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Public Act 92-0796
HB1436 Enrolled LRB9202656NTsb
AN ACT in relation to education.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 3. The School Code is amended by changing
Sections 21-7.1 and 21-27 as follows:
(105 ILCS 5/21-7.1) (from Ch. 122, par. 21-7.1)
Sec. 21-7.1. Administrative certificate.
(a) After July 1, 1999, an administrative certificate
valid for 5 years of supervising and administering in the
public common schools (unless changed under subsection (a-5)
of this Section) may be issued to persons who have graduated
from a regionally accredited institution of higher learning
with a master's degree and who have been recommended by a
recognized institution of higher learning as having completed
a program of preparation for one or more of these
endorsements. Such programs of academic and professional
preparation required for endorsement shall be administered by
the institution in accordance with standards set forth by the
State Superintendent of Education in consultation with the
State Teacher Certification Board.
(a-5) Beginning July 1, 2003, if an administrative
certificate holder holds a Standard Teaching Certificate, the
validity period of the administrative certificate shall be
changed, if necessary, so that the validity period of the
administrative certificate coincides with the validity period
of the Standard Teaching Certificate. Beginning July 1, 2003,
if an administrative certificate holder holds a Master
Teaching Certificate, the validity period of the
administrative certificate shall be changed so that the
validity period of the administrative certificate coincides
with the validity period of the Master Teaching Certificate.
(b) No administrative certificate shall be issued for
the first time after June 30, 1987 and no endorsement
provided for by this Section shall be made or affixed to an
administrative certificate for the first time after June 30,
1987 unless the person to whom such administrative
certificate is to be issued or to whose administrative
certificate such endorsement is to be affixed has been
required to demonstrate as a part of a program of academic or
professional preparation for such certification or
endorsement: (i) an understanding of the knowledge called for
in establishing productive parent-school relationships and of
the procedures fostering the involvement which such
relationships demand; and (ii) an understanding of the
knowledge required for establishing a high quality school
climate and promoting good classroom organization and
management, including rules of conduct and instructional
procedures appropriate to accomplishing the tasks of
schooling; and (iii) a demonstration of the knowledge and
skills called for in providing instructional leadership. The
standards for demonstrating an understanding of such
knowledge shall be set forth by the State Board of Education
in consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board,
and shall be administered by the recognized institutions of
higher learning as part of the programs of academic and
professional preparation required for certification and
endorsement under this Section. As used in this subsection:
"establishing productive parent-school relationships" means
the ability to maintain effective communication between
parents and school personnel, to encourage parental
involvement in schooling, and to motivate school personnel to
engage parents in encouraging student achievement, including
the development of programs and policies which serve to
accomplish this purpose; and "establishing a high quality
school climate" means the ability to promote academic
achievement, to maintain discipline, to recognize substance
abuse problems among students and utilize appropriate law
enforcement and other community resources to address these
problems, to support teachers and students in their education
endeavors, to establish learning objectives and to provide
instructional leadership, including the development of
policies and programs which serve to accomplish this purpose;
and "providing instructional leadership" means the ability to
effectively evaluate school personnel, to possess general
communication and interpersonal skills, and to establish and
maintain appropriate classroom learning environments. The
provisions of this subsection shall not apply to or affect
the initial issuance or making on or before June 30, 1987 of
any administrative certificate or endorsement provided for
under this Section, nor shall such provisions apply to or
affect the renewal after June 30, 1987 of any such
certificate or endorsement initially issued or made on or
before June 30, 1987.
(c) Administrative certificates shall be renewed every 5
five years with the first renewal being 5 five years
following the initial receipt of an administrative
certificate, unless the validity period for the
administrative certificate has been changed under subsection
(a-5) of this Section, in which case the certificate shall be
renewed at the same time that the Standard or Master Teaching
Certificate is renewed.
(c-5) Before July 1, 2003, renewal requirements for
administrators whose positions require certification shall be
based upon evidence of continuing professional education
which promotes the following goals: (1) improving
administrators' knowledge of instructional practices and
administrative procedures; (2) maintaining the basic level of
competence required for initial certification; and (3)
improving the mastery of skills and knowledge regarding the
improvement of teaching performance in clinical settings and
assessment of the levels of student performance in their
schools. Evidence of continuing professional education must
include verification of biennial attendance in a program
developed by the Illinois Administrators' Academy and
verification of annual participation in a school district
approved activity which contributes to continuing
professional education.
(c-10) Beginning July 1, 2003, except as otherwise
provided in subsection (c-15) of this Section, persons
holding administrative certificates must follow the
certificate renewal procedure set forth in this subsection
(c-10), provided that those persons holding administrative
certificates on June 30, 2003 who are renewing those
certificates on or after July 1, 2003 shall be issued new
administrative certificates valid for 5 years (unless changed
under subsection (a-5) of this Section), which may be renewed
thereafter as set forth in this subsection (c-10).
(1) A person holding an administrative certificate
and employed in a position requiring administrative
certification, including a regional superintendent of
schools, must develop an administrative certificate
renewal plan for satisfying the continuing professional
development required to renew his or her administrative
certificate. An administrative certificate renewal plan
must include a minimum of 3 individual improvement goals
developed by the certificate holder and must include
without limitation the following continuing professional
development purposes:
(A) To improve the administrator's knowledge
of instructional practices and administrative
procedures in accordance with the Illinois
Professional School Leader Standards.
(B) To maintain the basic level of competence
required for initial certification.
(C) To improve the administrator's mastery of
skills and knowledge regarding the improvement of
teaching performance in clinical settings and
assessment of the levels of student performance in
the schools.
An administrative certificate renewal plan must include a
description of how the improvement goals are to be
achieved and an explanation of the selected continuing
professional development activities to be completed, each
of which must meet one or more of the continuing
professional development purposes specified in this
paragraph (1).
(2) In addition to the requirements in paragraph
(1) of this subsection (c-10), the administrative
certificate renewal plan must include the following in
order for the certificate to be renewed:
(A) Participation in continuing professional
development activities, which must total a minimum
of 100 hours of continuing professional development
and which must meet all of the following
requirements:
(i) The participation must consist of a
minimum of 5 activities per validity period of
the certificate.
(ii) The activities must address the
goals in the certificate holder's professional
development plan.
(iii) The activities must be aligned with
the Illinois Professional School Leader
Standards.
(iv) A portion of the activities must
address the certificate holder's school
improvement plan at either the district or
school level.
(v) The participation must include a
communication, dissemination, or application
component.
(vi) There must be documentation of
completion of each activity.
(B) Participation every year in an Illinois
Administrators' Academy course, which participation
must total a minimum of 36 continuing professional
development hours during the period of the
certificate's validity and which must include all of
the following:
(i) Completion of applicable required
coursework, as defined by the State Board of
Education.
(ii) Completion of a communication,
dissemination, or application component.
(iii) Documentation of completion of each
activity.
(3) Each administrator who is subject to the
requirements of this subsection (c-10) but who is not
serving as a district or regional superintendent, a
director of a cooperative program or special education
program, or a director of a State-operated school must
submit his or her administrative certificate renewal plan
for review to the superintendent of the employing school
district or to the director of the cooperative or special
education program or State-operated school (or to the
superintendent's or director's designee). Each district
or regional superintendent, director of a cooperative
program or special education program, or director of a
State-operated school must submit his or her
administrative certificate renewal plan for review to a
review panel comprised of peers established by the
regional superintendent of schools for the geographic
area where the certificate holder is employed as an
administrator.
(4) If the certificate holder's plan does not
conform to the requirements of this subsection (c-10),
the reviewer or review panel must notify the certificate
holder, who must revise the administrative certificate
renewal plan. A certificate holder who is not a regional
superintendent of schools may appeal that determination
to the regional superintendent of schools for the
geographic area where the certificate holder is employed
as an administrator. A certificate holder who is a
regional superintendent of schools may appeal that
determination to the State Superintendent of Education.
The regional superintendent of schools or the State
Superintendent of Education (or the regional
superintendent's or State Superintendent's designee)
shall facilitate any modification of the plan, if
necessary, to make it acceptable.
(5) A certificate holder may modify his or her
administrative certificate renewal plan at any time
during the validity period of the administrative
certificate through the process outlined in paragraphs
(3) and (4) of this subsection (c-10).
(6) Evidence of completion of the activities in the
administrative certificate renewal plan must be submitted
to the responsible reviewer or review panel. Before the
expiration of the administrative certificate, the
certificate holder must request from the responsible
reviewer or review panel a signed verification form
developed by the State Board of Education confirming that
the certificate holder has met the requirements for
renewal contained in this Section. A certificate holder
who is not a regional superintendent of schools must
submit this form to the responsible regional
superintendent of schools (or his or her designee) at the
time of application for renewal of the certificate. A
certificate holder who is a regional superintendent of
schools must submit this form for validation to the State
Superintendent of Education (or his or her designee) at
the time of application for renewal of the certificate.
(7) The regional superintendent of schools shall
review and validate the verification form for a
certificate holder. Based on compliance with all of the
requirements for renewal, the regional superintendent of
schools shall forward a recommendation for renewal or
non-renewal to the State Superintendent of Education and
shall notify the certificate holder of the
recommendation. The State Superintendent of Education
shall review the recommendation to renew or non-renew and
shall notify, in writing, the certificate holder of a
decision denying renewal of his or her certificate. Any
decision regarding non-renewal of an administrative
certificate may be appealed to the State Teacher
Certification Board.
The State Board of Education, in consultation with the
State Teacher Certification Board, shall adopt rules to
implement this subsection (c-10).
The regional superintendent of schools shall monitor the
process for renewal of administrative certificates
established in this subsection (c-10).
(c-15) This subsection (c-15) applies to the first
period of an administrative certificate's validity during
which the holder becomes subject to the requirements of
subsection (c-10) of this Section if the certificate has less
than 5 years' validity or has less than 5 years' validity
remaining when the certificate holder becomes subject to the
requirements of subsection (c-10) of this Section. With
respect to this period, the 100 hours of continuing
professional development and 5 activities per validity period
specified in clause (A) of paragraph (2) of subsection (c-10)
of this Section shall instead be deemed to mean 20 hours of
continuing professional development and one activity per year
of the certificate's validity or remaining validity and the
36 continuing professional development hours specified in
clause (B) of paragraph (2) of subsection (c-10) of this
Section shall instead be deemed to mean completion of at
least one course per year of the certificate's validity or
remaining validity. If the certificate has 3 or fewer years
of validity or 3 or fewer years of validity remaining, the
certificate holder is not subject to the requirements for
submission and approval of plans for continuing professional
development described in paragraphs (1) through (4) of
subsection (c-10) of this Section with respect to that period
of the certificate's validity.
(c-20) The State Board of Education, in consultation
with the State Teacher Certification Board, shall develop
procedures for implementing this Section and shall administer
the renewal of administrative certificates. Failure to submit
satisfactory evidence of continuing professional education
which contributes to promoting the goals of this Section
shall result in a loss of administrative certification.
(d) Any limited or life supervisory certificate issued
prior to July 1, 1968 shall continue to be valid for all
administrative and supervisory positions in the public
schools for which it is valid as of that date as long as its
holder meets the requirements for registration or renewal as
set forth in the statutes or until revoked according to law.
(e) The administrative or supervisory positions for
which the certificate shall be valid shall be determined by
one or more of 3 endorsements: general supervisory, general
administrative and superintendent.
Subject to the provisions of Section 21-1a, endorsements
shall be made under conditions set forth in this Section.
The State Board of Education shall, in consultation with the
State Teacher Certification Board, adopt rules pursuant to
the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act, establishing
requirements for obtaining administrative certificates where
the minimum administrative or supervisory requirements
surpass those set forth in this Section.
The State Teacher Certification Board shall file with the
State Board of Education a written recommendation when
considering additional administrative or supervisory
requirements. All additional requirements shall be based
upon the requisite knowledge necessary to perform those tasks
required by the certificate. The State Board of Education
shall in consultation with the State Teacher Certification
Board, establish standards within its rules which shall
include the academic and professional requirements necessary
for certification. These standards shall at a minimum
contain, but not be limited to, those used by the State Board
of Education in determining whether additional knowledge will
be required. Additionally, the State Board of Education
shall in consultation with the State Teacher Certification
Board, establish provisions within its rules whereby any
member of the educational community or the public may file a
formal written recommendation or inquiry regarding
requirements.
