103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
SB1520
 
Introduced 2/8/2023, by Sen. Meg Loughran Cappel
 
SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:



105 ILCS 5/21B-20

 Amends the Educator Licensure Article of the School Code. In provisions regarding the types of licenses, provides that applicants for a Substitute Teaching License must hold an associate degree (instead of a bachelor's degree) or higher from a regionally accredited institution of higher education or must be enrolled in an approved educator preparation program in this State and have earned at least 90 credit hours. Effective July 1, 2023.



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A BILL FOR
 


SB1520LRB103 27608 RJT 53984 b



1 AN ACT concerning education.


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

3represented in the General Assembly:



4 Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section 
521B-20 as follows:

6 (105 ILCS 5/21B-20)
7 Sec. 21B-20. Types of licenses. The State Board of 
8Education shall implement a system of educator licensure, 
9whereby individuals employed in school districts who are 
10required to be licensed must have one of the following 
11licenses: (i) a professional educator license; (ii) an 
12educator license with stipulations; (iii) a substitute 
13teaching license; or (iv) until June 30, 2023, a short-term 
14substitute teaching license. References in law regarding 
15individuals certified or certificated or required to be 
16certified or certificated under Article 21 of this Code shall 
17also include individuals licensed or required to be licensed 
18under this Article. The first year of all licenses ends on June 
1930 following one full year of the license being issued.
20 The State Board of Education, in consultation with the 
21State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, may adopt such 
22rules as may be necessary to govern the requirements for 
23licenses and endorsements under this Section. 
 
 
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1  (1) Professional Educator License. Persons who (i) 
2 have successfully completed an approved educator 
3 preparation program and are recommended for licensure by 
4 the Illinois institution offering the educator preparation 
5 program, (ii) have successfully completed the required 
6 testing under Section 21B-30 of this Code, (iii) have 
7 successfully completed coursework on the psychology of, 
8 the identification of, and the methods of instruction for 
9 the exceptional child, including without limitation 
10 children with learning disabilities, (iv) have 
11 successfully completed coursework in methods of reading 
12 and reading in the content area, and (v) have met all other 
13 criteria established by rule of the State Board of 
14 Education shall be issued a Professional Educator License. 
15 All Professional Educator Licenses are valid until June 30 
16 immediately following 5 years of the license being issued. 
17 The Professional Educator License shall be endorsed with 
18 specific areas and grade levels in which the individual is 
19 eligible to practice. For an early childhood education 
20 endorsement, an individual may satisfy the student 
21 teaching requirement of his or her early childhood teacher 
22 preparation program through placement in a setting with 
23 children from birth through grade 2, and the individual 
24 may be paid and receive credit while student teaching. The 
25 student teaching experience must meet the requirements of 
26 and be approved by the individual's early childhood 
 
 
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1 teacher preparation program.
2  Individuals can receive subsequent endorsements on the 
3 Professional Educator License. Subsequent endorsements 
4 shall require a minimum of 24 semester hours of coursework 
5 in the endorsement area and passage of the applicable 
6 content area test, unless otherwise specified by rule.
7  (2) Educator License with Stipulations. An Educator 
8 License with Stipulations shall be issued an endorsement 
9 that limits the license holder to one particular position 
10 or does not require completion of an approved educator 
11 program or both.
12  An individual with an Educator License with 
13 Stipulations must not be employed by a school district or 
14 any other entity to replace any presently employed teacher 
15 who otherwise would not be replaced for any reason.
16  An Educator License with Stipulations may be issued 
17 with the following endorsements:
18   (A) (Blank). 
19   (B) Alternative provisional educator. An 
20 alternative provisional educator endorsement on an 
21 Educator License with Stipulations may be issued to an 
22 applicant who, at the time of applying for the 
23 endorsement, has done all of the following:
24    (i) Graduated from a regionally accredited 
25 college or university with a minimum of a 
26 bachelor's degree.
 
 
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1    (ii) Successfully completed the first phase of 
2 the Alternative Educator Licensure Program for 
3 Teachers, as described in Section 21B-50 of this 
4 Code.
5    (iii) Passed a content area test, as required 
6 under Section 21B-30 of this Code.
7  The alternative provisional educator endorsement is 
8 valid for 2 years of teaching and may be renewed for a 
9 third year by an individual meeting the requirements set 
10 forth in Section 21B-50 of this Code. 
11   (C) Alternative provisional superintendent. An 
12 alternative provisional superintendent endorsement on 
13 an Educator License with Stipulations entitles the 
14 holder to serve only as a superintendent or assistant 
15 superintendent in a school district's central office. 
16 This endorsement may only be issued to an applicant 
17 who, at the time of applying for the endorsement, has 
18 done all of the following:
19    (i) Graduated from a regionally accredited 
20 college or university with a minimum of a master's 
21 degree in a management field other than education.
22    (ii) Been employed for a period of at least 5 
23 years in a management level position in a field 
24 other than education.
25    (iii) Successfully completed the first phase 
26 of an alternative route to superintendent 
 
