Sen. Deanna Demuzio

Filed: 5/17/2009

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 2675

2     AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 2675, AS AMENDED, by
3 replacing everything after the enacting clause with the
4 following:
 
5     "Section 5. The School Code is amended by adding Section
6 18-12.5 and by changing Sections 21-1a and 21-10 as follows:
 
7     (105 ILCS 5/18-12.5 new)
8     Sec. 18-12.5. State aid claims during health emergencies.
9 After consultation with a local health department, if a school
10 district closes one or more recognized school buildings, but
11 not all buildings, during a public health emergency, as
12 determined by the State Board of Education in consultation with
13 the Illinois Department of Public Health, the district may
14 claim a full day of attendance for those days based on the
15 average of the 3 school days of attendance immediately
16 preceding the closure of the school building. Attendance for

 

 

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1 those days may be claimed only if the school building was
2 scheduled to be in operation on those days. The partial or no
3 day of attendance and the reasons thereof shall be certified,
4 as prescribed by the State Board of Education, within a month
5 after the closing by the school district superintendent to the
6 regional superintendent of schools for forwarding to the State
7 Superintendent of Education for approval.
8     This Section is applicable beginning April 1, 2009 and only
9 if a school district closes a building or buildings, but not
10 the entire district, which must be done in accordance with
11 Section 18-12 of this Code.
 
12     (105 ILCS 5/21-1a)  (from Ch. 122, par. 21-1a)
13     Sec. 21-1a. Tests required for certification and teacher
14 preparation.
15     (a) After July 1, 1988, in addition to all other
16 requirements, early childhood, elementary, special, high
17 school, school service personnel, or, except as provided in
18 Section 34-6, administrative certificates shall be issued to
19 persons who have satisfactorily passed a test of basic skills,
20 an assessment of professional teaching, and a test of subject
21 matter knowledge, provided that a person who passed another
22 state's test of basic skills as a condition of certification or
23 of admission to a teacher preparation program shall not be
24 required to pass this State's test of basic skills and subject
25 matter knowledge. A person who holds a valid and comparable

 

 

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1 out-of-state certificate, however, is not required to take a
2 test of basic skills and is not required to take a test of
3 subject matter knowledge, provided that the person has
4 successfully passed a test of subject matter knowledge in
5 another state or territory of the United States that is
6 directly related in content to the specific subject area of
7 certification. The tests of basic skills and subject matter
8 knowledge shall be the tests which from time to time are
9 designated by the State Board of Education in consultation with
10 the State Teacher Certification Board and may be tests prepared
11 by an educational testing organization or tests designed by the
12 State Board of Education in consultation with the State Teacher
13 Certification Board. The areas to be covered by the test of
14 basic skills shall include the basic skills of reading,
15 writing, grammar and mathematics. The test of subject matter
16 knowledge shall assess content knowledge in the specific
17 subject field. The tests shall be designed to be racially
18 neutral to assure that no person in taking the tests is thereby
19 discriminated against on the basis of race, color, national
20 origin or other factors unrelated to the person's ability to
21 perform as a certificated employee. The score required to pass
22 the tests of basic skills and subject matter knowledge shall be
23 fixed by the State Board of Education in consultation with the
24 State Teacher Certification Board. The tests shall be held not
25 fewer than 3 times a year at such time and place as may be
26 designated by the State Board of Education in consultation with

 

 

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1 the State Teacher Certification Board.
2     (b) Except as provided in Section 34-6, the provisions of
3 subsection (a) of this Section shall apply equally in any
4 school district subject to Article 34, provided that the State
5 Board of Education shall determine which certificates issued
6 under Sections 34-8.1 and 34-83 prior to July 1, 1988 are
7 comparable to any early childhood certificate, elementary
8 school certificate, special certificate, high school
9 certificate, school service personnel certificate or
10 administrative certificate issued under this Article as of July
11 1, 1988.
12     (c) A person who holds an early childhood, elementary,
13 special, high school or school service personnel certificate
14 issued under this Article on or at any time before July 1,
15 1988, including a person who has been issued any such
16 certificate pursuant to Section 21-11.1 or in exchange for a
17 comparable certificate theretofore issued under Section 34-8.1
18 or Section 34-83, shall not be required to take or pass the
19 tests in order to thereafter have such certificate renewed.
20     (d) The State Board of Education in consultation with the
21 State Teacher Certification Board shall conduct a pilot
22 administration of the tests by administering the test to
23 students completing teacher education programs in the 1986-87
24 school year for the purpose of determining the effect and
25 impact of testing candidates for certification.
26     Beginning with the 2002-2003 academic year, a student may

