SB2243 EnrolledLRB103 25644 RJT 51993 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 1. Findings. The General Assembly makes all of the
5following findings:
6        (1) Literacy is not only critical for individuals'
7    ability to earn income, secure housing, participate in
8    their health care, support their children's education,
9    pursue happiness, and navigate the world but also
10    collectively foundational to our community and democracy.
11        (2) The World Literacy Foundation found that low
12    literacy is a major contributor to inequality and
13    increases the likelihood of poor physical and mental
14    health, workplace accidents, misuse of medication,
15    participation in crime, and welfare dependency, all of
16    which have substantial additional social and economic
17    costs.
18        (3) Fifty percent of Illinois' third graders met,
19    exceeded, or approached learning standards in English
20    language arts according to the Illinois Assessment of
21    Readiness with the other half of students not meeting or
22    partially meeting standards; this represents a 10
23    percentage-point swing from the 2019 prepandemic rates
24    when 60% of students met, exceeded, or approached learning

 

 

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1    standards.
2        (4) Thirty-three percent of Illinois' fourth graders
3    achieved proficient or advanced reading scores on the 2022
4    National Assessment of Educational Progress with another
5    29% meeting basic reading proficiency and the remaining
6    38% scoring below basic reading proficiency.
7        (5) Research from the Annie E. Casey Institute found
8    that students who are not proficient readers in third
9    grade are 4 times more likely not to finish high school; if
10    those students are from low-income families, they are more
11    than 6 times more likely not to finish high school.
12        (6) Research consistently finds that a diverse,
13    well-trained, and expanding pool of teachers, in
14    conjunction with curricula responsive to the strengths and
15    needs of diverse student populations, improves educational
16    outcomes for all students.
17        (7) An appropriate curriculum considers the learning
18    needs of students with their developmental needs and
19    increases in complexity with every new stage of childhood.
20        (8) Oral language development is a prerequisite for
21    reading and writing that is nurtured from birth through
22    talking, reading, story-telling, singing, nursery rhymes,
23    and other language exposure and, as younger children
24    develop, through intentional dialogue with rich
25    vocabulary, home visiting programs, access to books,
26    high-quality child care and preschool, and lived

 

 

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1    experiences that strengthen students' opportunity to build
2    oracy skills, vocabulary, and background knowledge,
3    leading to higher-level cognitive thinking.
4        (9) Reading builds new neural pathways in the brain as
5    people, usually children, learn to connect the sounds in
6    language to letters on a page to the meaning of the text;
7    however, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to
8    literacy, as learners will require differentiated
9    strategies or methods and dosages within different areas
10    of literacy instruction to meet their individual needs.
11        (10) Reading, writing, and oracy have a reciprocal
12    relationship, as each strengthens the other, and students
13    benefit when their instruction is closely intertwined.
14        (11) English learners benefit from a comprehensive
15    literacy approach that recognizes the value of
16    multilingualism by enveloping all areas of literacy
17    instruction with a deep focus on oral language development
18    and encouraging students to make connections between
19    English and their home language.
20        (12) Teachers deserve the tools to be knowledgeable
21    about the cultural practices and language system of the
22    children they serve, including those children who speak
23    language variations of English, such as African-American
24    English (AAE); AAE has a linguistic structure that is a
25    systematic and rule-governed variation of General American
26    English.

 

 

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1        (13) Research shows that direct, systematic,
2    cumulative, and explicit reading instruction that is
3    focused on the foundational reading skills of phonemic
4    awareness, phonics or decoding, spelling or encoding,
5    vocabulary development that includes morphology, oral
6    language development, reading fluency, and reading
7    comprehension that includes syntax and building background
8    or content knowledge, is highly effective in teaching
9    young children to read.
10        (14) High literacy achievement across all demographic
11    groups is an essential indicator of educational equity
12    within this State; strengthening early literacy
13    instruction and support for students in Illinois will pay
14    dividends in the future by empowering students, providing
15    them with the skills they will need to graduate, find
16    fulfilling careers, and be productive members of their
17    communities and of our democracy.
18        (15) Ensuring that every child has access to
19    high-quality, research-aligned, developmentally
20    appropriate reading instruction implemented using a
21    comprehensive approach is a foundational component of this
22    State's public education system and a responsibility
23    shared among federal, State, and local education agencies.
 
