99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2015 and 2016
HB3477
 
Introduced , by Rep. Rita Mayfield
 
SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:



105 ILCS 5/21B-20

 Amends the School Code. Allows a school district to employ a substitute teacher for no longer than 30 instructional (instead of calendar) days if there is no licensed teacher under contract because of an emergency situation. Provides that a district in an emergency situation may employ as a substitute teacher an educator who holds a Professional Educator License or Educator License with Stipulations that is endorsed for the grade level of instruction for up to 120 days if the district notifies the appropriate regional office of education within 5 business days after the employment of the educator in the emergency situation. Provides that if an emergency situation exists for more than 30 instructional days, then the district shall recertify to the regional office of education that an emergency situation continues to exist and such recertification shall occur in 30-calendar-day increments, provided that no one teacher may be employed for more than a 120-instructional-day period in such an emergency situation. Effective July 1, 2015.



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A BILL FOR
 


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1 AN ACT concerning education.


2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,

3represented in the General Assembly:



4 Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section 
521B-20 as follows:

6 (105 ILCS 5/21B-20)
7 Sec. 21B-20. Types of licenses. Before July 1, 2013, the 
8State Board of Education shall implement a system of educator 
9licensure, whereby individuals employed in school districts 
10who are required to be licensed must have one of the following 
11licenses: (i) a professional educator license; (ii) a 
12professional educator license with stipulations; or (iii) a 
13substitute teaching license. References in law regarding 
14individuals certified or certificated or required to be 
15certified or certificated under Article 21 of this Code shall 
16also include individuals licensed or required to be licensed 
17under this Article. The first year of all licenses ends on June 
1830 following one full year of the license being issued.
19 The State Board of Education, in consultation with the 
20State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, may adopt such 
21rules as may be necessary to govern the requirements for 
22licenses and endorsements under this Section. 
23  (1) Professional Educator License. Persons who (i) 
 
 
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1 have successfully completed an approved educator 
2 preparation program and are recommended for licensure by 
3 the Illinois institution offering the educator preparation 
4 program, (ii) have successfully completed the required 
5 testing under Section 21B-30 of this Code, (iii) have 
6 successfully completed coursework on the psychology of, 
7 the identification of, and the methods of instruction for 
8 the exceptional child, including without limitation the 
9 learning disabled, (iv) have successfully completed 
10 coursework in methods of reading and reading in the content 
11 area, and (v) have met all other criteria established by 
12 rule of the State Board of Education shall be issued a 
13 Professional Educator License. All Professional Educator 
14 Licenses are valid until June 30 immediately following 5 
15 years of the license being issued. The Professional 
16 Educator License shall be endorsed with specific areas and 
17 grade levels in which the individual is eligible to 
18 practice.
19  Individuals can receive subsequent endorsements on the 
20 Professional Educator License. Subsequent endorsements 
21 shall require a minimum of 24 semester hours of coursework 
22 in the endorsement area, unless otherwise specified by 
23 rule, and passage of the applicable content area test.
24  (2) Educator License with Stipulations. An Educator 
25 License with Stipulations shall be issued an endorsement 
26 that limits the license holder to one particular position 
 
 
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1 or does not require completion of an approved educator 
2 program or both.
3  An individual with an Educator License with 
4 Stipulations must not be employed by a school district or 
5 any other entity to replace any presently employed teacher 
6 who otherwise would not be replaced for any reason.
7  An Educator License with Stipulations may be issued 
8 with the following endorsements:
9   (A) Provisional educator. A provisional educator 
10 endorsement in a specific content area or areas on an 
11 Educator License with Stipulations may be issued to an 
12 applicant who holds an educator license with a minimum 
13 of 15 semester hours in content coursework from another 
14 state, U.S. territory, or foreign country and who, at 
15 the time of applying for an Illinois license, does not 
16 meet the minimum requirements under Section 21B-35 of 
17 this Code, but does, at a minimum, meet both of the 
18 following requirements:
19    (i) Holds the equivalent of a minimum of a 
20 bachelor's degree, unless a master's degree is 
21 required for the endorsement, from a regionally 
22 accredited college or university or, for 
23 individuals educated in a country other than the 
24 United States, the equivalent of a minimum of a 
25 bachelor's degree issued in the United States, 
26 unless a master's degree is required for the 
 
