Full Text of HB1215 103rd General Assembly
HB1215 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
| | 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 | |
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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.
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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,
| 3 | | represented in the General Assembly:
| 4 | | Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Sections | 5 | | 21B-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 | 11 | | either is currently serving or has formerly served as a law | 12 | | enforcement officer, a firefighter, or emergency medical | 13 | | services personnel as defined in Section 3.5 of the Emergency | 14 | | Medical Services (EMS) Systems Act. | 15 | | "Military personnel" means a person who is currently a | 16 | | member or who is a retired and honorably discharged member of | 17 | | the Armed Services or Reserve Forces of the United States or | 18 | | the Illinois National Guard. | 19 | | (b) The State Board of Education, in consultation with the | 20 | | State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, shall design | 21 | | and implement a system of examinations, which shall be | 22 | | required prior to the issuance of educator licenses. These | 23 | | examinations and indicators must be based on national and |
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| 1 | | State professional teaching standards, as determined by the | 2 | | State Board of Education, in consultation with the State | 3 | | Educator Preparation and Licensure Board. The State Board of | 4 | | Education may adopt such rules as may be necessary to | 5 | | implement and administer this Section. | 6 | | (c) (Blank). | 7 | | (c-5) The State Board must adopt rules to implement a | 8 | | paraprofessional competency test. This test would allow an | 9 | | applicant seeking an Educator License with Stipulations with a | 10 | | paraprofessional educator endorsement to obtain the | 11 | | endorsement if he or she passes the test and meets the other | 12 | | requirements of subparagraph (J) of paragraph (2) of Section | 13 | | 21B-20 other than the higher education requirements. | 14 | | (d) All applicants seeking a State license shall be | 15 | | required to pass a test of content area knowledge for each area | 16 | | of endorsement for which there is an applicable test. There | 17 | | shall be no exception to this requirement. No candidate shall | 18 | | be allowed to student teach or serve as the teacher of record | 19 | | until he or she has passed the applicable content area test. | 20 | | Subject to appropriation, any candidate who is considered | 21 | | either a former or active first responder or military | 22 | | personnel shall receive a refund for any costs associated with | 23 | | completing a test of content area knowledge under this | 24 | | subsection (d). | 25 | | (e) (Blank). | 26 | | (f) Except as otherwise provided in this Article, |
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| 1 | | beginning on September 1, 2015, all candidates completing | 2 | | teacher preparation programs in this State and all candidates | 3 | | subject to Section 21B-35 of this Code are required to pass a | 4 | | teacher performance assessment approved by the State Board of | 5 | | Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation | 6 | | and Licensure Board. A candidate may not be required to submit | 7 | | test materials by video submission. Subject to appropriation, | 8 | | an individual who holds a Professional Educator License and is | 9 | | employed for a minimum of one school year by a school district | 10 | | designated as Tier 1 under Section 18-8.15 may, after | 11 | | application to the State Board, receive from the State Board a | 12 | | refund for any costs associated with completing the teacher | 13 | | performance assessment under this subsection. Subject to | 14 | | appropriation, any candidate who is considered either a former | 15 | | or active first responder or military personnel shall receive | 16 | | a refund for any costs associated with completing the teacher | 17 | | performance assessment under this subsection (f). | 18 | | (g) The content area knowledge test and the teacher | 19 | | performance assessment shall be the tests that from time to | 20 | | time are designated by the State Board of Education, in | 21 | | consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure | 22 | | Board, and may be tests prepared by an educational testing | 23 | | organization or tests designed by the State Board of | 24 | | Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation | 25 | | and Licensure Board. The test of content area knowledge shall | 26 | | assess content knowledge in a specific subject field. The |
