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91_HB2940enr HB2940 Enrolled LRB9109229NTsb 1 AN ACT to amend the School Code by changing Section 21-4. 2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 3 represented in the General Assembly: 4 Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing 5 Section 21-4 as follows: 6 (105 ILCS 5/21-4) (from Ch. 122, par. 21-4) 7 Sec. 21-4. Special certificate. 8 (a) A special certificate shall be valid for 4 years for 9 teaching the special subjects named therein in all grades of 10 the common schools. Subject to the provisions of Section 11 21-1a, it shall be issued to persons who have graduated from 12 a recognized institution of higher learning with a bachelor's 13 degree and with not fewer than 120 semester hours including a 14 minimum of 16 semester hours in professional education, 5 of 15 which shall be in student teaching under competent and close 16 supervision. When the holder of such certificate has earned a 17 master's degree, including eight semester hours of graduate 18 professional education from a recognized institution of 19 higher learning and with two years' teaching experience, it 20 may be endorsed for supervision. 21 Such persons shall be recommended for the special 22 certificate by a recognized institution as having completed 23 an approved program of preparation which includes academic 24 and professional courses approved by the State Superintendent 25 of Education in consultation with the State Teacher 26 Certification Board. 27 (b) Those persons holding special certificates on 28 February 15, 2000 shall be eligible for one of the following: 29 (1) The issuance of Standard Elementary and 30 Standard Secondary Certificates with appropriate special 31 certification designations as determined by the State HB2940 Enrolled -2- LRB9109229NTsb 1 Board of Education, in consultation with the State 2 Teacher Certification Board, and consistent with rules 3 adopted by the State Board of Education. These 4 certificates shall be renewed as provided in subsection 5 (c) of Section 21-2. 6 (2) The issuance of Standard Special K-12 7 Certificates with appropriate special certification 8 designations, which shall be renewed as provided in 9 subsection (c) of Section 21-2. These certificates shall 10 not be eligible for additional certification designations 11 except as approved by the State Board of Education, in 12 consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board. 13 (c) Those persons eligible to receive K-12 certification 14 after February 15, 2000 shall be issued Initial Elementary 15 and Initial Secondary Certificates with appropriate special 16 certification designations pursuant to this Section or 17 Initial Special K-12 Certificates with appropriate special 18 certification designations pursuant to this Section. These 19 Initial K-12 Special Certificates shall not be eligible for 20 additional certification designations except as approved by 21 the State Board of Education, in consultation with the State 22 Teacher Certification Board. 23 (d)Beginning February 15, 2000,All persons holding 24exchanginga special certificate with a special education 25 endorsement are exempt from the provisions of Section 2-3.71 26 of this Code, provided they meet all the other requirements 27 for teaching as established by the State Board of Education, 28 in consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board. 29 Beginning February 15, 2000, all persons exchanging a 30 special certificate pursuant to subsection (b) of this 31 Section with a special education endorsement or receiving a 32 special education designation on either a special certificate 33 or an elementary certificate issued pursuant to subsection 34 (c) of this Section are exempt from the provisions of Section HB2940 Enrolled -3- LRB9109229NTsb 1 2-3.71 of this Code, provided they meet all the other 2 requirements for teaching as established by the State Board 3 of Education, in consultation with the State Teacher 4 Certification Board. 5 Certificates exchanged or issued pursuant to this 6 subsection (d) shall be valid for teaching children with 7 disabilities, as defined in Section 14-1.02 of this Code, and 8 these special certificates shall be called Initial or 9 Standard Special Preschool - Age 21 Certificates. Nothing in 10 this subsection (d) shall be construed to adversely affect 11 the rights of any person presently certificated, any person 12 whose certification is currently pending, or any person who 13 is currently enrolled or enrolls prior to February 15, 2000 14 in an approved Special K-12 certification program. 15 (Source: P.A. 90-548, eff. 1-1-98; 90-653, eff. 7-29-98; 16 90-811, eff. 1-26-99; 91-102, eff. 7-12-99.) 17 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon 18 becoming law.