Public Act 0105 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB1676 Enrolled LRB094 11209 NHT 41915 b

Public Act 094-0105

AN ACT concerning education.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Sections 21-25 and 21-27 as follows:

(105 ILCS 5/21-25) (from Ch. 122, par. 21-25)

Sec. 21-25. School service personnel certificate.

(a) Subject to the provisions of Section 21-1a, a school service personnel certificate shall be issued to those applicants of good character, good health, a citizen of the United States and at least 19 years of age who have a Bachelor's degree with not fewer than 120 semester hours from a regionally accredited institution of higher learning and who meets the requirements established by the State Superintendent of Education in consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board. A school service personnel certificate with a school nurse endorsement may be issued to a person who holds a bachelor of science degree from an institution of higher learning accredited by the North Central Association or other comparable regional accrediting association. Persons seeking any other endorsement on the school service personnel certificate shall be recommended for the endorsement by a recognized teacher education institution as having completed a program of preparation approved by the State Superintendent of Education in consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board.

(b) Until August 30, 2002, a school service personnel certificate endorsed for school social work may be issued to a student who has completed a school social work program that has not been approved by the State Superintendent of Education, provided that each of the following conditions is met:

(1) The program was offered by a recognized, public teacher education institution that first enrolled students in its master's degree program in social work in 1998;

(2) The student applying for the school service personnel certificate was enrolled in the institution's master's degree program in social work on or after May 11, 1998;

(3) The State Superintendent verifies that the student has completed coursework that is substantially similar to that required in approved school social work programs, including (i) not fewer than 600 clock hours of a supervised internship in a school setting or (ii) if the student has completed part of a supervised internship in a school setting prior to the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 92nd General Assembly and receives the prior approval of the State Superintendent, not fewer than 300 additional clock hours of supervised work in a public school setting under the supervision of a certified school social worker who certifies that the supervised work was completed in a satisfactory manner; and

(4) The student has passed a test of basic skills and the test of subject matter knowledge required by Section 21-1a.

This subsection (b) does not apply after August 29, 2002.

(c) A school service personnel certificate shall be endorsed with the area of Service as determined by the State Superintendent of Education in consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board.

The holder of such certificate shall be entitled to all of the rights and privileges granted holders of a valid teaching certificate, including teacher benefits, compensation and working conditions.

When the holder of such certificate has earned a master's degree, including 8 semester hours of graduate professional education from a recognized institution of higher learning, and has at least 2 years of successful school experience while holding such certificate, the certificate may be endorsed for supervision.

(d) Persons who have successfully achieved National Board certification through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards shall be issued a Master School Service Personnel Certificate, valid for 10 years and renewable thereafter every 10 years through compliance with requirements set forth by the State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board. However, each holder of a Master School Service Personnel Certificate shall be eligible for a corresponding position in this State in the areas for which he or she holds a Master Certificate without satisfying any other requirements of this Code, except for those requirements pertaining to criminal background checks.

(Source: P.A. 91-102, eff. 7-12-99; 92-254, eff. 1-1-02.)

(105 ILCS 5/21-27)

Sec. 21-27. The Illinois Teaching Excellence Program. The Illinois Teaching Excellence Program is hereby established to provide categorical funding for monetary incentives and bonuses for teachers and school counselors who are employed by school districts and who hold a Master Certificate. The State Board of Education shall allocate and distribute to each school district an amount as annually appropriated by the General Assembly from federal funds for the Illinois Teaching Excellence Program. Unless otherwise provided by appropriation, each school district's annual allocation shall be the sum of the amounts earned for the following incentives and bonuses:

(1) An annual payment of $3,000 to be paid to (A) each teacher who successfully completes the program leading to and who receives a Master Certificate and is employed as a teacher by a school district and (B) each school counselor who successfully completes the program leading to and who receives a Master Certificate and is employed as a school counselor by a school district. The school district shall distribute this payment to each eligible teacher or school counselor as a single payment or in not more than 3 payments.

(2) An annual incentive equal to $1,000 shall be paid to each teacher who holds a Master Certificate, who is employed as a teacher by a school district, and who agrees, in writing, to provide 60 hours of mentoring during that year to classroom teachers. This mentoring may include, either singly or in combination, (i) providing high quality professional development for new and experienced teachers, and (ii) assisting National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) candidates through the NBPTS certification process. The school district shall distribute 50% of each annual incentive payment upon completion of 30 hours of the required mentoring and the remaining 50% of the incentive upon completion of the required 60 hours of mentoring. Credit may not be granted by a school district for mentoring or related services provided during a regular school day or during the total number of days of required service for the school year.

(3) An annual incentive equal to $3,000 shall be paid to each teacher who holds a Master Certificate, who is employed as a teacher by a school district, and who agrees, in writing, to provide 60 hours of mentoring during that year to classroom teachers in schools on academic early warning status or in schools in which 50% or more of the students receive free or reduced price lunches, or both. The school district shall distribute 50% of each annual incentive payment upon completion of 30 hours of the required mentoring and the remaining 50% of the incentive upon completion of the required 60 hours of mentoring. Credit may not be granted by a school district for mentoring or related services provided during a regular school day or during the total number of days of required service for the school year.

Each regional superintendent of schools shall provide information about the Master Certificate Program of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) and this amendatory Act of the 91st General Assembly to each individual seeking to register or renew a certificate under Section 21-14 of this Code.

(Source: P.A. 92-796, eff. 8-10-02; 93-470, eff. 8-8-03.)

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.