(1) Until July 1, 2003, the general supervisory
endorsement shall be affixed to the administrative
certificate of any holder who has at least 16 semester
hours of graduate credit in professional education
including 8 semester hours of graduate credit in
curriculum and research and who has at least 2 years of
full-time teaching experience or school service personnel
experience in public schools, schools under the
supervision of the Department of Corrections, schools
under the administration of the Department of
Rehabilitation Services, or nonpublic schools meeting the
standards established by the State Superintendent of
Education or comparable out-of-state recognition
standards approved by the State Superintendent of
Education.
Such endorsement shall be required for supervisors,
curriculum directors and for such similar and related
positions as determined by the State Superintendent of
Education in consultation with the State Teacher
Certification Board.
(2) The general administrative endorsement shall be
affixed to the administrative certificate of any holder
who has at least 20 semester hours of graduate credit in
educational administration and supervision and who has at
least 2 years of full-time teaching experience or school
service personnel experience in public schools, schools
under the supervision of the Department of Corrections,
schools under the administration of the Department of
Rehabilitation Services, or nonpublic schools meeting the
standards established by the State Superintendent of
Education or comparable out-of-state recognition
standards approved by the State Superintendent of
Education.
Such endorsement shall be required for principal,
assistant principal, assistant or associate
superintendent, junior college dean and for related or
similar positions as determined by the State
Superintendent of Education in consultation with the
State Teacher Certification Board.
Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Act,
after January 1, 1990 and until January 1, 1991, any
teacher employed by a district subject to Article 34
shall be entitled to receive an administrative
certificate with a general administrative endorsement
affixed thereto if he or she: (i) had at least 3 years of
experience as a certified teacher for such district prior
to August 1, 1985; (ii) obtained a Master's degree prior
to August 1, 1985; (iii) completed at least 20 hours of
graduate credit in education courses (including at least
12 hours in educational administration and supervision)
prior to September 1, 1987; and (iv) has received a
rating of superior for at least each of the last 5 years.
Any person who obtains an administrative certificate with
a general administrative endorsement affixed thereto
under this paragraph shall not be qualified to serve in
any administrative position except assistant principal.
(3) The chief school business official endorsement
shall be affixed to the administrative certificate of any
holder who qualifies by having a Master's degree, two
years of administrative experience in school business
management, and a minimum of 20 semester hours of
graduate credit in a program established by the State
Superintendent of Education in consultation with the
State Teacher Certification Board for the preparation of
school business administrators. Such endorsement shall
also be affixed to the administrative certificate of any
holder who qualifies by having a Master's Degree in
Business Administration, Finance or Accounting from a
regionally accredited institution of higher education.
After June 30, 1977, such endorsement shall be
required for any individual first employed as a chief
school business official.
(4) The superintendent endorsement shall be affixed
to the administrative certificate of any holder who has
completed 30 semester hours of graduate credit beyond the
master's degree in a program for the preparation of
superintendents of schools including 16 semester hours of
graduate credit in professional education and who has at
least 2 years experience as an administrator or
supervisor in the public schools or the State Board of
Education or education service regions or in nonpublic
schools meeting the standards established by the State
Superintendent of Education or comparable out-of-state
recognition standards approved by the State
Superintendent of Education and holds general supervisory
or general administrative endorsement, or who has had 2
years of experience as a supervisor or administrator
while holding an all-grade supervisory certificate or a
certificate comparable in validity and educational and
experience requirements.
After June 30, 1968, such endorsement shall be
required for a superintendent of schools, except as
provided in the second paragraph of this Section and in
Section 34-6.
Any person appointed to the position of
superintendent between the effective date of this Act and
June 30, 1993 in a school district organized pursuant to
Article 32 with an enrollment of at least 20,000 pupils
shall be exempt from the provisions of this paragraph
Subsection (4) until June 30, 1996.
(f) All official interpretations or acts of issuing or
denying administrative certificates or endorsements by the
State Teacher's Certification Board, State Board of Education
or the State Superintendent of Education, from the passage of
P.A. 81-1208 on November 8, 1979 through September 24, 1981
are hereby declared valid and legal acts in all respects and
further that the purported repeal of the provisions of this
Section by P.A. 81-1208 and P.A. 81-1509 is declared null and
void.
(Source: P.A. 91-102, eff. 7-12-99.)
(105 ILCS 5/21-27)
Sec. 21-27. The Illinois Teaching Excellence Program.
The Illinois Teaching Excellence Program is hereby
established to provide categorical funding for monetary
incentives and bonuses for teachers who are employed by
school districts and who hold a Master Certificate. The
State Board of Education shall allocate and distribute to
each school district an amount as annually appropriated by
the General Assembly from federal funds for the Illinois
Teaching Excellence Program. Unless otherwise provided by
appropriation, each school district's annual allocation shall
be the sum of the amounts earned for the following incentives
and bonuses:
(1) An annual A one-time payment of $3,000 to be
paid to each teacher who successfully completes the
program leading to and who receives a Master Certificate
and is employed as a teacher by a school district. The
school district shall distribute this payment to each
eligible teacher as a single payment or in not more than
3 payments.
(2) An annual incentive equal to $1,000 shall be
paid to each teacher who holds a Master Certificate, who
is employed as a teacher by a school district, and who
agrees, in writing, to provide 60 hours of mentoring
during that year to classroom teachers. This mentoring
may include, either singly or in combination, (i)
providing high quality professional development for new
and experienced teachers, and (ii) assisting National
Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS)
candidates through the NBPTS certification process. The
school district shall distribute 50% of each annual
incentive payment upon completion of 30 hours of the
required mentoring and the remaining 50% of the incentive
upon completion of the required 60 hours of mentoring.
Credit may not be granted by a school district for
mentoring or related services provided during a regular
school day or during the total number of days of required
service for the school year.
(3) An annual incentive equal to $3,000 shall be
paid to each teacher who holds a Master Certificate, who
is employed as a teacher by a school district, and who
agrees, in writing, to provide 60 hours of mentoring
during that year to classroom teachers in schools on the
Academic Early Warning List or in schools in which 50% or
more of the students receive free or reduced price
lunches, or both. The school district shall distribute
50% of each annual incentive payment upon completion of
30 hours of the required mentoring and the remaining 50%
of the incentive upon completion of the required 60 hours
of mentoring. Credit may not be granted by a school
district for mentoring or related services provided
during a regular school day or during the total number of
days of required service for the school year.
Each regional superintendent of schools shall provide
information about the Master Certificate Program of the
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS)
and this amendatory Act of the 91st General Assembly to each
individual seeking to register or renew a certificate under
Section 21-14 of this Code.
(Source: P.A. 91-606, eff. 8-16-99.)
Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing
Sections 21-2, 21-14, and 21-16 as follows:
(105 ILCS 5/21-2) (from Ch. 122, par. 21-2)
Sec. 21-2. Grades of certificates.
(a) Until February 15, 2000, All certificates issued
under this Article shall be State certificates valid, except
as limited in Section 21-1, in every school district coming
under the provisions of this Act and shall be limited in time
and designated as follows: Provisional vocational
certificate, temporary provisional vocational certificate,
early childhood certificate, elementary school certificate,
special certificate, secondary high school certificate,
school service personnel certificate, administrative
certificate, provisional certificate, and substitute
certificate. The requirement of student teaching under close
and competent supervision for obtaining a teaching
certificate may be waived by the State Teacher Certification
Board upon presentation to the Board by the teacher of
evidence of 5 years successful teaching experience on a valid
certificate and graduation from a recognized institution of
higher learning with a bachelor's degree with not less than
120 semester hours and a minimum of 16 semester hours in
professional education.
(b) Initial Teaching Certificate. Beginning February 15,
2000, Persons who (1) have completed an approved teacher
preparation program, (2) are recommended by an approved
teacher preparation program, (3) have successfully completed
the Initial Teaching Certification examinations required by
the State Board of Education, and (4) have met all other
criteria established by the State Board of Education in
consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board,
shall be issued an Initial Teaching Certificate valid for 4
years of teaching, as defined in Section 21-14 of this Code.
Initial Teaching Certificates shall be issued for categories
corresponding to Early Childhood, Elementary, Secondary, and
Special K-12, with special certification designations for
Special Education, Bilingual Education, fundamental learning
areas (including Language Arts, Reading, Mathematics,
Science, Social Science, Physical Development and Health,
Fine Arts, and Foreign Language), and other areas designated
by the State Board of Education, in consultation with the
State Teacher Certification Board.
(c) Standard Certificate. Beginning February 15, 2000,
(1) Persons who (i) (1) have completed 4 years of
teaching, as defined in Section 21-14 of this Code, with an
Initial Certificate or an Initial Alternative Teaching
Certificate and have met all other criteria established by
the State Board of Education in consultation with the State
Teacher Certification Board, (ii) (2) have completed 4 years
of teaching on a valid equivalent certificate in another
State or territory of the United States, or have completed 4
years of teaching in a nonpublic Illinois elementary or
secondary school with an Initial Certificate or an Initial
Alternative Teaching Certificate, and have met all other
criteria established by the State Board of Education, in
consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board, or
(iii) (3) were issued teaching certificates prior to February
15, 2000 and are renewing those certificates after February
15, 2000, shall be issued a Standard Certificate valid for 5
years, which may be renewed thereafter every 5 years by the
State Teacher Certification Board based on proof of
continuing education or professional development. Beginning
July 1, 2003, persons who have completed 4 years of teaching,
as described in clauses (i) (1) and (ii) (2) of this
paragraph (1) subsection (c), have successfully completed
the requirements of paragraphs (2) through (4) of this
subsection (c) Standard Teaching Certificate Examinations,
and have met all other criteria established by the State
Board of Education, in consultation with the State Teacher
Certification Board, shall be issued Standard Certificates.
Standard Certificates shall be issued for categories
corresponding to Early Childhood, Elementary, Secondary, and
Special K-12, with special certification designations for
Special Education, Bilingual Education, fundamental learning
areas (including Language Arts, Reading, Mathematics,
Science, Social Science, Physical Development and Health,
Fine Arts, and Foreign Language), and other areas designated
by the State Board of Education, in consultation with the
State Teacher Certification Board.
(2) This paragraph (2) applies only to those persons
required to successfully complete the requirements of this
paragraph under paragraph (1) of this subsection (c). In
order to receive a Standard Teaching Certificate, a person
must satisfy one of the following requirements, which the
person must identify, in writing, as the requirement that the
person has chosen to satisfy to the responsible local
professional development committee established pursuant to
subsection (f) of Section 21-14 of this Code:
(A) Completion of a program of induction and
mentoring for new teachers that is based upon a specific
plan approved by the State Board of Education, in
consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board.
The plan must describe the role of mentor teachers, the
criteria and process for their selection, and how all the
following components are to be provided:
(i) Assignment of a formally trained mentor
teacher to each new teacher for a specified period
of time, which shall be established by the employing
school or school district but shall be at least 2
school years in duration, provided that a mentor
teacher may not directly or indirectly participate
in the evaluation of a new teacher pursuant to
Article 24A of this Code or the evaluation procedure
of the school.
(ii) Formal mentoring for each new teacher.
(iii) Support for each new teacher in relation
to the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards, the
content-area standards applicable to the new
teacher's area of certification, and any applicable
local school improvement and professional
development plans.
(iv) Professional development specifically
designed to foster the growth of each new teacher's
knowledge and skills.
(v) Formative assessment that is based on the
Illinois Professional Teaching Standards and
designed to provide feedback to the new teacher and
opportunities for reflection on his or her
performance, which must not be used directly or
indirectly in any evaluation of a new teacher
pursuant to Article 24A of this Code or the
evaluation procedure of the school and which must
include the activities specified in clauses (B)(i),
(B)(ii), and (B)(iii) of this paragraph (2).
(vi) Assignment of responsibility for
coordination of the induction and mentoring program
within each school district participating in the
program.
