Section 25.38  Subsequent Endorsements on a Professional Educator License for Employees Under Article 34 of the School Code (Pilot Program)

a)         Pursuant to Section 34-18.82 of the Code (Public Act 103-157), beginning July 1, 2024, subsequent teaching endorsements may be granted by a school district organized under Article 34 of the Code to employees licensed under Article 21B of the Code for specific content areas and grade levels as part of a pilot program. An endorsement in a specific content area may be issued to individuals who:

1)         hold a professional educator license endorsed in a teaching field;

2)         have passed the applicable content area test for the subsequent endorsement sought;

3)         have successfully completed a State Board-approved professional development sequence, equivalent to 18 semester hours of coursework in the area of the subsequent endorsement sought; and

4)         are currently employed by a school district organized under Article 34 of the Code.

b)         Under the pilot program, professional development sequences for up to seven hard-to-staff endorsement areas shall be submitted to the State Superintendent for approval in a format provided by the State Board and shall include the following components for each endorsement area sequence:

1)         a description of the sequence and each of its components;

2)         justification for selecting the particular endorsement content area for the pilot program, which must include district data and may include State data demonstrating that positions requiring this endorsement are difficult to staff;

3)         a comprehensive review of relevant State learning standards;

4)         alignment to the applicable State content-test framework;

5)         if applicable, alignment to relevant educator preparation standards (see Section 34-18.82 of the Code);

6)         a description of how the sequence's outcomes were determined to be comparable to the knowledge gained in 18 semester hours of coursework from a regionally accredited institution of higher education;

7)         the assessment methods by which the participant will demonstrate successful completion of the sequence; and the criteria for and process through which the employer will determine successful completion of the sequence;

8)         the mode of delivery;

9)         projected timeline for participant completion of the sequence and each of its components;

10)       a description of the data collection and analysis process the school district will complete during the pilot program to determine program; effectiveness;

11)       cost of program to participants;

12)       number of professional development hours toward license renewal that will be granted to program participants; and

13)       a list of faculty or staff who will lead each component of the sequence and their qualifications.

c)         The professional development sequences submitted under subsection (b) will be reviewed and either denied or approved by the State Superintendent in collaboration with the SEPLB. (See Section 34-18.82 of the Code.) Program participants must complete the required professional development sequence by June 30, 2028. Endorsements under this Section shall not be available for application on or after July 1, 2028.

d)         Beginning August 1, 2025, and annually thereafter until August 1, 2028, program participants shall provide the State Board with a report detailing the following information:

1)         names and Illinois Educator Identification Numbers of individuals who enrolled in the pilot program between July 1 and June 30 of the preceding year;

2)         the date of enrollment in the professional development sequence for each participant, and if applicable, the date of completion of the sequence;

3)         a record of which enrollees completed, withdrew, or are still in progress of completing the pilot program, which includes both the professional development sequence and passing the content area test required under Section 21B-30 of the Code; and

4)         reasons for candidates' withdrawal from the program, if applicable.

e)         By September 1, 2029, the State Board will publish a report that includes teacher retention rates of pilot program completers compared to overall district teacher retention rates and overall State teacher retention rates, and other criteria, to determine the pilot program's effectiveness:

(Source:  Added at 48 Ill. Reg. 7729, effective May 9, 2024)