Bill Text: IL HB0296 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Engrossed

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Bill Title: Amends the Educator Licensure Article of the School Code. In provisions concerning educator testing, provides that, through August 31, 2025, no candidate completing a teacher preparation program or other candidate is required to pass a teacher performance assessment. Makes conforming changes. Creates the Teacher Performance Assessment Task Force to evaluate potential teacher performance assessment systems for implementation in this State, with the intention of supporting a thoughtful and well-rounded licensure system that is performance-based and has consistency across programs and objectivity. Sets forth the membership of the Task Force. Provides that members of the Task Force shall serve without compensation. Provides that the State Board of Education shall provide administrative and other support to the Task Force. Provides that on or before August 1, 2024, the Task Force shall report on its work, including recommendations on a teacher performance assessment system in this State, to the State Board of Education. Provides that the Task Force is dissolved upon submission of this report. Effective immediately.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-1)

Status: (Failed) 2025-01-07 - Session Sine Die [HB0296 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-HB0296-Engrossed.html

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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 Sections
21B-30 and 21B-50 as follows:
(105 ILCS 5/21B-30)
Sec. 21B-30. Educator testing.
(a) (Blank).
(b) The State Board of Education, in consultation with the
State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, shall design
and implement a system of examinations, which shall be
required prior to the issuance of educator licenses. These
examinations and indicators must be based on national and
State professional teaching standards, as determined by the
State Board of Education, in consultation with the State
Educator Preparation and Licensure Board. The State Board of
Education may adopt such rules as may be necessary to
implement and administer this Section.
(c) (Blank).
(c-5) The State Board must adopt rules to implement a
paraprofessional competency test. This test would allow an
applicant seeking an Educator License with Stipulations with a
paraprofessional educator endorsement to obtain the

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endorsement if he or she passes the test and meets the other
requirements of subparagraph (J) of paragraph (2) of Section
21B-20 other than the higher education requirements.
(d) All applicants seeking a State license shall be
required to pass a test of content area knowledge for each area
of endorsement for which there is an applicable test. There
shall be no exception to this requirement. No candidate shall
be allowed to student teach or serve as the teacher of record
until he or she has passed the applicable content area test.
(e) (Blank).
(f) Beginning on the effective date of this amendatory Act
of the 103rd General Assembly through August 31, 2025, no
candidate completing a teacher preparation program in this
State or candidate subject to Section 21B-35 of this Code is
required to pass a teacher performance assessment. Except as
otherwise provided in this Article, beginning on September 1,
2015 until the effective date of this amendatory Act of the
103rd General Assembly and beginning again on September 1,
2025, all candidates completing teacher preparation programs
in this State and all candidates subject to Section 21B-35 of
this Code are required to pass a teacher performance
assessment approved by the State Board of Education, in
consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure
Board. A candidate may not be required to submit test
materials by video submission. Subject to appropriation, an
individual who holds a Professional Educator License and is

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employed for a minimum of one school year by a school district
designated as Tier 1 under Section 18-8.15 may, after
application to the State Board, receive from the State Board a
refund for any costs associated with completing the teacher
performance assessment under this subsection.
(f-5) The Teacher Performance Assessment Task Force is
created to evaluate potential teacher performance assessment
systems for implementation in this State, with the intention
of supporting a thoughtful and well-rounded licensure system
that is performance-based and has consistency across programs
and objectivity. The Task Force shall consist of all of the
following members:
(1) One member of the Senate, appointed by the
President of the Senate.
(2) One member of the Senate, appointed by the
Minority Leader of the Senate.
(3) One member of the House of Representatives,
appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
(4) One member of the House of Representatives,
appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of
Representatives.
(5) One member who represents a statewide professional
teachers' organization, appointed by the State
Superintendent of Education.
(6) One member who represents a different statewide
professional teachers' organization, appointed by the

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State Superintendent of Education.
(7) One member from a statewide organization
representing school principals, appointed by the State
Superintendent of Education.
(8) One member from a statewide organization
representing regional superintendents of schools,
appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.
(9) One member from a statewide organization
representing school business officials, appointed by the
State Superintendent of Education.
(10) One member representing a school district
organized under Article 34 of this Code, appointed by the
State Superintendent of Education.
(11) One member of an association representing rural
and small schools, appointed by the State Superintendent
of Education.
(12) One member representing a suburban school
district, appointed by the State Superintendent of
Education.
(13) One member from a statewide organization
representing school districts in the southern suburbs of
the City of Chicago, appointed by the State Superintendent
of Education.
(14) One member from a statewide organization
representing large unit school districts, appointed by the
State Superintendent of Education.