(B) Successful completion of 4 semester hours of
graduate-level coursework on the assessment of one's own
performance in relation to the Illinois Professional
Teaching Standards. The coursework must be approved by
the State Board of Education, in consultation with the
State Teacher Certification Board; must be offered either
by an institution of higher education, by such an
institution in partnership with a teachers' association
or union or with a regional office of education, or by
another entity authorized to issue college credit; and
must include demonstration of performance through all of
the following activities for each of the Illinois
Professional Teaching Standards:
(i) Observation, by the course instructor or
another experienced teacher, of the new teacher's
classroom practice (the observation may be recorded
for later viewing) for the purpose of identifying
and describing how the new teacher made content
meaningful for students; how the teacher motivated
individuals and the group and created an environment
conducive to positive social interactions, active
learning, and self-motivation; what instructional
strategies the teacher used to encourage students'
development of critical thinking, problem solving,
and performance; how the teacher communicated using
written, verbal, nonverbal, and visual communication
techniques; and how the teacher maintained standards
of professional conduct and provided leadership to
improve students' learning.
(ii) Review and analysis, by the course
instructor or another experienced teacher, of
written documentation (i.e., lesson plans,
assignments, assessment instruments, and samples of
students' work) prepared by the new teacher for at
least 2 lessons. The documentation must provide
evidence of classroom performance related to
Illinois Professional Teaching Standards 1 through
9, with an emphasis on how the teacher used his or
her understanding of students, assessment data, and
subject matter to decide on learning goals; how the
teacher designed or selected activities and
instructional materials and aligned instruction to
the relevant Illinois Learning Standards; how the
teacher adapted or modified curriculum to meet
individual students' needs; and how the teacher
sequenced instruction and designed or selected
student assessment strategies.
(iii) Demonstration of professional expertise
on the part of the new teacher in reflecting on his
or her practice, which was observed under clause
(B)(i) of this paragraph (2) and documented under
clause (B)(ii) of this paragraph (2), in terms of
teaching strengths, weaknesses, and implications for
improvement according to the Illinois Professional
Teaching Standards.
(C) Successful completion of a minimum of 4
semester hours of graduate-level coursework addressing
preparation to meet the requirements for certification by
the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
(NBPTS). The coursework must be approved by the State
Board of Education, in consultation with the State
Teacher Certification Board, and must be offered either
by an institution of higher education, by such an
institution in partnership with a teachers' association
or union or with a regional office of education, or by
another entity authorized to issue college credit. The
course must address the 5 NBPTS Core Propositions and
relevant standards through such means as the following:
(i) Observation, by the course instructor or
another experienced teacher, of the new teacher's
classroom practice (the observation may be recorded
for later viewing) for the purpose of identifying
and describing how the new teacher made content
meaningful for students; how the teacher motivated
individuals and the group and created an environment
conducive to positive social interactions, active
learning, and self-motivation; what instructional
strategies the teacher used to encourage students'
development of critical thinking, problem solving,
and performance; how the teacher communicated using
written, verbal, nonverbal, and visual communication
techniques; and how the teacher maintained standards
of professional conduct and provided leadership to
improve students' learning.
(ii) Review and analysis, by the course
instructor or another experienced teacher, of
written documentation (i.e., lesson plans,
assignments, assessment instruments, and samples of
students' work) prepared by the new teacher for at
least 2 lessons. The documentation must provide
evidence of classroom performance, including how the
teacher used his or her understanding of students,
assessment data, and subject matter to decide on
learning goals; how the teacher designed or selected
activities and instructional materials and aligned
instruction to the relevant Illinois Learning
Standards; how the teacher adapted or modified
curriculum to meet individual students' needs; and
how the teacher sequenced instruction and designed
or selected student assessment strategies.
(iii) Demonstration of professional expertise
on the part of the new teacher in reflecting on his
or her practice, which was observed under clause
(C)(i) of this paragraph (2) and documented under
clause (C)(ii) of this paragraph (2), in terms of
teaching strengths, weaknesses, and implications for
improvement.
(D) Receipt of an advanced degree from an
accredited institution of higher education in an
education-related field, provided that at least 8
semester hours of the coursework completed count toward a
degree, certificate, or endorsement in a teaching field.
(E) Accumulation of 60 continuing professional
development units (CPDUs), earned by completing selected
activities that comply with paragraphs (3) and (4) of
this subsection (c). However, for an individual who holds
an Initial Teaching Certificate on the effective date of
this amendatory Act of the 92nd General Assembly, the
number of CPDUs shall be reduced to reflect the teaching
time remaining on the Initial Teaching Certificate.
(F) Completion of a nationally normed,
performance-based assessment, if made available by the
State Board of Education in consultation with the State
Teacher Certification Board, provided that the cost to
the person shall not exceed the cost of the coursework
described in clause (B) of this paragraph (2).
(3) This paragraph (3) applies only to those persons
required to successfully complete the requirements of this
paragraph under paragraph (1) of this subsection (c). At
least one-half the CPDUs a person must accrue in order to
qualify for a Standard Teaching Certificate must be earned
through completion of coursework, workshops, seminars,
conferences, and other similar training events that are
pre-approved by the State Board of Education, in consultation
with the State Teacher Certification Board, for the purpose
of reflection on teaching practices in order to address all
of the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards necessary to
obtain a Standard Teaching Certificate. These activities must
meet all of the following requirements:
(A) Each activity must be designed to advance a
person's knowledge and skills in relation to one or more
of the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards or in
relation to the content-area standards applicable to the
teacher's field of certification.
(B) Taken together, the activities completed must
address each of the Illinois Professional Teaching
Standards as provided in clauses (B)(i), (B)(ii), and
(B)(iii) of paragraph (2) of this subsection (c).
(C) Each activity must be provided by an entity
approved by the State Board of Education, in consultation
with the State Teacher Certification Board, for this
purpose.
(D) Each activity, integral to its successful
completion, must require participants to demonstrate the
degree to which they have acquired new knowledge or
skills, such as through performance, through preparation
of a written product, through assembling samples of
students' or teachers' work, or by some other means that
is appropriate to the subject matter of the activity.
(E) One CPDU shall be available for each hour of
direct participation by a holder of an Initial Teaching
Certificate in a qualifying activity. An activity may be
attributed to more than one of the Illinois Professional
Teaching Standards, but credit for any activity shall be
counted only once.
(4) This paragraph (4) applies only to those persons
required to successfully complete the requirements of this
paragraph under paragraph (1) of this subsection (c). The
balance of the CPDUs a person must accrue in order to qualify
for a Standard Teaching Certificate, in combination with
those earned pursuant to paragraph (3) of this subsection
(c), may be chosen from among the following, provided that an
activity listed in clause (C) of this paragraph (4) shall be
creditable only if its provider is approved for this purpose
by the State Board of Education, in consultation with the
State Teacher Certification Board:
(A) Collaboration and partnership activities
related to improving a person's knowledge and skills as a
teacher, including all of the following:
(i) Peer review and coaching.
(ii) Mentoring in a formal mentoring program,
including service as a consulting teacher
participating in a remediation process formulated
under Section 24A-5 of this Code.
(iii) Facilitating parent education programs
directly related to student achievement for a
school, school district, or regional office of
education.
(iv) Participating in business, school, or
community partnerships directly related to student
achievement.
(B) Teaching college or university courses in areas
relevant to a teacher's field of certification, provided
that the teaching may only be counted once during the
course of 4 years.
(C) Conferences, workshops, institutes, seminars,
and symposiums related to improving a person's knowledge
and skills as a teacher, including all of the following:
(i) Completing non-university credit directly
related to student achievement, the Illinois
Professional Teaching Standards, or content-area
standards.
(ii) Participating in or presenting at
workshops, seminars, conferences, institutes, and
symposiums.
(iii) Training as external reviewers for the
State Board of Education.
(iv) Training as reviewers of university
teacher preparation programs.
(D) Other educational experiences related to
improving a person's knowledge and skills as a teacher,
including all of the following:
(i) Participating in action research and
inquiry projects.
(ii) Observing programs or teaching in
schools, related businesses, or industry that is
systematic, purposeful, and relevant to a teacher's
field of certification.
(iii) Participating in study groups related to
student achievement, the Illinois Professional
Teaching Standards, or content-area standards.
(iv) Participating in work/learn programs or
internships.
(v) Developing a portfolio of students' and
teacher's work.
(E) Professional leadership experiences related to
improving a person's knowledge and skills as a teacher,
including all of the following:
(i) Participating in curriculum development or
assessment activities at the school, school district,
regional office of education, State, or national level.
(ii) Participating in team or department
leadership in a school or school district.
(iii) Participating on external or internal
school or school district review teams.
(iv) Publishing educational articles, columns,
or books relevant to a teacher's field of
certification.
(v) Participating in non-strike related
activities of a professional association or labor
organization that are related to professional
development.
(5) A person must complete his or her chosen requirement
under paragraph (2) of this subsection (c) before the
expiration of his or her Initial Teaching Certificate and
must submit evidence of having done so to the local
professional development committee. Within 30 days after
receipt of a person's evidence of completion, the local
professional development committee shall forward the evidence
of completion to the responsible regional superintendent of
schools along with the local professional development
committee's recommendation, based on that evidence, as to
whether the person is eligible to receive a Standard Teaching
Certificate. The local professional development committee
shall provide a copy of this recommendation to the affected
person.
The regional superintendent of schools shall review the
evidence of completion submitted by a person and, based upon
compliance with all of the requirements for receipt of a
Standard Teaching Certificate, shall forward to the State
Board of Education a recommendation for issuance or
non-issuance. The regional superintendent of schools shall
notify the affected person of the recommendation forwarded.
Upon review of a regional superintendent of school's
recommendations, the State Board of Education shall issue
Standard Teaching Certificates to those who qualify and shall
notify a person, in writing, of a decision denying a Standard
Teaching Certificate. Any decision denying issuance of a
Standard Teaching Certificate to a person may be appealed to
the State Teacher Certification Board.
(6) The State Board of Education, in consultation with
the State Teacher Certification Board, may adopt rules to
implement this subsection (c) and may periodically evaluate
any of the methods of qualifying for a Standard Teaching
Certificate described in this subsection (c).
(d) Master Certificate. Beginning February 15, 2000,
Persons who have successfully achieved National Board
certification through the National Board for Professional
Teaching Standards shall be issued a Master Certificate,
valid for 10 years and renewable thereafter every 10 years
through compliance with requirements set forth by the State
Board of Education, in consultation with the State Teacher
Certification Board. However, each teacher who holds a
Master Certificate shall be eligible for a teaching position
in this State in the areas for which he or she holds a Master
Certificate without satisfying any other requirements of this
Code, except for those requirements pertaining to criminal
background checks. A teacher who holds a Master Certificate
shall be deemed to meet State certification renewal
requirements in the area or areas for which he or she holds a
Master Certificate for the 10-year term of the teacher's
Master Certificate.
(Source: P.A. 91-102, eff. 7-12-99; 91-606, eff. 8-16-99;
91-609, eff. 1-1-00; 92-16, eff. 6-28-01.)
(105 ILCS 5/21-14) (from Ch. 122, par. 21-14)
(Text of Section before amendment by P.A. 92-510)
Sec. 21-14. Registration and renewal of certificates.
(a) A limited four-year certificate or a certificate
issued after July 1, 1955, shall be renewable at its
expiration or within 60 days thereafter by the county
superintendent of schools having supervision and control over
the school where the teacher is teaching upon certified
evidence of meeting the requirements for renewal as required
by this Act and prescribed by the State Board of Education in
consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board. An
elementary supervisory certificate shall not be renewed at
the end of the first four-year period covered by the
certificate unless the holder thereof has filed certified
evidence with the State Teacher Certification Board that he
has a master's degree or that he has earned 8 semester hours
of credit in the field of educational administration and
supervision in a recognized institution of higher learning.
The holder shall continue to earn 8 semester hours of credit
each four-year period until such time as he has earned a
master's degree.
All certificates not renewed or registered as herein
provided shall lapse after a period of 5 years from the
expiration of the last year of registration. Such
certificates may be reinstated for a one year period upon
payment of all accumulated registration fees. Such
reinstated certificates shall only be renewed: (1) by earning
5 semester hours of credit in a recognized institution of
higher learning in the field of professional education or in
courses related to the holder's contractual teaching duties;
or (2) by presenting evidence of holding a valid regular
certificate of some other type. Any certificate may be
voluntarily surrendered by the certificate holder. A
voluntarily surrendered certificate shall be treated as a
revoked certificate.
