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91_SB1494
LRB9112801NTks
1 AN ACT to amend the School Code by changing Section
2 21-14.
3 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
4 represented in the General Assembly:
5 Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing
6 Section 21-14 as follows:
7 (105 ILCS 5/21-14) (from Ch. 122, par. 21-14)
8 Sec. 21-14. Registration and renewal of certificates.
9 (a) A limited four-year certificate or a certificate
10 issued after July 1, 1955, shall be renewable at its
11 expiration or within 60 days thereafter by the county
12 superintendent of schools having supervision and control over
13 the school where the teacher is teaching upon certified
14 evidence of meeting the requirements for renewal as required
15 by this Act and prescribed by the State Board of Education in
16 consultation with the State Teacher Certification Board. An
17 elementary supervisory certificate shall not be renewed at
18 the end of the first four-year period covered by the
19 certificate unless the holder thereof has filed certified
20 evidence with the State Teacher Certification Board that he
21 has a master's degree or that he has earned 8 semester hours
22 of credit in the field of educational administration and
23 supervision in a recognized institution of higher learning.
24 The holder shall continue to earn 8 semester hours of credit
25 each four-year period until such time as he has earned a
26 master's degree.
27 All certificates not renewed or registered as herein
28 provided shall lapse after a period of 5 years from the
29 expiration of the last year of registration. Such
30 certificates may be reinstated for a one year period upon
31 payment of all accumulated registration fees. Such
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1 reinstated certificates shall only be renewed: (1) by earning
2 5 semester hours of credit in a recognized institution of
3 higher learning in the field of professional education or in
4 courses related to the holder's contractual teaching duties;
5 or (2) by presenting evidence of holding a valid regular
6 certificate of some other type. Any certificate may be
7 voluntarily surrendered by the certificate holder. A
8 voluntarily surrendered certificate shall be treated as a
9 revoked certificate.
10 (b) When those teaching certificates issued before
11 February 15, 2000 are renewed for the first time after
12 February 15, 2000, all such teaching certificates shall be
13 exchanged for Standard Teaching Certificates as provided in
14 subsection (c) of Section 21-2. All Initial and Standard
15 Teaching Certificates, including those issued to persons who
16 previously held teaching certificates issued before February
17 15, 2000, shall be renewable under the conditions set forth
18 in this subsection (b).
19 Initial Teaching Certificates are nonrenewable and are
20 valid for 4 years of teaching. Standard Teaching
21 Certificates are renewable every 5 years as provided in
22 subsection (c) of Section 21-2 and subsection (c) of this
23 Section. For purposes of this Section, "teaching" is defined
24 as employment and performance of services in an Illinois
25 public or State-operated elementary school, secondary school,
26 or cooperative or joint agreement with a governing body or
27 board of control, in a certificated teaching position, or a
28 charter school operating in compliance with the Charter
29 Schools Law.
30 (c) In compliance with subsection (c) of Section 21-2 of
31 this Code, which provides that a Standard Teaching
32 Certificate may be renewed by the State Teacher Certification
33 Board based upon proof of continuing professional
34 development, the State Board of Education and the State
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1 Teacher Certification Board shall jointly:
2 (1) establish a procedure for renewing Standard
3 Teaching Certificates, which shall include but not be
4 limited to annual timelines for the renewal process and
5 the components set forth in subsections (d) through (k)
6 of this Section;
7 (2) establish the standards for certificate
8 renewal;
9 (3) approve the providers of continuing
10 professional development activities;
11 (4) determine the maximum credit for each category
12 of continuing professional development activities, based
13 upon recommendations submitted by a continuing
14 professional development activity task force, which shall
15 consist of 6 staff members from the State Board of
16 Education, appointed by the State Superintendent of
17 Education, and 6 teacher representatives, 3 of whom are
18 selected by the Illinois Education Association and 3 of
19 whom are selected by the Illinois Federation of Teachers;
20 (5) designate the type and amount of documentation
21 required to show that continuing professional development
22 activities have been completed; and
23 (6) provide, on a timely basis to all Illinois
24 teachers, certificate holders, regional superintendents
25 of schools, school districts, and others with an interest
26 in continuing professional development, information about
27 the standards and requirements established pursuant to
28 this subsection (c).
