Section 1085.80  Candidates

a)         Candidate Eligibility.  The candidate shall:

1)         Meet the definition of a candidate in Section 1085.20;

2)         Meet the selection criteria determined by the consortium; and

3)         Be eligible for student financial aid and takes advantage of existing financial aid resources before using funds from the Forgivable Loan Program described in Section 1085.90. (Section 20(8)(L) of the Act) 

b)         Performance Plan for Each Candidate.  Grow Your Own Illinois shall provide a level of performance to be maintained by candidates as a condition of continuing in the program. (Section 20(8)(K) of the Act)  Measures to be implemented to ensure that each candidate makes adequate progress to complete the coursework required under the teacher preparation program shall include at least the following:

1)         Any developmental classes that are prerequisites to a candidate being fully admitted into an Illinois education preparation program are to be completed within the first 4 semesters of a candidate's participation in the program;

2)         The candidate successfully completes a minimum of 15 hours of coursework required under the teacher preparation program each academic year; and

3)         Any candidate not completing coursework required under the teacher preparation programs for 2 consecutive semesters due to extenuating circumstances, including, but not limited to, military leave, health, etc., shall apply for a temporary leave from the GYO program. This application must be approved by the consortium partners. If the application is not approved or none is submitted, the candidate shall be deemed exiting the program without cause and subject to loan repayment.

c)         Information on Each Candidate.  GYOI shall identify the information that each consortium will be required to collect and update, including, but not limited to, the following:

1)         Data by candidate, to be reported or updated at least once per academic year:

A)        Name, address and demographics;

B)        Eligibility criteria;

C)        Date of enrollment, anticipated date of graduation, anticipated date of program completion, date of completion or exit;

D)        If candidate exits before completion, provide explanation;

E)        Developmental courses and tutoring;

F)         Basic skills, teacher licensure and other test scores;

G)        Grade point average (GPA) for all courses and for courses that compose the degree requirements of a teacher preparation program;

H)        Annual amount of program loans, cumulative amount of program loans, and each year of teaching service; and

I)         Information on the position taken by the graduate.

2)         Data by cohort, to be reported or updated each academic year:

A)        Pass rates on basic skills test, content test, Assessment Professional Test, and/or other tests identified by GYOI; 

B)        Number who intentionally exit voluntarily or do not register for two consecutive semesters; 

C)        Percentage who progress at the expected rate through the program; and

D)        Percentage of candidates within the original cohort that start and complete the program.

(Source:  Amended at 44 Ill. Reg. 11419, effective June 24, 2020)