(b) When those teaching certificates issued before
February 15, 2000 are renewed for the first time after
February 15, 2000, all such teaching certificates shall be
exchanged for Standard Teaching Certificates as provided in
subsection (c) of Section 21-2. All Initial and Standard
Teaching Certificates, including those issued to persons who
previously held teaching certificates issued before February
15, 2000, shall be renewable under the conditions set forth
in this subsection (b).
Initial Teaching Certificates are nonrenewable and are
valid for 4 years of teaching. Standard Teaching
Certificates are renewable every 5 years as provided in
subsection (c) of Section 21-2 and subsection (c) of this
Section. For purposes of this Section, "teaching" is defined
as employment and performance of services in an Illinois
public or State-operated elementary school, secondary school,
or cooperative or joint agreement with a governing body or
board of control, in a certificated teaching position, or a
charter school operating in compliance with the Charter
Schools Law.
(c) In compliance with subsection (c) of Section 21-2 of
this Code, which provides that a Standard Teaching
Certificate may be renewed by the State Teacher Certification
Board based upon proof of continuing professional
development, the State Board of Education and the State
Teacher Certification Board shall jointly:
(1) establish a procedure for renewing Standard
Teaching Certificates, which shall include but not be
limited to annual timelines for the renewal process and
the components set forth in subsections (d) through (k)
of this Section;
(2) establish the standards for certificate
renewal;
(3) approve the providers of continuing
professional development activities;
(4) determine the maximum credit for each category
of continuing professional development activities, based
upon recommendations submitted by a continuing
professional development activity task force, which shall
consist of 6 staff members from the State Board of
Education, appointed by the State Superintendent of
Education, and 6 teacher representatives, 3 of whom are
selected by the Illinois Education Association and 3 of
whom are selected by the Illinois Federation of Teachers;
(5) designate the type and amount of documentation
required to show that continuing professional development
activities have been completed; and
(6) provide, on a timely basis to all Illinois
teachers, certificate holders, regional superintendents
of schools, school districts, and others with an interest
in continuing professional development, information about
the standards and requirements established pursuant to
this subsection (c).
(d) Any Standard Teaching Certificate held by an
individual employed and performing services in an Illinois
public or State-operated elementary school, secondary school,
or cooperative or joint agreement with a governing body or
board of control in a certificated teaching position or a
charter school in compliance with the Charter Schools Law
must be maintained Valid and Active through certificate
renewal activities specified in the certificate renewal
procedure established pursuant to subsection (c) of this
Section, provided that a holder of a Valid and Active
certificate who is only employed on either a part-time basis
or day-to-day basis as a substitute teacher shall pay only
the required registration fee to renew his or her certificate
and maintain it as Valid and Active. All other Standard
Teaching Certificates held may be maintained as Valid and
Exempt through the registration process provided for in the
certificate renewal procedure established pursuant to
subsection (c) of this Section. A Valid and Exempt
certificate must be immediately activated, through procedures
developed jointly by the State Board of Education and the
State Teacher Certification Board, upon the certificate
holder becoming employed and performing services in an
Illinois public or State-operated elementary school,
secondary school, or cooperative or joint agreement with a
governing body or board of control in a certificated teaching
position or a charter school operating in compliance with the
Charter Schools Law. A holder of a Valid and Exempt
certificate may activate his or her certificate through
procedures provided for in the certificate renewal procedure
established pursuant to subsection (c) of this Section.
(e)(1) A Standard Teaching Certificate that has been
maintained as Valid and Active for the 5 years of the
certificate's validity shall be renewed as Valid and Active
upon the certificate holder: (i) completing an advanced
degree from an approved institution in an education-related
field; (ii) completing at least 8 semester hours of
coursework as described in subdivision (B) (A) of paragraph
(3) of this subsection (e); (iii) (ii) earning at least 24
continuing education units as described in subdivision (C)
(B) of paragraph (3) of this subsection (e); (iv) (iii)
completing the National Board for Professional Teaching
Standards process as described in subdivision (D) (C) of
paragraph (3) of this subsection (e); or (v) (iv) earning 120
continuing professional development units ("CPDU") as
described in subdivision (E) (D) of paragraph (3) of this
subsection (e). The maximum continuing professional
development units for each continuing professional
development activity identified in subdivisions (F) (E)
through (J) (I) of paragraph (3) of this subsection (e) shall
be jointly determined by the State Board of Education and the
State Teacher Certification Board. If, however, the
certificate holder has maintained the certificate as Valid
and Exempt for a portion of the 5-year period of validity,
the number of continuing professional development units
needed to renew the certificate as Valid and Active shall be
proportionately reduced by the amount of time the certificate
was Valid and Exempt. Furthermore, if a certificate holder is
employed and performs teaching services on a part-time basis
for all or a portion of the certificate's 5-year period of
validity, the number of continuing professional development
units needed to renew the certificate as Valid and Active
shall be reduced by 50% for the amount of time the
certificate holder has been employed and performed teaching
services on a part-time basis. Part-time shall be defined as
less than 50% of the school day or school term.
(2) Each Valid and Active Standard Teaching Certificate
holder shall develop a certificate renewal plan for
satisfying the continuing professional development
requirement provided for in subsection (c) of Section 21-2 of
this Code. Certificate holders with multiple certificates
shall develop a certificate renewal plan that addresses only
that certificate or those certificates that are required of
his or her certificated teaching position, if the certificate
holder is employed and performing services in an Illinois
public or State-operated elementary school, secondary school,
or cooperative or joint agreement with a governing body or
board of control, or that certificate or those certificates
most closely related to his or her teaching position, if the
certificate holder is employed in a charter school. Except
as otherwise provided in this subsection (e), a certificate
renewal plan shall include a minimum of 3 individual
improvement goals developed by the certificate holder and
shall reflect purposes (A), (B), and (C) and may reflect
purpose (D) of the following continuing professional
development purposes:
(A) Advance both the certificate holder's knowledge
and skills as a teacher consistent with the Illinois
Professional Teaching Standards and the Illinois Content
Area Standards in the certificate holder's areas of
certification, endorsement, or teaching assignment in
order to keep the certificate holder current in those
areas.
(B) Develop the certificate holder's knowledge and
skills in areas determined to be critical for all
Illinois teachers, as defined by the State Board of
Education, known as "State priorities".
(C) Address the knowledge, skills, and goals of the
certificate holder's local school improvement plan, if
the teacher is employed in an Illinois public or
State-operated elementary school, secondary school, or
cooperative or joint agreement with a governing body or
board of control.
(D) Expand the certificate holder's knowledge and
skills in an additional teaching field or toward the
acquisition of another teaching certificate, endorsement,
or relevant education degree.
A certificate renewal plan must include a description of how
these goals are to be achieved and an explanation of selected
continuing professional development activities to be
completed, each of which must meet one or more of the
continuing professional development purposes specified in
this paragraph (2). The plan shall identify potential
activities and include projected timelines for those
activities that will assure completion of the plan before the
expiration of the 5-year validity of the Standard Teaching
Certificate. Except as otherwise provided in this subsection
(e), at least 50% of continuing professional development
units must relate to purposes (A) and (B) set forth in this
paragraph (2): the advancement of a certificate holder's
knowledge and skills as a teacher consistent with the
Illinois Professional Teaching Standards and the Illinois
Content Area Standards in the certificate holder's areas of
certification, endorsement, or teaching assignment in order
to keep the certificate holder current in those areas and the
development of a certificate holder's knowledge and skills in
the State priorities that exist at the time the certificate
renewal plan is developed.
(3) Continuing professional development activities
included in a certificate renewal plan may include, but are
not limited to, the following activities:
(A) completion of an advanced degree from an
approved institution in an education-related field;
(B) (A) at least 8 semester hours of coursework in
an approved education-related program, of which at least
2 semester hours relate to the continuing professional
development purpose set forth in purpose (A) of paragraph
(2) of this subsection (e), provided that such a plan
need not include any other continuing professional
development activities nor reflect or contain activities
related to the other continuing professional development
purposes set forth in paragraph (2) of this subsection
(e);
(C) (B) continuing education units that satisfy the
continuing professional development purposes set forth in
paragraph (2) of this subsection (e), with each
continuing education unit equal to 5 clock hours,
provided that a plan that includes at least 24 continuing
education units (or 120 clock/contact hours) need not
include any other continuing professional development
activities;
(D) (C) completion of the National Board of
Professional Teaching Standards ("NBPTS") process,
provided that a plan that includes completion of the
NBPTS process need not include any other continuing
professional development activities nor reflect or
contain activities related to the continuing professional
development purposes set forth in paragraph (2) of
subsection (e) of this Section;
(E) (D) completion of 120 continuing professional
development units that satisfy the continuing
professional development purposes set forth in paragraph
(2) of this subsection (e) and may include without
limitation the activities identified in subdivisions (F)
(E) through (J) (I) of this paragraph (3);
(F) (E) collaboration and partnership activities
related to improving the teacher's knowledge and skills
as a teacher, including the following:
(i) participating on collaborative planning
and professional improvement teams and committees;
(ii) peer review and coaching;
(iii) mentoring in a formal mentoring program,
including service as a consulting teacher
participating in a remediation process formulated
under Section 24A-5 of this Code;
(iv) participating in site-based management or
decision making teams, relevant committees, boards,
or task forces directly related to school
improvement plans;
(v) coordinating community resources in
schools, if the project is a specific goal of the
school improvement plan;
(vi) facilitating parent education programs
for a school, school district, or regional office of
education directly related to student achievement or
school improvement plans;
(vii) participating in business, school, or
community partnerships directly related to student
achievement or school improvement plans; or
(viii) supervising a student teacher or
teacher education candidate in clinical supervision,
provided that the supervision may only be counted
once during the course of 5 years;
(G) (F) college or university coursework related to
improving the teacher's knowledge and skills as a teacher
as follows:
(i) completing undergraduate or graduate
credit earned from a regionally accredited
institution in coursework relevant to the
certificate area being renewed, including coursework
that incorporates induction activities and
development of a portfolio of both student and
teacher work that provides experience in reflective
practices, provided the coursework meets Illinois
Professional Teaching Standards or Illinois Content
Area Standards and supports the essential
characteristics of quality professional development;
or
(ii) teaching college or university courses in
areas relevant to the certificate area being
renewed, provided that the teaching may only be
counted once during the course of 5 years;
(H) (G) conferences, workshops, institutes,
seminars, and symposiums related to improving the
teacher's knowledge and skills as a teacher, including
the following:
(i) completing non-university credit directly
related to student achievement, school improvement
plans, or State priorities;
(ii) participating in or presenting at
workshops, seminars, conferences, institutes, and
symposiums;
(iii) training as external reviewers for
Quality Assurance; or
(iv) training as reviewers of university
teacher preparation programs;
(I) (H) other educational experiences related to
improving the teacher's knowledge and skills as a
teacher, including the following:
(i) participating in action research and
inquiry projects;
(ii) observing programs or teaching in
schools, related businesses, or industry that is
systematic, purposeful, and relevant to certificate
renewal;
(iii) traveling related to ones teaching
assignment, directly related to student achievement
or school improvement plans and approved at least 30
days prior to the travel experience, provided that
the traveling shall not include time spent commuting
to destinations where the learning experience will
occur;
(iv) participating in study groups related to
student achievement or school improvement plans;
(v) serving on a statewide education-related
committee, including but not limited to the State
Teacher Certification Board, State Board of
Education strategic agenda teams, or the State
Advisory Council on Education of Children with
Disabilities;
(vi) participating in work/learn programs or
internships; or
(vii) developing a portfolio of student and
teacher work;
(J) (I) professional leadership experiences related
to improving the teacher's knowledge and skills as a
teacher, including the following:
(i) participating in curriculum development or
assessment activities at the school, school
district, regional office of education, State, or
national level;
(ii) participating in team or department
leadership in a school or school district;
(iii) participating on external or internal
school or school district review teams;
(iv) publishing educational articles, columns,
or books relevant to the certificate area being
renewed; or
(v) participating in non-strike related
professional association or labor organization
service or activities related to professional
development.
