HB3477 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

  
  

 


 
99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2015 and 2016
HB3477

 

Introduced , by Rep. Rita Mayfield

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
105 ILCS 5/21B-20

    Amends the School Code. Allows a school district to employ a substitute teacher for no longer than 30 instructional (instead of calendar) days if there is no licensed teacher under contract because of an emergency situation. Provides that a district in an emergency situation may employ as a substitute teacher an educator who holds a Professional Educator License or Educator License with Stipulations that is endorsed for the grade level of instruction for up to 120 days if the district notifies the appropriate regional office of education within 5 business days after the employment of the educator in the emergency situation. Provides that if an emergency situation exists for more than 30 instructional days, then the district shall recertify to the regional office of education that an emergency situation continues to exist and such recertification shall occur in 30-calendar-day increments, provided that no one teacher may be employed for more than a 120-instructional-day period in such an emergency situation. Effective July 1, 2015.


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A BILL FOR

 

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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 Section
521B-20 as follows:
 
6    (105 ILCS 5/21B-20)
7    Sec. 21B-20. Types of licenses. Before July 1, 2013, the
8State Board of Education shall implement a system of educator
9licensure, whereby individuals employed in school districts
10who are required to be licensed must have one of the following
11licenses: (i) a professional educator license; (ii) a
12professional educator license with stipulations; or (iii) a
13substitute teaching license. References in law regarding
14individuals certified or certificated or required to be
15certified or certificated under Article 21 of this Code shall
16also include individuals licensed or required to be licensed
17under this Article. The first year of all licenses ends on June
1830 following one full year of the license being issued.
19    The State Board of Education, in consultation with the
20State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, may adopt such
21rules as may be necessary to govern the requirements for
22licenses and endorsements under this Section.
23        (1) Professional Educator License. Persons who (i)

 

 

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1    have successfully completed an approved educator
2    preparation program and are recommended for licensure by
3    the Illinois institution offering the educator preparation
4    program, (ii) have successfully completed the required
5    testing under Section 21B-30 of this Code, (iii) have
6    successfully completed coursework on the psychology of,
7    the identification of, and the methods of instruction for
8    the exceptional child, including without limitation the
9    learning disabled, (iv) have successfully completed
10    coursework in methods of reading and reading in the content
11    area, and (v) have met all other criteria established by
12    rule of the State Board of Education shall be issued a
13    Professional Educator License. All Professional Educator
14    Licenses are valid until June 30 immediately following 5
15    years of the license being issued. The Professional
16    Educator License shall be endorsed with specific areas and
17    grade levels in which the individual is eligible to
18    practice.
19        Individuals can receive subsequent endorsements on the
20    Professional Educator License. Subsequent endorsements
21    shall require a minimum of 24 semester hours of coursework
22    in the endorsement area, unless otherwise specified by
23    rule, and passage of the applicable content area test.
24        (2) Educator License with Stipulations. An Educator
25    License with Stipulations shall be issued an endorsement
26    that limits the license holder to one particular position

 

 

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1    or does not require completion of an approved educator
2    program or both.
3        An individual with an Educator License with
4    Stipulations must not be employed by a school district or
5    any other entity to replace any presently employed teacher
6    who otherwise would not be replaced for any reason.
7        An Educator License with Stipulations may be issued
8    with the following endorsements:
9            (A) Provisional educator. A provisional educator
10        endorsement in a specific content area or areas on an
11        Educator License with Stipulations may be issued to an
12        applicant who holds an educator license with a minimum
13        of 15 semester hours in content coursework from another
14        state, U.S. territory, or foreign country and who, at
15        the time of applying for an Illinois license, does not
16        meet the minimum requirements under Section 21B-35 of
17        this Code, but does, at a minimum, meet both of the
18        following requirements:
19                (i) Holds the equivalent of a minimum of a
20            bachelor's degree, unless a master's degree is
21            required for the endorsement, from a regionally
22            accredited college or university or, for
23            individuals educated in a country other than the
24            United States, the equivalent of a minimum of a
25            bachelor's degree issued in the United States,
26            unless a master's degree is required for the

 

 

