State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

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92_SB0973

 
                                               LRB9203657NTsb

 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
 5    Section 21-5b as follows:

 6        (105 ILCS 5/21-5b)
 7        Sec. 21-5b.  Alternative certification.  The State  Board
 8    of   Education,   in  consultation  with  the  State  Teacher
 9    Certification  Board,  shall  establish  and   implement   an
10    alternative  certification  program  under  which persons who
11    meet  the  requirements  of  and  successfully  complete  the
12    program established  by  this  Section  shall  be  issued  an
13    alternative teaching certificate for teaching in the schools.
14    The  program  shall  be  limited to not more than 500 260 new
15    participants during each year that the program is in  effect.
16    The   State   Board  of  Education,  in  cooperation  with  a
17    partnership formed  with  a  university  that  offers  4-year
18    baccalaureate  and  masters  degree  programs  and  that is a
19    recognized institution as defined in Section 21-21 and one or
20    more not-for-profit organizations in the State which  support
21    excellence in teaching, shall within 30 days after submission
22    by the partnership approve a course of study developed by the
23    partnership  that  persons  in  the program must successfully
24    complete in order to satisfy one criterion for issuance of an
25    alternative certificate under this Section.  The  Alternative
26    Teacher  Certification  program  course of study must include
27    the current content and skills contained in the  university's
28    current  courses  for  State  certification  which  have been
29    approved by the State Board  of  Education,  in  consultation
30    with   the   State   Teacher   Certification  Board,  as  the
31    requirement for State teacher certification.
 
                            -2-                LRB9203657NTsb
 1        The alternative certification program  established  under
 2    this  Section  shall  be  known  as  the  Alternative Teacher
 3    Certification program.  The Alternative Teacher Certification
 4    Program shall be offered by the  submitting  partnership  and
 5    may be offered in conjunction with one or more not-for-profit
 6    organizations  in  the  State  which  support  excellence  in
 7    teaching.   The program shall be comprised of the following 3
 8    phases: (a) the first phase is the course of study offered on
 9    an  intensive  basis  in  education   theory,   instructional
10    methods,  and  practice teaching; (b) the second phase is the
11    person's assignment to a full-time teaching position for  one
12    school  year;  and  (c)  the  third  phase is a comprehensive
13    assessment of the person's  teaching  performance  by  school
14    officials    and   the   partnership   participants   and   a
15    recommendation by the partner institution of higher education
16    to the State Board of Education that the person be  issued  a
17    standard   alternative   teaching   certificate.   Successful
18    completion of the Alternative Teacher  Certification  program
19    shall  be  deemed  to  satisfy  any other practice or student
20    teaching and subject matter requirements established by law.
21        A provisional alternative teaching certificate, valid for
22    one year of teaching in the common schools and not renewable,
23    shall be issued under this Section 21-5b to  persons  who  at
24    the time of applying for the provisional alternative teaching
25    certificate under this Section:
26             (1)  have  graduated  from  an accredited college or
27        university with a bachelor's degree;
28             (2)  have successfully completed the first phase  of
29        the Alternative Teacher Certification program as provided
30        in this Section;
31             (3)  have  passed  the  tests  of  basic  skills and
32        subject matter knowledge required by Section 21-1a; and
33             (4)  have been employed for a period of at  least  5
34        years   in   an   area   requiring   application  of  the
 
                            -3-                LRB9203657NTsb
 1        individual's education; however,  this  requirement  does
 2        not  apply  with  respect  to  a  provisional alternative
 3        teaching certificate for teaching in schools situated  in
 4        a  school  district  that  is  located in a city having a
 5        population in excess of 500,000 inhabitants.
 6        A person possessing a provisional alternative certificate
 7    under this Section shall be treated as a regularly  certified
 8    teacher  for  purposes  of  compensation, benefits, and other
 9    terms and conditions of employment afforded teachers  in  the
10    school who are members of a bargaining unit represented by an
11    exclusive bargaining representative, if any.
12        Until  February 15, 2000, a standard alternative teaching
13    certificate, valid for 4 years for teaching  in  the  schools
14    and  renewable  as provided in Section 21-14, shall be issued
15    under this Section 21-5b to persons who  first  complete  the
16    requirements   for   the   provisional  alternative  teaching
17    certificate and who at the time of applying  for  a  standard
18    alternative  teaching  certificate  under  this  Section have
19    successfully completed the second and  third  phases  of  the
20    Alternative Teacher Certification program as provided in this
21    Section.  Alternatively,  beginning February 15, 2000, at the
22    end of the 4-year validity period,  persons who were issued a
23    standard alternative teaching certificate shall be  eligible,
24    on    the  same  basis  as  holders  of  an  Initial Teaching
25    Certificate issued under subsection (b) of  Section  21-2  of
26    this  Code,  to  apply  for  a Standard Teaching Certificate,
27    provided they  meet the requirements  of  subsection  (c)  of
28    Section  21-2 of this Code and further provided that a person
29    who does not  apply  for  and  receive  a  Standard  Teaching
30    Certificate  shall  be able to teach only in schools situated
31    in a school district that is  located  in  a  city  having  a
32    population in excess of 500,000 inhabitants.
33        Beginning  February  15, 2000, persons who have completed
34    the  requirements  for  a   standard   alternative   teaching
 
                            -4-                LRB9203657NTsb
 1    certificate  under  this  Section  shall be issued an Initial
 2    Alternative  Teaching  Certificate  valid  for  4  years   of
 3    teaching  and  not  renewable.   At  the  end  of  the 4-year
 4    validity period, these persons shall be eligible, on the same
 5    basis as  holders of an Initial Teaching  Certificate  issued
 6    under  subsection (b) of Section 21-2 of  this Code, to apply
 7    for a Standard Teaching Certificate, provided they  meet  the
 8    requirements of subsection (c) of Section 21-2.
 9        This   alternative   certification   program   shall   be
10    implemented   so   that  the  first  provisional  alternative
11    teaching certificates issued under this Section are effective
12    upon the commencement of the 1997-1998 academic year and  the
13    first standard alternative teaching certificates issued under
14    this  Section  are  effective  upon  the  commencement of the
15    1998-1999 academic year.
16        The State Board of Education,  in  cooperation  with  the
17    partnership     establishing    the    Alternative    Teacher
18    Certification program, shall adopt rules and regulations that
19    are consistent with this Section and that the State Board  of
20    Education  deems  necessary  to  establish  and implement the
21    program.
22    (Source: P.A. 91-609, eff. 1-1-00.)

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