(4) A certificate renewal plan must initially be
approved by the certificate holder's local professional
development committee, as provided for in subsection (f) of
this Section. If the local professional development
committee does not approve the certificate renewal plan, the
certificate holder may appeal that determination to the
regional professional development review committee, as
provided for in paragraph (2) of subsection (g) of this
Section. If the regional professional development review
committee disagrees with the local professional development
committee's determination, the certificate renewal plan shall
be deemed approved and the certificate holder may begin
satisfying the continuing professional development activities
set forth in the plan. If the regional professional
development review committee agrees with the local
professional development committee's determination, the
certificate renewal plan shall be deemed disapproved and
shall be returned to the certificate holder to develop a
revised certificate renewal plan. In all cases, the regional
professional development review committee shall immediately
notify both the local professional development committee and
the certificate holder of its determination.
(5) A certificate holder who wishes to modify the
continuing professional development activities or goals in
his or her certificate renewal plan must submit the proposed
modifications to his or her local professional development
committee for approval prior to engaging in the proposed
activities. If the local professional development committee
does not approve the proposed modification, the certificate
holder may appeal that determination to the regional
professional development review committee, as set forth in
paragraph (4) of this subsection (e).
(6) When a certificate holder changes assignments or
school districts during the course of completing a
certificate renewal plan, the professional development and
continuing education credit earned pursuant to the plan shall
transfer to the new assignment or school district and count
toward the total requirements. This certificate renewal plan
must be reviewed by the appropriate local professional
development committee and may be modified to reflect the
certificate holder's new work assignment or the school
improvement plan of the new school district or school
building.
(f) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Code,
each school district, charter school, and cooperative or
joint agreement with a governing body or board of control
that employs certificated staff, shall establish and
implement, in conjunction with its exclusive representative,
if any, one or more local professional development
committees, as set forth in this subsection (f), which shall
perform the following functions:
(1) review and approve certificate renewal plans
and any modifications made to these plans, including
transferred plans;
(2) maintain a file of approved certificate renewal
plans;
(3) monitor certificate holders' progress in
completing approved certificate renewal plans, provided
that a local professional development committee shall not
be required to maintain materials submitted by
certificate holders to demonstrate their progress in
completing their certificate renewal plans after the
committee has reviewed the materials and the credits have
been awarded;
(4) assist in the development of professional
development plans based upon needs identified in
certificate renewal plans;
(5) determine whether certificate holders have met
the requirements of their certificate renewal plans and
notify certificate holders of its determination;
(6) provide a certificate holder with the
opportunity to address the committee when it has
determined that the certificate holder has not met the
requirements of his or her certificate renewal plan;
(7) issue and forward recommendations for renewal
or nonrenewal of certificate holders' Standard Teaching
Certificates to the appropriate regional superintendent
of schools, based upon whether certificate holders have
met the requirements of their approved certificate
renewal plans, with 30-day written notice of its
recommendation provided to the certificate holder prior
to forwarding the recommendation to the regional
superintendent of schools, provided that if the local
professional development committee's recommendation is
for certificate nonrenewal, the written notice provided
to the certificate holder shall include a return receipt;
and
(8) reconsider its recommendation of certificate
nonrenewal, upon request of the certificate holder within
30 days of receipt of written notification that the local
professional development committee will make such a
recommendation, and forward to the regional
superintendent of schools its recommendation within 30
days of receipt of the certificate holder's request.
Each local professional development committee shall
consist of at least 3 classroom teachers; one superintendent
or chief administrator of the school district, charter
school, or cooperative or joint agreement or his or her
designee; and one at-large member who shall be either (i) a
parent, (ii) a member of the business community, (iii) a
community member, or (iv) an administrator, with preference
given to an individual chosen from among those persons listed
in items (i), (ii), and (iii) in order to secure
representation of an interest not already represented on the
committee. Except in a school district in a city having a
population exceeding 500,000, a local professional
development committee shall be responsible for no more than
200 certificate renewal plans annually unless otherwise
mutually agreed upon by the school district, charter school,
or governing body or board of control of a cooperative or
joint agreement and its exclusive representative, if any. If
mutually agreed upon by the school district, charter school,
or governing body or board of control of a cooperative or
joint agreement and its exclusive representative, if any,
additional members may be added to a local professional
development committee, provided that a majority of members
are classroom teachers. Except in a school district in a
city having a population exceeding 500,000, if additional
members are added to a local professional development
committee, the maximum number of certificate renewal plans
for which the committee shall annually be responsible may be
increased by 50 plans for each additional member, unless
otherwise mutually agreed upon by the school district,
charter school, or governing body or board of control of a
cooperative or joint agreement and its exclusive
representative, if any. The school district, charter school,
or governing body or board of control of a cooperative or
joint agreement and its exclusive representative, if any,
shall determine the term of service of the members of a local
professional development committee. All individuals selected
to serve on local professional development committees must be
known to demonstrate the best practices in teaching or their
respective field of practice.
The exclusive representative, if any, shall select the
classroom teacher members of the local professional
development committee. If no exclusive representative
exists, then the classroom teacher members of a local
professional development committee shall be selected by the
classroom teachers that come within the local professional
development committee's authority. The school district,
charter school, or governing body or board of control of a
cooperative or joint agreement shall select the 2
non-classroom teacher members (the superintendent or chief
administrator of the school district, charter school, or
cooperative or joint agreement or his or her designee and the
at-large member) of a local professional development
committee. Vacancies in positions on a local professional
development committee shall be filled in the same manner as
the original selections. The members of a local professional
development committee shall select a chairperson. Local
professional development committee meetings shall be
scheduled so as not to interfere with committee members'
regularly scheduled teaching duties, except when otherwise
permitted by the policies of or agreed to or approved by the
school district, charter school, or governing body or board
of control of a cooperative or joint agreement, or its
designee.
The board of education or governing board shall convene
the first meeting of the local professional development
committee. All actions taken by the local professional
development committee shall require that a majority of
committee members be present, and no committee action may be
taken unless 50% or more of those present are teacher
members.
The State Board of Education and the State Teacher
Certification Board shall jointly provide local professional
development committee members with a training manual, and the
members shall certify that they have received and read the
manual.
Notwithstanding any other provisions of this subsection
(f), for a teacher employed and performing services in a
nonpublic or State-operated elementary or secondary school,
all references to a local professional development committee
shall mean the regional superintendent of schools of the
regional office of education for the geographic area where
the teaching is done.
(g)(1) Each regional superintendent of schools shall
review and concur or nonconcur with each recommendation for
renewal or nonrenewal of a Standard Teaching Certificate he
or she receives from a local professional development
committee or, if a certificate holder appeals the
recommendation to the regional professional development
review committee, the recommendation for renewal or
nonrenewal he or she receives from a regional professional
development review committee and, within 14 days of receipt
of the recommendation, shall provide the State Teacher
Certification Board with verification of the following, if
applicable:
(A) a certificate renewal plan was filed and
approved by the appropriate local professional
development committee;
(B) the professional development and continuing
education activities set forth in the approved
certificate renewal plan have been satisfactorily
completed;
(C) the local professional development committee
has recommended the renewal of the certificate holder's
Standard Teaching Certificate and forwarded the
recommendation, along with all supporting documentation
as jointly required by the State Board of Education and
the State Teacher Certification Board, to the regional
superintendent of schools;
(D) the certificate holder has appealed his or her
local professional development committee's recommendation
of nonrenewal to the regional professional development
review committee and the result of that appeal;
(E) the regional superintendent of schools has
concurred or nonconcurred with the local professional
development committee's or regional professional
development review committee's recommendation to renew or
nonrenew the certificate holder's Standard Teaching
Certificate and made a recommendation to that effect; and
(F) the established registration fee for the
Standard Teaching Certificate has been paid.
At the same time the regional superintendent of schools
provides the State Teacher Certification Board with the
notice required by this subsection (g), he or she shall also
notify the certificate holder in writing that this notice has
been provided to the State Teacher Certification Board,
provided that if the notice provided by the regional
superintendent of schools to the State Teacher Certification
Board includes a recommendation of certificate nonrenewal,
the written notice provided to the certificate holder shall
be by certified mail, return receipt requested.
(2) Each certificate holder shall have the right to
appeal his or her local professional development committee's
recommendation of nonrenewal to the regional professional
development review committee, within 14 days of receipt of
notice that the recommendation has been sent to the regional
superintendent of schools. Each regional superintendent of
schools shall establish a regional professional development
review committee or committees for the purpose of advising
the regional superintendent of schools, upon request, and
handling certificate holder appeals. This committee shall
consist of at least 4 classroom teachers, one
non-administrative certificated educational employee, 2
administrators, and one at-large member who shall be either
(i) a parent, (ii) a member of the business community, (iii)
a community member, or (iv) an administrator, with preference
given to an individual chosen from among those persons listed
in items (i), (ii), and (iii) in order to secure
representation of an interest not already represented on the
committee. The teacher and non-administrative certificated
educational employee members of the review committee shall be
selected by their exclusive representative, if any, and the
administrators and at-large member shall be selected by the
regional superintendent of schools. A regional superintendent
of schools may add additional members to the committee,
provided that the same proportion of teachers to
administrators and at-large members on the committee is
maintained. Any additional teacher and non-administrative
certificated educational employee members shall be selected
by their exclusive representative, if any. Vacancies in
positions on a regional professional development review
committee shall be filled in the same manner as the original
selections. Committee members shall serve staggered 3-year
terms. All individuals selected to serve on regional
professional development review committees must be known to
demonstrate the best practices in teaching or their
respective field of practice.
The exclusive representative responsible for choosing the
individuals that serve on a regional professional development
review committee shall notify each school district, charter
school, or governing body or board of control of a
cooperative or joint agreement employing the individuals
chosen to serve and provide their names to the appropriate
regional superintendent of schools. Regional professional
development review committee meetings shall be scheduled so
as not to interfere with the committee members' regularly
scheduled teaching duties, except when otherwise permitted by
the policies of or agreed to or approved by the school
district, charter school, or governing body or board of
control of a cooperative or joint agreement, or its designee,
provided that the school district, charter school, or
governing body or board of control shall not unreasonably
withhold permission for a committee member to attend regional
professional development review committee meetings.
In a city having a population exceeding 500,000 that does
not have a regional office of education, one or more separate
regional professional development review committees shall be
established as mutually agreed upon by the board of education
of the school district organized under Article 34 of this
Code and the exclusive representative. The composition of
each committee shall be the same as for a regional
professional development review committee, except that
members of the committee shall be jointly appointed by the
board of education and the exclusive representative. All
other provisions of this Section concerning regional
professional development review committees shall apply to
these committees.
The regional professional development review committee
may require information in addition to that received from a
certificate holder's local professional development committee
or request that the certificate holder appear before it,
shall either concur or nonconcur with a local professional
development committee's recommendation of nonrenewal, and
shall forward to the regional superintendent of schools its
recommendation of renewal or nonrenewal. All actions taken
by the regional professional development review committee
shall require a quorum and be by a simple majority of those
present and voting. A record of all votes shall be
maintained. The committee shall have 45 days from receipt of
a certificate holder's appeal to make its recommendation to
the regional superintendent of schools.
The State Board of Education and the State Teacher
Certification Board shall jointly provide regional
professional development review committee members with a
training manual, and the members shall be required to attend
one training seminar sponsored jointly by the State Board of
Education and the State Teacher Certification Board.
(h)(1) The State Teacher Certification Board shall
review the regional superintendent of schools'
recommendations to renew or nonrenew Standard Teaching
Certificates and notify certificate holders in writing
whether their certificates have been renewed or nonrenewed
within 90 days of receipt of the recommendations, unless a
certificate holder has appealed a regional superintendent of
schools' recommendation of nonrenewal, as provided in
paragraph (2) of this subsection (h). The State Teacher
Certification Board shall verify that the certificate holder
has met the renewal criteria set forth in paragraph (1) of
subsection (g) of this Section.
