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92_HB1026
LRB9207609NTsb
1 AN ACT concerning transitional bilingual education
2 teaching certificates.
3 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
4 represented in the General Assembly:
5 Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing
6 Sections 14C-8 and 21-2 as follows:
7 (105 ILCS 5/14C-8) (from Ch. 122, par. 14C-8)
8 Sec. 14C-8. Teacher certification - Qualifications -
9 Issuance of certificates. No person shall be eligible for
10 employment by a school district as a teacher of transitional
11 bilingual education without either (a) holding a valid
12 teaching certificate issued pursuant to Article 21 of this
13 Code and meeting such additional language and course
14 requirements as prescribed by the State Board of Education,
15 in consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board,
16 or (b) meeting the requirements set forth in this Section.
17 The State Board of Education, in consultation with the State
18 Teacher Certification Board, shall issue certificates valid
19 for teaching in all grades of the common school in
20 transitional bilingual education programs to any person who
21 presents it with satisfactory evidence that he possesses an
22 adequate speaking and reading ability in a language other
23 than English in which transitional bilingual education is
24 offered and communicative skills in English, and possessed
25 within 5 years previous to his or her applying for a
26 certificate under this Section a valid teaching certificate
27 issued by a foreign country, or by a State or possession or
28 territory of the United States, or other evidence of teaching
29 preparation as may be determined to be sufficient by the
30 State Board of Education, in consultation with the State
31 Teacher Certification Board, or holds a degree from an
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1 institution of higher learning in a foreign country which the
2 State Board of Education, in consultation with the State
3 Certification Board, determines to be the equivalent of a
4 bachelor's degree from a recognized institution of higher
5 learning in the United States; provided that any person
6 seeking a certificate under this Section must meet the
7 following additional requirements:
8 (1) Such persons must be in good health;
9 (2) Such persons must be of sound moral character;
10 (3) Such persons must be legally present in the United
11 States and possess legal authorization for employment;
12 (4) Such persons must not be employed to replace any
13 presently employed teacher who otherwise would not be
14 replaced for any reason.
15 Certificates issued issuable pursuant to this Section
16 shall be called transitional bilingual certificates. These
17 certificates are valid for 2 years and may not be renewed
18 more than 3 times for a period of 2 years each, after the
19 2nd, 4th, and 6th year of teaching. A transitional bilingual
20 certificate may not be renewed unless the holder successfully
21 completes a minimum of 9 semester hours of college or
22 university coursework in an approved education program
23 leading to eligibility for an Initial or Standard Teaching
24 Certificate, issued pursuant to Section 21-2 of this Code,
25 during each 2-year validity period of the transitional
26 bilingual certificate. All applications for renewal of a
27 transitional bilingual certificate shall be directed to the
28 State Board of Education and shall contain documentation that
29 the certificate holder has successfully completed the
30 required coursework. issuable only during the 5 years
31 immediately following the effective date of this Act and
32 thereafter for additional periods of one year only upon a
33 determination by the State Board of Education that a school
34 district lacks the number of teachers necessary to comply
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1 with the mandatory requirements of Sections 14C-2.1 and 14C-3
2 of this Article for the establishment and maintenance of
3 programs of transitional bilingual education and said
4 certificates issued by the Certification Board shall be valid
5 for a period of 6 years following their date of issuance and
6 shall not be renewed, except that one renewal for a period of
7 two years may be granted if necessary to permit the holder of
8 a certificate issued under this Section to acquire a teaching
9 certificate pursuant to Article 21 of this Code. Such
10 certificates and the persons to whom they are issued shall be
11 exempt from the provisions of Article 21 of this Code except
12 that Sections 21-12, 21-13, 21-16, 21-17, 21-19, 21-21,
13 21-22, 21-23 and 21-24 shall continue to be applicable to all
14 such certificates and certificate holders.
15 Each holder of a transitional bilingual certificate must
16 develop a plan for satisfying the renewal requirements every
17 2 years, if necessary, and must maintain records of
18 completion of required coursework to document his or her
19 progress. Each school district that employs a holder of a
20 transitional bilingual certificate must (i) review the
21 certificate holder's plan, (ii) monitor the certificate
22 holder's progress made annually, and (iii) retain the
23 documentation provided by the certificate holder. The school
24 district must certify to the State Board of Education that
25 the certificate holder has successfully completed the
26 required coursework. If exceptional circumstances exist, the
27 State Superintendent of Education may grant an additional
28 period of time to fulfill the renewal requirements for one
29 2-year period, as long as the maximum amount of time a
30 certificate is held is 8 years. Eligibility and application
31 for the additional period of time shall be determined in
32 accordance with rules established by the State Board of
33 Education, in consultation with the State Teacher
34 Certification Board. Each school district that employs a
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1 holder of a transitional bilingual certificate must provide
2 mentoring by an experienced teacher during the first 2 years
3 that the holder's certificate is valid.