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1            endorsement.
2                (ii) Has passed a test of basic skills and
3            content area test, as required by Section 21B-30 of
4            this Code.
5        However, a provisional educator endorsement for
6        principals may not be issued, nor may any person with a
7        provisional educator endorsement serve as a principal
8        in a public school in this State. In addition,
9        out-of-state applicants shall not receive a
10        provisional educator endorsement if the person
11        completed an alternative licensure program in another
12        state, unless the program has been determined to be
13        equivalent to Illinois program requirements.
14            Notwithstanding any other requirements of this
15        Section, a service member or spouse of a service member
16        may obtain a Professional Educator License with
17        Stipulations, and a provisional educator endorsement
18        in a specific content area or areas, if he or she holds
19        a valid teaching certificate or license in good
20        standing from another state, meets the qualifications
21        of educators outlined in Section 21B-15 of this Code,
22        and has not engaged in any misconduct that would
23        prohibit an individual from obtaining a license
24        pursuant to Illinois law, including without limitation
25        any administrative rules of the State Board of
26        Education; however, the service member or spouse may

 

 

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1        not serve as a principal under the Professional
2        Educator License with Stipulations or provisional
3        educator endorsement.
4            In this Section, "service member" means any person
5        who, at the time of application under this Section, is
6        an active duty member of the United States Armed Forces
7        or any reserve component of the United States Armed
8        Forces or the National Guard of any state,
9        commonwealth, or territory of the United States or the
10        District of Columbia.
11            A provisional educator endorsement is valid until
12        June 30 immediately following 2 years of the license
13        being issued, during which time any remaining testing
14        and coursework deficiencies must be met. Failure to
15        satisfy all stated deficiencies shall mean the
16        individual, including any service member or spouse who
17        has obtained a Professional Educator License with
18        Stipulations and a provisional educator endorsement in
19        a specific content area or areas, is ineligible to
20        receive a Professional Educator License at that time. A
21        provisional educator endorsement on an Educator
22        License with Stipulations shall not be renewed.
23            (B) Alternative provisional educator. An
24        alternative provisional educator endorsement on an
25        Educator License with Stipulations may be issued to an
26        applicant who, at the time of applying for the

 

 

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1        endorsement, has done all of the following:
2                (i) Graduated from a regionally accredited
3            college or university with a minimum of a
4            bachelor's degree.
5                (ii) Successfully completed the first phase of
6            the Alternative Educator Licensure Program for
7            Teachers, as described in Section 21B-50 of this
8            Code.
9                (iii) Passed a test of basic skills and content
10            area test, as required under Section 21B-30 of this
11            Code.
12            The alternative provisional educator endorsement
13        is valid for 2 years of teaching and may be renewed for
14        a third year by an individual meeting the requirements
15        set forth in Section 21B-50 of this Code.
16            (C) Alternative provisional superintendent. An
17        alternative provisional superintendent endorsement on
18        an Educator License with Stipulations entitles the
19        holder to serve only as a superintendent or assistant
20        superintendent in a school district's central office.
21        This endorsement may only be issued to an applicant
22        who, at the time of applying for the endorsement, has
23        done all of the following:
24                (i) Graduated from a regionally accredited
25            college or university with a minimum of a master's
26            degree in a management field other than education.

 

 

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1                (ii) Been employed for a period of at least 5
2            years in a management level position in a field
3            other than education.
4                (iii) Successfully completed the first phase
5            of an alternative route to superintendent
6            endorsement program, as provided in Section 21B-55
7            of this Code.
8                (iv) Passed a test of basic skills and content
9            area tests required under Section 21B-30 of this
10            Code.
11            The endorsement may be registered for 2 fiscal
12        years in order to complete one full year of serving as
13        a superintendent or assistant superintendent.
14            (D) Resident teacher endorsement. A resident
15        teacher endorsement on an Educator License with
16        Stipulations may be issued to an applicant who, at the
17        time of applying for the endorsement, has done all of
18        the following:
19                (i) Graduated from a regionally accredited
20            institution of higher education with a minimum of a
21            bachelor's degree.
22                (ii) Enrolled in an approved Illinois educator
23            preparation program.
24                (iii) Passed a test of basic skills and content
25            area test, as required under Section 21B-30 of this
26            Code.

 

 

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1            The resident teacher endorsement on an Educator
2        License with Stipulations is valid for 4 years of
3        teaching and shall not be renewed.
4            A resident teacher may teach only under the
5        direction of a licensed teacher, who shall act as the
6        resident mentor teacher, and may not teach in place of
7        a licensed teacher. A resident teacher endorsement on
8        an Educator License with Stipulations shall no longer
9        be valid after June 30, 2017.
10            (E) Career and technical educator. A career and
11        technical educator endorsement on an Educator License
12        with Stipulations may be issued to an applicant who has
13        a minimum of 60 semester hours of coursework from a
14        regionally accredited institution of higher education
15        and has a minimum of 2,000 hours of experience in the
16        last 10 years outside of education in each area to be
17        taught.
18            The career and technical educator endorsement on
19        an Educator License with Stipulations is valid until
20        June 30 immediately following 5 years of the
21        endorsement being issued and may be renewed if the
22        individual passes a test of basic skills, as required
23        under Section 21B-30 of this Code.
24            (F) Part-time provisional career and technical
25        educator or provisional career and technical educator.
26        A part-time provisional career and technical educator

