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SB1583 Enrolled LRB104 11977 LNS 22071 b
1 AN ACT concerning education.
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 Sections
5 3-14.9 and 21B-30 as follows:
6 (105 ILCS 5/3-14.9) (from Ch. 122, par. 3-14.9)
7 Sec. 3-14.9. Elevation of standard of teaching -
8 Improvement of schools. To labor in every practicable way to
9 elevate the standard of teaching and improve the condition of
10 the common schools of his county. The State Superintendent of
11 Education may designate a regional office of education or
12 intermediate service center as a learning partner in any
13 iteration of the statewide system of support so that services
14 are provided to schools that are identified for school
15 improvement under (i) the accountability system identified in
16 Section 2-3.25a of this Code and (ii) the definition for
17 Targeted, Comprehensive, or Intensive under Section 2-3.25d-5
18 of this Code. The status of learning partner as designated
19 under this Section may be revoked at the State
20 Superintendent's sole discretion.
21 (Source: Laws 1961, p. 31.)
22 (105 ILCS 5/21B-30)
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1 Sec. 21B-30. Educator testing.
2 (a) (Blank).
3 (b) The State Board of Education, in consultation with the
4 State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, shall design
5 and implement a system of examinations, which shall be
6 required prior to the issuance of educator licenses. These
7 examinations and indicators must be based on national and
8 State professional teaching standards, as determined by the
9 State Board of Education, in consultation with the State
10 Educator Preparation and Licensure Board. The State Board of
11 Education may adopt such rules as may be necessary to
12 implement and administer this Section.
13 (c) (Blank).
14 (c-5) The State Board must adopt rules to implement a
15 paraprofessional competency test. This test would allow an
16 applicant seeking an Educator License with Stipulations with a
17 paraprofessional educator endorsement to obtain the
18 endorsement if he or she passes the test and meets the other
19 requirements of subparagraph (J) of paragraph (2) of Section
20 21B-20 other than the higher education requirements.
21 (d) All applicants seeking a State license shall be
22 required to pass a test of content area knowledge for each area
23 of endorsement for which there is an applicable test. There
24 shall be no exception to this requirement. However,
25 notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, individuals
26 seeking a short-term approval for school support personnel, as
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1 defined in rules, are not required to take the test of content
2 area knowledge prior to the short-term approval being issued.
3 (d-5) The State Board shall consult with any applicable
4 vendors within 90 days after July 28, 2023 (the effective date
5 of Public Act 103-402) to develop a plan to transition the test
6 of content area knowledge in the endorsement area of
7 elementary education, grades one through 6, by July 1, 2026 to
8 a content area test that contains testing elements that cover
9 bilingualism, biliteracy, oral language development,
10 foundational literacy skills, and developmentally appropriate
11 higher-order comprehension and on which a valid and reliable
12 language and literacy subscore can be determined. The State
13 Board shall base its rules concerning the passing subscore on
14 the language and literacy portion of the test on the
15 recommended cut-score determined in the formal
16 standard-setting process. Candidates need not achieve a
17 particular subscore in the area of language and literacy. The
18 State Board shall aggregate and publish the number of
19 candidates in each preparation program who take the test and
20 the number who pass the language and literacy portion.
21 (e) (Blank).
22 (f) Beginning on August 4, 2023 (the effective date of
23 Public Act 103-488) through August 31, 2025, no candidate
24 completing a teacher preparation program in this State or
25 candidate subject to Section 21B-35 of this Code is required
26 to pass a teacher performance assessment. Except as otherwise
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1 provided in this Article, beginning on September 1, 2015 until
2 August 4, 2023 (the effective date of Public Act 103-488) and
3 beginning again on September 1, 2025, all candidates
4 completing teacher preparation programs in this State and all
5 candidates subject to Section 21B-35 of this Code are required
6 to pass a teacher performance assessment approved by the State
7 Board of Education, in consultation with the State Educator
8 Preparation and Licensure Board. A candidate may not be
9 required to submit test materials by video submission. Subject
10 to appropriation, an individual who holds a Professional
11 Educator License and is employed for a minimum of one school
12 year by a school district designated as Tier 1 under Section
13 18-8.15 may, after application to the State Board, receive
14 from the State Board a refund for any costs associated with
15 completing the teacher performance assessment under this
16 subsection.
17 (f-5) The Teacher Performance Assessment Task Force is
18 created to evaluate potential performance-based and objective
19 teacher performance assessment systems for implementation
20 across all educator preparation programs in this State, with
21 the intention of ensuring consistency across programs and
22 supporting a thoughtful and well-rounded licensure system.
23 Members appointed to the Task Force must reflect the racial,
24 ethnic, and geographic diversity of this State. The Task Force
25 shall consist of all of the following members:
26 (1) One member of the Senate, appointed by the
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1 President of the Senate.
2 (2) One member of the Senate, appointed by the
3 Minority Leader of the Senate.
4 (3) One member of the House of Representatives,
5 appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
6 (4) One member of the House of Representatives,
7 appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of
8 Representatives.
9 (5) One member who represents a statewide professional
10 teachers' organization, appointed by the State
11 Superintendent of Education.
12 (6) One member who represents a different statewide
13 professional teachers' organization, appointed by the
14 State Superintendent of Education.
15 (7) One member from a statewide organization
16 representing school principals, appointed by the State
17 Superintendent of Education.
18 (8) One member from a statewide organization
19 representing regional superintendents of schools,
20 appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.