4 An individual who completes 4 years of teaching after
5 receiving a transitional bilingual certificate issued and
6 renewed pursuant to this Section qualifies for a Standard
7 Teaching Certificate, provided that the individual satisfies
8 the requirements for a Standard Certificate established under
9 subsection (c) of Section 21-2 of this Code, including
10 successful completion of the Standard Teaching Certificate
11 Examination beginning July 1, 2003. An individual who so
12 qualifies for a Standard Teaching Certificate without receipt
13 of an Initial Teaching Certificate must successfully complete
14 the Initial Teaching Certification examination established
15 under subsection (b) of Section 21-2 of this Code. A
16 transitional bilingual certificate may not be renewed after
17 the 4th year of teaching unless the certificate holder
18 satisfactorily passes the test of basic skills established
19 under Section 21-1a of this Code before application for a
20 second renewal. After the effective date of this amendatory
21 Act of 1984, an additional renewal for a period to expire
22 August 31, 1985, may be granted. The State Board of Education
23 shall report to the General Assembly on or before January 31,
24 1985 its recommendations for the qualification of teachers of
25 bilingual education and for the qualification of teachers of
26 English as a second language. Said qualification program
27 shall take effect no later than August 31, 1985.
28 Beginning July 1, 2001, the State Board of Education
29 shall implement a test or tests to assess the speaking,
30 reading, writing, and grammar skills of applicants for a
31 certificate issued under this Section in the English language
32 and in the language of the transitional bilingual education
33 program requested by the applicant and shall establish
34 appropriate fees for these tests. The State Board of
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1 Education, in consultation with the Certification Board,
2 shall promulgate rules to implement the required tests,
3 including specific provisions to govern test selection, test
4 validation, determination of a passing score, administration
5 of the test or tests, frequency of administration, applicant
6 fees, identification requirements for test takers, frequency
7 of applicants taking the tests, the years for which a score
8 is valid, waiving tests for individuals who have
9 satisfactorily passed other tests, and the consequences of
10 dishonest conduct in the application for or taking of the
11 tests.
12 If the qualifications of an applicant for a certificate
13 valid for teaching in transitional bilingual education
14 programs in all grades of the common schools do not meet the
15 requirements established for the issuance of that
16 certificate, the Certification Board nevertheless shall issue
17 the applicant a substitute teacher's certificate under
18 Section 21-9 whenever it appears from the face of the
19 application submitted for certification as a teacher of
20 transitional bilingual education and the evidence presented
21 in support thereof that the applicant's qualifications meet
22 the requirements established for the issuance of a
23 certificate under Section 21-9; provided, that if it does not
24 appear from the face of such application and supporting
25 evidence that the applicant is qualified for issuance of a
26 certificate under Section 21-9 the Certification Board shall
27 evaluate the application with reference to the requirements
28 for issuance of certificates under Section 21-9 and shall
29 inform the applicant, at the time it denies the application
30 submitted for certification as a teacher of transitional
31 bilingual education, of the additional qualifications which
32 the applicant must possess in order to meet the requirements
33 established for issuance of (i) a certificate valid for
34 teaching in transitional bilingual education programs in all
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1 grades of the common schools and (ii) a substitute teacher's
2 certificate under Section 21-9.
3 (Source: P.A. 91-370, eff. 7-30-99.)
4 (105 ILCS 5/21-2) (from Ch. 122, par. 21-2)
5 Sec. 21-2. Grades of certificates.
6 (a) Until February 15, 2000, all certificates issued
7 under this Article shall be State certificates valid, except
8 as limited in Section 21-1, in every school district coming
9 under the provisions of this Act and shall be limited in time
10 and designated as follows: Provisional vocational
11 certificate, temporary provisional vocational certificate,
12 early childhood certificate, elementary school certificate,
13 special certificate, high school certificate, school service
14 personnel certificate, administrative certificate,
15 provisional certificate, and substitute certificate. The
16 requirement of student teaching under close and competent
17 supervision for obtaining a teaching certificate may be
18 waived by the State Teacher Certification Board upon
19 presentation to the Board by the teacher of evidence of 5
20 years successful teaching experience on a valid certificate
21 and graduation from a recognized institution of higher
22 learning with a bachelor's degree with not less than 120
23 semester hours and a minimum of 16 semester hours in
24 professional education.