 
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1 endorsement program, as provided in Section 21B-55 
2 of this Code.
3    (iv) Passed a content area test required under 
4 Section 21B-30 of this Code.
5   The endorsement is valid for 2 fiscal years in 
6 order to complete one full year of serving as a 
7 superintendent or assistant superintendent.
8   (D) (Blank).
9   (E) Career and technical educator. A career and 
10 technical educator endorsement on an Educator License 
11 with Stipulations may be issued to an applicant who 
12 has a minimum of 60 semester hours of coursework from a 
13 regionally accredited institution of higher education 
14 or an accredited trade and technical institution and 
15 has a minimum of 2,000 hours of experience outside of 
16 education in each area to be taught.
17   The career and technical educator endorsement on 
18 an Educator License with Stipulations is valid until 
19 June 30 immediately following 5 years of the 
20 endorsement being issued and may be renewed.
21   An individual who holds a valid career and 
22 technical educator endorsement on an Educator License 
23 with Stipulations but does not hold a bachelor's 
24 degree may substitute teach in career and technical 
25 education classrooms. 
26   (F) (Blank).
 
 
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1   (G) Transitional bilingual educator. A 
2 transitional bilingual educator endorsement on an 
3 Educator License with Stipulations may be issued for 
4 the purpose of providing instruction in accordance 
5 with Article 14C of this Code to an applicant who 
6 provides satisfactory evidence that he or she meets 
7 all of the following requirements:
8    (i) Possesses adequate speaking, reading, and 
9 writing ability in the language other than English 
10 in which transitional bilingual education is 
11 offered.
12    (ii) Has the ability to successfully 
13 communicate in English.
14    (iii) Either possessed, within 5 years 
15 previous to his or her applying for a transitional 
16 bilingual educator endorsement, a valid and 
17 comparable teaching certificate or comparable 
18 authorization issued by a foreign country or holds 
19 a degree from an institution of higher learning in 
20 a foreign country that the State Educator 
21 Preparation and Licensure Board determines to be 
22 the equivalent of a bachelor's degree from a 
23 regionally accredited institution of higher 
24 learning in the United States.
25   A transitional bilingual educator endorsement 
26 shall be valid for prekindergarten through grade 12, 
 
 
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1 is valid until June 30 immediately following 5 years 
2 of the endorsement being issued, and shall not be 
3 renewed.
4   Persons holding a transitional bilingual educator 
5 endorsement shall not be employed to replace any 
6 presently employed teacher who otherwise would not be 
7 replaced for any reason. 
8   (H) Language endorsement. In an effort to 
9 alleviate the shortage of teachers speaking a language 
10 other than English in the public schools, an 
11 individual who holds an Educator License with 
12 Stipulations may also apply for a language 
13 endorsement, provided that the applicant provides 
14 satisfactory evidence that he or she meets all of the 
15 following requirements:
16    (i) Holds a transitional bilingual 
17 endorsement. 
18    (ii) Has demonstrated proficiency in the 
19 language for which the endorsement is to be issued 
20 by passing the applicable language content test 
21 required by the State Board of Education.
22    (iii) Holds a bachelor's degree or higher from 
23 a regionally accredited institution of higher 
24 education or, for individuals educated in a 
25 country other than the United States, holds a 
26 degree from an institution of higher learning in a 
 
 
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1 foreign country that the State Educator 
2 Preparation and Licensure Board determines to be 
3 the equivalent of a bachelor's degree from a 
4 regionally accredited institution of higher 
5 learning in the United States.
6    (iv) (Blank).
7   A language endorsement on an Educator License with 
8 Stipulations is valid for prekindergarten through 
9 grade 12 for the same validity period as the 
10 individual's transitional bilingual educator 
11 endorsement on the Educator License with Stipulations 
12 and shall not be renewed.
13   (I) Visiting international educator. A visiting 
14 international educator endorsement on an Educator 
15 License with Stipulations may be issued to an 
16 individual who is being recruited by a particular 
17 school district that conducts formal recruitment 
18 programs outside of the United States to secure the 
19 services of qualified teachers and who meets all of 
20 the following requirements:
21    (i) Holds the equivalent of a minimum of a 
22 bachelor's degree issued in the United States.
23    (ii) Has been prepared as a teacher at the 
24 grade level for which he or she will be employed.
25    (iii) Has adequate content knowledge in the 
26 subject to be taught.
 
