Public Act 099-0035

HB1790 Enrolled LRB099 06636 NHT 26709 b

AN ACT concerning education.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,

represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section

21B-20 as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/21B-20)

Sec. 21B-20. Types of licenses. Before July 1, 2013, the

State Board of Education shall implement a system of educator

licensure, whereby individuals employed in school districts

who are required to be licensed must have one of the following

licenses: (i) a professional educator license; (ii) a

professional educator license with stipulations; or (iii) a

substitute teaching license. References in law regarding

individuals certified or certificated or required to be

certified or certificated under Article 21 of this Code shall

also include individuals licensed or required to be licensed

under this Article. The first year of all licenses ends on June

30 following one full year of the license being issued.

The State Board of Education, in consultation with the

State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, may adopt such

rules as may be necessary to govern the requirements for

licenses and endorsements under this Section.

(1) Professional Educator License. Persons who (i)

have successfully completed an approved educator

preparation program and are recommended for licensure by

the Illinois institution offering the educator preparation

program, (ii) have successfully completed the required

testing under Section 21B-30 of this Code, (iii) have

successfully completed coursework on the psychology of,

the identification of, and the methods of instruction for

the exceptional child, including without limitation the

learning disabled, (iv) have successfully completed

coursework in methods of reading and reading in the content

area, and (v) have met all other criteria established by

rule of the State Board of Education shall be issued a

Professional Educator License. All Professional Educator

Licenses are valid until June 30 immediately following 5

years of the license being issued. The Professional

Educator License shall be endorsed with specific areas and

grade levels in which the individual is eligible to

practice.

Individuals can receive subsequent endorsements on the

Professional Educator License. Subsequent endorsements

shall require a minimum of 24 semester hours of coursework

in the endorsement area, unless otherwise specified by

rule, and passage of the applicable content area test.

(2) Educator License with Stipulations. An Educator

License with Stipulations shall be issued an endorsement

that limits the license holder to one particular position

or does not require completion of an approved educator

program or both.

An individual with an Educator License with

Stipulations must not be employed by a school district or

any other entity to replace any presently employed teacher

who otherwise would not be replaced for any reason.

An Educator License with Stipulations may be issued

with the following endorsements:

(A) Provisional educator. A provisional educator

endorsement in a specific content area or areas on an

Educator License with Stipulations may be issued to an

applicant who holds an educator license with a minimum

of 15 semester hours in content coursework from another

state, U.S. territory, or foreign country and who, at

the time of applying for an Illinois license, does not

meet the minimum requirements under Section 21B-35 of

this Code, but does, at a minimum, meet both of the

following requirements:

(i) Holds the equivalent of a minimum of a

bachelor's degree, unless a master's degree is

required for the endorsement, from a regionally

accredited college or university or, for

individuals educated in a country other than the

United States, the equivalent of a minimum of a

bachelor's degree issued in the United States,

unless a master's degree is required for the

endorsement.

(ii) Has passed a test of basic skills and

content area test, as required by Section 21B-30 of

this Code.

However, a provisional educator endorsement for

principals may not be issued, nor may any person with a

provisional educator endorsement serve as a principal

in a public school in this State. In addition,

out-of-state applicants shall not receive a

provisional educator endorsement if the person

completed an alternative licensure program in another

state, unless the program has been determined to be

equivalent to Illinois program requirements.

Notwithstanding any other requirements of this

Section, a service member or spouse of a service member

may obtain a Professional Educator License with

Stipulations, and a provisional educator endorsement

in a specific content area or areas, if he or she holds

a valid teaching certificate or license in good

standing from another state, meets the qualifications

of educators outlined in Section 21B-15 of this Code,

and has not engaged in any misconduct that would

prohibit an individual from obtaining a license

pursuant to Illinois law, including without limitation

any administrative rules of the State Board of

Education; however, the service member or spouse may

not serve as a principal under the Professional

Educator License with Stipulations or provisional

educator endorsement.

In this Section, "service member" means any person

who, at the time of application under this Section, is

an active duty member of the United States Armed Forces

or any reserve component of the United States Armed

Forces or the National Guard of any state,

commonwealth, or territory of the United States or the

District of Columbia.

A provisional educator endorsement is valid until

June 30 immediately following 2 years of the license

being issued, during which time any remaining testing

and coursework deficiencies must be met. Failure to

satisfy all stated deficiencies shall mean the

individual, including any service member or spouse who

has obtained a Professional Educator License with

Stipulations and a provisional educator endorsement in

a specific content area or areas, is ineligible to

receive a Professional Educator License at that time. A

provisional educator endorsement on an Educator

License with Stipulations shall not be renewed.

(B) Alternative provisional educator. An

alternative provisional educator endorsement on an

Educator License with Stipulations may be issued to an

applicant who, at the time of applying for the

endorsement, has done all of the following:

(i) Graduated from a regionally accredited

college or university with a minimum of a

bachelor's degree.