29 (d) Any Standard Teaching Certificate held by an
30 individual employed and performing services in an Illinois
31 public or State-operated elementary school, secondary school,
32 or cooperative or joint agreement with a governing body or
33 board of control in a certificated teaching position or a
34 charter school in compliance with the Charter Schools Law
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1 must be maintained Valid and Active through certificate
2 renewal activities specified in the certificate renewal
3 procedure established pursuant to subsection (c) of this
4 Section, provided that a holder of a Valid and Active
5 certificate who is only employed on either a part-time basis
6 or day-to-day basis as a substitute teacher shall pay only
7 the required registration fee to renew his or her certificate
8 and maintain it as Valid and Active. All other Standard
9 Teaching Certificates held may be maintained as Valid and
10 Exempt through the registration process provided for in the
11 certificate renewal procedure established pursuant to
12 subsection (c) of this Section. A Valid and Exempt
13 certificate must be immediately activated, through procedures
14 developed jointly by the State Board of Education and the
15 State Teacher Certification Board, upon the certificate
16 holder becoming employed and performing services in an
17 Illinois public or State-operated elementary school,
18 secondary school, or cooperative or joint agreement with a
19 governing body or board of control in a certificated teaching
20 position or a charter school operating in compliance with the
21 Charter Schools Law. A holder of a Valid and Exempt
22 certificate may activate his or her certificate through
23 procedures provided for in the certificate renewal procedure
24 established pursuant to subsection (c) of this Section.
25 (e)(1) A Standard Teaching Certificate that has been
26 maintained as Valid and Active for the 5 years of the
27 certificate's validity shall be renewed as Valid and Active
28 upon the certificate holder: (i) completing at least 8
29 semester hours of coursework as described in subdivision (A)
30 of paragraph (3) of this subsection (e); (ii) earning at
31 least 24 continuing education units as described in
32 subdivision (B) of paragraph (3) of this subsection (e);
33 (iii) completing the National Board for Professional Teaching
34 Standards process as described in subdivision (C) of
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1 paragraph (3) of this subsection (e); or (iv) earning 120
2 continuing professional development units ("CPDU") as
3 described in subdivision (D) of paragraph (3) of this
4 subsection (e). The maximum continuing professional
5 development units for each continuing professional
6 development activity identified in subdivisions (E) through
7 (I) of paragraph (3) of this subsection (e) shall be jointly
8 determined by the State Board of Education and the State
9 Teacher Certification Board. If, however, the certificate
10 holder has maintained the certificate as Valid and Exempt for
11 a portion of the 5-year period of validity, the number of
12 continuing professional development units needed to renew the
13 certificate as Valid and Active shall be proportionately
14 reduced by the amount of time the certificate was Valid and
15 Exempt. Furthermore, if a certificate holder is employed and
16 performs teaching services on a part-time basis for all or a
17 portion of the certificate's 5-year period of validity, the
18 number of continuing professional development units needed to
19 renew the certificate as Valid and Active shall be reduced by
20 50% for the amount of time the certificate holder has been
21 employed and performed teaching services on a part-time
22 basis. Part-time shall be defined as less than 50% of the
23 school day or school term.
24 (2) Each Valid and Active Standard Teaching Certificate
25 holder shall develop a certificate renewal plan for
26 satisfying the continuing professional development
27 requirement provided for in subsection (c) of Section 21-2 of
28 this Code. Certificate holders with multiple certificates
29 shall develop a certificate renewal plan that addresses only
30 that certificate or those certificates that are required of
31 his or her certificated teaching position, if the certificate
32 holder is employed and performing services in an Illinois
33 public or State-operated elementary school, secondary school,
34 or cooperative or joint agreement with a governing body or
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1 board of control, or that certificate or those certificates
2 most closely related to his or her teaching position, if the
3 certificate holder is employed in a charter school. Except
4 as otherwise provided in this subsection (e), a certificate
5 renewal plan shall include a minimum of 3 individual
6 improvement goals developed by the certificate holder and
7 shall reflect purposes (A), (B), and (C) and may reflect
8 purpose (D) of the following continuing professional
9 development purposes:
10 (A) Advance both the certificate holder's knowledge
11 and skills as a teacher consistent with the Illinois
12 Professional Teaching Standards and the Illinois Content
13 Area Standards in the certificate holder's areas of
14 certification, endorsement, or teaching assignment in
15 order to keep the certificate holder current in those
16 areas.