 
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1    (iv) Has an adequate command of the English 
2 language.
3   A holder of a visiting international educator 
4 endorsement on an Educator License with Stipulations 
5 shall be permitted to teach in bilingual education 
6 programs in the language that was the medium of 
7 instruction in his or her teacher preparation program, 
8 provided that he or she passes the English Language 
9 Proficiency Examination or another test of writing 
10 skills in English identified by the State Board of 
11 Education, in consultation with the State Educator 
12 Preparation and Licensure Board.
13   A visiting international educator endorsement on 
14 an Educator License with Stipulations is valid for 5 
15 years and shall not be renewed.
16   (J) Paraprofessional educator. A paraprofessional 
17 educator endorsement on an Educator License with 
18 Stipulations may be issued to an applicant who holds a 
19 high school diploma or its recognized equivalent and 
20 (i) holds an associate's degree or a minimum of 60 
21 semester hours of credit from a regionally accredited 
22 institution of higher education; (ii) has passed a 
23 paraprofessional competency test under subsection 
24 (c-5) of Section 21B-30; or (iii) is at least 18 years 
25 of age and will be using the Educator License with 
26 Stipulations exclusively for grades prekindergarten 
 
 
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1 through grade 8, until the individual reaches the age 
2 of 19 years and otherwise meets the criteria for a 
3 paraprofessional educator endorsement pursuant to this 
4 subparagraph (J). The paraprofessional educator 
5 endorsement is valid until June 30 immediately 
6 following 5 years of the endorsement being issued and 
7 may be renewed through application and payment of the 
8 appropriate fee, as required under Section 21B-40 of 
9 this Code. An individual who holds only a 
10 paraprofessional educator endorsement is not subject 
11 to additional requirements in order to renew the 
12 endorsement.
13   (K) Chief school business official. A chief school 
14 business official endorsement on an Educator License 
15 with Stipulations may be issued to an applicant who 
16 qualifies by having a master's degree or higher, 2 
17 years of full-time administrative experience in school 
18 business management or 2 years of university-approved 
19 practical experience, and a minimum of 24 semester 
20 hours of graduate credit in a program approved by the 
21 State Board of Education for the preparation of school 
22 business administrators and by passage of the 
23 applicable State tests, including an applicable 
24 content area test. 
25   The chief school business official endorsement may 
26 also be affixed to the Educator License with 
 
 
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1 Stipulations of any holder who qualifies by having a 
2 master's degree in business administration, finance, 
3 accounting, or public administration and who completes 
4 an additional 6 semester hours of internship in school 
5 business management from a regionally accredited 
6 institution of higher education and passes the 
7 applicable State tests, including an applicable 
8 content area test. This endorsement shall be required 
9 for any individual employed as a chief school business 
10 official. 
11   The chief school business official endorsement on 
12 an Educator License with Stipulations is valid until 
13 June 30 immediately following 5 years of the 
14 endorsement being issued and may be renewed if the 
15 license holder completes renewal requirements as 
16 required for individuals who hold a Professional 
17 Educator License endorsed for chief school business 
18 official under Section 21B-45 of this Code and such 
19 rules as may be adopted by the State Board of 
20 Education. 
21   The State Board of Education shall adopt any rules 
22 necessary to implement Public Act 100-288.
23   (L) Provisional in-state educator. A provisional 
24 in-state educator endorsement on an Educator License 
25 with Stipulations may be issued to a candidate who has 
26 completed an Illinois-approved educator preparation 
 
 
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1 program at an Illinois institution of higher education 
2 and who has not successfully completed an 
3 evidence-based assessment of teacher effectiveness but 
4 who meets all of the following requirements: 
5    (i) Holds at least a bachelor's degree.
6    (ii) Has completed an approved educator 
7 preparation program at an Illinois institution.
8    (iii) Has passed an applicable content area 
9 test, as required by Section 21B-30 of this Code.
10    (iv) Has attempted an evidence-based 
11 assessment of teacher effectiveness and received a 
12 minimum score on that assessment, as established 
13 by the State Board of Education in consultation 
14 with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure 
15 Board.
16   A provisional in-state educator endorsement on an 
17 Educator License with Stipulations is valid for one 
18 full fiscal year after the date of issuance and may not 
19 be renewed.
20   (M) (Blank).
21   (N) Specialized services. A specialized services 
22 endorsement on an Educator License with Stipulations 
23 may be issued as defined and specified by rule. 
24  (3) Substitute Teaching License. A Substitute Teaching 
25 License may be issued to qualified applicants for 
26 substitute teaching in all grades of the public schools, 
 