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| 1 | | tests must be designed to be racially neutral to ensure that no | 2 | | person taking the tests is discriminated against on the basis | 3 | | of race, color, national origin, or other factors unrelated to | 4 | | the person's ability to perform as a licensed employee. The | 5 | | score required to pass the tests shall be fixed by the State | 6 | | Board of Education, in consultation with the State Educator | 7 | | Preparation and Licensure Board. The tests shall be | 8 | | administered not fewer than 3 times a year at such time and | 9 | | place as may be designated by the State Board of Education, in | 10 | | consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure | 11 | | Board. | 12 | | The State Board shall implement a test or tests to assess | 13 | | the speaking, reading, writing, and grammar skills of | 14 | | applicants for an endorsement or a license issued under | 15 | | subdivision (G) of paragraph (2) of Section 21B-20 of this | 16 | | Code in the English language and in the language of the | 17 | | transitional bilingual education program requested by the | 18 | | applicant. | 19 | | (h) Except as provided in Section 34-6 of this Code, the | 20 | | provisions of this Section shall apply equally in any school | 21 | | district subject to Article 34 of this Code. | 22 | | (i) The rules developed to implement and enforce the | 23 | | testing requirements under this Section shall include without | 24 | | limitation provisions governing test selection, test | 25 | | validation and determination of a passing score, | 26 | | administration of the tests, frequency of administration, |
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| 1 | | applicant fees, frequency of applicants taking the tests, the | 2 | | years for which a score is valid, and appropriate special | 3 | | accommodations. The State Board of Education shall develop | 4 | | such rules as may be needed to ensure uniformity from year to | 5 | | year 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; | 7 | | 101-594, 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 | 11 | | established pursuant to this Article, the following fees shall | 12 | | be 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 |
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| 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 |
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| 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 | 26 | | personnel, as defined in Section 21B-30 of this Code, may be |
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| 1 | | charged 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) | 4 | | through (3) of subsection (a) of this Section shall be | 5 | | deposited into the Teacher Certificate Fee Revolving Fund and | 6 | | shall be used, subject to appropriation, by the State Board of | 7 | | Education to provide the technology and human resources | 8 | | necessary for the timely and efficient processing of | 9 | | applications and for the renewal of licenses. Funds available | 10 | | from the Teacher Certificate Fee Revolving Fund may also be | 11 | | used by the State Board of Education to support the | 12 | | recruitment and retention of educators, to support educator | 13 | | preparation programs as they seek national accreditation, and | 14 | | to provide professional development aligned with the | 15 | | requirements set forth in Section 21B-45 of this Code. A | 16 | | majority of the funds in the Teacher Certificate Fee Revolving | 17 | | Fund must be dedicated to the timely and efficient processing | 18 | | of applications and for the renewal of licenses. The Teacher | 19 | | Certificate Fee Revolving Fund is not subject to | 20 | | administrative charge transfers, authorized under Section 8h | 21 | | of the State Finance Act, from the Teacher Certificate Fee | 22 | | Revolving Fund into any other fund of this State, and moneys in | 23 | | the Teacher Certificate Fee Revolving Fund shall not revert | 24 | | back to the General Revenue Fund at any time. | 25 | | The regional superintendent of schools shall deposit the | 26 | | registration fees paid pursuant to subdivision (4) of |
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| 1 | | subsection (a) of this Section into the institute fund | 2 | | established pursuant to Section 3-11 of this Code. | 3 | | (c) The State Board of Education and each regional office | 4 | | of education are authorized to charge a service or convenience | 5 | | fee for the use of credit cards for the payment of license | 6 | | fees. This service or convenience fee shall not exceed the | 7 | | amount required by the credit card processing company or | 8 | | vendor that has entered into a contract with the State Board or | 9 | | regional office of education for this purpose, and the fee | 10 | | must be paid to that company or vendor. | 11 | | (d) If, at the time a certificate issued under Article 21 | 12 | | of this Code is exchanged for a license issued under this | 13 | | Article, a person has paid registration fees for any years of | 14 | | the validity period of the certificate and these years have | 15 | | not expired when the certificate is exchanged, then those fees | 16 | | must 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; | 18 | | 102-867, eff. 5-13-22.)
| 19 | | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, | 20 | | 2023.
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