21 (9) One member from a statewide organization
22 representing school administrators, appointed by the State
23 Superintendent of Education.
24 (10) One member representing a school district
25 organized under Article 34 of this Code, appointed by the
26 State Superintendent of Education.
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1 (11) One member of an association representing rural
2 and small schools, appointed by the State Superintendent
3 of Education.
4 (12) One member representing a suburban school
5 district, appointed by the State Superintendent of
6 Education.
7 (13) One member from a statewide organization
8 representing school districts in the southern suburbs of
9 the City of Chicago, appointed by the State Superintendent
10 of Education.
11 (14) One member from a statewide organization
12 representing large unit school districts, appointed by the
13 State Superintendent of Education.
14 (15) One member from a statewide organization
15 representing school districts in the collar counties of
16 the City of Chicago, appointed by the State Superintendent
17 of Education.
18 (16) Three members, each representing a different
19 public university in this State and each a current member
20 of the faculty of an approved educator preparation
21 program, appointed by the State Superintendent of
22 Education.
23 (17) Three members, each representing a different
24 4-year nonpublic university or college in this State and
25 each a current member of the faculty of an approved
26 educator preparation program, appointed by the State
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1 Superintendent of Education.
2 (18) One member of the Board of Higher Education,
3 appointed by the State Superintendent of Education.
4 (19) One member representing a statewide policy
5 organization advocating on behalf of multilingual students
6 and families, appointed by the State Superintendent of
7 Education.
8 (20) One member representing a statewide organization
9 focused on research-based education policy to support a
10 school system that prepares all students for college, a
11 career, and democratic citizenship, appointed by the State
12 Superintendent of Education.
13 (21) Two members representing an early childhood
14 advocacy organization, appointed by the State
15 Superintendent of Education.
16 (22) One member representing a statewide organization
17 that partners with educator preparation programs and
18 school districts to support the growth and development of
19 preservice teachers, appointed by the State Superintendent
20 of Education.
21 (23) One member representing a statewide organization
22 that advocates for educational equity and racial justice
23 in schools, appointed by the State Superintendent of
24 Education.
25 (24) One member representing a statewide organization
26 that represents school boards, appointed by the State
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1 Superintendent of Education.
2 (25) One member who has, within the last 5 years,
3 served as a cooperating teacher, appointed by the State
4 Superintendent of Education.
5 Members of the Task Force shall serve without
6 compensation. The Task Force shall first meet at the call of
7 the State Superintendent of Education, and each subsequent
8 meeting shall be called by the chairperson of the Task Force,
9 who shall be designated by the State Superintendent of
10 Education. The State Board of Education shall provide
11 administrative and other support to the Task Force.
12 On or before October 31, 2024, the Task Force shall report
13 on its work, including recommendations on a teacher
14 performance assessment system in this State, to the State
15 Board of Education and the General Assembly. The Task Force is
16 dissolved upon submission of this report.
17 (g) The content area knowledge test and the teacher
18 performance assessment shall be the tests that from time to
19 time are designated by the State Board of Education, in
20 consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure
21 Board, and may be tests prepared by an educational testing
22 organization or tests designed by the State Board of
23 Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation
24 and Licensure Board. The test of content area knowledge shall
25 assess content knowledge in a specific subject field. The
26 tests must be designed to be racially neutral to ensure that no
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1 person taking the tests is discriminated against on the basis
2 of race, color, national origin, or other factors unrelated to
3 the person's ability to perform as a licensed employee. The
4 score required to pass the tests shall be fixed by the State
5 Board of Education, in consultation with the State Educator
6 Preparation and Licensure Board. The State Board of
7 Education's rules for scoring the content area knowledge test
8 may include scoring and retaking of each test section
9 separately and independently. The tests shall be administered
10 not fewer than 3 times a year at such time and place as may be
11 designated by the State Board of Education, in consultation
12 with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board.
13 The State Board shall implement a test or tests to assess
14 the speaking, reading, writing, and grammar skills of
15 applicants for an endorsement or a license issued under
16 subdivision (G) of paragraph (2) of Section 21B-20 of this
17 Code in the English language and in the language of the
18 transitional bilingual education program requested by the
19 applicant.
20 (h) Except as provided in Section 34-6 of this Code, the
21 provisions of this Section shall apply equally in any school
22 district subject to Article 34 of this Code.
23 (i) The rules developed to implement and enforce the
24 testing requirements under this Section shall include, without
25 limitation, provisions governing test selection, test
26 validation, and determination of a passing score,
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1 administration of the tests, frequency of administration,
2 applicant fees, frequency of applicants taking the tests, the
3 years for which a score is valid, and appropriate special
4 accommodations. The State Board of Education shall develop
5 such rules as may be needed to ensure uniformity from year to
6 year in the level of difficulty for each form of an assessment.
7 (Source: P.A. 102-301, eff. 8-26-21; 103-402, eff. 7-28-23;
8 103-488, eff. 8-4-23; 103-605, eff. 7-1-24; 103-780, eff.
9 8-2-24; 103-811, eff. 8-9-24; 103-846, eff. 8-9-24.)Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.