(2) Each certificate holder shall have the right to
appeal a regional superintendent of school's recommendation
to nonrenew his or her Standard Teaching Certificate to the
State Teacher Certification Board, within 14 days of receipt
of notice that the decision has been sent to the State
Teacher Certification Board, which shall hold an appeal
hearing within 60 days of receipt of the appeal. When such
an appeal is taken, the certificate holder's Standard
Teaching Certificate shall continue to be valid until the
appeal is finally determined. The State Teacher
Certification Board shall review the regional superintendent
of school's recommendation, the regional professional
development review committee's recommendation, if any, and
the local professional development committee's recommendation
and all relevant documentation to verify whether the
certificate holder has met the renewal criteria set forth in
paragraph (1) of subsection (g) of this Section. The State
Teacher Certification Board may request that the certificate
holder appear before it. All actions taken by the State
Teacher Certification Board shall require a quorum and be by
a simple majority of those present and voting. A record of
all votes shall be maintained. The State Teacher
Certification Board shall notify the certificate holder in
writing, within 7 days of completing the review, whether his
or her Standard Teaching Certificate has been renewed or
nonrenewed, provided that if the State Teacher Certification
Board determines to nonrenew a certificate, the written
notice provided to the certificate holder shall be by
certified mail, return receipt requested. All certificate
renewal or nonrenewal decisions of the State Teacher
Certification Board are final and subject to administrative
review, as set forth in Section 21-24 of this Code.
(i) Holders of Master Teaching Certificates shall meet
the same requirements and follow the same procedures as
holders of Standard Teaching Certificates, except that their
renewal cycle shall be as set forth in subsection (d) of
Section 21-2 of this Code.
(j) Holders of Valid and Exempt Standard and Master
Teaching Certificates who are not employed and performing
services in an Illinois public or State-operated elementary
school, secondary school, or cooperative or joint agreement
with a governing body or board of control, in a certificated
teaching position, may voluntarily activate their
certificates by developing and submitting a certificate
renewal plan to the regional superintendent of schools of the
regional office of education for the geographic area where
their teaching is done, who, or whose designee, shall approve
the plan and serve as the certificate holder's local
professional development committee. These certificate
holders shall follow the same renewal criteria and procedures
as all other Standard and Master Teaching Certificate
holders, except that their continuing professional
development plans shall not be required to reflect or address
the knowledge, skills, and goals of a local school
improvement plan.
(k) Each school district, charter school, or cooperative
or joint agreement shall be paid an annual amount of not less
than $1,000, as determined by a formula based on the number
of Standard Teaching and Master Teaching Certificate holders,
subject to renewal and established by rule, not to exceed
$1,000,000 annually for all school districts, charter
schools, and cooperatives or joint agreements, for
administrative costs associated with conducting the meetings
of the local professional development committee, as
determined in consultation with the committee. Each regional
office of education shall receive $2,000 annually to pay
school districts, charter schools, or cooperatives or joint
agreements for costs, as defined by rule, incurred in staff
attendance at regional professional development review
committee meetings and the training seminar required under
paragraph (2) of subsection (g) of this Section.
(l) The State Board of Education and the State Teacher
Certification Board shall jointly contract with an
independent party to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of
the certificate renewal system pursuant to this Section. The
first report of this evaluation shall be presented to the
General Assembly on January 1, 2005 and on January 1 of every
third year thereafter.
(Source: P.A. 90-548, eff. 1-1-98; 90-653, eff. 7-29-98;
90-811, eff. 1-26-99; 91-102, eff. 7-12-99.)
(Text of Section after amendment by P.A. 92-510)
Sec. 21-14. Registration and renewal of certificates.
(a) A limited four-year certificate or a certificate
issued after July 1, 1955, shall be renewable at its
expiration or within 60 days thereafter by the county
superintendent of schools having supervision and control over
the school where the teacher is teaching upon certified
evidence of meeting the requirements for renewal as required
by this Act and prescribed by the State Board of Education in
consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board. An
elementary supervisory certificate shall not be renewed at
the end of the first four-year period covered by the
certificate unless the holder thereof has filed certified
evidence with the State Teacher Certification Board that he
has a master's degree or that he has earned 8 semester hours
of credit in the field of educational administration and
supervision in a recognized institution of higher learning.
The holder shall continue to earn 8 semester hours of credit
each four-year period until such time as he has earned a
master's degree.
All certificates not renewed or registered as herein
provided shall lapse after a period of 5 years from the
expiration of the last year of registration. Such
certificates may be reinstated for a one year period upon
payment of all accumulated registration fees. Such
reinstated certificates shall only be renewed: (1) by earning
5 semester hours of credit in a recognized institution of
higher learning in the field of professional education or in
courses related to the holder's contractual teaching duties;
or (2) by presenting evidence of holding a valid regular
certificate of some other type. Any certificate may be
voluntarily surrendered by the certificate holder. A
voluntarily surrendered certificate shall be treated as a
revoked certificate.
(b) When those teaching certificates issued before
February 15, 2000 are renewed for the first time after
February 15, 2000, all such teaching certificates shall be
exchanged for Standard Teaching Certificates as provided in
subsection (c) of Section 21-2. All Initial and Standard
Teaching Certificates, including those issued to persons who
previously held teaching certificates issued before February
15, 2000, shall be renewable under the conditions set forth
in this subsection (b).
Initial Teaching Certificates are nonrenewable and are
valid for 4 years of teaching. Standard Teaching
Certificates are renewable every 5 years as provided in
subsection (c) of Section 21-2 and subsection (c) of this
Section. For purposes of this Section, "teaching" is defined
as employment and performance of services in an Illinois
public or State-operated elementary school, secondary school,
or cooperative or joint agreement with a governing body or
board of control, in a certificated teaching position, or a
charter school operating in compliance with the Charter
Schools Law.
(c) In compliance with subsection (c) of Section 21-2 of
this Code, which provides that a Standard Teaching
Certificate may be renewed by the State Teacher Certification
Board based upon proof of continuing professional
development, the State Board of Education and the State
Teacher Certification Board shall jointly:
(1) establish a procedure for renewing Standard
Teaching Certificates, which shall include but not be
limited to annual timelines for the renewal process and
the components set forth in subsections (d) through (k)
of this Section;
(2) establish the standards for certificate
renewal;
(3) approve the providers of continuing
professional development activities;
(4) determine the maximum credit for each category
of continuing professional development activities, based
upon recommendations submitted by a continuing
professional development activity task force, which shall
consist of 6 staff members from the State Board of
Education, appointed by the State Superintendent of
Education, and 6 teacher representatives, 3 of whom are
selected by the Illinois Education Association and 3 of
whom are selected by the Illinois Federation of Teachers;
(5) designate the type and amount of documentation
required to show that continuing professional development
activities have been completed; and
(6) provide, on a timely basis to all Illinois
teachers, certificate holders, regional superintendents
of schools, school districts, and others with an interest
in continuing professional development, information about
the standards and requirements established pursuant to
this subsection (c).
(d) Any Standard Teaching Certificate held by an
individual employed and performing services in an Illinois
public or State-operated elementary school, secondary school,
or cooperative or joint agreement with a governing body or
board of control in a certificated teaching position or a
charter school in compliance with the Charter Schools Law
must be maintained Valid and Active through certificate
renewal activities specified in the certificate renewal
procedure established pursuant to subsection (c) of this
Section, provided that a holder of a Valid and Active
certificate who is only employed on either a part-time basis
or day-to-day basis as a substitute teacher shall pay only
the required registration fee to renew his or her certificate
and maintain it as Valid and Active. All other Standard
Teaching Certificates held may be maintained as Valid and
Exempt through the registration process provided for in the
certificate renewal procedure established pursuant to
subsection (c) of this Section. A Valid and Exempt
certificate must be immediately activated, through procedures
developed jointly by the State Board of Education and the
State Teacher Certification Board, upon the certificate
holder becoming employed and performing services in an
Illinois public or State-operated elementary school,
secondary school, or cooperative or joint agreement with a
governing body or board of control in a certificated teaching
position or a charter school operating in compliance with the
Charter Schools Law. A holder of a Valid and Exempt
certificate may activate his or her certificate through
procedures provided for in the certificate renewal procedure
established pursuant to subsection (c) of this Section.
(e)(1) A Standard Teaching Certificate that has been
maintained as Valid and Active for the 5 years of the
certificate's validity shall be renewed as Valid and Active
upon the certificate holder: (i) completing an advanced
degree from an approved institution in an education-related
field; (ii) completing at least 8 semester hours of
coursework as described in subdivision (B) (A) of paragraph
(3) of this subsection (e); (iii) (ii) earning at least 24
continuing education units as described in subdivision (C)
(B) of paragraph (3) of this subsection (e); (iv) (iii)
completing the National Board for Professional Teaching
Standards process as described in subdivision (D) (C) of
paragraph (3) of this subsection (e); or (v) (iv) earning 120
continuing professional development units ("CPDU") as
described in subdivision (E) (D) of paragraph (3) of this
subsection (e). The maximum continuing professional
development units for each continuing professional
development activity identified in subdivisions (F) (E)
through (J) (I) of paragraph (3) of this subsection (e) shall
be jointly determined by the State Board of Education and the
State Teacher Certification Board. If, however, the
certificate holder has maintained the certificate as Valid
and Exempt for a portion of the 5-year period of validity,
the number of continuing professional development units
needed to renew the certificate as Valid and Active shall be
proportionately reduced by the amount of time the certificate
was Valid and Exempt. Furthermore, if a certificate holder is
employed and performs teaching services on a part-time basis
for all or a portion of the certificate's 5-year period of
validity, the number of continuing professional development
units needed to renew the certificate as Valid and Active
shall be reduced by 50% for the amount of time the
certificate holder has been employed and performed teaching
services on a part-time basis. Part-time shall be defined as
less than 50% of the school day or school term.
(2) Each Valid and Active Standard Teaching Certificate
holder shall develop a certificate renewal plan for
satisfying the continuing professional development
requirement provided for in subsection (c) of Section 21-2 of
this Code. Certificate holders with multiple certificates
shall develop a certificate renewal plan that addresses only
that certificate or those certificates that are required of
his or her certificated teaching position, if the certificate
holder is employed and performing services in an Illinois
public or State-operated elementary school, secondary school,
or cooperative or joint agreement with a governing body or
board of control, or that certificate or those certificates
most closely related to his or her teaching position, if the
certificate holder is employed in a charter school. Except
as otherwise provided in this subsection (e), a certificate
renewal plan shall include a minimum of 3 individual
improvement goals developed by the certificate holder and
shall reflect purposes (A), (B), and (C) and may reflect
purpose (D) of the following continuing professional
development purposes:
(A) Advance both the certificate holder's knowledge
and skills as a teacher consistent with the Illinois
Professional Teaching Standards and the Illinois Content
Area Standards in the certificate holder's areas of
certification, endorsement, or teaching assignment in
order to keep the certificate holder current in those
areas.
(B) Develop the certificate holder's knowledge and
skills in areas determined to be critical for all
Illinois teachers, as defined by the State Board of
Education, known as "State priorities".
(C) Address the knowledge, skills, and goals of the
certificate holder's local school improvement plan, if
the teacher is employed in an Illinois public or
State-operated elementary school, secondary school, or
cooperative or joint agreement with a governing body or
board of control.
(D) Expand the certificate holder's knowledge and
skills in an additional teaching field or toward the
acquisition of another teaching certificate, endorsement,
or relevant education degree.
A certificate renewal plan must include a description of how
these goals are to be achieved and an explanation of selected
continuing professional development activities to be
completed, each of which must meet one or more of the
continuing professional development purposes specified in
this paragraph (2). The plan shall identify potential
activities and include projected timelines for those
activities that will assure completion of the plan before the
expiration of the 5-year validity of the Standard Teaching
Certificate. Except as otherwise provided in this subsection
(e), at least 50% of continuing professional development
units must relate to purposes (A) and (B) set forth in this
paragraph (2): the advancement of a certificate holder's
knowledge and skills as a teacher consistent with the
Illinois Professional Teaching Standards and the Illinois
Content Area Standards in the certificate holder's areas of
certification, endorsement, or teaching assignment in order
to keep the certificate holder current in those areas and the
development of a certificate holder's knowledge and skills in
the State priorities that exist at the time the certificate
renewal plan is developed.
A speech-language pathologist or audiologist who is
licensed under the Illinois Speech-Language Pathology and
Audiology Practice Act and who has met the continuing
education requirements of that Act and the rules promulgated
under that Act shall be deemed to have satisfied the
continuing professional development requirements established
by the State Board of Education and the Teacher Certification
Board to renew a Standard Certificate.