24    Section 90. The School Code is amended by adding Section
252-3.196 and by changing Sections 21B-30 and 21B-35 and as

 

 

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1follows:
 
2    (105 ILCS 5/2-3.196 new)
3    Sec. 2-3.196. State Board of Education literacy
4assistance.
5    (a) The State Board of Education shall adopt and make
6available all of the following to each publicly funded school
7district by July 1, 2024:
8        (1) A rubric by which districts may evaluate curricula
9    and select and implement evidence-based, culturally
10    inclusive core reading instruction programs aligned with
11    the comprehensive literacy plan for the State described in
12    subsection (c).
13        (2) A template to support districts when developing
14    comprehensive, district-wide literacy plans that include
15    support for special student populations, including, at a
16    minimum, students with disabilities, multilingual
17    students, and bidialectal students.
18        (3) Guidance on evidence-based practices for effective
19    structures for training and deploying literacy coaches to
20    support teachers and close opportunity gaps among student
21    demographic groups.
22    (b) On or before January 1, 2025, the State Board of
23Education shall develop and make available training
24opportunities for educators in teaching reading that are
25aligned with the comprehensive literacy plan described in

 

 

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1subsection (c) and consistent with State learning standards.
2This support may include:
3        (1) the development of a microcredential or a series
4    of microcredentials in literacy instruction aligned with
5    the comprehensive literacy plan described in subsection
6    (c) to be affixed to educator licenses upon successful
7    demonstration of the skill or completion of the required
8    coursework or assessment, or both, or online training
9    modules on literacy instruction, aligned with the
10    comprehensive literacy plan described in subsection (c)
11    and consistent with State learning standards, accepted for
12    continuing professional development units; and
13        (2) the creation and dissemination of a tool that
14    school districts, educators, and the public may use to
15    evaluate professional development and training programs
16    related to literacy instruction.
17    (c) In consultation with education stakeholders, the State
18Board of Education shall develop and adopt a comprehensive
19literacy plan for the State on or before January 31, 2024. The
20comprehensive literacy plan shall consider, without
21limitation, evidence-based research and culturally and
22linguistically sustaining pedagogical approaches to meet the
23needs of all students and shall, at a minimum, do all of the
24following:
25        (1) Consider core instructional literacy practices and
26    practices related to the unique needs of and support for

 

 

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1    specific student populations, including, at a minimum,
2    students with disabilities, multilingual students, and
3    bidialectal students, and the resources and support,
4    including professional learning for teachers, needed to
5    effectively implement the literacy instruction.
6        (2) Provide guidance related to screening tools, the
7    administration of such screening tools, and the
8    interpretation of the resulting data to identify students
9    at risk of reading difficulties in grades kindergarten
10    through 2. This guidance shall outline instances in which
11    dyslexia screenings and other universal screeners are
12    appropriate for use with English learners.
13        (3) Provide guidance related to early literacy
14    intervention for students in grades kindergarten through 2
15    for schools to implement with students at risk of reading
16    difficulties, as well as literacy intervention for
17    students in grades 3 through 12 demonstrating reading
18    difficulties.
19        (4) Consider the impact of second language acquisition
20    and bilingual education on reading instruction in the
21    student's native language and English.
22        (5) Define key terminology, such as "evidence-based".
23        (6) Contextualize the interaction between elements of
24    the plan and existing laws and regulations that have
25    overlapping components, such as a multi-tiered system of
26    support.

 

 

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1        (7) Focus on a comprehensive range of elements of
2    literacy, including phonological awareness; decoding
3    (phonics); encoding (spelling); vocabulary development,
4    including morphology, oracy, and reading fluency; and
5    reading comprehension, including syntax and background and
6    content knowledge.
 