(ii) Successfully completed the first phase of

the Alternative Educator Licensure Program for

Teachers, as described in Section 21B-50 of this

Code.

(iii) Passed a test of basic skills and content

area test, as required under Section 21B-30 of this

Code.

The alternative provisional educator endorsement

is valid for 2 years of teaching and may be renewed for

a third year by an individual meeting the requirements

set forth in Section 21B-50 of this Code.

(C) Alternative provisional superintendent. An

alternative provisional superintendent endorsement on

an Educator License with Stipulations entitles the

holder to serve only as a superintendent or assistant

superintendent in a school district's central office.

This endorsement may only be issued to an applicant

who, at the time of applying for the endorsement, has

done all of the following:

(i) Graduated from a regionally accredited

college or university with a minimum of a master's

degree in a management field other than education.

(ii) Been employed for a period of at least 5

years in a management level position in a field

other than education.

(iii) Successfully completed the first phase

of an alternative route to superintendent

endorsement program, as provided in Section 21B-55

of this Code.

(iv) Passed a test of basic skills and content

area tests required under Section 21B-30 of this

Code.

The endorsement may be registered for 2 fiscal

years in order to complete one full year of serving as

a superintendent or assistant superintendent.

(D) Resident teacher endorsement. A resident

teacher endorsement on an Educator License with

Stipulations may be issued to an applicant who, at the

time of applying for the endorsement, has done all of

the following:

(i) Graduated from a regionally accredited

institution of higher education with a minimum of a

bachelor's degree.

(ii) Enrolled in an approved Illinois educator

preparation program.

(iii) Passed a test of basic skills and content

area test, as required under Section 21B-30 of this

Code.

The resident teacher endorsement on an Educator

License with Stipulations is valid for 4 years of

teaching and shall not be renewed.

A resident teacher may teach only under the

direction of a licensed teacher, who shall act as the

resident mentor teacher, and may not teach in place of

a licensed teacher. A resident teacher endorsement on

an Educator License with Stipulations shall no longer

be valid after June 30, 2017.

(E) Career and technical educator. A career and

technical educator endorsement on an Educator License

with Stipulations may be issued to an applicant who has

a minimum of 60 semester hours of coursework from a

regionally accredited institution of higher education

and has a minimum of 2,000 hours of experience in the

last 10 years outside of education in each area to be

taught.

The career and technical educator endorsement on

an Educator License with Stipulations is valid until

June 30 immediately following 5 years of the

endorsement being issued and may be renewed. For

individuals who were issued the career and technical

educator endorsement on an Educator License with

Stipulations on or after January 1, 2015, the license

may be renewed if the individual passes a test of basic

skills, as required under Section 21B-30 of this Code.

(F) Part-time provisional career and technical

educator or provisional career and technical educator.

A part-time provisional career and technical educator

endorsement or a provisional career and technical

educator endorsement on an Educator License with

Stipulations may be issued to an applicant who has a

minimum of 8,000 hours of work experience in the skill

for which the applicant is seeking the endorsement. It

is the responsibility of each employing school board

and regional office of education to provide

verification, in writing, to the State Superintendent

of Education at the time the application is submitted

that no qualified teacher holding a Professional

Educator License or an Educator License with

Stipulations with a career and technical educator

endorsement is available and that actual circumstances

require such issuance.

The provisional career and technical educator

endorsement on an Educator License with Stipulations

is valid until June 30 immediately following 5 years of

the endorsement being issued and may be renewed only

one time for 5 years. For individuals who were issued

the provisional career and technical educator

endorsement on an Educator License with Stipulations

on or after January 1, 2015, the license may be renewed

one time if the individual passes a test of basic

skills, as required under Section 21B-30 of this Code,

and has completed a minimum of 20 semester hours from a

regionally accredited institution.

A part-time provisional career and technical

educator endorsement on an Educator License with

Stipulations may be issued for teaching no more than 2

courses of study for grades 6 through 12. The part-time

provisional career and technical educator endorsement

on an Educator License with Stipulations is valid until

June 30 immediately following 5 years of the

endorsement being issued and may be renewed for 5 years

if the individual makes application for renewal.

(G) Transitional bilingual educator. A

transitional bilingual educator endorsement on an

Educator License with Stipulations may be issued for

the purpose of providing instruction in accordance

with Article 14C of this Code to an applicant who

provides satisfactory evidence that he or she meets all

of the following requirements:

(i) Possesses adequate speaking, reading, and

writing ability in the language other than English

in which transitional bilingual education is

offered.

(ii) Has the ability to successfully

communicate in English.

(iii) Either possessed, within 5 years

previous to his or her applying for a transitional

bilingual educator endorsement, a valid and

comparable teaching certificate or comparable

authorization issued by a foreign country or holds

a degree from an institution of higher learning in

a foreign country that the State Educator

Preparation and Licensure Board determines to be

the equivalent of a bachelor's degree from a

regionally accredited institution of higher

learning in the United States.