 

 

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1 not enroll in a teacher preparation program at a recognized
2 teacher training institution until he or she has passed the
3 basic skills test.
4     Beginning on the effective date of this amendatory Act of
5 the 94th General Assembly, prior to completing an approved
6 teacher preparation program, a preservice education candidate
7 must satisfactorily pass the test of subject matter knowledge
8 in the discipline in which he or she will be certified to
9 teach. The teacher preparation program may require passage of
10 the test of subject matter knowledge at any time during the
11 program, including prior to student teaching.
12     (e) The rules and regulations developed to implement the
13 required test of basic skills and subject matter knowledge
14 shall include the requirements of subsections (a), (b), and (c)
15 and shall include specific regulations to govern test
16 selection; test validation and determination of a passing
17 score; administration of the tests; frequency of
18 administration; applicant fees; frequency of applicants'
19 taking the tests; the years for which a score is valid; and,
20 waiving certain additional tests for additional certificates
21 to individuals who have satisfactorily passed the test of basic
22 skills and subject matter knowledge as required in subsection
23 (a). The State Board of Education shall provide, by rule,
24 specific policies that assure uniformity in the difficulty
25 level of each form of the basic skills test and each subject
26 matter knowledge test from test-to-test and year-to-year. The

 

 

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1 State Board of Education shall also set a passing score for the
2 tests.
3     (f) The State Teacher Certification Board may issue a
4 nonrenewable temporary certificate between July 1, 1988 and
5 August 31, 1988 to individuals who have taken the tests of
6 basic skills and subject matter knowledge prescribed by this
7 Section but have not received such test scores by August 31,
8 1988. Such temporary certificates shall expire on December 31,
9 1988.
10     (g) Beginning February 15, 2000, the State Board of
11 Education, in consultation with the State Teacher
12 Certification Board, shall implement and administer a new
13 system of certification for teachers in the State of Illinois.
14 The State Board of Education, in consultation with the State
15 Teacher Certification Board, shall design and implement a
16 system of examinations and various other criteria which shall
17 be required prior to the issuance of Initial Teaching
18 Certificates and Standard Teaching Certificates. These
19 examinations and indicators shall be based on national and
20 State professional teaching standards, as determined by the
21 State Board of Education, in consultation with the State
22 Teacher Certification Board. The State Board of Education may
23 adopt any and all regulations necessary to implement and
24 administer this Section.
25     (h) The State Board of Education shall report to the
26 Illinois General Assembly and the Governor with

 

 

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1 recommendations for further changes and improvements to the
2 teacher certification system no later than July 1, 1999 and on
3 an annual basis until July 1, 2001.
4 (Source: P.A. 93-679, eff. 6-30-04; 94-208, eff. 7-14-05.)
 
5     (105 ILCS 5/21-10)  (from Ch. 122, par. 21-10)
6     Sec. 21-10. Provisional certificate.
7     (A) Until July 1, 1972, the State Teacher Certification
8 Board may issue a provisional certificate valid for teaching in
9 elementary, high school or special subject fields subject to
10 the following conditions:
11     A provisional certificate may be issued to a person who
12 presents certified evidence of having earned a bachelor's
13 degree from a recognized institution of higher learning. The
14 academic and professional courses offered as a basis of the
15 provisional certificate shall be courses approved by the State
16 Board of Education in consultation with the State Teacher
17 Certification Board.
18     A certificate earned under this plan may be renewed at the
19 end of each two-year period upon evidence filed with the State
20 Teacher Certification Board that the holder has earned 8
21 semester hours of credit within the period; provided the
22 requirements for the certificate of the same type issued for
23 the teaching position for which the teacher is employed shall
24 be met by the end of the second renewal period. A second
25 provisional certificate shall not be issued. The credits so

 

 