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(15) One member from a statewide organization
representing school districts in the collar counties of
the City of Chicago, appointed by the State Superintendent
of Education.
(16) Three members, each representing a different
public university in this State, appointed by the State
Superintendent of Education.
(17) Three members, each representing a different
4-year nonpublic university or college in this State,
appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.
(18) One member of the Board of Higher Education,
appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.
(19) One member representing a statewide policy
organization advocating on behalf of multilingual students
and families, appointed by the State Superintendent of
Education.
(20) One member representing a statewide organization
focused on research-based education policy to support a
school system that prepares all students for college, a
career, and democratic citizenship, appointed by the State
Superintendent of Education.
(21) Two members representing an early childhood
advocacy organization, appointed by the State
Superintendent of Education.
Members of the Task Force shall serve without
compensation. The Task Force shall first meet at the call of

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the State Superintendent of Education, and each subsequent
meeting shall be called by the chairperson of the Task Force,
who shall be designated by the State Superintendent of
Education. The State Board of Education shall provide
administrative and other support to the Task Force.
On or before August 1, 2024, the Task Force shall report on
its work, including recommendations on a teacher performance
assessment system in this State, to the State Board of
Education. The Task Force is dissolved upon submission of this
report.
(g) The content area knowledge test and the teacher
performance assessment shall be the tests that from time to
time are designated by the State Board of Education, in
consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure
Board, and may be tests prepared by an educational testing
organization or tests designed by the State Board of
Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation
and Licensure Board. The test of content area knowledge shall
assess content knowledge in a specific subject field. The
tests must be designed to be racially neutral to ensure that no
person taking the tests is discriminated against on the basis
of race, color, national origin, or other factors unrelated to
the person's ability to perform as a licensed employee. The
score required to pass the tests shall be fixed by the State
Board of Education, in consultation with the State Educator
Preparation and Licensure Board. The tests shall be

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administered not fewer than 3 times a year at such time and
place as may be designated by the State Board of Education, in
consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure
Board.
The State Board shall implement a test or tests to assess
the speaking, reading, writing, and grammar skills of
applicants for an endorsement or a license issued under
subdivision (G) of paragraph (2) of Section 21B-20 of this
Code in the English language and in the language of the
transitional bilingual education program requested by the
applicant.
(h) Except as provided in Section 34-6 of this Code, the
provisions of this Section shall apply equally in any school
district subject to Article 34 of this Code.
(i) The rules developed to implement and enforce the
testing requirements under this Section shall include without
limitation provisions governing test selection, test
validation and determination of a passing score,
administration of the tests, frequency of administration,
applicant fees, frequency of applicants taking the tests, the
years for which a score is valid, and appropriate special
accommodations. The State Board of Education shall develop
such rules as may be needed to ensure uniformity from year to
year in the level of difficulty for each form of an assessment.
(Source: P.A. 101-81, eff. 7-12-19; 101-220, eff. 8-7-19;
101-594, eff. 12-5-19; 102-301, eff. 8-26-21.)

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(105 ILCS 5/21B-50)
Sec. 21B-50. Alternative Educator Licensure Program.
(a) There is established an alternative educator licensure
program, to be known as the Alternative Educator Licensure
Program for Teachers.
(b) The Alternative Educator Licensure Program for
Teachers may be offered by a recognized institution approved
to offer educator preparation programs by the State Board of
Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation
and Licensure Board.
The program shall be comprised of 4 phases:
(1) A course of study that at a minimum includes
instructional planning; instructional strategies,
including special education, reading, and English language
learning; classroom management; and the assessment of
students and use of data to drive instruction.
(2) A year of residency, which is a candidate's
assignment to a full-time teaching position or as a
co-teacher for one full school year. An individual must
hold an Educator License with Stipulations with an
alternative provisional educator endorsement in order to
enter the residency and must complete additional program
requirements that address required State and national
standards, pass the State Board's teacher performance
assessment, if required under Section 21B-30, no later