A transitional bilingual educator endorsement

shall be valid for prekindergarten through grade 12, is

valid until June 30 immediately following 5 years of

the endorsement being issued, and shall not be renewed.

Persons holding a transitional bilingual educator

endorsement shall not be employed to replace any

presently employed teacher who otherwise would not be

replaced for any reason.

(H) Language endorsement. In an effort to

alleviate the shortage of teachers speaking a language

other than English in the public schools, an individual

who holds an Educator License with Stipulations may

also apply for a language endorsement, provided that

the applicant provides satisfactory evidence that he

or she meets all of the following requirements:

(i) Holds a transitional bilingual

endorsement.

(ii) Has demonstrated proficiency in the

language for which the endorsement is to be issued

by passing the applicable language content test

required by the State Board of Education.

(iii) Holds a bachelor's degree or higher from

a regionally accredited institution of higher

education or, for individuals educated in a

country other than the United States, holds a

degree from an institution of higher learning in a

foreign country that the State Educator

Preparation and Licensure Board determines to be

the equivalent of a bachelor's degree from a

regionally accredited institution of higher

learning in the United States.

(iv) Has passed a test of basic skills, as

required under Section 21B-30 of this Code.

A language endorsement on an Educator License with

Stipulations is valid for prekindergarten through

grade 12 for the same validity period as the

individual's transitional bilingual educator

endorsement on the Educator License with Stipulations

and shall not be renewed.

(I) Visiting international educator. A visiting

international educator endorsement on an Educator

License with Stipulations may be issued to an

individual who is being recruited by a particular

school district that conducts formal recruitment

programs outside of the United States to secure the

services of qualified teachers and who meets all of the

following requirements:

(i) Holds the equivalent of a minimum of a

bachelor's degree issued in the United States.

(ii) Has been prepared as a teacher at the

grade level for which he or she will be employed.

(iii) Has adequate content knowledge in the

subject to be taught.

(iv) Has an adequate command of the English

language.

A holder of a visiting international educator

endorsement on an Educator License with Stipulations

shall be permitted to teach in bilingual education

programs in the language that was the medium of

instruction in his or her teacher preparation program,

provided that he or she passes the English Language

Proficiency Examination or another test of writing

skills in English identified by the State Board of

Education, in consultation with the State Educator

Preparation and Licensure Board.

A visiting international educator endorsement on

an Educator License with Stipulations is valid for 3

years and shall not be renewed.

(J) Paraprofessional educator. A paraprofessional

educator endorsement on an Educator License with

Stipulations may be issued to an applicant who holds a

high school diploma or its recognized equivalent and

either holds an associate's degree or a minimum of 60

semester hours of credit from a regionally accredited

institution of higher education or has passed a test of

basic skills required under Section 21B-30 of this

Code. The paraprofessional educator endorsement is

valid until June 30 immediately following 5 years of

the endorsement being issued and may be renewed through

application and payment of the appropriate fee, as

required under Section 21B-40 of this Code. An

individual who holds only a paraprofessional educator

endorsement is not subject to additional requirements

in order to renew the endorsement.

(3) Substitute Teaching License. A Substitute Teaching

License may be issued to qualified applicants for

substitute teaching in all grades of the public schools,

prekindergarten through grade 12. Substitute Teaching

Licenses are not eligible for endorsements. Applicants for

a Substitute Teaching License must hold a bachelor's degree

or higher from a regionally accredited institution of

higher education.

Substitute Teaching Licenses are valid for 5 years and

may be renewed if the individual has passed a test of basic

skills, as authorized under Section 21B-30 of this Code. An

individual who has passed a test of basic skills for the

first licensure renewal is not required to retake the test

again for further renewals.

Substitute Teaching Licenses are valid for substitute

teaching in every county of this State. If an individual

has had his or her Professional Educator License or

Educator License with Stipulations suspended or revoked or

has not met the renewal requirements for licensure, then

that individual is not eligible to obtain a Substitute

Teaching License.

A substitute teacher may only teach in the place of a

licensed teacher who is under contract with the employing

board. If, however, there is no licensed teacher under

contract because of an emergency situation, then a district

may employ a substitute teacher for no longer than 30

calendar days per each vacant position in the district if

the district notifies the appropriate regional office of

education within 5 business days after the employment of

the substitute teacher in the emergency situation. An

emergency situation is one in which an unforeseen vacancy

has occurred and (i) a teacher is unable to fulfill his or

her contractual duties or (ii) teacher capacity needs of

the district exceed previous indications, and the district

is actively engaged in advertising to hire a fully licensed

teacher for the vacant position.

There is no limit on the number of days that a

substitute teacher may teach in a single school district,

provided that no substitute teacher may teach for longer

than 90 school days for any one licensed teacher under

contract in the same school year. A substitute teacher who

holds a Professional Educator License or Educator License

with Stipulations shall not teach for more than 120 school

days for any one licensed teacher under contract in the

same school year. The limitations in this paragraph (3) on

the number of days a substitute teacher may be employed do

not apply to any school district operating under Article 34

of this Code.