Bill Text: IL HB4787 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Creates the Paraprofessional Fast Track to Teaching Degree Pilot Program Act. Makes findings. Provides that the Paraprofessional Fast Track to Teaching Degree Pilot Program is created for a 2-year degree pathway by which paraprofessional educators may enroll to achieve the education requirements to attain a professional educator license in this State, which shall comply with the standards of the State Board of Education and the Board of Higher Education. Provides that, subject to appropriation, beginning with the 2024-2025 academic year or, if funds are not appropriated for the Program that academic year, beginning with the academic year in which funds are appropriated for the Program, the State Board of Education and the Board of Higher Education shall coordinate with each other to assign a qualified individual to serve as a Program director to develop the curriculum for the Program. Provides that one public elementary or public secondary school and one public university in this State shall be chosen to develop a program for transitioning paraprofessionals to teachers. Includes the core components of the Program. Provides that the State Board of Education and the Board of Higher Education must submit a report to the Governor, the General Assembly, and the Legislative Reference Bureau detailing the impact of the Program and then the Program is dissolved and the Act is repealed. Effective immediately.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Republican 15-2)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-04-05 - House Committee Amendment No. 1 Rule 19(c) / Re-referred to Rules Committee [HB4787 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-HB4787-Introduced.html

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103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 HB4787 Introduced , by Rep. Amy L. Grant SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
New Act
Creates the Paraprofessional Fast Track to Teaching Degree Pilot Program Act. Makes findings. Provides that the Paraprofessional Fast Track to Teaching Degree Pilot Program is created for a 2-year degree pathway by which paraprofessional educators may enroll to achieve the education requirements to attain a professional educator license in this State, which shall comply with the standards of the State Board of Education and the Board of Higher Education. Provides that, subject to appropriation, beginning with the 2024-2025 academic year or, if funds are not appropriated for the Program that academic year, beginning with the academic year in which funds are appropriated for the Program, the State Board of Education and the Board of Higher Education shall coordinate with each other to assign a qualified individual to serve as a Program director to develop the curriculum for the Program. Provides that one public elementary or public secondary school and one public university in this State shall be chosen to develop a program for transitioning paraprofessionals to teachers. Includes the core components of the Program. Provides that the State Board of Education and the Board of Higher Education must submit a report to the Governor, the General Assembly, and the Legislative Reference Bureau detailing the impact of the Program and then the Program is dissolved and the Act is repealed. Effective immediately.
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A BILL FOR
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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 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
Paraprofessional Fast Track to Teaching Degree Pilot Program
Act.
Section 5. Findings. The General Assembly makes all of the
following findings:
(1) In Illinois, starting 4-year, licensed to teach,
college graduates earn $45,000 to $55,000 a year as
compared to education paraprofessionals, who are paid an
average annual salary of $29,232 and have an average
starting salary of $23,000.
(2) Education paraprofessionals are required to have a
2-year associate degree to teach in Illinois. Comparing
this with other 2-year college technician certificates,
such as veterinary technicians who have an average salary
of $42,000, human resource assistants who have an average
salary of $45,000, forestry technicians who have an
average salary of $42,000, and paralegals who have an
average salary of $61,000, education paraprofessionals are
not seeing the return on their educational investment.
(3) School districts have strongly voiced their need

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for more qualified teachers.
(4) Alternative routes to teacher licensure, which
tend to be faster and less expensive than traditional
programs, should be explored by the State to produce more
teachers.
(5) It is in the interests of State residents to
identify affordable pathways to secure a teacher license
in Illinois.
(6) Paraprofessional educators are particularly
well-positioned to take advantage of such pathways into
teaching. Given access to high-quality licensure programs
tailored to their specific experiences and needs, they can
make a significant contribution to local efforts to
address teacher shortages.
(7) It is in the interests of State residents to have
an accredited paraprofessional-to-teaching degree pathway
based on both campus-based instruction and courses offered
in the schools where candidates work, while also giving
them opportunities to earn academic credit by
demonstrating the knowledge and skills they have mastered
in their jobs.
Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Act, unless the
context otherwise requires:
"Paraprofessional" or "paraprofessional educator" means a
person who holds a paraprofessional educator endorsement in

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accordance with the School Code.
"Program" means the Paraprofessional Fast Track to
Teaching Degree Pilot Program.
Section 15. Creation of Program. The Paraprofessional Fast
Track to Teaching Degree Pilot Program is created for a 2-year
degree pathway by which paraprofessional educators may enroll
to achieve the education requirements to attain a professional
educator license in this State, which shall comply with the
standards of the State Board of Education and the Board of
Higher Education.
Section 20. Program requirements.
(a) Subject to appropriation, beginning with the 2024-2025
academic year or, if funds are not appropriated for the
Program that academic year, beginning with the academic year
in which funds are appropriated for the Program, the State
Board of Education and the Board of Higher Education shall
coordinate with each other to assign a qualified individual to
serve as a Program director to develop the curriculum for the
Program. If a source of outside funding for the Program
director is secured to support the development of the Program,
the State Board of Education and Board of Higher Education
shall facilitate the approval of a paraprofessional-to-teacher
bachelor's degree curriculum pathway for the public
universities agreeing to participate in the Program.

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(b) Under the Program, one public elementary or public
secondary school and one public university in this State shall
be chosen to develop a program for transitioning
paraprofessionals to teachers through the Program.
The core components of the Program must include all of the
following:
(1) Allowing paraprofessionals to enroll in the public
university and enroll in courses that allow them to
complete 30 college coursework credits toward a
baccalaureate degree that would meet Illinois
teacher-licensing standards.
(2) Allowing paraprofessionals to earn 30 college
coursework credits for the work that they perform in their
role as a paraprofessional educator at a public elementary
school or public secondary school.
(3) Using online course options to reduce costs and
required travel.
(4) The inclusion of evaluations by the mentor teacher
of the paraprofessional for the approval of the 30 college
coursework credits earned teaching in the classroom.
(5) A promise by the participating elementary or
secondary school that it will consider hiring the
paraprofessionals as full-time teachers after the
paraprofessionals complete the Program.
(c) The curriculum of the Program shall be established by
the public university's educator preparation program. This

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curriculum shall reflect the core components of the Program
identified in subsection (b).
(d) The Program director may expand participation in the
Program if the director finds multiple willing and able
schools and universities.
Section 25. Reporting.
(a) After the cohort of students completes the Program,
the State Board of Education and the Board of Higher Education
must submit a report to the Governor, the General Assembly,
and the Legislative Reference Bureau detailing the impact of
the Program on all of the following:
(1) The number of paraprofessionals that attained a
baccalaureate degree.
(2) The successes and failures of the Program.
(3) Reducing the costs of attending an institution of
higher learning and overall student loan debt for
individuals pursuing a degree in teaching.
(4) Creating a model curriculum that can be replicated
through partnerships between other institutions of higher
learning and school districts across the State.
(b) The Program is dissolved on the day the State Board of
Education and the Board of Higher Education submit the report
required under subsection (a).
Section 30. Repeal. On the date that the Legislative

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Reference Bureau receives the report sent to it under
subsection (a) of Section 25, this Act is repealed.
Section 90. Rules. The State Board of Education and the
Board of Higher Education must adopt rules to implement this
Act.