Bill Text: IL HB0256 | 2019-2020 | 101st General Assembly | Engrossed
Bill Title: Amends the Educator Licensure Article of School Code. Provides that, beginning with the 2019-2020 school year, in order to obtain a license under the Article, a student teacher candidate may not be required to videotape himself or herself or his or her students in a classroom setting. Effective immediately.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 16-3)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2021-01-10 - Placed on Calendar Order of 3rd Reading January 11, 2021 [HB0256 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2019-HB0256-Engrossed.html
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1 | AN ACT concerning education.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section | ||||||
5 | 21B-30 as follows:
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6 | (105 ILCS 5/21B-30)
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7 | Sec. 21B-30. Educator testing. | ||||||
8 | (a) This Section applies beginning on July 1, 2012. | ||||||
9 | (b) The State Board of Education, in consultation with the | ||||||
10 | State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, shall design | ||||||
11 | and implement a system of examinations, which shall be required | ||||||
12 | prior to the issuance of educator licenses. These examinations | ||||||
13 | and indicators must be based on national and State professional | ||||||
14 | teaching standards, as determined by the State Board of | ||||||
15 | Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation | ||||||
16 | and Licensure Board. The State Board of Education may adopt | ||||||
17 | such rules as may be necessary to implement and administer this | ||||||
18 | Section. | ||||||
19 | (c) Except as otherwise provided in this Article, | ||||||
20 | applicants seeking a Professional Educator License or an | ||||||
21 | Educator License with Stipulations shall be required to pass a | ||||||
22 | test of basic skills before the license is issued, unless the | ||||||
23 | endorsement the individual is seeking does not require passage |
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1 | of the test. All applicants completing Illinois-approved, | ||||||
2 | teacher education or school service personnel preparation | ||||||
3 | programs shall be required to pass the State Board of | ||||||
4 | Education's recognized test of basic skills prior to starting | ||||||
5 | their student teaching or starting the final semester of their | ||||||
6 | internship. An institution of higher learning, as defined in | ||||||
7 | the Higher Education Student Assistance Act, may not require an | ||||||
8 | applicant to complete the State Board's recognized test of | ||||||
9 | basic skills prior to the semester before student teaching or | ||||||
10 | prior to the semester before starting the final semester of an | ||||||
11 | internship. An individual who passes a test of basic skills | ||||||
12 | does not need to do so again for subsequent endorsements or | ||||||
13 | other educator licenses. | ||||||
14 | (d) All applicants seeking a State license shall be | ||||||
15 | required to pass a test of content area knowledge for each area | ||||||
16 | of endorsement for which there is an applicable test. There | ||||||
17 | shall be no exception to this requirement. No candidate shall | ||||||
18 | be allowed to student teach or serve as the teacher of record | ||||||
19 | until he or she has passed the applicable content area test. | ||||||
20 | (e) (Blank). | ||||||
21 | (f) Except as otherwise provided in this Article, beginning | ||||||
22 | on September 1, 2015, all candidates completing teacher | ||||||
23 | preparation programs in this State and all candidates subject | ||||||
24 | to Section 21B-35 of this Code are required to pass a teacher | ||||||
25 | performance assessment approved by the State Board of | ||||||
26 | Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation |
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1 | and Licensure Board. | ||||||
2 | (g) Tests of basic skills and content area knowledge and | ||||||
3 | the teacher performance assessment shall be the tests that from | ||||||
4 | time to time are designated by the State Board of Education, in | ||||||
5 | consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure | ||||||
6 | Board, and may be tests prepared by an educational testing | ||||||
7 | organization or tests designed by the State Board of Education, | ||||||
8 | in consultation with the State Educator Preparation and | ||||||
9 | Licensure Board. The areas to be covered by a test of basic | ||||||
10 | skills shall include reading, language arts, and mathematics. | ||||||
11 | The test of content area knowledge shall assess content | ||||||
12 | knowledge in a specific subject field. The tests must be | ||||||
13 | designed to be racially neutral to ensure that no person taking | ||||||
14 | the tests is discriminated against on the basis of race, color, | ||||||
15 | national origin, or other factors unrelated to the person's | ||||||
16 | ability to perform as a licensed employee. The score required | ||||||
17 | to pass the tests shall be fixed by the State Board of | ||||||
18 | Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation | ||||||
19 | and Licensure Board. The tests shall be administered not fewer | ||||||
20 | than 3 times a year at such time and place as may be designated | ||||||
21 | by the State Board of Education, in consultation with the State | ||||||
22 | Educator Preparation and Licensure Board. | ||||||
23 | The State Board shall implement a test or tests to assess | ||||||
24 | the speaking, reading, writing, and grammar skills of | ||||||
25 | applicants for an endorsement or a license issued under | ||||||
26 | subdivision (G) of paragraph (2) of Section 21B-20 of this Code |
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1 | in the English language and in the language of the transitional | ||||||
2 | bilingual education program requested by the applicant. | ||||||
3 | (h) Except as provided in Section 34-6 of this Code, the | ||||||
4 | provisions of this Section shall apply equally in any school | ||||||
5 | district subject to Article 34 of this Code. | ||||||
6 | (i) The rules developed to implement and enforce the | ||||||
7 | testing requirements under this Section shall include without | ||||||
8 | limitation provisions governing test selection, test | ||||||
9 | validation and determination of a passing score, | ||||||
10 | administration of the tests, frequency of administration, | ||||||
11 | applicant fees, frequency of applicants taking the tests, the | ||||||
12 | years for which a score is valid, and appropriate special | ||||||
13 | accommodations. The State Board of Education shall develop such | ||||||
14 | rules as may be needed to ensure uniformity from year to year | ||||||
15 | in the level of difficulty for each form of an assessment.
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16 | (j) Beginning with the 2019-2020 school year, in order to | ||||||
17 | obtain a license under this Article, a student teacher | ||||||
18 | candidate may not be required to videotape himself or herself | ||||||
19 | or his or her students in a classroom setting. | ||||||
20 | (Source: P.A. 99-58, eff. 7-16-15; 99-657, eff. 7-28-16; | ||||||
21 | 99-920, eff. 1-6-17; 100-596, eff. 7-1-18; 100-863, eff. | ||||||
22 | 8-14-18; 100-932, eff. 8-17-18; revised 10-1-18.)
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23 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
24 | becoming law.
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