Sen. Terry Link

Filed: 3/23/2007

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO SENATE BILL 306

2     AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend Senate Bill 306, AS AMENDED, by
3 replacing everything after the enacting clause with the
4 following:
 
5     "Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section
6 21-5b as follows:
 
7     (105 ILCS 5/21-5b)
8     Sec. 21-5b. Alternative certification. The State Board of
9 Education, in consultation with the State Teacher
10 Certification Board, shall establish and implement an
11 alternative certification program under which persons who meet
12 the requirements of and successfully complete the program
13 established by this Section shall be issued an alternative
14 teaching certificate for teaching in the schools. The program
15 shall be limited to not more than 260 new participants during
16 each year that the program is in effect. The State Board of

 

 

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1 Education, in cooperation with a partnership formed with a
2 university that offers 4-year baccalaureate and masters degree
3 programs and that is a recognized institution as defined in
4 Section 21-21 and one or more not-for-profit organizations in
5 the State which support excellence in teaching, shall within 30
6 days after submission by the partnership approve a course of
7 study developed by the partnership that persons in the program
8 must successfully complete in order to satisfy one criterion
9 for issuance of an alternative certificate under this Section.
10 The Alternative Teacher Certification program course of study
11 must include the current content and skills contained in the
12 university's current courses for State certification which
13 have been approved by the State Board of Education, in
14 consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board, as the
15 requirement for State teacher certification.
16     The alternative certification program established under
17 this Section shall be known as the Alternative Teacher
18 Certification program. The Alternative Teacher Certification
19 Program shall be offered by the submitting partnership and may
20 be offered in conjunction with one or more not-for-profit
21 organizations in the State which support excellence in
22 teaching. The program shall be comprised of the following 3
23 phases: (a) the first phase is the course of study offered on
24 an intensive basis in education theory, instructional methods,
25 and practice teaching; (b) the second phase is the person's
26 assignment to a full-time teaching position for one school

 

 

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1 year; and (c) the third phase is a comprehensive assessment of
2 the person's teaching performance by school officials and the
3 partnership participants and a recommendation by the partner
4 institution of higher education to the State Board of Education
5 that the person be issued a standard alternative teaching
6 certificate. Successful completion of the Alternative Teacher
7 Certification program shall be deemed to satisfy any other
8 practice or student teaching and subject matter requirements
9 established by law.
10     A provisional alternative teaching certificate, valid for
11 one year of teaching in the common schools and not renewable,
12 shall be issued under this Section 21-5b to persons who at the
13 time of applying for the provisional alternative teaching
14 certificate under this Section:
15         (1) have graduated from an accredited college or
16     university with a bachelor's degree;
17         (2) have successfully completed the first phase of the
18     Alternative Teacher Certification program as provided in
19     this Section;
20         (3) have passed the tests of basic skills and subject
21     matter knowledge required by Section 21-1a; and
22         (4) (i) have been employed for a period of at least 5
23     years in an area requiring application of the individual's
24     education or (ii) have attained at least a cumulative grade
25     average of a "B" if the individual is assigned either to a
26     school district that has not met the annual measurable

 

 

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1     objective for highly qualified teachers required by the
2     Illinois Revised Highly Qualified Teachers (HQT) Plan or to
3     a school district whose data filed with the State Board of
4     Education indicates that the district's poor and minority
5     students are taught by teachers who are not highly
6     qualified at a higher rate than other students; however,
7     this item (4) requirement does not apply with respect to a
8     provisional alternative teaching certificate for teaching
9     in schools situated in a school district that is located in
10     a city having a population in excess of 500,000
11     inhabitants. Assignment may be made under clause (ii) of
12     this item (4) only if the district superintendent and the
13     exclusive bargaining representative of the district's
14     teachers, if any, jointly agree to permit the assignment.
15     A person possessing a provisional alternative certificate
16 under this Section shall be treated as a regularly certified
17 teacher for purposes of compensation, benefits, and other terms
18 and conditions of employment afforded teachers in the school
19 who are members of a bargaining unit represented by an
20 exclusive bargaining representative, if any.
21     Until February 15, 2000, a standard alternative teaching
22 certificate, valid for 4 years for teaching in the schools and
23 renewable as provided in Section 21-14, shall be issued under
24 this Section 21-5b to persons who first complete the
25 requirements for the provisional alternative teaching
26 certificate and who at the time of applying for a standard

 

 

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1 alternative teaching certificate under this Section have
2 successfully completed the second and third phases of the
3 Alternative Teacher Certification program as provided in this
4 Section. Alternatively, beginning February 15, 2000, at the end
5 of the 4-year validity period, persons who were issued a
6 standard alternative teaching certificate shall be eligible,
7 on the same basis as holders of an Initial Teaching Certificate
8 issued under subsection (b) of Section 21-2 of this Code, to
9 apply for a Standard Teaching Certificate, provided they meet
10 the requirements of subsection (c) of Section 21-2 of this Code
11 and further provided that a person who does not apply for and
12 receive a Standard Teaching Certificate shall be able to teach
13 only in schools situated in a school district that is located
14 in a city having a population in excess of 500,000 inhabitants.
15     Beginning February 15, 2000, persons who have completed the
16 requirements for a standard alternative teaching certificate
17 under this Section shall be issued an Initial Alternative
18 Teaching Certificate valid for 4 years of teaching and not
19 renewable. At the end of the 4-year validity period, these
20 persons shall be eligible, on the same basis as holders of an
21 Initial Teaching Certificate issued under subsection (b) of
22 Section 21-2 of this Code, to apply for a Standard Teaching
23 Certificate, provided they meet the requirements of subsection
24 (c) of Section 21-2.
25     This alternative certification program shall be
26 implemented so that the first provisional alternative teaching

 

 

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1 certificates issued under this Section are effective upon the
2 commencement of the 1997-1998 academic year and the first
3 standard alternative teaching certificates issued under this
4 Section are effective upon the commencement of the 1998-1999
5 academic year.
6     The State Board of Education, in cooperation with the
7 partnership establishing the Alternative Teacher Certification
8 program, shall adopt rules and regulations that are consistent
9 with this Section and that the State Board of Education deems
10 necessary to establish and implement the program.
11 (Source: P.A. 91-609, eff. 1-1-00.)
 
12     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
13 becoming law.".