7    (105 ILCS 5/21B-30)
8    Sec. 21B-30. Educator testing.
9    (a) (Blank).
10    (b) The State Board of Education, in consultation with the
11State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, shall design
12and implement a system of examinations, which shall be
13required prior to the issuance of educator licenses. These
14examinations and indicators must be based on national and
15State professional teaching standards, as determined by the
16State Board of Education, in consultation with the State
17Educator Preparation and Licensure Board. The State Board of
18Education may adopt such rules as may be necessary to
19implement and administer this Section.
20    (c) (Blank).
21    (c-5) The State Board must adopt rules to implement a
22paraprofessional competency test. This test would allow an
23applicant seeking an Educator License with Stipulations with a
24paraprofessional educator endorsement to obtain the
25endorsement if he or she passes the test and meets the other

 

 

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1requirements of subparagraph (J) of paragraph (2) of Section
221B-20 other than the higher education requirements.
3    (d) All applicants seeking a State license shall be
4required to pass a test of content area knowledge for each area
5of endorsement for which there is an applicable test. There
6shall be no exception to this requirement. No candidate shall
7be allowed to student teach or serve as the teacher of record
8until he or she has passed the applicable content area test.
9    (d-5) The State Board shall consult with any applicable
10vendors within 90 days after the effective date of this
11amendatory Act of the 103rd General Assembly to develop a plan
12to transition the test of content area knowledge in the
13endorsement area of elementary education, grades one through
146, by July 1, 2026 to a content area test that contains testing
15elements that cover bilingualism, biliteracy, oral language
16development, foundational literacy skills, and developmentally
17appropriate higher-order comprehension and on which a valid
18and reliable language and literacy subscore can be determined.
19The State Board shall base its rules concerning the passing
20subscore on the language and literacy portion of the test on
21the recommended cut-score determined in the formal
22standard-setting process. Candidates need not achieve a
23particular subscore in the area of language and literacy. The
24State Board shall aggregate and publish the number of
25candidates in each preparation program who take the test and
26the number who pass the language and literacy portion.

 

 

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1    (e) (Blank).
2    (f) Except as otherwise provided in this Article,
3beginning on September 1, 2015, all candidates completing
4teacher preparation programs in this State and all candidates
5subject to Section 21B-35 of this Code are required to pass a
6teacher performance assessment approved by the State Board of
7Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation
8and Licensure Board. A candidate may not be required to submit
9test materials by video submission. Subject to appropriation,
10an individual who holds a Professional Educator License and is
11employed for a minimum of one school year by a school district
12designated as Tier 1 under Section 18-8.15 may, after
13application to the State Board, receive from the State Board a
14refund for any costs associated with completing the teacher
15performance assessment under this subsection.
16    (g) The content area knowledge test and the teacher
17performance assessment shall be the tests that from time to
18time are designated by the State Board of Education, in
19consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure
20Board, and may be tests prepared by an educational testing
21organization or tests designed by the State Board of
22Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation
23and Licensure Board. The test of content area knowledge shall
24assess content knowledge in a specific subject field. The
25tests must be designed to be racially neutral to ensure that no
26person taking the tests is discriminated against on the basis

 

 

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1of race, color, national origin, or other factors unrelated to
2the person's ability to perform as a licensed employee. The
3score required to pass the tests shall be fixed by the State
4Board of Education, in consultation with the State Educator
5Preparation and Licensure Board. The tests shall be
6administered not fewer than 3 times a year at such time and
7place as may be designated by the State Board of Education, in
8consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure
9Board.
10    The State Board shall implement a test or tests to assess
11the speaking, reading, writing, and grammar skills of
12applicants for an endorsement or a license issued under
13subdivision (G) of paragraph (2) of Section 21B-20 of this
14Code in the English language and in the language of the
15transitional bilingual education program requested by the
16applicant.
17    (h) Except as provided in Section 34-6 of this Code, the
18provisions of this Section shall apply equally in any school
19district subject to Article 34 of this Code.
20    (i) The rules developed to implement and enforce the
21testing requirements under this Section shall include, without
22limitation, provisions governing test selection, test
23validation, and determination of a passing score,
24administration of the tests, frequency of administration,
25applicant fees, frequency of applicants taking the tests, the
26years for which a score is valid, and appropriate special