17 (B) Develop the certificate holder's knowledge and
18 skills in areas determined to be critical for all
19 Illinois teachers, as defined by the State Board of
20 Education, known as "State priorities".
21 (C) Address the knowledge, skills, and goals of the
22 certificate holder's local school improvement plan, if
23 the teacher is employed in an Illinois public or
24 State-operated elementary school, secondary school, or
25 cooperative or joint agreement with a governing body or
26 board of control.
27 (D) Expand knowledge and skills in an additional
28 teaching field or toward the acquisition of another
29 teaching certificate, endorsement, or relevant education
30 degree.
31 A certificate renewal plan must include a description of how
32 these goals are to be achieved and an explanation of selected
33 continuing professional development activities to be
34 completed, each of which must meet one or more of the
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1 continuing professional development purposes specified in
2 this paragraph (2). The plan shall identify potential
3 activities and include projected timelines for those
4 activities that will assure completion of the plan before the
5 expiration of the 5-year validity of the Standard Teaching
6 Certificate. Except as otherwise provided in this subsection
7 (e), at least 50% of continuing professional development
8 units must relate to purposes (A) and (B) set forth in this
9 paragraph (2): the advancement of a certificate holder's
10 knowledge and skills as a teacher consistent with the
11 Illinois Professional Teaching Standards and the Illinois
12 Content Area Standards in the certificate holder's areas of
13 certification, endorsement, or teaching assignment in order
14 to keep the certificate holder current in those areas and the
15 development of a certificate holder's knowledge and skills in
16 the State priorities that exist at the time the certificate
17 renewal plan is developed.
18 (3) Continuing professional development activities
19 included in a certificate renewal plan may include, but are
20 not limited to, the following activities:
21 (A) at least 8 semester hours of coursework in an
22 approved education-related program, of which at least 2
23 semester hours relate to the continuing professional
24 development purpose set forth in purpose (A) of paragraph
25 (2) of this subsection (e), provided that such a plan
26 need not include any other continuing professional
27 development activities nor reflect or contain activities
28 related to the other continuing professional development
29 purposes set forth in paragraph (2) of this subsection
30 (e);
31 (B) continuing education units that satisfy the
32 continuing professional development purposes set forth in
33 paragraph (2) of this subsection (e), with each
34 continuing education unit equal to 5 clock hours,
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1 provided that a plan that includes at least 24 continuing
2 education units (or 120 clock/contact hours) need not
3 include any other continuing professional development
4 activities;
5 (C) completion of the National Board of
6 Professional Teaching Standards ("NBPTS") process,
7 provided that a plan that includes completion of the
8 NBPTS process need not include any other continuing
9 professional development activities nor reflect or
10 contain activities related to the continuing professional
11 development purposes set forth in paragraph (2) of
12 subsection (e) of this Section;
13 (D) completion of 120 continuing professional
14 development units that satisfy the continuing
15 professional development purposes set forth in paragraph
16 (2) of this subsection (e) and may include without
17 limitation the activities identified in subdivisions (E)
18 through (I) of this paragraph (3);
19 (E) collaboration and partnership activities
20 related to improving the teacher's knowledge and skills
21 as a teacher, including the following:
22 (i) participating on collaborative planning
23 and professional improvement teams and committees;
24 (ii) peer review and coaching;
25 (iii) mentoring in a formal mentoring program,
26 including service as a consulting teacher
27 participating in a remediation process formulated
28 under Section 24A-5 of this Code;
29 (iv) participating in site-based management or
30 decision making teams, relevant committees, boards,
31 or task forces directly related to school
32 improvement plans;
33 (v) coordinating community resources in
34 schools, if the project is a specific goal of the
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1 school improvement plan;
2 (vi) facilitating parent education programs
3 for a school, school district, or regional office of
4 education directly related to student achievement or
5 school improvement plans;
6 (vii) participating in business, school, or
7 community partnerships directly related to student
8 achievement or school improvement plans;
9 (viii) supervising a student teacher or
