103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
HB1215

 

Introduced 1/31/2023, by Rep. Dan Caulkins

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
105 ILCS 5/21B-30
105 ILCS 5/21B-40

    Amends the Educator Licensure Article of the School Code. Provides that, subject to appropriation, any candidate who is considered either a former or active first responder or military personnel shall receive a refund for any costs associated with completing a test of content area knowledge. Provides that, subject to appropriation, any candidate who is considered either a former or active first responder or military personnel shall receive a refund for any costs associated with completing a teacher performance assessment. Provides that no former or active first responder or military personnel may be charged an application fee under specified provisions. Effective July 1, 2023.


LRB103 25120 RJT 51457 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB1215LRB103 25120 RJT 51457 b

1    AN ACT concerning education.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Sections
521B-30 and 21B-40 as follows:
 
6    (105 ILCS 5/21B-30)
7    Sec. 21B-30. Educator testing.
8    (a) (Blank).
9    (a-5) In this Section:
10    "Former or active first responder" means a person who
11either is currently serving or has formerly served as a law
12enforcement officer, a firefighter, or emergency medical
13services personnel as defined in Section 3.5 of the Emergency
14Medical Services (EMS) Systems Act.
15    "Military personnel" means a person who is currently a
16member or who is a retired and honorably discharged member of
17the Armed Services or Reserve Forces of the United States or
18the Illinois National Guard.
19    (b) The State Board of Education, in consultation with the
20State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, shall design
21and implement a system of examinations, which shall be
22required prior to the issuance of educator licenses. These
23examinations and indicators must be based on national and

 

 

HB1215- 2 -LRB103 25120 RJT 51457 b

1State professional teaching standards, as determined by the
2State Board of Education, in consultation with the State
3Educator Preparation and Licensure Board. The State Board of
4Education may adopt such rules as may be necessary to
5implement and administer this Section.
6    (c) (Blank).
7    (c-5) The State Board must adopt rules to implement a
8paraprofessional competency test. This test would allow an
9applicant seeking an Educator License with Stipulations with a
10paraprofessional educator endorsement to obtain the
11endorsement if he or she passes the test and meets the other
12requirements of subparagraph (J) of paragraph (2) of Section
1321B-20 other than the higher education requirements.
14    (d) All applicants seeking a State license shall be
15required to pass a test of content area knowledge for each area
16of endorsement for which there is an applicable test. There
17shall be no exception to this requirement. No candidate shall
18be allowed to student teach or serve as the teacher of record
19until he or she has passed the applicable content area test.
20Subject to appropriation, any candidate who is considered
21either a former or active first responder or military
22personnel shall receive a refund for any costs associated with
23completing a test of content area knowledge under this
24subsection (d).
25    (e) (Blank).
26    (f) Except as otherwise provided in this Article,

 

 

HB1215- 3 -LRB103 25120 RJT 51457 b

1beginning on September 1, 2015, all candidates completing
2teacher preparation programs in this State and all candidates
3subject to Section 21B-35 of this Code are required to pass a
4teacher performance assessment approved by the State Board of
5Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation
6and Licensure Board. A candidate may not be required to submit
7test materials by video submission. Subject to appropriation,
8an individual who holds a Professional Educator License and is
9employed for a minimum of one school year by a school district
10designated as Tier 1 under Section 18-8.15 may, after
11application to the State Board, receive from the State Board a
12refund for any costs associated with completing the teacher
13performance assessment under this subsection. Subject to
14appropriation, any candidate who is considered either a former
15or active first responder or military personnel shall receive
16a refund for any costs associated with completing the teacher
17performance assessment under this subsection (f).
18    (g) The content area knowledge test and the teacher
19performance assessment shall be the tests that from time to
20time are designated by the State Board of Education, in
21consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure
22Board, and may be tests prepared by an educational testing
23organization or tests designed by the State Board of
24Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation
25and Licensure Board. The test of content area knowledge shall
26assess content knowledge in a specific subject field. The

 

 

HB1215- 4 -LRB103 25120 RJT 51457 b

1tests must be designed to be racially neutral to ensure that no
2person taking the tests is discriminated against on the basis
3of race, color, national origin, or other factors unrelated to
4the person's ability to perform as a licensed employee. The
5score required to pass the tests shall be fixed by the State
6Board of Education, in consultation with the State Educator
7Preparation and Licensure Board. The tests shall be
8administered not fewer than 3 times a year at such time and
9place as may be designated by the State Board of Education, in
10consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure
11Board.
12    The State Board shall implement a test or tests to assess
13the speaking, reading, writing, and grammar skills of
14applicants for an endorsement or a license issued under
15subdivision (G) of paragraph (2) of Section 21B-20 of this
16Code in the English language and in the language of the
17transitional bilingual education program requested by the
18applicant.
19    (h) Except as provided in Section 34-6 of this Code, the
20provisions of this Section shall apply equally in any school
21district subject to Article 34 of this Code.
22    (i) The rules developed to implement and enforce the
23testing requirements under this Section shall include without
24limitation provisions governing test selection, test
25validation and determination of a passing score,
26administration of the tests, frequency of administration,

 

 

HB1215- 5 -LRB103 25120 RJT 51457 b

1applicant fees, frequency of applicants taking the tests, the
2years for which a score is valid, and appropriate special
3accommodations. The State Board of Education shall develop
4such rules as may be needed to ensure uniformity from year to
5year in the level of difficulty for each form of an assessment.
6(Source: P.A. 101-81, eff. 7-12-19; 101-220, eff. 8-7-19;
7101-594, eff. 12-5-19; 102-301, eff. 8-26-21.)
 