 

 

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1        endorsement or a provisional career and technical
2        educator endorsement on an Educator License with
3        Stipulations may be issued to an applicant who has a
4        minimum of 8,000 hours of work experience in the skill
5        for which the applicant is seeking the endorsement. It
6        is the responsibility of each employing school board
7        and regional office of education to provide
8        verification, in writing, to the State Superintendent
9        of Education at the time the application is submitted
10        that no qualified teacher holding a Professional
11        Educator License or an Educator License with
12        Stipulations with a career and technical educator
13        endorsement is available and that actual circumstances
14        require such issuance.
15            The provisional career and technical educator
16        endorsement on an Educator License with Stipulations
17        is valid until June 30 immediately following 5 years of
18        the endorsement being issued and may be renewed only
19        one time for 5 years if the individual passes a test of
20        basic skills, as required under Section 21B-30 of this
21        Code, and has completed a minimum of 20 semester hours
22        from a regionally accredited institution.
23            A part-time provisional career and technical
24        educator endorsement on an Educator License with
25        Stipulations may be issued for teaching no more than 2
26        courses of study for grades 6 through 12. The part-time

 

 

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1        provisional career and technical educator endorsement
2        on an Educator License with Stipulations is valid until
3        June 30 immediately following 5 years of the
4        endorsement being issued and may be renewed for 5 years
5        if the individual makes application for renewal.
6            (G) Transitional bilingual educator. A
7        transitional bilingual educator endorsement on an
8        Educator License with Stipulations may be issued for
9        the purpose of providing instruction in accordance
10        with Article 14C of this Code to an applicant who
11        provides satisfactory evidence that he or she meets all
12        of the following requirements:
13                (i) Possesses adequate speaking, reading, and
14            writing ability in the language other than English
15            in which transitional bilingual education is
16            offered.
17                (ii) Has the ability to successfully
18            communicate in English.
19                (iii) Either possessed, within 5 years
20            previous to his or her applying for a transitional
21            bilingual educator endorsement, a valid and
22            comparable teaching certificate or comparable
23            authorization issued by a foreign country or holds
24            a degree from an institution of higher learning in
25            a foreign country that the State Educator
26            Preparation and Licensure Board determines to be

 

 

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1            the equivalent of a bachelor's degree from a
2            regionally accredited institution of higher
3            learning in the United States.
4            A transitional bilingual educator endorsement
5        shall be valid for prekindergarten through grade 12, is
6        valid until June 30 immediately following 5 years of
7        the endorsement being issued, and shall not be renewed.
8            Persons holding a transitional bilingual educator
9        endorsement shall not be employed to replace any
10        presently employed teacher who otherwise would not be
11        replaced for any reason.
12            (H) Language endorsement. In an effort to
13        alleviate the shortage of teachers speaking a language
14        other than English in the public schools, an individual
15        who holds an Educator License with Stipulations may
16        also apply for a language endorsement, provided that
17        the applicant provides satisfactory evidence that he
18        or she meets all of the following requirements:
19                (i) Holds a transitional bilingual
20            endorsement.
21                (ii) Has demonstrated proficiency in the
22            language for which the endorsement is to be issued
23            by passing the applicable language content test
24            required by the State Board of Education.
25                (iii) Holds a bachelor's degree or higher from
26            a regionally accredited institution of higher

 

 

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1            education or, for individuals educated in a
2            country other than the United States, holds a
3            degree from an institution of higher learning in a
4            foreign country that the State Educator
5            Preparation and Licensure Board determines to be
6            the equivalent of a bachelor's degree from a
7            regionally accredited institution of higher
8            learning in the United States.
9                (iv) Has passed a test of basic skills, as
10            required under Section 21B-30 of this Code.
11            A language endorsement on an Educator License with
12        Stipulations is valid for prekindergarten through
13        grade 12 for the same validity period as the
14        individual's transitional bilingual educator
15        endorsement on the Educator License with Stipulations
16        and shall not be renewed.
17            (I) Visiting international educator. A visiting
18        international educator endorsement on an Educator
19        License with Stipulations may be issued to an
20        individual who is being recruited by a particular
21        school district that conducts formal recruitment
22        programs outside of the United States to secure the
23        services of qualified teachers and who meets all of the
24        following requirements:
25                (i) Holds the equivalent of a minimum of a
26            bachelor's degree issued in the United States.