10 teacher education candidate in clinical supervision,
11 provided that the supervision may only be counted
12 once during the course of 5 years;
13 (F) college or university coursework related to
14 improving the teacher's knowledge and skills as a teacher
15 as follows:
16 (i) completing undergraduate or graduate
17 credit earned from a regionally accredited
18 institution in coursework relevant to the
19 certificate area being renewed, provided the
20 coursework meets Illinois Professional Teaching
21 Standards or Illinois Content Area Standards and
22 supports the essential characteristics of quality
23 professional development; or
24 (ii) teaching college or university courses in
25 areas relevant to the certificate area being
26 renewed, provided that the teaching may only be
27 counted once during the course of 5 years;
28 (G) conferences, workshops, institutes, seminars,
29 and symposiums related to improving the teacher's
30 knowledge and skills as a teacher, including the
31 following:
32 (i) completing non-university credit directly
33 related to student achievement, school improvement
34 plans, or State priorities;
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1 (ii) participating in or presenting at
2 workshops, seminars, conferences, institutes, and
3 symposiums;
4 (iii) training as external reviewers for
5 Quality Assurance;
6 (iv) training as reviewers of university
7 teacher preparation programs;
8 (H) other educational experiences related to
9 improving the teacher's knowledge and skills as a
10 teacher, including the following:
11 (i) participating in action research and
12 inquiry projects;
13 (ii) observing programs or teaching in
14 schools, related businesses, or industry that is
15 systematic, purposeful, and relevant to certificate
16 renewal;
17 (iii) traveling related to ones teaching
18 assignment, directly related to student achievement
19 or school improvement plans and approved at least 30
20 days prior to the travel experience, provided that
21 the traveling shall not include time spent commuting
22 to destinations where the learning experience will
23 occur;
24 (iv) participating in study groups related to
25 student achievement or school improvement plans;
26 (v) serving on a statewide education-related
27 committee, including but not limited to the State
28 Teacher Certification Board, State Board of
29 Education strategic agenda teams, or the State
30 Advisory Council on Education of Children with
31 Disabilities;
32 (vi) participating in work/learn programs or
33 internships; or
34 (I) professional leadership experiences related to
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1 improving the teacher's knowledge and skills as a
2 teacher, including the following:
3 (i) participating in curriculum development or
4 assessment activities at the school, school
5 district, regional office of education, State, or
6 national level;
7 (ii) participating in team or department
8 leadership in a school or school district;
9 (iii) participating on external or internal
10 school or school district review teams;
11 (iv) publishing educational articles, columns,
12 or books relevant to the certificate area being
13 renewed; or
14 (v) participating in non-strike related
15 professional association or labor organization
16 service or activities related to professional
17 development.
18 A school district may not offer as a continuing
19 professional development activity any conference, workshop,
20 institute, seminar, or symposium. A teacher may not engage in
21 continuing professional development activities that conflict
22 with the teacher's duties and responsibilities in the
23 classroom during normal school hours.
24 (4) A certificate renewal plan must initially be
25 approved by the certificate holder's local professional
26 development committee, as provided for in subsection (f) of
27 this Section. If the local professional development
28 committee does not approve the certificate renewal plan, the
29 certificate holder may appeal that determination to the
30 regional professional development review committee, as
31 provided for in paragraph (2) of subsection (g) of this
32 Section. If the regional professional development review
33 committee disagrees with the local professional development
34 committee's determination, the certificate renewal plan shall
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1 be deemed approved and the certificate holder may begin
2 satisfying the continuing professional development activities
3 set forth in the plan. If the regional professional
4 development review committee agrees with the local
5 professional development committee's determination, the
6 certificate renewal plan shall be deemed disapproved and
7 shall be returned to the certificate holder to develop a
8 revised certificate renewal plan. In all cases, the regional
9 professional development review committee shall immediately
10 notify both the local professional development committee and
11 the certificate holder of its determination.
