Section 30.40  Internship Requirements

a)         The internship portion of the program shall be conducted at one or more public or nonpublic schools so as to enable the candidate to participate in concentrated school internship/clinical field experiences over an extended period of time, in accordance with NELP standards, and to participate  variety of school leadership situations in settings that represent diverse economic and cultural conditions and involve interaction with various members of the school community (e.g., parents, school board members, local school councils or other governing councils, community partners).

1)         The internship shall consist of the following components: 

A)        Engagement in instructional activities that involve teachers at all grade levels (i.e., early childhood education through grade 12), including teachers in general education, special education, bilingual education, and gifted education settings;

B)        Observation of the hiring, supervision and evaluation of teachers, other licensed staff, and nonlicensed staff, and development of a professional development plan for teachers; and

C)        Participation in leadership opportunities to demonstrate that the candidate meets the required competencies described in Section 30.45.

2)         The internship shall not include activities that are not directly related to the provision of instruction at the school (e.g., supervision of students during lunch or recess periods, completion of program coursework).

3)         The internship shall require the candidate to work directly with the mentor observing, participating in, and taking the lead in specific tasks related to meeting the critical success factors and essential competencies referenced in Section 30.30(b)(3).

b)         A public or nonpublic school may serve as an internship site if:

1)         the principal of the school:

A)        holds a valid and current professional educator license endorsed for general administrative or principal issued pursuant either to 23 Ill. Adm. Code 25.337 or, in the case of an individual serving as both the district superintendent and principal, endorsed for general administrative, principal, or superintendent; or

B)         if the internship site is located in another state, holds a valid and current license that is comparable to the required Illinois professional educator license endorsed for general administrative or principal issued by the state in which the internship site is located; or

C)         in the case of a nonpublic school, either holds a valid and exempt Illinois professional educator license that is registered and endorsed for general administrative or principal or meets the requirements of subsection (b)(1)(B).

2)         In all cases, the principal shall have two years of successful experience as a building principal as evidenced by relevant data, including data supporting student growth in two of the principal's previous five years, and formal evaluations or letters of recommendation from current or former supervisors.

c)         Each program shall assign a faculty member to serve as faculty supervisor for the internship portion of the program. 

1)         Each faculty supervisor shall meet the following qualifications:

A)        hold a valid and current professional educator license endorsed for general administrative or principal or a valid and current license that is comparable to the required Illinois professional educator license endorsed for general administrative or principal issued by the state in which the internship site is located; and

B)        have two years of successful experience as a building principal as evidenced by relevant data (which may include data supporting student growth in two of the individual's last five years serving as a principal) and formal evaluations or letters of recommendation from current or former supervisors.

2)         Faculty supervisors shall:

A)        in a format determined by the program, observe, evaluate, and provide feedback at least four times a year to each candidate about the candidate's performance;

B)        host three seminars each year for candidates to discuss issues related to student learning and school improvement arising from the internship; and

C)        work in collaboration with site mentors to complete the assessment of the candidate's performance during the internship as required pursuant to Section 30.45.

d)         Programs shall ensure that each candidate:

1)         successfully completes the training and passes the assessment required under Section 24A-3 of the School Code before receipt of endorsement; and

2)         passes the applicable content-area test (see 23 Ill. Adm. Code 25.710) prior to receipt of endorsement.

e)         Programs may charge fees of candidates, in addition to tuition, to be used to reimburse schools for the costs of employing substitute teachers for candidates who are full-time teachers and must be absent from their classrooms in order to complete internship activities.

f)         Programs may provide monetary stipends for candidates while they are participating in their internship.

g)         A program may extend the length of an internship beyond 24 months for any candidate who has to discontinue the internship portion of the program due to unforeseen circumstances, such as a medical or family emergency, provided that the program adopts procedures for requesting the exemption, the specific reasons under which the exemption would be granted, and the length of time within which a candidate must resume the internship.  A copy of the policy shall be provided to each candidate who enrolls in the program.

(Source:  Amended at 46 Ill. Reg. 13103, effective July 13, 2022)