 

 

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1accommodations. The State Board of Education shall develop
2such rules as may be needed to ensure uniformity from year to
3year in the level of difficulty for each form of an assessment.
4(Source: P.A. 101-81, eff. 7-12-19; 101-220, eff. 8-7-19;
5101-594, eff. 12-5-19; 102-301, eff. 8-26-21.)
 
6    (105 ILCS 5/21B-35)
7    Sec. 21B-35. Minimum requirements for educators trained in
8other states or countries.
9    (a) Any applicant who has not been entitled by an
10Illinois-approved educator preparation program at an Illinois
11institution of higher education applying for a Professional
12Educator License endorsed in a teaching field or school
13support personnel area must meet the following requirements:
14        (1) the applicant must:
15            (A) hold a comparable and valid educator license
16        or certificate, as defined by rule, with similar grade
17        level and content area credentials from another state,
18        with the State Board of Education having the authority
19        to determine what constitutes similar grade level and
20        content area credentials from another state;
21            (B) have a bachelor's degree from a regionally
22        accredited institution of higher education; and
23            (C) (blank); or
24        (2) the applicant must:
25            (A) have completed a state-approved program for

 

 

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1        the licensure area sought, including coursework
2        concerning (i) methods of instruction of the
3        exceptional child, (ii) methods of reading that align
4        with all applicable standards set forth in Part 23 of
5        Title 23 of the Illinois Administrative Code and
6        reading in the content area, and (iii) instructional
7        strategies for English learners;
8            (B) have a bachelor's degree from a regionally
9        accredited institution of higher education;
10            (C) have successfully met all Illinois examination
11        requirements, except that:
12                (i) (blank);
13                (ii) an applicant who has successfully
14            completed a test of content, as defined by rules,
15            at the time of initial licensure in another state
16            is not required to complete a test of content; and
17                (iii) an applicant for a teaching endorsement
18            who has successfully completed an evidence-based
19            assessment of teacher effectiveness, as defined by
20            rules, at the time of initial licensure in another
21            state is not required to complete an
22            evidence-based assessment of teacher
23            effectiveness; and
24            (D) for an applicant for a teaching endorsement,
25        have completed student teaching or an equivalent
26        experience or, for an applicant for a school service

 

 

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1        personnel endorsement, have completed an internship or
2        an equivalent experience.
3    (b) In order to receive a Professional Educator License
4endorsed in a teaching field or school support personnel area,
5applicants trained in another country must meet all of the
6following requirements:
7        (1) Have completed a comparable education program in
8    another country.
9        (2) Have had transcripts evaluated by an evaluation
10    service approved by the State Superintendent of Education.
11        (3) Have a degree comparable to a degree from a
12    regionally accredited institution of higher education.
13        (4) Have completed coursework aligned to standards
14    concerning (i) methods of instruction of the exceptional
15    child, (ii) methods of reading that align with all
16    applicable standards set forth in Part 26 of Title 23 of
17    the Illinois Administrative Code and reading in the
18    content area, and (iii) instructional strategies for
19    English learners.
20        (5) (Blank).
21        (6) (Blank).
22        (7) Have successfully met all State licensure
23    examination requirements. Applicants who have successfully
24    completed a test of content, as defined by rules, at the
25    time of initial licensure in another country shall not be
26    required to complete a test of content. Applicants for a

 

 