12 (5) A certificate holder who wishes to modify the
13 continuing professional development activities or goals in
14 his or her certificate renewal plan must submit the proposed
15 modifications to his or her local professional development
16 committee for approval prior to engaging in the proposed
17 activities. If the local professional development committee
18 does not approve the proposed modification, the certificate
19 holder may appeal that determination to the regional
20 professional development review committee, as set forth in
21 paragraph (4) of this subsection (e).
22 (6) When a certificate holder changes assignments or
23 school districts during the course of completing a
24 certificate renewal plan, the professional development and
25 continuing education credit earned pursuant to the plan shall
26 transfer to the new assignment or school district and count
27 toward the total requirements. This certificate renewal plan
28 must be reviewed by the appropriate local professional
29 development committee and may be modified to reflect the
30 certificate holder's new work assignment or the school
31 improvement plan of the new school district or school
32 building.
33 (f) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Code,
34 each school district, charter school, and cooperative or
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1 joint agreement with a governing body or board of control
2 that employs certificated staff, shall establish and
3 implement, in conjunction with its exclusive representative,
4 if any, one or more local professional development
5 committees, as set forth in this subsection (f), which shall
6 perform the following functions:
7 (1) review and approve certificate renewal plans
8 and any modifications made to these plans, including
9 transferred plans;
10 (2) maintain a file of approved certificate renewal
11 plans;
12 (3) monitor certificate holders' progress in
13 completing approved certificate renewal plans;
14 (4) assist in the development of professional
15 development plans based upon needs identified in
16 certificate renewal plans;
17 (5) determine whether certificate holders have met
18 the requirements of their certificate renewal plans and
19 notify certificate holders of its determination;
20 (6) provide a certificate holder with the
21 opportunity to address the committee when it has
22 determined that the certificate holder has not met the
23 requirements of his or her certificate renewal plan;
24 (7) issue and forward recommendations for renewal
25 or nonrenewal of certificate holders' Standard Teaching
26 Certificates to the appropriate regional superintendent
27 of schools, based upon whether certificate holders have
28 met the requirements of their approved certificate
29 renewal plans, with 30-day written notice of its
30 recommendation provided to the certificate holder prior
31 to forwarding the recommendation to the regional
32 superintendent of schools, provided that if the local
33 professional development committee's recommendation is
34 for certificate nonrenewal, the written notice provided
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1 to the certificate holder shall include a return receipt;
2 and
3 (8) reconsider its recommendation of certificate
4 nonrenewal, upon request of the certificate holder within
5 30 days of receipt of written notification that the local
6 professional development committee will make such a
7 recommendation, and forward to the regional
8 superintendent of schools its recommendation within 30
9 days of receipt of the certificate holder's request.
10 Each local professional development committee shall
11 consist of at least 3 classroom teachers; one superintendent
12 or chief administrator of the school district, charter
13 school, or cooperative or joint agreement or his or her
14 designee; and one at-large member who shall be either (i) a
15 parent, (ii) a member of the business community, (iii) a
16 community member, or (iv) an administrator, with preference
17 given to an individual chosen from among those persons listed
18 in items (i), (ii), and (iii) in order to secure
19 representation of an interest not already represented on the
20 committee. If mutually agreed upon by the school district,
21 charter school, or governing body or board of control of a
22 cooperative or joint agreement and its exclusive
23 representative, if any, additional members may be added to a
24 local professional development committee, provided that a
25 majority of members are classroom teachers. The school
26 district, charter school, or governing body or board of
27 control of a cooperative or joint agreement and its exclusive
28 representative, if any, shall determine the term of service
29 of the members of a local professional development committee.
30 All individuals selected to serve on local professional
31 development committees must be known to demonstrate the best
32 practices in teaching or their respective field of practice.