 
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1 endorsement.
2    (ii) Has passed a test of basic skills and 
3 content area test, as required by Section 21B-30 of 
4 this Code.
5  However, a provisional educator endorsement for 
6 principals may not be issued, nor may any person with a 
7 provisional educator endorsement serve as a principal 
8 in a public school in this State. In addition, 
9 out-of-state applicants shall not receive a 
10 provisional educator endorsement if the person 
11 completed an alternative licensure program in another 
12 state, unless the program has been determined to be 
13 equivalent to Illinois program requirements.
14   Notwithstanding any other requirements of this 
15 Section, a service member or spouse of a service member 
16 may obtain a Professional Educator License with 
17 Stipulations, and a provisional educator endorsement 
18 in a specific content area or areas, if he or she holds 
19 a valid teaching certificate or license in good 
20 standing from another state, meets the qualifications 
21 of educators outlined in Section 21B-15 of this Code, 
22 and has not engaged in any misconduct that would 
23 prohibit an individual from obtaining a license 
24 pursuant to Illinois law, including without limitation 
25 any administrative rules of the State Board of 
26 Education; however, the service member or spouse may 
 
 
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1 not serve as a principal under the Professional 
2 Educator License with Stipulations or provisional 
3 educator endorsement. 
4   In this Section, "service member" means any person 
5 who, at the time of application under this Section, is 
6 an active duty member of the United States Armed Forces 
7 or any reserve component of the United States Armed 
8 Forces or the National Guard of any state, 
9 commonwealth, or territory of the United States or the 
10 District of Columbia. 
11   A provisional educator endorsement is valid until 
12 June 30 immediately following 2 years of the license 
13 being issued, during which time any remaining testing 
14 and coursework deficiencies must be met. Failure to 
15 satisfy all stated deficiencies shall mean the 
16 individual, including any service member or spouse who 
17 has obtained a Professional Educator License with 
18 Stipulations and a provisional educator endorsement in 
19 a specific content area or areas, is ineligible to 
20 receive a Professional Educator License at that time. A 
21 provisional educator endorsement on an Educator 
22 License with Stipulations shall not be renewed.
23   (B) Alternative provisional educator. An 
24 alternative provisional educator endorsement on an 
25 Educator License with Stipulations may be issued to an 
26 applicant who, at the time of applying for the 
 
 
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1 endorsement, has done all of the following:
2    (i) Graduated from a regionally accredited 
3 college or university with a minimum of a 
4 bachelor's degree.
5    (ii) Successfully completed the first phase of 
6 the Alternative Educator Licensure Program for 
7 Teachers, as described in Section 21B-50 of this 
8 Code.
9    (iii) Passed a test of basic skills and content 
10 area test, as required under Section 21B-30 of this 
11 Code.
12   The alternative provisional educator endorsement 
13 is valid for 2 years of teaching and may be renewed for 
14 a third year by an individual meeting the requirements 
15 set forth in Section 21B-50 of this Code. 
16   (C) Alternative provisional superintendent. An 
17 alternative provisional superintendent endorsement on 
18 an Educator License with Stipulations entitles the 
19 holder to serve only as a superintendent or assistant 
20 superintendent in a school district's central office. 
21 This endorsement may only be issued to an applicant 
22 who, at the time of applying for the endorsement, has 
23 done all of the following:
24    (i) Graduated from a regionally accredited 
25 college or university with a minimum of a master's 
26 degree in a management field other than education.
 
