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Public Act 92-0734
SB1953 Enrolled LRB9215890NTpk
AN ACT regarding education.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing
Section 21-1a as follows:
(105 ILCS 5/21-1a) (from Ch. 122, par. 21-1a)
Sec. 21-1a. Tests required for certification and teacher
preparation.
(a) After July 1, 1988, in addition to all other
requirements, early childhood, elementary, special, high
school, school service personnel, or, except as provided in
Section 34-6, administrative certificates shall be issued to
persons who have satisfactorily passed a test of basic skills
and subject matter knowledge. The tests of basic skills and
subject matter knowledge shall be the tests which from time
to time are designated by the State Board of Education in
consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board and
may be tests prepared by an educational testing organization
or tests designed by the State Board of Education in
consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board. The
areas to be covered by the test of basic skills shall include
the basic skills of reading, writing, grammar and
mathematics. The test of subject matter knowledge shall
assess content knowledge in the specific subject field. The
tests shall be designed to be racially neutral to assure that
no person in taking the tests is thereby discriminated
against on the basis of race, color, national origin or other
factors unrelated to the person's ability to perform as a
certificated employee. The score required to pass the tests
of basic skills and subject matter knowledge shall be fixed
by the State Board of Education in consultation with the
State Teacher Certification Board. The tests shall be held
not fewer than 3 times a year at such time and place as may
be designated by the State Board of Education in consultation
with the State Teacher Certification Board.
(b) Except as provided in Section 34-6, the provisions
of subsection (a) of this Section shall apply equally in any
school district subject to Article 34, provided that the
State Board of Education shall determine which certificates
issued under Sections 34-8.1 and 34-83 prior to July 1, 1988
are comparable to any early childhood certificate, elementary
school certificate, special certificate, high school
certificate, school service personnel certificate or
administrative certificate issued under this Article as of
July 1, 1988.
(c) A person who holds an early childhood, elementary,
special, high school or school service personnel certificate
issued under this Article on or at any time before July 1,
1988, including a person who has been issued any such
certificate pursuant to Section 21-11.1 or in exchange for a
comparable certificate theretofore issued under Section
34-8.1 or Section 34-83, shall not be required to take or
pass the tests in order to thereafter have such certificate
renewed.
(d) The State Board of Education in consultation with
the State Teacher Certification Board shall conduct a pilot
administration of the tests by administering the test to
students completing teacher education programs in the 1986-87
school year for the purpose of determining the effect and
impact of testing candidates for certification.
Beginning with the 2002-2003 academic year, a student may
not enroll in a teacher preparation program at a recognized
teacher training institution until he or she has passed the
basic skills test.
Beginning with the 2004-2005 academic year, a preservice
education teacher may not student teach until he or she has
passed the subject matter test in the discipline in which he
or she will student teach.
(e) The rules and regulations developed to implement the
required test of basic skills and subject matter knowledge
shall include the requirements of subsections (a), (b), and
(c) and shall include specific regulations to govern test
selection; test validation and determination of a passing
score; administration of the tests; frequency of
administration; applicant fees; frequency of applicants'
taking the tests; the years for which a score is valid; and,
waiving certain additional tests for additional certificates
to individuals who have satisfactorily passed the test of
basic skills and subject matter knowledge as required in
subsection (a). The State Board of Education shall provide,
by rule, specific policies that assure uniformity in the
difficulty level of each form of the basic skills test and
each subject matter knowledge test from test-to-test and
year-to-year. The State Board of Education shall also set a
passing score for the tests.
(f) The State Teacher Certification Board may issue a
nonrenewable temporary certificate between July 1, 1988 and
August 31, 1988 to individuals who have taken the tests of
basic skills and subject matter knowledge prescribed by this
Section but have not received such test scores by August 31,
1988. Such temporary certificates shall expire on December
31, 1988.
(g) Beginning February 15, 2000, the State Board of
Education, in consultation with the State Teacher
Certification Board, shall implement and administer a new
system of certification for teachers in the State of
Illinois. The State Board of Education, in consultation with
the State Teacher Certification Board, shall design and
implement a system of examinations and various other criteria
which shall be required prior to the issuance of Initial
Teaching Certificates and Standard Teaching Certificates.
These examinations and indicators shall be based on national
and State professional teaching standards, as determined by
the State Board of Education, in consultation with the State
Teacher Certification Board. The State Board of Education may
adopt any and all regulations necessary to implement and
administer this Section.
(h) The State Board of Education shall report to the
Illinois General Assembly and the Governor with
recommendations for further changes and improvements to the
teacher certification system no later than July 1, 1999 and
on an annual basis until July 1, 2001.
(Source: P.A. 90-548, eff. 1-1-98; 90-811, eff. 1-26-99;
91-102, eff. 7-12-99.)
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect on
June 30, 2002.
Passed in the General Assembly May 08, 2002.
Approved July 25, 2002.
Effective July 25, 2002.
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