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1    teaching endorsement who have successfully completed an
2    evidence-based assessment of teacher effectiveness, as
3    defined by rules, at the time of initial licensure in
4    another country shall not be required to complete an
5    evidence-based assessment of teacher effectiveness.
6        (8) Have completed student teaching or an equivalent
7    experience.
8        (9) (Blank).
9    (b-5) All applicants who have not been entitled by an
10Illinois-approved educator preparation program at an Illinois
11institution of higher education and applicants trained in
12another country applying for a Professional Educator License
13endorsed for principal or superintendent must hold a master's
14degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher
15education and hold a comparable and valid educator license or
16certificate with similar grade level and subject matter
17credentials, with the State Board of Education having the
18authority to determine what constitutes similar grade level
19and subject matter credentials from another state, or must
20meet all of the following requirements:
21        (1) Have completed an educator preparation program
22    approved by another state or comparable educator program
23    in another country leading to the receipt of a license or
24    certificate for the Illinois endorsement sought.
25        (2) Have successfully met all State licensure
26    examination requirements, as required by Section 21B-30 of

 

 

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1    this Code. Applicants who have successfully completed a
2    test of content, as defined by rules, at the time of
3    initial licensure in another state or country shall not be
4    required to complete a test of content.
5        (2.5) Have completed an internship, as defined by
6    rule.
7        (3) (Blank).
8        (4) Have completed coursework aligned to standards
9    concerning (i) methods of instruction of the exceptional
10    child, (ii) methods of reading that align with all
11    applicable standards set forth in Part 26 of Title 23 of
12    the Illinois Administrative Code and reading in the
13    content area, and (iii) instructional strategies for
14    English learners.
15        (4.5) (Blank).
16        (5) Have completed a master's degree.
17        (6) Have successfully completed teaching, school
18    support, or administrative experience as defined by rule.
19    (b-7) All applicants who have not been entitled by an
20Illinois-approved educator preparation program at an Illinois
21institution of higher education applying for a Professional
22Educator License endorsed for Director of Special Education
23must hold a master's degree from a regionally accredited
24institution of higher education and must hold a comparable and
25valid educator license or certificate with similar grade level
26and subject matter credentials, with the State Board of

 

 

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1Education having the authority to determine what constitutes
2similar grade level and subject matter credentials from
3another state, or must meet all of the following requirements:
4        (1) Have completed a master's degree.
5        (2) Have 2 years of full-time experience providing
6    special education services.
7        (3) Have successfully completed all examination
8    requirements, as required by Section 21B-30 of this Code.
9    Applicants who have successfully completed a test of
10    content, as identified by rules, at the time of initial
11    licensure in another state or country shall not be
12    required to complete a test of content.
13        (4) Have completed coursework aligned to standards
14    concerning (i) methods of instruction of the exceptional
15    child, (ii) methods of reading that align with all
16    applicable standards set forth in Part 26 of Title 23 of
17    the Illinois Administrative Code and reading in the
18    content area, and (iii) instructional strategies for
19    English learners.
20    (b-10) All applicants who have not been entitled by an
21Illinois-approved educator preparation program at an Illinois
22institution of higher education applying for a Professional
23Educator License endorsed for chief school business official
24must hold a master's degree from a regionally accredited
25institution of higher education and must hold a comparable and
26valid educator license or certificate with similar grade level

 

 

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1and subject matter credentials, with the State Board of
2Education having the authority to determine what constitutes
3similar grade level and subject matter credentials from
4another state, or must meet all of the following requirements:
5        (1) Have completed a master's degree in school
6    business management, finance, or accounting.
7        (2) Have successfully completed an internship in
8    school business management or have 2 years of experience
9    as a school business administrator.
10        (3) Have successfully met all State examination
11    requirements, as required by Section 21B-30 of this Code.
12    Applicants who have successfully completed a test of
13    content, as identified by rules, at the time of initial
14    licensure in another state or country shall not be
15    required to complete a test of content.
16        (4) Have completed modules aligned to standards
17    concerning methods of instruction of the exceptional
18    child, methods of reading and reading in the content area,
19    and instructional strategies for English learners.
20    (c) The State Board of Education, in consultation with the
21State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, may adopt such
22rules as may be necessary to implement this Section.
23(Source: P.A. 101-220, eff. 8-7-19; 101-643, eff. 6-18-20;
24102-539, eff. 8-20-21.)
 
25    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
26becoming law.