 

 

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1                (ii) Has been prepared as a teacher at the
2            grade level for which he or she will be employed.
3                (iii) Has adequate content knowledge in the
4            subject to be taught.
5                (iv) Has an adequate command of the English
6            language.
7            A holder of a visiting international educator
8        endorsement on an Educator License with Stipulations
9        shall be permitted to teach in bilingual education
10        programs in the language that was the medium of
11        instruction in his or her teacher preparation program,
12        provided that he or she passes the English Language
13        Proficiency Examination or another test of writing
14        skills in English identified by the State Board of
15        Education, in consultation with the State Educator
16        Preparation and Licensure Board.
17            A visiting international educator endorsement on
18        an Educator License with Stipulations is valid for 3
19        years and shall not be renewed.
20            (J) Paraprofessional educator. A paraprofessional
21        educator endorsement on an Educator License with
22        Stipulations may be issued to an applicant who holds a
23        high school diploma or its recognized equivalent and
24        either holds an associate's degree or a minimum of 60
25        semester hours of credit from a regionally accredited
26        institution of higher education or has passed a test of

 

 

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1        basic skills required under Section 21B-30 of this
2        Code. The paraprofessional educator endorsement is
3        valid until June 30 immediately following 5 years of
4        the endorsement being issued and may be renewed through
5        application and payment of the appropriate fee, as
6        required under Section 21B-40 of this Code. An
7        individual who holds only a paraprofessional educator
8        endorsement is not subject to additional requirements
9        in order to renew the endorsement.
10        (3) Substitute Teaching License. A Substitute Teaching
11    License may be issued to qualified applicants for
12    substitute teaching in all grades of the public schools,
13    prekindergarten through grade 12. Substitute Teaching
14    Licenses are not eligible for endorsements. Applicants for
15    a Substitute Teaching License must hold a bachelor's degree
16    or higher from a regionally accredited institution of
17    higher education.
18        Substitute Teaching Licenses are valid for 5 years and
19    may be renewed if the individual has passed a test of basic
20    skills, as authorized under Section 21B-30 of this Code. An
21    individual who has passed a test of basic skills for the
22    first licensure renewal is not required to retake the test
23    again for further renewals.
24        Substitute Teaching Licenses are valid for substitute
25    teaching in every county of this State. If an individual
26    has had his or her Professional Educator License or

 

 

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1    Educator License with Stipulations suspended or revoked or
2    has not met the renewal requirements for licensure, then
3    that individual is not eligible to obtain a Substitute
4    Teaching License.
5        A substitute teacher may only teach in the place of a
6    licensed teacher who is under contract with the employing
7    board. If, however, there is no licensed teacher under
8    contract because of an emergency situation, then a district
9    may employ a substitute teacher for no longer than 30
10    instructional calendar days per each vacant position in the
11    district if the district notifies the appropriate regional
12    office of education within 5 business days after the
13    employment of the substitute teacher in the emergency
14    situation. A district in an emergency situation may employ
15    as a substitute teacher an educator who holds a
16    Professional Educator License or Educator License with
17    Stipulations that is endorsed for the grade level of
18    instruction for up to 120 days if the district notifies the
19    appropriate regional office of education within 5 business
20    days after the employment of the educator in the emergency
21    situation. If an emergency situation exists for more than
22    30 instructional days, then the district shall recertify to
23    the regional office of education that an emergency
24    situation continues to exist and such recertification
25    shall occur in 30-calendar-day increments, provided that
26    no one teacher may be employed for more than a

 

 

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1    120-instructional-day period in such an emergency
2    situation. An emergency situation is one in which an
3    unforeseen vacancy has occurred and (i) a teacher is unable
4    to fulfill his or her contractual duties or (ii) teacher
5    capacity needs of the district exceed previous
6    indications, and the district is actively engaged in
7    advertising to hire a fully licensed teacher for the vacant
8    position.
9        There is no limit on the number of days that a
10    substitute teacher may teach in a single school district,
11    provided that no substitute teacher may teach for longer
12    than 90 school days for any one licensed teacher under
13    contract in the same school year. A substitute teacher who
14    holds a Professional Educator License or Educator License
15    with Stipulations shall not teach for more than 120 school
16    days for any one licensed teacher under contract in the
17    same school year. The limitations in this paragraph (3) on
18    the number of days a substitute teacher may be employed do
19    not apply to any school district operating under Article 34
20    of this Code.
21(Source: P.A. 97-607, eff. 8-26-11; 97-710, eff. 1-1-13; 98-28,
22eff. 7-1-13; 98-751, eff. 1-1-15.)
 
23    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1,
242015.