33 The exclusive representative, if any, shall select the
34 classroom teacher members of the local professional
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1 development committee. If no exclusive representative
2 exists, then the classroom teacher members of a local
3 professional development committee shall be selected by the
4 classroom teachers that come within the local professional
5 development committee's authority. The school district,
6 charter school, or governing body or board of control of a
7 cooperative or joint agreement shall select the 2
8 non-classroom teacher members (the superintendent or chief
9 administrator of the school district, charter school, or
10 cooperative or joint agreement or his or her designee and the
11 at-large member) of a local professional development
12 committee. Vacancies in positions on a local professional
13 development committee shall be filled in the same manner as
14 the original selections. The members of a local professional
15 development committee shall select a chairperson. Local
16 professional development committee meetings shall be
17 scheduled so as not to interfere with committee members'
18 regularly scheduled teaching duties, except when otherwise
19 permitted by the policies of or agreed to or approved by the
20 school district, charter school, or governing body or board
21 of control of a cooperative or joint agreement, or its
22 designee.
23 The board of education or governing board shall convene
24 the first meeting of the local professional development
25 committee. All actions taken by the local professional
26 development committee shall require that a majority of
27 committee members be present, and no committee action may be
28 taken unless 50% or more of those present are teacher
29 members.
30 The State Board of Education and the State Teacher
31 Certification Board shall jointly provide local professional
32 development committee members with a training manual, and the
33 members shall certify that they have received and read the
34 manual.
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1 Notwithstanding any other provisions of this subsection
2 (f), for a teacher employed and performing services in a
3 nonpublic or State-operated elementary or secondary school,
4 all references to a local professional development committee
5 shall mean the regional superintendent of schools of the
6 regional office of education for the geographic area where
7 the teaching is done.
8 (g)(1) Each regional superintendent of schools shall
9 review and concur or nonconcur with each recommendation for
10 renewal or nonrenewal of a Standard Teaching Certificate he
11 or she receives from a local professional development
12 committee or, if a certificate holder appeals the
13 recommendation to the regional professional development
14 review committee, the recommendation for renewal or
15 nonrenewal he or she receives from a regional professional
16 development review committee and, within 14 days of receipt
17 of the recommendation, shall provide the State Teacher
18 Certification Board with verification of the following, if
19 applicable:
20 (A) a certificate renewal plan was filed and
21 approved by the appropriate local professional
22 development committee;
23 (B) the professional development and continuing
24 education activities set forth in the approved
25 certificate renewal plan have been satisfactorily
26 completed;
27 (C) the local professional development committee
28 has recommended the renewal of the certificate holder's
29 Standard Teaching Certificate and forwarded the
30 recommendation, along with all supporting documentation
31 as jointly required by the State Board of Education and
32 the State Teacher Certification Board, to the regional
33 superintendent of schools;
34 (D) the certificate holder has appealed his or her
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1 local professional development committee's recommendation
2 of nonrenewal to the regional professional development
3 review committee and the result of that appeal;
4 (E) the regional superintendent of schools has
5 concurred or nonconcurred with the local professional
6 development committee's or regional professional
7 development review committee's recommendation to renew or
8 nonrenew the certificate holder's Standard Teaching
9 Certificate and made a recommendation to that effect; and
10 (F) the established registration fee for the
11 Standard Teaching Certificate has been paid.
12 At the same time the regional superintendent of schools
13 provides the State Teacher Certification Board with the
14 notice required by this subsection (g), he or she shall also
15 notify the certificate holder in writing that this notice has
16 been provided to the State Teacher Certification Board,
17 provided that if the notice provided by the regional
18 superintendent of schools to the State Teacher Certification
19 Board includes a recommendation of certificate nonrenewal,
20 the written notice provided to the certificate holder shall
21 be by certified mail, return receipt requested.