 
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1 prekindergarten through grade 12. Substitute Teaching 
2 Licenses are not eligible for endorsements. Applicants for 
3 a Substitute Teaching License must hold an associate a 
4 bachelor's degree or higher from a regionally accredited 
5 institution of higher education or must be enrolled in an 
6 approved educator preparation program in this State and 
7 have earned at least 90 credit hours.
8  Substitute Teaching Licenses are valid for 5 years.
9  Substitute Teaching Licenses are valid for substitute 
10 teaching in every county of this State. If an individual 
11 has had his or her Professional Educator License or 
12 Educator License with Stipulations suspended or revoked, 
13 then that individual is not eligible to obtain a 
14 Substitute Teaching License.
15  A substitute teacher may only teach in the place of a 
16 licensed teacher who is under contract with the employing 
17 board. If, however, there is no licensed teacher under 
18 contract because of an emergency situation, then a 
19 district may employ a substitute teacher for no longer 
20 than 30 calendar days per each vacant position in the 
21 district if the district notifies the appropriate regional 
22 office of education within 5 business days after the 
23 employment of the substitute teacher in the emergency 
24 situation. An emergency situation is one in which an 
25 unforeseen vacancy has occurred and (i) a teacher is 
26 unable to fulfill his or her contractual duties or (ii) 
 
 
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1 teacher capacity needs of the district exceed previous 
2 indications, and the district is actively engaged in 
3 advertising to hire a fully licensed teacher for the 
4 vacant position.
5  There is no limit on the number of days that a 
6 substitute teacher may teach in a single school district, 
7 provided that no substitute teacher may teach for longer 
8 than 120 days beginning with the 2021-2022 school year 
9 through the 2022-2023 school year, otherwise 90 school 
10 days for any one licensed teacher under contract in the 
11 same school year. A substitute teacher who holds a 
12 Professional Educator License or Educator License with 
13 Stipulations shall not teach for more than 120 school days 
14 for any one licensed teacher under contract in the same 
15 school year. The limitations in this paragraph (3) on the 
16 number of days a substitute teacher may be employed do not 
17 apply to any school district operating under Article 34 of 
18 this Code.
19  A school district may not require an individual who 
20 holds a valid Professional Educator License or Educator 
21 License with Stipulations to seek or hold a Substitute 
22 Teaching License to teach as a substitute teacher. 
23  (4) Short-Term Substitute Teaching License. Beginning 
24 on July 1, 2018 and until June 30, 2023, the State Board of 
25 Education may issue a Short-Term Substitute Teaching 
26 License. A Short-Term Substitute Teaching License may be 
 
 
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1 issued to a qualified applicant for substitute teaching in 
2 all grades of the public schools, prekindergarten through 
3 grade 12. Short-Term Substitute Teaching Licenses are not 
4 eligible for endorsements. Applicants for a Short-Term 
5 Substitute Teaching License must hold an associate 
6 associate's degree or have completed at least 60 credit 
7 hours from a regionally accredited institution of higher 
8 education.
9  Short-Term Substitute Teaching Licenses are valid for 
10 substitute teaching in every county of this State. If an 
11 individual has had his or her Professional Educator 
12 License or Educator License with Stipulations suspended or 
13 revoked, then that individual is not eligible to obtain a 
14 Short-Term Substitute Teaching License.
15  The provisions of Sections 10-21.9 and 34-18.5 of this 
16 Code apply to short-term substitute teachers. 
17  An individual holding a Short-Term Substitute Teaching 
18 License may teach no more than 15 consecutive days per 
19 licensed teacher who is under contract. For teacher 
20 absences lasting 6 or more days per licensed teacher who 
21 is under contract, a school district may not hire an 
22 individual holding a Short-Term Substitute Teaching 
23 License, unless the Governor has declared a disaster due 
24 to a public health emergency pursuant to Section 7 of the 
25 Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act. An individual 
26 holding a Short-Term Substitute Teaching License must 
 
 
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1 complete the training program under Section 10-20.67 or 
2 34-18.60 of this Code to be eligible to teach at a public 
3 school. This paragraph (4) is inoperative on and after 
4 July 1, 2023. 

5(Source: P.A. 101-81, eff. 7-12-19; 101-220, eff. 8-7-19; 
6101-594, eff. 12-5-19; 101-643, eff. 6-18-20; 102-711, eff. 
71-1-23; 102-712, eff. 4-27-22; 102-713, eff. 1-1-23; 102-717, 
8eff. 4-29-22; 102-894, eff. 5-20-22; revised 12-13-22.)


9 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, 
102023.