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than the end of the first semester of the second year of
residency, as required under phase (3) of this subsection
(b), and be recommended by the principal or qualified
equivalent of a principal, as required under subsection
(d) of this Section, and the program coordinator to
continue with the second year of the residency.
(3) A second year of residency, which shall include
the candidate's assignment to a full-time teaching
position for one school year. The candidate must be
assigned an experienced teacher to act as a mentor and
coach the candidate through the second year of residency.
(4) A comprehensive assessment of the candidate's
teaching effectiveness, as evaluated by the principal or
qualified equivalent of a principal, as required under
subsection (d) of this Section, and the program
coordinator, at the end of the second year of residency.
If there is disagreement between the 2 evaluators about
the candidate's teaching effectiveness, the candidate may
complete one additional year of residency teaching under a
professional development plan developed by the principal
or qualified equivalent and the preparation program. At
the completion of the third year, a candidate must have
positive evaluations and a recommendation for full
licensure from both the principal or qualified equivalent
and the program coordinator or no Professional Educator
License shall be issued.

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Successful completion of the program shall be deemed to
satisfy any other practice or student teaching and content
matter requirements established by law.
(c) An alternative provisional educator endorsement on an
Educator License with Stipulations is valid for 2 years of
teaching in the public schools, including without limitation a
preschool educational program under Section 2-3.71 of this
Code or charter school, or in a State-recognized nonpublic
school in which the chief administrator is required to have
the licensure necessary to be a principal in a public school in
this State and in which a majority of the teachers are required
to have the licensure necessary to be instructors in a public
school in this State, but may be renewed for a third year if
needed to complete the Alternative Educator Licensure Program
for Teachers. The endorsement shall be issued only once to an
individual who meets all of the following requirements:
(1) Has graduated from a regionally accredited college
or university with a bachelor's degree or higher.
(2) (Blank).
(3) Has completed a major in the content area if
seeking a middle or secondary level endorsement or, if
seeking an early childhood, elementary, or special
education endorsement, has completed a major in the
content area of reading, English/language arts,
mathematics, or one of the sciences. If the individual
does not have a major in a content area for any level of

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teaching, he or she must submit transcripts to the State
Board of Education to be reviewed for equivalency.
(4) Has successfully completed phase (1) of subsection
(b) of this Section.
(5) Has passed a content area test required for the
specific endorsement for admission into the program, as
required under Section 21B-30 of this Code.
A candidate possessing the alternative provisional
educator endorsement may receive a salary, benefits, and any
other terms of employment offered to teachers in the school
who are members of an exclusive bargaining representative, if
any, but a school is not required to provide these benefits
during the years of residency if the candidate is serving only
as a co-teacher. If the candidate is serving as the teacher of
record, the candidate must receive a salary, benefits, and any
other terms of employment. Residency experiences must not be
counted towards tenure.
(d) The recognized institution offering the Alternative
Educator Licensure Program for Teachers must partner with a
school district, including without limitation a preschool
educational program under Section 2-3.71 of this Code or
charter school, or a State-recognized, nonpublic school in
this State in which the chief administrator is required to
have the licensure necessary to be a principal in a public
school in this State and in which a majority of the teachers
are required to have the licensure necessary to be instructors

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in a public school in this State. A recognized institution
that partners with a public school district administering a
preschool educational program under Section 2-3.71 of this
Code must require a principal to recommend or evaluate
candidates in the program. A recognized institution that
partners with an eligible entity administering a preschool
educational program under Section 2-3.71 of this Code and that
is not a public school district must require a principal or
qualified equivalent of a principal to recommend or evaluate
candidates in the program. The program presented for approval
by the State Board of Education must demonstrate the supports
that are to be provided to assist the provisional teacher
during the 2-year residency period. These supports must
provide additional contact hours with mentors during the first
year of residency.
(e) Upon completion of the 4 phases outlined in subsection
(b) of this Section and all assessments required under Section
21B-30 of this Code, an individual shall receive a
Professional Educator License.
(f) The State Board of Education, in consultation with the
State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, may adopt such
rules as may be necessary to establish and implement the
Alternative Educator Licensure Program for Teachers.
(Source: P.A. 100-596, eff. 7-1-18; 100-822, eff. 1-1-19;
101-220, eff. 8-7-19; 101-570, eff. 8-23-19; 101-643, eff.
6-18-20; 101-654, eff. 3-8-21.)

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Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.