8    (105 ILCS 5/21B-40)
9    Sec. 21B-40. Fees.
10    (a) Beginning with the start of the new licensure system
11established pursuant to this Article, the following fees shall
12be charged to applicants:
13        (1) A $100 application fee for a Professional Educator
14    License or an Educator License with Stipulations.
15        (1.5) A $50 application fee for a Substitute Teaching
16    License. If the application for a Substitute Teaching
17    License is made and granted after July 1, 2017, the
18    licensee may apply for a refund of the application fee
19    within 18 months of issuance of the new license and shall
20    be issued that refund by the State Board of Education if
21    the licensee provides evidence to the State Board of
22    Education that the licensee has taught pursuant to the
23    Substitute Teaching License at least 10 full school days
24    within one year of issuance.
25        (1.7) A $25 application fee for a Short-Term

 

 

HB1215- 6 -LRB103 25120 RJT 51457 b

1    Substitute Teaching License. The Short-Term Substitute
2    Teaching License must be registered in at least one region
3    in this State, but does not require a registration fee.
4    The licensee may apply for a refund of the application fee
5    within 18 months of issuance of the new license and shall
6    be issued that refund by the State Board of Education if
7    the licensee provides evidence to the State Board of
8    Education that the licensee has taught pursuant to the
9    Short-Term Substitute Teaching License at least 10 full
10    school days within one year of issuance. The application
11    fee for a Short-Term Substitute Teaching License shall be
12    waived when the Governor has declared a disaster due to a
13    public health emergency pursuant to Section 7 of the
14    Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act.
15        (2) A $150 application fee for individuals who have
16    not been entitled by an Illinois-approved educator
17    preparation program at an Illinois institution of higher
18    education and are seeking any of the licenses set forth in
19    subdivision (1) of this subsection (a).
20        (3) A $50 application fee for each endorsement or
21    approval.
22        (4) A $10 per year registration fee for the course of
23    the validity cycle to register the license, which shall be
24    paid to the regional office of education having
25    supervision and control over the school in which the
26    individual holding the license is to be employed. If the

 

 

HB1215- 7 -LRB103 25120 RJT 51457 b

1    individual holding the license is not yet employed, then
2    the license may be registered in any county in this State.
3    The registration fee must be paid in its entirety the
4    first time the individual registers the license for a
5    particular validity period in a single region. No
6    additional fee may be charged for that validity period
7    should the individual subsequently register the license in
8    additional regions. An individual must register the
9    license (i) immediately after initial issuance of the
10    license and (ii) at the beginning of each renewal cycle if
11    the individual has satisfied the renewal requirements
12    required under this Code.
13        Beginning on July 1, 2017, at the beginning of each
14    renewal cycle, individuals who hold a Substitute Teaching
15    License may apply for a reimbursement of the registration
16    fee within 18 months of renewal and shall be issued that
17    reimbursement by the State Board of Education from funds
18    appropriated for that purpose if the licensee provides
19    evidence to the State Board of Education that the licensee
20    has taught pursuant to the Substitute Teaching License at
21    least 10 full school days within one year of renewal.
22        (5) The license renewal fee for an Educator License
23    with Stipulations with a paraprofessional educator
24    endorsement is $25.
25    (a-5) No former or active first responder or military
26personnel, as defined in Section 21B-30 of this Code, may be

 

 

HB1215- 8 -LRB103 25120 RJT 51457 b

1charged an application fee under subdivision (1), (1.5),
2(1.7), (2), or (3) of subsection (a) of this Section.
3    (b) All application fees paid pursuant to subdivisions (1)
4through (3) of subsection (a) of this Section shall be
5deposited into the Teacher Certificate Fee Revolving Fund and
6shall be used, subject to appropriation, by the State Board of
7Education to provide the technology and human resources
8necessary for the timely and efficient processing of
9applications and for the renewal of licenses. Funds available
10from the Teacher Certificate Fee Revolving Fund may also be
11used by the State Board of Education to support the
12recruitment and retention of educators, to support educator
13preparation programs as they seek national accreditation, and
14to provide professional development aligned with the
15requirements set forth in Section 21B-45 of this Code. A
16majority of the funds in the Teacher Certificate Fee Revolving
17Fund must be dedicated to the timely and efficient processing
18of applications and for the renewal of licenses. The Teacher
19Certificate Fee Revolving Fund is not subject to
20administrative charge transfers, authorized under Section 8h
21of the State Finance Act, from the Teacher Certificate Fee
22Revolving Fund into any other fund of this State, and moneys in
23the Teacher Certificate Fee Revolving Fund shall not revert
24back to the General Revenue Fund at any time.
25    The regional superintendent of schools shall deposit the
26registration fees paid pursuant to subdivision (4) of

 

 

HB1215- 9 -LRB103 25120 RJT 51457 b

1subsection (a) of this Section into the institute fund
2established pursuant to Section 3-11 of this Code.
3    (c) The State Board of Education and each regional office
4of education are authorized to charge a service or convenience
5fee for the use of credit cards for the payment of license
6fees. This service or convenience fee shall not exceed the
7amount required by the credit card processing company or
8vendor that has entered into a contract with the State Board or
9regional office of education for this purpose, and the fee
10must be paid to that company or vendor.
11    (d) If, at the time a certificate issued under Article 21
12of this Code is exchanged for a license issued under this
13Article, a person has paid registration fees for any years of
14the validity period of the certificate and these years have
15not expired when the certificate is exchanged, then those fees
16must be applied to the registration of the new license.
17(Source: P.A. 101-81, eff. 7-12-19; 101-570, eff. 8-23-19;
18102-867, eff. 5-13-22.)
 
19    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1,
202023.