Section 33.40  Internship Requirements

a)         The internship portion of the program shall be conducted at one or more public school districts so as to enable the candidate to be exposed to and to participate in a variety of educational 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 leadership activities at all grade levels (i.e., preschool through grade 12), that focus on creating, evaluating, selecting, supervising, and monitoring high-quality and rigorous curricular, instructional, assessment, and financial resources designed to:

i)          increase achievement of students in general education, special education, bilingual education, and gifted education settings; and

ii)         contribute to school improvement;

B)        Active participation in the hiring, supervision, and evaluation of administrators, teachers, other licensed staff and nonlicensed staff, as applicable, and development of professional development plans aligned to the goals of the district improvement plan;

C)        Active participation in management and operational activities (e.g., strategic or long-range planning, policies and procedures, budgeting and financial management, facilities maintenance) that promote efficiency and a safe and healthy environment; and

D)        Active collaboration with administrators, faculty, families, and communities that results in decision-making that has legal and ethical bases.

2)         The internship shall require the candidate to work directly with administrators and others in the school district's primary office and to participate and take the lead in specific tasks related to meeting the competencies referenced in Appendix A.

b)         Internship Site

1)         A public school district may serve as an internship site if the superintendent:

A)        holds a valid and current professional educator license endorsed for superintendent issued pursuant to 23 Ill. Adm. Code 25.355; 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 superintendent issued by the state in which the internship site is located.

2)         The provisions of subsection (b)(1) do not apply to a school district authorized under Article 34 of the School Code.

3)         In all cases, the superintendent shall have two years of successful experience in that position as evidenced by relevant data and formal evaluations or letters of recommendation from former supervisors that reflect achievement of the competencies set forth in Appendix A.

c)         The school district superintendent shall serve as the internship supervisor for that portion of the program.

1)         Each internship supervisor shall meet the following qualifications:

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

B)        have served at least two years on a full-time basis as a superintendent, except that a first-year superintendent may serve as the internship supervisor if that individual was hired after the candidate started the internship in the respective school district.

2)         Each internship supervisor shall:

A)        assign the candidate to the administrative staff whose duties and responsibilities are most closely aligned to the particular leadership skills and experiences being assessed; however, the internship supervisor shall retain supervisory authority and oversight for the candidate's progress; 

B)        observe, evaluate, and provide feedback to each candidate about the candidate's performance; and

C)        work in collaboration with other personnel with whom the candidate has been assigned to complete the assessment of the candidate's performance during the internship as required pursuant to Section 33.45.

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 prior to licensure, or before the candidate evaluates staff, should evaluations be included as a component of the preparation program, whichever occurs first; 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 school districts for the costs of employing substitute administrators for candidates who are full-time administrators and must be absent from their school districts 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 the expected date of completion 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. 13152, effective July 13, 2022)