is located in a city having a population in excess of 500,000 inhabitants.

Beginning February 15, 2000, persons who have completed the requirements for a standard alternative teaching certificate under this Section shall be issued an Initial Alternative Teaching Certificate valid for 4 years of teaching and not renewable. At the end of the 4-year validity period, these persons shall be eligible, on the same basis as holders of an Initial Teaching Certificate issued under subsection (b) of Section 21-2 of this Code, to apply for a Standard Teaching Certificate, provided they meet the requirements of subsection (c) of Section 21-2.

Such alternative certification program shall be implemented so that the first provisional alternative teaching certificates issued under this Section are effective upon the commencement of the 1997-1998 academic year and the first standard alternative teaching certificates issued under this Section are effective upon the commencement of the 1998-1999 academic year.

The State Board of Education, in cooperation with the partnership or partnerships establishing such Alternative Teacher Certification programs, shall adopt rules and regulations that are consistent with this Section and that the State Board of Education deems necessary to establish and implement the program.

No one may be admitted to an alternative certification program under this Section after September 1, 2014 2013, and those alternative certification candidates who are admitted on or before September 1, 2014 2013 must complete their coursework the program before January 1, 2016 2015, except that candidates admitted to an alternative certification program at Governors State University and participants in the Teacher Quality Partnership Grant program must be admitted on or before March 31, 2014, complete their coursework on or before August 31, 2015, and be entitled to certification on or before September 30, 2016 September 31, 2015. An The alternative certification program at Governors State University shall provide the State Board of Education with the names of the candidates who will be eligible for certification under this exception.

This Section is repealed on January 1, 2017 2016.

(Source: P.A. 97-607, eff. 8-26-11; 97-702, eff. 6-25-12; 98-38, eff. 6-28-13.)

(105 ILCS 5/21-5c)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2016)

Sec. 21-5c. Alternative route to teacher certification. The State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board, shall establish and implement one or more alternative route to teacher certification programs under which persons who meet the requirements of and successfully complete the programs established by this Section shall be issued an initial teaching certificate for teaching in schools in this State. The State Board of Education may approve a course of study that persons in such programs must successfully complete in order to satisfy one criterion for issuance of a certificate under this Section. The Alternative Route to Teacher Certification programs course of study must include content and skills which have been approved by the State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board, as meeting the requirement for State teacher certification.

Programs established under this Section shall be known as Alternative Route to Teacher Certification programs. The programs may be offered by a university that offers 4-year baccalaureate and masters degree programs and that is a recognized institution as defined in Section 21B-105 of this Code, by one or more not-for-profit organizations in the State, or a combination thereof. The programs shall be comprised of the following 3 phases: (a) a course of study offered on an intensive basis in education theory, instructional methods, and practice teaching; (b) the person's assignment to a full-time teaching position for one school year, including the designation of a mentor teacher to advise and assist the person with that teaching assignment; and (c) a comprehensive assessment of the person's teaching performance by school officials and program participants and a recommendation by the program sponsor to the State Board of Education that the person be issued an initial teaching certificate. Successful completion of Alternative Route to Teacher Certification programs shall be deemed to satisfy any other practice or student teaching and subject matter requirements established by law.

A provisional alternative teaching certificate, valid for one year of teaching in the common schools and not renewable, shall be issued under this Section 21-5c to persons who at the time of applying for the provisional alternative teaching certificate under this Section:

(1) have graduated from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree;

(2) have been employed for a period of at least 5 years in an area requiring application of the individual's education;

(3) have successfully completed the first phase of the Alternative Teacher Certification program as provided in this Section; and

(4) have passed the tests of basic skills and subject matter knowledge required by Section 21-1a.

An initial teaching certificate, valid for teaching in the common schools, shall be issued under Section 21-3 or 21-5 to persons who first complete the requirements for the provisional alternative teaching certificate and who at the time of applying for an initial teaching certificate have successfully completed the second and third phases of the Alternative Route to Teacher Certification program as provided in this Section.

A person possessing a provisional alternative certificate or an initial teaching certificate earned under this Section shall be treated as a regularly certified teacher for purposes of compensation, benefits, and other terms and conditions of employment afforded teachers in the school who are members of a bargaining unit represented by an exclusive bargaining representative, if any.

The State Board of Education may adopt rules and regulations that are consistent with this Section and that the State Board deems necessary to establish and implement the program.

No one may be admitted to an alternative certification program under this Section after September 1, 2014 2013, and those alternative certification candidates who are admitted on or before June 30, 2014 September 1, 2013 must complete their coursework the program before January 1, 2016 2015, except that candidates admitted to an alternative certification program at Governors State University and participants in the Teacher Quality Partnership Grant program must be admitted on or before March 31, 2014, complete their coursework on or before August 31, 2015, and be entitled to certification on or before September 30, 2016 September 31, 2015. An The alternative certification program at Governors State University shall provide the State Board of Education with the names of the candidates who will be eligible for certification under this exception.

This Section is repealed on January 1, 2017 2016.

(Source: P.A. 97-607, eff. 8-26-11; 97-702, eff. 6-25-12; 98-38, eff. 6-28-13.)