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1 earned must be approved by the State Board of Education in
2 consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board and
3 must meet the general pattern for a similar type of certificate
4 issued on the basis of credit. No more than 4 semester hours
5 shall be chosen from elective subjects.
6     (B) After July 1, 1972, the State Teacher Certification
7 Board may issue a provisional certificate valid for teaching in
8 early childhood, elementary, high school or special subject
9 fields, or for providing service as school service personnel or
10 for administering schools subject to the following conditions:
11 A provisional certificate may be issued to a person who meets
12 the requirements for a regular teaching, school service
13 personnel or administrative certificate in another State and
14 who presents certified evidence of having earned a bachelor's
15 degree from a recognized institution of higher learning. The
16 academic and professional courses offered as a basis of the
17 provisional certificate shall be courses approved by the State
18 Board of Education in consultation with the State Teacher
19 Certification Board. A certificate earned under this plan is
20 valid for a period of 2 years and shall not be renewed;
21 however, the individual to whom this certificate is issued
22 shall have passed or shall pass the examinations set forth by
23 the State Board of Education within 9 months of the date of
24 issuance of the provisional certificate. Failure to pass the
25 tests, required in Section 21-1a, shall result in the
26 cancellation of the provisional certificate.

 

 

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1     (C) The State Teacher Certification Board may also issue a
2 provisional vocational certificate and a temporary provisional
3 vocational certificate.
4         (1) The requirements for a provisional vocational
5     certificate shall be determined by the State Board of
6     Education in consultation with the State Teacher
7     Certification Board; provided, the following minimum
8     requirements are met: (a) after July 1, 1972, at least 30
9     semester hours of credit from a recognized institution of
10     higher learning; and (b) after July 1, 1974, at least 60
11     semester hours of credit from a recognized institution of
12     higher learning.
13         (2) The requirements for a temporary provisional
14     vocational certificate shall be determined by the State
15     Board of Education in consultation with the State Teacher
16     Certification Board; provided, the following minimum
17     requirements are met: (a) after July 1, 1973, at least
18     4,000 hours of work experience in the skill to be certified
19     for teaching; and (b) after July 1, 1975, at least 8,000
20     hours of work experience in the skill to be certified for
21     teaching. Any certificate issued under the provisions of
22     this paragraph shall expire on June 30 following the date
23     of issue. Renewals may be granted on a yearly basis, but
24     shall not be granted to any person who does not file with
25     the State Teacher Certification Board a transcript showing
26     at least 3 semester hours of credit earned during the

 

 

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1     previous year in a recognized institution of learning. No
2     such certificate shall be issued except upon certification
3     by the employing board, subject to the approval of the
4     regional superintendent of schools, that no qualified
5     teacher holding a regular certificate or a provisional
6     vocational certificate is available and that actual
7     circumstances and need require such issuance.
8     The courses or work experience offered as a basis for the
9 issuance of the provisional vocational certificate or the
10 temporary provisional vocational certificate shall be approved
11 by the State Board of Education in consultation with the State
12 Teacher Certification Board.
13     (D) Until July 1, 1972, the State Teacher Certification
14 Board may also issue a provisional foreign language certificate
15 valid for 4 years for teaching the foreign language named
16 therein in all grades of the common schools and shall be issued
17 to persons who have graduated from a recognized institution of
18 higher learning with not fewer than 120 semester hours of
19 credit and who have met other requirements as determined by the
20 State Board of Education in consultation with the State Teacher
21 Certification Board. If the holder of a provisional foreign
22 language certificate is not a citizen of the United States
23 within 6 years of the date of issuance of the original
24 certificate, such certificate shall be suspended by the
25 regional superintendent of schools of the region in which the
26 holder is engaged to teach and shall not be reinstated until

 

 

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1 the holder is a citizen of the United States.
2     (E) Notwithstanding anything in this Act to the contrary,
3 the State Teacher Certification Board shall issue part-time
4 provisional certificates to eligible individuals who are
5 professionals and craftsmen.
6     The requirements for a part-time provisional teachers
7 certificate shall be determined by the State Board of Education
8 in consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board,
9 provided the following minimum requirements are met: 60
10 semester hours of credit from a recognized institution of
11 higher learning or 4000 hours of work experience in the skill
12 to be certified for teaching.
13     A part-time provisional certificate may be issued for
14 teaching no more than 2 courses of study for grades 6 through
15 12.
16     A part-time provisional teachers certificate shall be
17 valid for 2 years and may be renewed at the end of each 2 year
18 period.
19 (Source: P.A. 90-548, eff. 1-1-98; 91-357, eff. 7-29-99.)
 
20     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1,
21 2009.".