22 (2) Each certificate holder shall have the right to
23 appeal his or her local professional development committee's
24 recommendation of nonrenewal to the regional professional
25 development review committee, within 14 days of receipt of
26 notice that the recommendation has been sent to the regional
27 superintendent of schools. Each regional superintendent of
28 schools shall establish a regional professional development
29 review committee or committees for the purpose of advising
30 the regional superintendent of schools, upon request, and
31 handling certificate holder appeals. This committee shall
32 consist of at least 4 classroom teachers, one
33 non-administrative certificated educational employee, 2
34 administrators, and one at-large member who shall be either
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1 (i) a parent, (ii) a member of the business community, (iii)
2 a community member, or (iv) an administrator, with preference
3 given to an individual chosen from among those persons listed
4 in items (i), (ii), and (iii) in order to secure
5 representation of an interest not already represented on the
6 committee. The teacher and non-administrative certificated
7 educational employee members of the review committee shall be
8 selected by their exclusive representative, if any, and the
9 administrators and at-large member shall be selected by the
10 regional superintendent of schools. A regional
11 superintendent of schools may add additional members to the
12 committee, provided that the same proportion of teachers to
13 administrators and at-large members on the committee is
14 maintained. Any additional teacher and non-administrative
15 certificated educational employee members shall be selected
16 by their exclusive representative, if any. Vacancies in
17 positions on a regional professional development review
18 committee shall be filled in the same manner as the original
19 selections. Committee members shall serve staggered 3-year
20 terms. All individuals selected to serve on regional
21 professional development review committees must be known to
22 demonstrate the best practices in teaching or their
23 respective field of practice.
24 The exclusive representative responsible for choosing the
25 individuals that serve on a regional professional development
26 review committee shall notify each school district, charter
27 school, or governing body or board of control of a
28 cooperative or joint agreement employing the individuals
29 chosen to serve and provide their names to the appropriate
30 regional superintendent of schools. Regional professional
31 development review committee meetings shall be scheduled so
32 as not to interfere with the committee members' regularly
33 scheduled teaching duties, except when otherwise permitted by
34 the policies of or agreed to or approved by the school
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1 district, charter school, or governing body or board of
2 control of a cooperative or joint agreement, or its designee,
3 provided that the school district, charter school, or
4 governing body or board of control shall not unreasonably
5 withhold permission for a committee member to attend regional
6 professional development review committee meetings.
7 In a city having a population exceeding 500,000 that does
8 not have a regional office of education, one or more separate
9 regional professional development review committees shall be
10 established as mutually agreed upon by the board of education
11 of the school district organized under Article 34 of this
12 Code and the exclusive representative. The composition of
13 each committee shall be the same as for a regional
14 professional development review committee, except that
15 members of the committee shall be jointly appointed by the
16 board of education and the exclusive representative. All
17 other provisions of this Section concerning regional
18 professional development review committees shall apply to
19 these committees.
20 The regional professional development review committee
21 may require information in addition to that received from a
22 certificate holder's local professional development committee
23 or request that the certificate holder appear before it,
24 shall either concur or nonconcur with a local professional
25 development committee's recommendation of nonrenewal, and
26 shall forward to the regional superintendent of schools its
27 recommendation of renewal or nonrenewal. All actions taken
28 by the regional professional development review committee
29 shall require a quorum and be by a simple majority of those
30 present and voting. A record of all votes shall be
31 maintained. The committee shall have 45 days from receipt of
32 a certificate holder's appeal to make its recommendation to
33 the regional superintendent of schools.
34 The State Board of Education and the State Teacher
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1 Certification Board shall jointly provide regional
2 professional development review committee members with a
3 training manual, and the members shall be required to attend
4 one training seminar sponsored jointly by the State Board of
5 Education and the State Teacher Certification Board.
6 (h)(1) The State Teacher Certification Board shall
7 review the regional superintendent of schools'
8 recommendations to renew or nonrenew Standard Teaching
9 Certificates and notify certificate holders in writing
10 whether their certificates have been renewed or nonrenewed
11 within 90 days of receipt of the recommendations, unless a
12 certificate holder has appealed a regional superintendent of
13 schools' recommendation of nonrenewal, as provided in
14 paragraph (2) of this subsection (h). The State Teacher
15 Certification Board shall verify that the certificate holder
16 has met the renewal criteria set forth in paragraph (1) of
17 subsection (g) of this Section.