25 (b) Initial Teaching Certificate. Beginning February
26 15, 2000, persons who (1) have completed an approved teacher
27 preparation program, (2) are recommended by an approved
28 teacher preparation program, (3) have successfully completed
29 the Initial Teaching Certification examinations required by
30 the State Board of Education, and (4) have met all other
31 criteria established by the State Board of Education in
32 consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board,
33 shall be issued an Initial Teaching Certificate valid for 4
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1 years of teaching, as defined in Section 21-14 of this Code.
2 Initial Teaching Certificates shall be issued for categories
3 corresponding to Early Childhood, Elementary, Secondary, and
4 Special K-12, with special certification designations for
5 Special Education, Bilingual Education, fundamental learning
6 areas (including Language Arts, Reading, Mathematics,
7 Science, Social Science, Physical Development and Health,
8 Fine Arts, and Foreign Language), and other areas designated
9 by the State Board of Education, in consultation with the
10 State Teacher Certification Board.
11 (c) Standard Certificate. Beginning February 15, 2000,
12 persons who (1) have completed 4 years of teaching, as
13 defined in Section 21-14 of this Code, with an Initial
14 Certificate or an Initial Alternative Teaching Certificate
15 and have met all other criteria established by the State
16 Board of Education in consultation with the State Teacher
17 Certification Board, (2) have completed 4 years of teaching
18 on a valid equivalent certificate in another State or
19 territory of the United States, have completed 4 years of
20 teaching on a valid certificate issued pursuant to Section
21 14C-8 of this Code, or have completed 4 years of teaching in
22 a nonpublic Illinois elementary or secondary school with an
23 Initial Certificate or an Initial Alternative Teaching
24 Certificate, and have met all other criteria established by
25 the State Board of Education, in consultation with the State
26 Teacher Certification Board, or (3) were issued teaching
27 certificates prior to February 15, 2000 and are renewing
28 those certificates after February 15, 2000, shall be issued a
29 Standard Certificate valid for 5 years, which may be renewed
30 thereafter every 5 years by the State Teacher Certification
31 Board based on proof of continuing education or professional
32 development. Beginning July 1, 2003, persons who have
33 completed 4 years of teaching, as described in clauses (1)
34 and (2) of this subsection (c), have successfully completed
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1 the Standard Teaching Certificate Examinations, and have met
2 all other criteria established by the State Board of
3 Education, in consultation with the State Teacher
4 Certification Board, shall be issued Standard Certificates.
5 Standard Certificates shall be issued for categories
6 corresponding to Early Childhood, Elementary, Secondary, and
7 Special K-12, with special certification designations for
8 Special Education, Bilingual Education, fundamental learning
9 areas (including Language Arts, Reading, Mathematics,
10 Science, Social Science, Physical Development and Health,
11 Fine Arts, and Foreign Language), and other areas designated
12 by the State Board of Education, in consultation with the
13 State Teacher Certification Board.
14 (d) Master Certificate. Beginning February 15, 2000,
15 persons who have successfully achieved National Board
16 certification through the National Board for Professional
17 Teaching Standards shall be issued a Master Certificate,
18 valid for 10 years and renewable thereafter every 10 years
19 through compliance with requirements set forth by the State
20 Board of Education, in consultation with the State Teacher
21 Certification Board. However, each teacher who holds a Master
22 Certificate shall be eligible for a teaching position in this
23 State in the areas for which he or she holds a Master
24 Certificate without satisfying any other requirements of this
25 Code, except for those requirements pertaining to criminal
26 background checks. A teacher who holds a Master Certificate
27 shall be deemed to meet State certification renewal
28 requirements in the area or areas for which he or she holds a
29 Master Certificate for the 10-year term of the teacher's
30 Master Certificate.
31 (Source: P.A. 90-548, eff. 1-1-98; 90-653, eff. 7-29-98;
32 90-811, eff. 1-26-99; 91-102, eff. 7-12-99; 91-606, eff.
33 8-16-99; 91-609, eff. 1-1-00; revised 10-7-99.)
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1 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
2 becoming law.