(3) Continuing professional development activities
included in a certificate renewal plan may include, but are
not limited to, the following activities:
(A) completion of an advanced degree from an
approved institution in an education-related field;
(B) (A) at least 8 semester hours of coursework in
an approved education-related program, of which at least
2 semester hours relate to the continuing professional
development purpose set forth in purpose (A) of paragraph
(2) of this subsection (e), provided that such a plan
need not include any other continuing professional
development activities nor reflect or contain activities
related to the other continuing professional development
purposes set forth in paragraph (2) of this subsection
(e);
(C) (B) continuing education units that satisfy the
continuing professional development purposes set forth in
paragraph (2) of this subsection (e), with each
continuing education unit equal to 5 clock hours,
provided that a plan that includes at least 24 continuing
education units (or 120 clock/contact hours) need not
include any other continuing professional development
activities;
(D) (C) completion of the National Board of
Professional Teaching Standards ("NBPTS") process,
provided that a plan that includes completion of the
NBPTS process need not include any other continuing
professional development activities nor reflect or
contain activities related to the continuing professional
development purposes set forth in paragraph (2) of
subsection (e) of this Section;
(E) (D) completion of 120 continuing professional
development units that satisfy the continuing
professional development purposes set forth in paragraph
(2) of this subsection (e) and may include without
limitation the activities identified in subdivisions (F)
(E) through (J) (I) of this paragraph (3);
(F) (E) collaboration and partnership activities
related to improving the teacher's knowledge and skills
as a teacher, including the following:
(i) participating on collaborative planning
and professional improvement teams and committees;
(ii) peer review and coaching;
(iii) mentoring in a formal mentoring program,
including service as a consulting teacher
participating in a remediation process formulated
under Section 24A-5 of this Code;
(iv) participating in site-based management or
decision making teams, relevant committees, boards,
or task forces directly related to school
improvement plans;
(v) coordinating community resources in
schools, if the project is a specific goal of the
school improvement plan;
(vi) facilitating parent education programs
for a school, school district, or regional office of
education directly related to student achievement or
school improvement plans;
(vii) participating in business, school, or
community partnerships directly related to student
achievement or school improvement plans; or
(viii) supervising a student teacher or
teacher education candidate in clinical supervision,
provided that the supervision may only be counted
once during the course of 5 years;
(G) (F) college or university coursework related to
improving the teacher's knowledge and skills as a teacher
as follows:
(i) completing undergraduate or graduate
credit earned from a regionally accredited
institution in coursework relevant to the
certificate area being renewed, including coursework
that incorporates induction activities and
development of a portfolio of both student and
teacher work that provides experience in reflective
practices, provided the coursework meets Illinois
Professional Teaching Standards or Illinois Content
Area Standards and supports the essential
characteristics of quality professional development;
or
(ii) teaching college or university courses in
areas relevant to the certificate area being
renewed, provided that the teaching may only be
counted once during the course of 5 years;
(H) (G) conferences, workshops, institutes,
seminars, and symposiums related to improving the
teacher's knowledge and skills as a teacher, including
the following:
(i) completing non-university credit directly
related to student achievement, school improvement
plans, or State priorities;
(ii) participating in or presenting at
workshops, seminars, conferences, institutes, and
symposiums;
(iii) training as external reviewers for
Quality Assurance; or
(iv) training as reviewers of university
teacher preparation programs;
(I) (H) other educational experiences related to
improving the teacher's knowledge and skills as a
teacher, including the following:
(i) participating in action research and
inquiry projects;
(ii) observing programs or teaching in
schools, related businesses, or industry that is
systematic, purposeful, and relevant to certificate
renewal;
(iii) traveling related to ones teaching
assignment, directly related to student achievement
or school improvement plans and approved at least 30
days prior to the travel experience, provided that
the traveling shall not include time spent commuting
to destinations where the learning experience will
occur;
(iv) participating in study groups related to
student achievement or school improvement plans;
(v) serving on a statewide education-related
committee, including but not limited to the State
Teacher Certification Board, State Board of
Education strategic agenda teams, or the State
Advisory Council on Education of Children with
Disabilities;
(vi) participating in work/learn programs or
internships; or
(vii) developing a portfolio of student and
teacher work;
(J) (I) professional leadership experiences related
to improving the teacher's knowledge and skills as a
teacher, including the following:
(i) participating in curriculum development or
assessment activities at the school, school
district, regional office of education, State, or
national level;
(ii) participating in team or department
leadership in a school or school district;
(iii) participating on external or internal
school or school district review teams;
(iv) publishing educational articles, columns,
or books relevant to the certificate area being
renewed; or
(v) participating in non-strike related
professional association or labor organization
service or activities related to professional
development.
(4) A certificate renewal plan must initially be
approved by the certificate holder's local professional
development committee, as provided for in subsection (f) of
this Section. If the local professional development
committee does not approve the certificate renewal plan, the
certificate holder may appeal that determination to the
regional professional development review committee, as
provided for in paragraph (2) of subsection (g) of this
Section. If the regional professional development review
committee disagrees with the local professional development
committee's determination, the certificate renewal plan shall
be deemed approved and the certificate holder may begin
satisfying the continuing professional development activities
set forth in the plan. If the regional professional
development review committee agrees with the local
professional development committee's determination, the
certificate renewal plan shall be deemed disapproved and
shall be returned to the certificate holder to develop a
revised certificate renewal plan. In all cases, the regional
professional development review committee shall immediately
notify both the local professional development committee and
the certificate holder of its determination.
(5) A certificate holder who wishes to modify the
continuing professional development activities or goals in
his or her certificate renewal plan must submit the proposed
modifications to his or her local professional development
committee for approval prior to engaging in the proposed
activities. If the local professional development committee
does not approve the proposed modification, the certificate
holder may appeal that determination to the regional
professional development review committee, as set forth in
paragraph (4) of this subsection (e).
(6) When a certificate holder changes assignments or
school districts during the course of completing a
certificate renewal plan, the professional development and
continuing education credit earned pursuant to the plan shall
transfer to the new assignment or school district and count
toward the total requirements. This certificate renewal plan
must be reviewed by the appropriate local professional
development committee and may be modified to reflect the
certificate holder's new work assignment or the school
improvement plan of the new school district or school
building.
(f) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Code,
each school district, charter school, and cooperative or
joint agreement with a governing body or board of control
that employs certificated staff, shall establish and
implement, in conjunction with its exclusive representative,
if any, one or more local professional development
committees, as set forth in this subsection (f), which shall
perform the following functions:
(1) review and approve certificate renewal plans
and any modifications made to these plans, including
transferred plans;
(2) maintain a file of approved certificate renewal
plans;
(3) monitor certificate holders' progress in
completing approved certificate renewal plans, provided
that a local professional development committee shall not
be required to maintain materials submitted by
certificate holders to demonstrate their progress in
completing their certificate renewal plans after the
committee has reviewed the materials and the credits have
been awarded;
(4) assist in the development of professional
development plans based upon needs identified in
certificate renewal plans;
(5) determine whether certificate holders have met
the requirements of their certificate renewal plans and
notify certificate holders of its determination;
(6) provide a certificate holder with the
opportunity to address the committee when it has
determined that the certificate holder has not met the
requirements of his or her certificate renewal plan;
(7) issue and forward recommendations for renewal
or nonrenewal of certificate holders' Standard Teaching
Certificates to the appropriate regional superintendent
of schools, based upon whether certificate holders have
met the requirements of their approved certificate
renewal plans, with 30-day written notice of its
recommendation provided to the certificate holder prior
to forwarding the recommendation to the regional
superintendent of schools, provided that if the local
professional development committee's recommendation is
for certificate nonrenewal, the written notice provided
to the certificate holder shall include a return receipt;
and
(8) reconsider its recommendation of certificate
nonrenewal, upon request of the certificate holder within
30 days of receipt of written notification that the local
professional development committee will make such a
recommendation, and forward to the regional
superintendent of schools its recommendation within 30
days of receipt of the certificate holder's request.
Each local professional development committee shall
consist of at least 3 classroom teachers; one superintendent
or chief administrator of the school district, charter
school, or cooperative or joint agreement or his or her
designee; and one at-large member who shall be either (i) a
parent, (ii) a member of the business community, (iii) a
community member, or (iv) an administrator, with preference
given to an individual chosen from among those persons listed
in items (i), (ii), and (iii) in order to secure
representation of an interest not already represented on the
committee. Except in a school district in a city having a
population exceeding 500,000, a local professional
development committee shall be responsible for no more than
200 certificate renewal plans annually unless otherwise
mutually agreed upon by the school district, charter school,
or governing body or board of control of a cooperative or
joint agreement and its exclusive representative, if any. If
mutually agreed upon by the school district, charter school,
or governing body or board of control of a cooperative or
joint agreement and its exclusive representative, if any,
additional members may be added to a local professional
development committee, provided that a majority of members
are classroom teachers. Except in a school district in a
city having a population exceeding 500,000, if additional
members are added to a local professional development
committee, the maximum number of certificate renewal plans
for which the committee shall annually be responsible may be
increased by 50 plans for each additional member, unless
otherwise mutually agreed upon by the school district,
charter school, or governing body or board of control of a
cooperative or joint agreement and its exclusive
representative, if any. The school district, charter school,
or governing body or board of control of a cooperative or
joint agreement and its exclusive representative, if any,
shall determine the term of service of the members of a local
professional development committee. All individuals selected
to serve on local professional development committees must be
known to demonstrate the best practices in teaching or their
respective field of practice.
The exclusive representative, if any, shall select the
classroom teacher members of the local professional
development committee. If no exclusive representative
exists, then the classroom teacher members of a local
professional development committee shall be selected by the
classroom teachers that come within the local professional
development committee's authority. The school district,
charter school, or governing body or board of control of a
cooperative or joint agreement shall select the 2
non-classroom teacher members (the superintendent or chief
administrator of the school district, charter school, or
cooperative or joint agreement or his or her designee and the
at-large member) of a local professional development
committee. Vacancies in positions on a local professional
development committee shall be filled in the same manner as
the original selections. The members of a local professional
development committee shall select a chairperson. Local
professional development committee meetings shall be
scheduled so as not to interfere with committee members'
regularly scheduled teaching duties, except when otherwise
permitted by the policies of or agreed to or approved by the
school district, charter school, or governing body or board
of control of a cooperative or joint agreement, or its
designee.
The board of education or governing board shall convene
the first meeting of the local professional development
committee. All actions taken by the local professional
development committee shall require that a majority of
committee members be present, and no committee action may be
taken unless 50% or more of those present are teacher
members.
The State Board of Education and the State Teacher
Certification Board shall jointly provide local professional
development committee members with a training manual, and the
members shall certify that they have received and read the
manual.
Notwithstanding any other provisions of this subsection
(f), for a teacher employed and performing services in a
nonpublic or State-operated elementary or secondary school,
all references to a local professional development committee
shall mean the regional superintendent of schools of the
regional office of education for the geographic area where
the teaching is done.
(g)(1) Each regional superintendent of schools shall
review and concur or nonconcur with each recommendation for
renewal or nonrenewal of a Standard Teaching Certificate he
or she receives from a local professional development
committee or, if a certificate holder appeals the
recommendation to the regional professional development
review committee, the recommendation for renewal or
nonrenewal he or she receives from a regional professional
development review committee and, within 14 days of receipt
of the recommendation, shall provide the State Teacher
Certification Board with verification of the following, if
applicable:
(A) a certificate renewal plan was filed and
approved by the appropriate local professional
development committee;
(B) the professional development and continuing
education activities set forth in the approved
certificate renewal plan have been satisfactorily
completed;
(C) the local professional development committee
has recommended the renewal of the certificate holder's
Standard Teaching Certificate and forwarded the
recommendation, along with all supporting documentation
as jointly required by the State Board of Education and
the State Teacher Certification Board, to the regional
superintendent of schools;
(D) the certificate holder has appealed his or her
local professional development committee's recommendation
of nonrenewal to the regional professional development
review committee and the result of that appeal;
(E) the regional superintendent of schools has
concurred or nonconcurred with the local professional
development committee's or regional professional
development review committee's recommendation to renew or
nonrenew the certificate holder's Standard Teaching
Certificate and made a recommendation to that effect; and
(F) the established registration fee for the
Standard Teaching Certificate has been paid.