 
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1    (ii) Been employed for a period of at least 5 
2 years in a management level position in a field 
3 other than education.
4    (iii) Successfully completed the first phase 
5 of an alternative route to superintendent 
6 endorsement program, as provided in Section 21B-55 
7 of this Code.
8    (iv) Passed a test of basic skills and content 
9 area tests required under Section 21B-30 of this 
10 Code.
11   The endorsement may be registered for 2 fiscal 
12 years in order to complete one full year of serving as 
13 a superintendent or assistant superintendent.
14   (D) Resident teacher endorsement. A resident 
15 teacher endorsement on an Educator License with 
16 Stipulations may be issued to an applicant who, at the 
17 time of applying for the endorsement, has done all of 
18 the following:
19    (i) Graduated from a regionally accredited 
20 institution of higher education with a minimum of a 
21 bachelor's degree.
22    (ii) Enrolled in an approved Illinois educator 
23 preparation program.
24    (iii) Passed a test of basic skills and content 
25 area test, as required under Section 21B-30 of this 
26 Code.
 
 
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1   The resident teacher endorsement on an Educator 
2 License with Stipulations is valid for 4 years of 
3 teaching and shall not be renewed.
4   A resident teacher may teach only under the 
5 direction of a licensed teacher, who shall act as the 
6 resident mentor teacher, and may not teach in place of 
7 a licensed teacher.
A resident teacher endorsement on 
8 an Educator License with Stipulations shall no longer 
9 be valid after June 30, 2017.
10   (E) Career and technical educator. A career and 
11 technical educator endorsement on an Educator License 
12 with Stipulations may be issued to an applicant who has 
13 a minimum of 60 semester hours of coursework from a 
14 regionally accredited institution of higher education 
15 and has a minimum of 2,000 hours of experience in the 
16 last 10 years outside of education in each area to be 
17 taught.
18   The career and technical educator endorsement on 
19 an Educator License with Stipulations is valid until 
20 June 30 immediately following 5 years of the 
21 endorsement being issued and may be renewed if the 
22 individual passes a test of basic skills, as required 
23 under Section 21B-30 of this Code.
24   (F) Part-time provisional career and technical 
25 educator or provisional career and technical educator. 
26 A part-time provisional career and technical educator 
 
 
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1 endorsement or a provisional career and technical 
2 educator endorsement on an Educator License with 
3 Stipulations may be issued to an applicant who has a 
4 minimum of 8,000 hours of work experience in the skill 
5 for which the applicant is seeking the endorsement. It 
6 is the responsibility of each employing school board 
7 and regional office of education to provide 
8 verification, in writing, to the State Superintendent 
9 of Education at the time the application is submitted 
10 that no qualified teacher holding a Professional 
11 Educator License or an Educator License with 
12 Stipulations with a career and technical educator 
13 endorsement is available and that actual circumstances 
14 require such issuance.
15   The provisional career and technical educator 
16 endorsement on an Educator License with Stipulations 
17 is valid until June 30 immediately following 5 years of 
18 the endorsement being issued and may be renewed only 
19 one time for 5 years if the individual passes a test of 
20 basic skills, as required under Section 21B-30 of this 
21 Code, and has completed a minimum of 20 semester hours 
22 from a regionally accredited institution.
23   A part-time provisional career and technical 
24 educator endorsement on an Educator License with 
25 Stipulations may be issued for teaching no more than 2 
26 courses of study for grades 6 through 12. The part-time 
 