18 (2) Each certificate holder shall have the right to
19 appeal a regional superintendent of school's recommendation
20 to nonrenew his or her Standard Teaching Certificate to the
21 State Teacher Certification Board, within 14 days of receipt
22 of notice that the decision has been sent to the State
23 Teacher Certification Board, which shall hold an appeal
24 hearing within 60 days of receipt of the appeal. When such
25 an appeal is taken, the certificate holder's Standard
26 Teaching Certificate shall continue to be valid until the
27 appeal is finally determined. The State Teacher
28 Certification Board shall review the regional superintendent
29 of school's recommendation, the regional professional
30 development review committee's recommendation, if any, and
31 the local professional development committee's recommendation
32 and all relevant documentation to verify whether the
33 certificate holder has met the renewal criteria set forth in
34 paragraph (1) of subsection (g) of this Section. The State
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1 Teacher Certification Board may request that the certificate
2 holder appear before it. All actions taken by the State
3 Teacher Certification Board shall require a quorum and be by
4 a simple majority of those present and voting. A record of
5 all votes shall be maintained. The State Teacher
6 Certification Board shall notify the certificate holder in
7 writing, within 7 days of completing the review, whether his
8 or her Standard Teaching Certificate has been renewed or
9 nonrenewed, provided that if the State Teacher Certification
10 Board determines to nonrenew a certificate, the written
11 notice provided to the certificate holder shall be by
12 certified mail, return receipt requested. All certificate
13 renewal or nonrenewal decisions of the State Teacher
14 Certification Board are final and subject to administrative
15 review, as set forth in Section 21-24 of this Code.
16 (i) Holders of Master Teaching Certificates shall meet
17 the same requirements and follow the same procedures as
18 holders of Standard Teaching Certificates, except that their
19 renewal cycle shall be as set forth in subsection (d) of
20 Section 21-2 of this Code.
21 (j) Holders of Valid and Exempt Standard and Master
22 Teaching Certificates who are not employed and performing
23 services in an Illinois public or State-operated elementary
24 school, secondary school, or cooperative or joint agreement
25 with a governing body or board of control, in a certificated
26 teaching position, may voluntarily activate their
27 certificates by developing and submitting a certificate
28 renewal plan to the regional superintendent of schools of the
29 regional office of education for the geographic area where
30 their teaching is done, who, or whose designee, shall approve
31 the plan and serve as the certificate holder's local
32 professional development committee. These certificate
33 holders shall follow the same renewal criteria and procedures
34 as all other Standard and Master Teaching Certificate
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1 holders, except that their continuing professional
2 development plans shall not be required to reflect or address
3 the knowledge, skills, and goals of a local school
4 improvement plan.
5 (k) Each school district, charter school, or cooperative
6 or joint agreement shall be paid an annual amount of not less
7 than $1,000, as determined by a formula based on the number
8 of Standard Teaching and Master Teaching Certificate holders,
9 subject to renewal and established by rule, not to exceed
10 $1,000,000 annually for all school districts, charter
11 schools, and cooperatives or joint agreements, for
12 administrative costs associated with conducting the meetings
13 of the local professional development committee. Each
14 regional office of education shall receive $2,000 annually to
15 pay school districts, charter schools, or cooperatives or
16 joint agreements for costs, as defined by rule, incurred in
17 staff attendance at regional professional development review
18 committee meetings and the training seminar required under
19 paragraph (2) of subsection (g) of this Section.
20 (l) The State Board of Education and the State Teacher
21 Certification Board shall jointly contract with an
22 independent party to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of
23 the certificate renewal system pursuant to this Section. The
24 first report of this evaluation shall be presented to the
25 General Assembly on January 1, 2005 and on January 1 of every
26 third year thereafter.
27 (Source: P.A. 90-548, eff. 1-1-98; 90-653, eff. 7-29-98;
28 90-811, eff. 1-26-99; 91-102, eff. 7-12-99.)
29 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
30 becoming law.