At the same time the regional superintendent of schools
provides the State Teacher Certification Board with the
notice required by this subsection (g), he or she shall also
notify the certificate holder in writing that this notice has
been provided to the State Teacher Certification Board,
provided that if the notice provided by the regional
superintendent of schools to the State Teacher Certification
Board includes a recommendation of certificate nonrenewal,
the written notice provided to the certificate holder shall
be by certified mail, return receipt requested.
(2) Each certificate holder shall have the right to
appeal his or her local professional development committee's
recommendation of nonrenewal to the regional professional
development review committee, within 14 days of receipt of
notice that the recommendation has been sent to the regional
superintendent of schools. Each regional superintendent of
schools shall establish a regional professional development
review committee or committees for the purpose of advising
the regional superintendent of schools, upon request, and
handling certificate holder appeals. This committee shall
consist of at least 4 classroom teachers, one
non-administrative certificated educational employee, 2
administrators, and one at-large member who shall be either
(i) a parent, (ii) a member of the business community, (iii)
a community member, or (iv) an administrator, with preference
given to an individual chosen from among those persons listed
in items (i), (ii), and (iii) in order to secure
representation of an interest not already represented on the
committee. The teacher and non-administrative certificated
educational employee members of the review committee shall be
selected by their exclusive representative, if any, and the
administrators and at-large member shall be selected by the
regional superintendent of schools. A regional
superintendent of schools may add additional members to the
committee, provided that the same proportion of teachers to
administrators and at-large members on the committee is
maintained. Any additional teacher and non-administrative
certificated educational employee members shall be selected
by their exclusive representative, if any. Vacancies in
positions on a regional professional development review
committee shall be filled in the same manner as the original
selections. Committee members shall serve staggered 3-year
terms. All individuals selected to serve on regional
professional development review committees must be known to
demonstrate the best practices in teaching or their
respective field of practice.
The exclusive representative responsible for choosing the
individuals that serve on a regional professional development
review committee shall notify each school district, charter
school, or governing body or board of control of a
cooperative or joint agreement employing the individuals
chosen to serve and provide their names to the appropriate
regional superintendent of schools. Regional professional
development review committee meetings shall be scheduled so
as not to interfere with the committee members' regularly
scheduled teaching duties, except when otherwise permitted by
the policies of or agreed to or approved by the school
district, charter school, or governing body or board of
control of a cooperative or joint agreement, or its designee,
provided that the school district, charter school, or
governing body or board of control shall not unreasonably
withhold permission for a committee member to attend regional
professional development review committee meetings.
In a city having a population exceeding 500,000 that does
not have a regional office of education, one or more separate
regional professional development review committees shall be
established as mutually agreed upon by the board of education
of the school district organized under Article 34 of this
Code and the exclusive representative. The composition of
each committee shall be the same as for a regional
professional development review committee, except that
members of the committee shall be jointly appointed by the
board of education and the exclusive representative. All
other provisions of this Section concerning regional
professional development review committees shall apply to
these committees.
The regional professional development review committee
may require information in addition to that received from a
certificate holder's local professional development committee
or request that the certificate holder appear before it,
shall either concur or nonconcur with a local professional
development committee's recommendation of nonrenewal, and
shall forward to the regional superintendent of schools its
recommendation of renewal or nonrenewal. All actions taken
by the regional professional development review committee
shall require a quorum and be by a simple majority of those
present and voting. A record of all votes shall be
maintained. The committee shall have 45 days from receipt of
a certificate holder's appeal to make its recommendation to
the regional superintendent of schools.
The State Board of Education and the State Teacher
Certification Board shall jointly provide regional
professional development review committee members with a
training manual, and the members shall be required to attend
one training seminar sponsored jointly by the State Board of
Education and the State Teacher Certification Board.
(h)(1) The State Teacher Certification Board shall
review the regional superintendent of schools'
recommendations to renew or nonrenew Standard Teaching
Certificates and notify certificate holders in writing
whether their certificates have been renewed or nonrenewed
within 90 days of receipt of the recommendations, unless a
certificate holder has appealed a regional superintendent of
schools' recommendation of nonrenewal, as provided in
paragraph (2) of this subsection (h). The State Teacher
Certification Board shall verify that the certificate holder
has met the renewal criteria set forth in paragraph (1) of
subsection (g) of this Section.
(2) Each certificate holder shall have the right to
appeal a regional superintendent of school's recommendation
to nonrenew his or her Standard Teaching Certificate to the
State Teacher Certification Board, within 14 days of receipt
of notice that the decision has been sent to the State
Teacher Certification Board, which shall hold an appeal
hearing within 60 days of receipt of the appeal. When such
an appeal is taken, the certificate holder's Standard
Teaching Certificate shall continue to be valid until the
appeal is finally determined. The State Teacher
Certification Board shall review the regional superintendent
of school's recommendation, the regional professional
development review committee's recommendation, if any, and
the local professional development committee's recommendation
and all relevant documentation to verify whether the
certificate holder has met the renewal criteria set forth in
paragraph (1) of subsection (g) of this Section. The State
Teacher Certification Board may request that the certificate
holder appear before it. All actions taken by the State
Teacher Certification Board shall require a quorum and be by
a simple majority of those present and voting. A record of
all votes shall be maintained. The State Teacher
Certification Board shall notify the certificate holder in
writing, within 7 days of completing the review, whether his
or her Standard Teaching Certificate has been renewed or
nonrenewed, provided that if the State Teacher Certification
Board determines to nonrenew a certificate, the written
notice provided to the certificate holder shall be by
certified mail, return receipt requested. All certificate
renewal or nonrenewal decisions of the State Teacher
Certification Board are final and subject to administrative
review, as set forth in Section 21-24 of this Code.
(i) Holders of Master Teaching Certificates shall meet
the same requirements and follow the same procedures as
holders of Standard Teaching Certificates, except that their
renewal cycle shall be as set forth in subsection (d) of
Section 21-2 of this Code.
A holder of a teaching certificate endorsed as a
speech-language pathologist who has been granted the
Certificate of Clinical Competence by the American
Speech-Language Hearing Association may renew his or her
Standard Teaching Certificate pursuant to the 10-year renewal
cycle set forth in subsection (d) of Section 21-2 of this
Code.
(j) Holders of Valid and Exempt Standard and Master
Teaching Certificates who are not employed and performing
services in an Illinois public or State-operated elementary
school, secondary school, or cooperative or joint agreement
with a governing body or board of control, in a certificated
teaching position, may voluntarily activate their
certificates by developing and submitting a certificate
renewal plan to the regional superintendent of schools of the
regional office of education for the geographic area where
their teaching is done, who, or whose designee, shall approve
the plan and serve as the certificate holder's local
professional development committee. These certificate
holders shall follow the same renewal criteria and procedures
as all other Standard and Master Teaching Certificate
holders, except that their continuing professional
development plans shall not be required to reflect or address
the knowledge, skills, and goals of a local school
improvement plan.
(k) Each school district, charter school, or cooperative
or joint agreement shall be paid an annual amount of not less
than $1,000, as determined by a formula based on the number
of Standard Teaching and Master Teaching Certificate holders,
subject to renewal and established by rule, not to exceed
$1,000,000 annually for all school districts, charter
schools, and cooperatives or joint agreements, for
administrative costs associated with conducting the meetings
of the local professional development committee, as
determined in consultation with the committee. Each regional
office of education shall receive $2,000 annually to pay
school districts, charter schools, or cooperatives or joint
agreements for costs, as defined by rule, incurred in staff
attendance at regional professional development review
committee meetings and the training seminar required under
paragraph (2) of subsection (g) of this Section.
(l) The State Board of Education and the State Teacher
Certification Board shall jointly contract with an
independent party to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of
the certificate renewal system pursuant to this Section. The
first report of this evaluation shall be presented to the
General Assembly on January 1, 2005 and on January 1 of every
third year thereafter.
(Source: P.A. 91-102, eff. 7-12-99; 92-510, eff. 6-1-02.)
(105 ILCS 5/21-16) (from Ch. 122, par. 21-16)
Sec. 21-16. Fees - Requirement for registration.
(a) Until February 15, 2000, every applicant when issued
a certificate shall pay to the regional superintendent of
schools a fee of $1, which shall be paid into the institute
fund. Every certificate issued under the provisions of this
Act shall be registered annually or, at the option of the
holder of the certificate, once every 3 years. The regional
superintendent of schools having supervision and control over
the school where the teaching is done shall register the
certificate before the holder begins to teach, otherwise it
shall be registered in any county in the State of Illinois;
and one fee of $4 per year for registration or renewal of one
or more certificates which have been issued to the same
holder shall be paid into the institute fund.
Until February 15, 2000, requirements for registration of
any certificate limited in time shall include evidence of
professional growth defined as successful teaching experience
since last registration of certificate, attendance at
professional meetings, membership in professional
organizations, additional credits earned in recognized
teacher-training institutions, travel specifically for
educational experience, reading of professional books and
periodicals, filing all reports as required by the regional
superintendent of schools and the State Superintendent of
Education or such other professional experience or
combination of experiences as are presented by the teacher
and are approved by the State Superintendent of Education in
consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board. A
duplicate certificate may be issued to the holder of a valid
life certificate or valid certificate limited in time by the
State Superintendent of Education; however, it shall only be
issued upon request of a regional superintendent of schools
and upon payment to the regional superintendent of schools
who requests such duplicate a fee of $4.
(b) Beginning February 15, 2000, all persons who are
issued Standard Teaching Certificates pursuant to clause (ii)
of paragraph (1) (2) of subsection (c) of Section 21-2 and
all persons who renew Standard Teaching Certificates shall
pay a $25 fee for registration of all certificates held. All
persons who are issued Standard Teaching Certificates under
clause (i) of paragraph (1) of subsection (c) of Section 21-2
and all other applicants for Standard Teaching Certificates
shall pay an original application fee, pursuant to Section
21-12, and a $25 fee for registration of all certificates
held. These certificates shall be registered and the
registration fee paid once every 5 years. Standard Teaching
Certificate applicants and holders shall not be required to
pay any other registration fees for issuance or renewal of
their certificates, except as provided in Section 21-17 of
this Code. Beginning February 15, 2000, Master Teaching
Certificates shall be issued and renewed upon payment by the
applicant or certificate holder of a $50 fee for registration
of all certificates held. These certificates shall be
registered and the fee paid once every 10 years. Master
Teaching Certificate applicants and holders shall not be
required to pay any other application or registration fees
for issuance or renewal of their certificates, except as
provided in Section 21-17 of this Code. All other
certificates issued under the provisions of this Code shall
be registered for the validity period of the certificate at
the rate of $5 per year for the total number of years for
which the certificate is valid for registration of all
certificates held, or for a maximum of 5 years for life
certificates. The regional superintendent of schools having
supervision and control over the school where the teaching is
done shall register the certificate before the holder begins
to teach, otherwise it shall be registered in any county in
the State of Illinois. Each holder shall pay the appropriate
registration fee to the regional superintendent of schools.
The regional superintendent of schools shall deposit the
registration fees into the institute fund. Any certificate
holder who teaches in more than one educational service
region shall register the certificate or certificates in all
regions where the teaching is done, but shall be required to
pay one registration fee for all certificates held, provided
holders of certificates issued pursuant to Section 21-9 of
this Code shall be required to pay one registration fee, in
each educational service region in which his or her
certificate or certificates are registered, for all
certificates held.
A duplicate certificate may be issued to the holder of a
valid life certificate or valid certificate limited in time
by the State Superintendent of Education; however, it shall
only be issued upon request of a regional superintendent of
schools and upon payment to the regional superintendent of
schools who requests the duplicate a fee of $4, which shall
be deposited into the institute fund.
(Source: P.A. 91-102, eff. 7-12-99.)
Section 95. No acceleration or delay. Where this Act
makes changes in a statute that is represented in this Act by
text that is not yet or no longer in effect (for example, a
Section represented by multiple versions), the use of that
text does not accelerate or delay the taking effect of (i)
the changes made by this Act or (ii) provisions derived from
any other Public Act.
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law, except that Section 3 takes effect on July 1,
2002.
Passed in the General Assembly May 29, 2002.
Approved August 10, 2002.
Effective August 10, 2002.
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