 
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1 provisional career and technical educator endorsement 
2 on an Educator License with Stipulations is valid until 
3 June 30 immediately following 5 years of the 
4 endorsement being issued and may be renewed for 5 years 
5 if the individual makes application for renewal. 
6   (G) Transitional bilingual educator. A 
7 transitional bilingual educator endorsement on an 
8 Educator License with Stipulations may be issued for 
9 the purpose of providing instruction in accordance 
10 with Article 14C of this Code to an applicant who 
11 provides satisfactory evidence that he or she meets all 
12 of the following requirements:
13    (i) Possesses adequate speaking, reading, and 
14 writing ability in the language other than English 
15 in which transitional bilingual education is 
16 offered.
17    (ii) Has the ability to successfully 
18 communicate in English.
19    (iii) Either possessed, within 5 years 
20 previous to his or her applying for a transitional 
21 bilingual educator endorsement, a valid and 
22 comparable teaching certificate or comparable 
23 authorization issued by a foreign country or holds 
24 a degree from an institution of higher learning in 
25 a foreign country that the State Educator 
26 Preparation and Licensure Board determines to be 
 
 
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1 the equivalent of a bachelor's degree from a 
2 regionally accredited institution of higher 
3 learning in the United States.
4   A transitional bilingual educator endorsement 
5 shall be valid for prekindergarten through grade 12, is 
6 valid until June 30 immediately following 5 years of 
7 the endorsement being issued, and shall not be renewed.
8   Persons holding a transitional bilingual educator 
9 endorsement shall not be employed to replace any 
10 presently employed teacher who otherwise would not be 
11 replaced for any reason. 
12   (H) Language endorsement. In an effort to 
13 alleviate the shortage of teachers speaking a language 
14 other than English in the public schools, an individual 
15 who holds an Educator License with Stipulations may 
16 also apply for a language endorsement, provided that 
17 the applicant provides satisfactory evidence that he 
18 or she meets all of the following requirements:
19    (i) Holds a transitional bilingual 
20 endorsement. 
21    (ii) Has demonstrated proficiency in the 
22 language for which the endorsement is to be issued 
23 by passing the applicable language content test 
24 required by the State Board of Education.
25    (iii) Holds a bachelor's degree or higher from 
26 a regionally accredited institution of higher 
 
 
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1 education or, for individuals educated in a 
2 country other than the United States, holds a 
3 degree from an institution of higher learning in a 
4 foreign country that the State Educator 
5 Preparation and Licensure Board determines to be 
6 the equivalent of a bachelor's degree from a 
7 regionally accredited institution of higher 
8 learning in the United States.
9    (iv) Has passed a test of basic skills, as 
10 required under Section 21B-30 of this Code.
11   A language endorsement on an Educator License with 
12 Stipulations is valid for prekindergarten through 
13 grade 12 for the same validity period as the 
14 individual's transitional bilingual educator 
15 endorsement on the Educator License with Stipulations 
16 and shall not be renewed.
17   (I) Visiting international educator. A visiting 
18 international educator endorsement on an Educator 
19 License with Stipulations may be issued to an 
20 individual who is being recruited by a particular 
21 school district that conducts formal recruitment 
22 programs outside of the United States to secure the 
23 services of qualified teachers and who meets all of the 
24 following requirements:
25    (i) Holds the equivalent of a minimum of a 
26 bachelor's degree issued in the United States.
 
 
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1    (ii) Has been prepared as a teacher at the 
2 grade level for which he or she will be employed.
3    (iii) Has adequate content knowledge in the 
4 subject to be taught.
5    (iv) Has an adequate command of the English 
6 language.
7   A holder of a visiting international educator 
8 endorsement on an Educator License with Stipulations 
9 shall be permitted to teach in bilingual education 
10 programs in the language that was the medium of 
11 instruction in his or her teacher preparation program, 
12 provided that he or she passes the English Language 
13 Proficiency Examination or another test of writing 
14 skills in English identified by the State Board of 
15 Education, in consultation with the State Educator 
16 Preparation and Licensure Board.
17   A visiting international educator endorsement on 
18 an Educator License with Stipulations is valid for 3 
19 years and shall not be renewed.
20   (J) Paraprofessional educator. A paraprofessional 
21 educator endorsement on an Educator License with 
22 Stipulations may be issued to an applicant who holds a 
23 high school diploma or its recognized equivalent and 
24 either holds an associate's degree or a minimum of 60 
25 semester hours of credit from a regionally accredited 
26 institution of higher education or has passed a test of 
 
 
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1 basic skills required under Section 21B-30 of this 
2 Code. The paraprofessional educator endorsement is 
3 valid until June 30 immediately following 5 years of 
4 the endorsement being issued and may be renewed through 
5 application and payment of the appropriate fee, as 
6 required under Section 21B-40 of this Code. An 
7 individual who holds only a paraprofessional educator 
8 endorsement is not subject to additional requirements 
9 in order to renew the endorsement.
10  (3) Substitute Teaching License. A Substitute Teaching 
11 License may be issued to qualified applicants for 
12 substitute teaching in all grades of the public schools, 
13 prekindergarten through grade 12. Substitute Teaching 
14 Licenses are not eligible for endorsements. Applicants for 
15 a Substitute Teaching License must hold a bachelor's degree 
16 or higher from a regionally accredited institution of 
17 higher education.
18  Substitute Teaching Licenses are valid for 5 years and 
19 may be renewed if the individual has passed a test of basic 
20 skills, as authorized under Section 21B-30 of this Code. An 
21 individual who has passed a test of basic skills for the 
22 first licensure renewal is not required to retake the test 
23 again for further renewals.
24  Substitute Teaching Licenses are valid for substitute 
25 teaching in every county of this State. If an individual 
26 has had his or her Professional Educator License or 
 
 
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1 Educator License with Stipulations suspended or revoked or 
2 has not met the renewal requirements for licensure, then 
3 that individual is not eligible to obtain a Substitute 
4 Teaching License.
5  A substitute teacher may only teach in the place of a 
6 licensed teacher who is under contract with the employing 
7 board. If, however, there is no licensed teacher under 
8 contract because of an emergency situation, then a district 
9 may employ a substitute teacher for no longer than 30 
10 instructional calendar days per each vacant position in the 
11 district if the district notifies the appropriate regional 
12 office of education within 5 business days after the 
13 employment of the substitute teacher in the emergency 
14 situation. A district in an emergency situation may employ 
15 as a substitute teacher an educator who holds a 
16 Professional Educator License or Educator License with 
17 Stipulations that is endorsed for the grade level of 
18 instruction for up to 120 days if the district notifies the 
19 appropriate regional office of education within 5 business 
20 days after the employment of the educator in the emergency 
21 situation. If an emergency situation exists for more than 
22 30 instructional days, then the district shall recertify to 
23 the regional office of education that an emergency 
24 situation continues to exist and such recertification 
25 shall occur in 30-calendar-day increments, provided that 
26 no one teacher may be employed for more than a 
 
 
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1 120-instructional-day period in such an emergency 
2 situation. An emergency situation is one in which an 
3 unforeseen vacancy has occurred and (i) a teacher is unable 
4 to fulfill his or her contractual duties or (ii) teacher 
5 capacity needs of the district exceed previous 
6 indications, and the district is actively engaged in 
7 advertising to hire a fully licensed teacher for the vacant 
8 position.
9  There is no limit on the number of days that a 
10 substitute teacher may teach in a single school district, 
11 provided that no substitute teacher may teach for longer 
12 than 90 school days for any one licensed teacher under 
13 contract in the same school year. A substitute teacher who 
14 holds a Professional Educator License or Educator License 
15 with Stipulations shall not teach for more than 120 school 
16 days for any one licensed teacher under contract in the 
17 same school year. The limitations in this paragraph (3) on 
18 the number of days a substitute teacher may be employed do 
19 not apply to any school district operating under Article 34 
20 of this Code.

21(Source: P.A. 97-607, eff. 8-26-11; 97-710, eff. 1-1-13; 98-28, 
22eff. 7-1-13; 98-751, eff. 1-1-15.)


23 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, 
242015.