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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. For 
22 individuals who were issued the career and technical 
23 educator endorsement on an Educator License with 
24 Stipulations on or after January 1, 2015, the license 
25 may be renewed if the individual passes a test of basic 
26 skills, as required under Section 21B-30 of this Code.
 
 
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1   (F) Part-time provisional career and technical 
2 educator or provisional career and technical educator. 
3 A part-time provisional career and technical educator 
4 endorsement or a provisional career and technical 
5 educator endorsement on an Educator License with 
6 Stipulations may be issued to an applicant who has a 
7 minimum of 8,000 hours of work experience in the skill 
8 for which the applicant is seeking the endorsement. It 
9 is the responsibility of each employing school board 
10 and regional office of education to provide 
11 verification, in writing, to the State Superintendent 
12 of Education at the time the application is submitted 
13 that no qualified teacher holding a Professional 
14 Educator License or an Educator License with 
15 Stipulations with a career and technical educator 
16 endorsement is available and that actual circumstances 
17 require such issuance.
18   The provisional career and technical educator 
19 endorsement on an Educator License with Stipulations 
20 is valid until June 30 immediately following 5 years of 
21 the endorsement being issued and may be renewed only 
22 one time for 5 years. For individuals who were issued 
23 the provisional career and technical educator 
24 endorsement on an Educator License with Stipulations 
25 on or after January 1, 2015, the license may be renewed 
26 one time if the individual passes a test of basic 
 
 
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1 skills, as required under Section 21B-30 of this Code, 
2 and has completed a minimum of 20 semester hours from a 
3 regionally accredited institution.
4   A part-time provisional career and technical 
5 educator endorsement on an Educator License with 
6 Stipulations may be issued for teaching no more than 2 
7 courses of study for grades 6 through 12. The part-time 
8 provisional career and technical educator endorsement 
9 on an Educator License with Stipulations is valid until 
10 June 30 immediately following 5 years of the 
11 endorsement being issued and may be renewed for 5 years 
12 if the individual makes application for renewal. 
13   (G) Transitional bilingual educator. A 
14 transitional bilingual educator endorsement on an 
15 Educator License with Stipulations may be issued for 
16 the purpose of providing instruction in accordance 
17 with Article 14C of this Code to an applicant who 
18 provides satisfactory evidence that he or she meets all 
19 of the following requirements:
20    (i) Possesses adequate speaking, reading, and 
21 writing ability in the language other than English 
22 in which transitional bilingual education is 
23 offered.
24    (ii) Has the ability to successfully 
25 communicate in English.
26    (iii) Either possessed, within 5 years 
 
 
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1 previous to his or her applying for a transitional 
2 bilingual educator endorsement, a valid and 
3 comparable teaching certificate or comparable 
4 authorization issued by a foreign country or holds 
5 a degree from an institution of higher learning in 
6 a foreign country that the State Educator 
7 Preparation and Licensure Board determines to be 
8 the equivalent of a bachelor's degree from a 
9 regionally accredited institution of higher 
10 learning in the United States.
11   A transitional bilingual educator endorsement 
12 shall be valid for prekindergarten through grade 12, is 
13 valid until June 30 immediately following 5 years of 
14 the endorsement being issued, and shall not be renewed.
15   Persons holding a transitional bilingual educator 
16 endorsement shall not be employed to replace any 
17 presently employed teacher who otherwise would not be 
18 replaced for any reason. 
19   (H) Language endorsement. In an effort to 
20 alleviate the shortage of teachers speaking a language 
21 other than English in the public schools, an individual 
22 who holds an Educator License with Stipulations may 
23 also apply for a language endorsement, provided that 
24 the applicant provides satisfactory evidence that he 
25 or she meets all of the following requirements:
26    (i) Holds a transitional bilingual 
 
 
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1 endorsement. 
2    (ii) Has demonstrated proficiency in the 
3 language for which the endorsement is to be issued 
4 by passing the applicable language content test 
5 required by the State Board of Education.
6    (iii) Holds a bachelor's degree or higher from 
7 a regionally accredited institution of higher 
8 education or, for individuals educated in a 
9 country other than the United States, holds a 
10 degree from an institution of higher learning in a 
11 foreign country that the State Educator 
12 Preparation and Licensure Board determines to be 
13 the equivalent of a bachelor's degree from a 
14 regionally accredited institution of higher 
15 learning in the United States.
16    (iv) Has passed a test of basic skills, as 
17 required under Section 21B-30 of this Code.
18   A language endorsement on an Educator License with 
19 Stipulations is valid for prekindergarten through 
20 grade 12 for the same validity period as the 
21 individual's transitional bilingual educator 
22 endorsement on the Educator License with Stipulations 
23 and shall not be renewed.
24   (I) Visiting international educator. A visiting 
25 international educator endorsement on an Educator 
26 License with Stipulations may be issued to an 
 
 
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1 individual who is being recruited by a particular 
2 school district that conducts formal recruitment 
3 programs outside of the United States to secure the 
4 services of qualified teachers and who meets all of the 
5 following requirements:
6    (i) Holds the equivalent of a minimum of a 
7 bachelor's degree issued in the United States.
8    (ii) Has been prepared as a teacher at the 
9 grade level for which he or she will be employed.
10    (iii) Has adequate content knowledge in the 
11 subject to be taught.
12    (iv) Has an adequate command of the English 
13 language.
14   A holder of a visiting international educator 
15 endorsement on an Educator License with Stipulations 
16 shall be permitted to teach in bilingual education 
17 programs in the language that was the medium of 
18 instruction in his or her teacher preparation program, 
19 provided that he or she passes the English Language 
20 Proficiency Examination or another test of writing 
21 skills in English identified by the State Board of 
22 Education, in consultation with the State Educator 
23 Preparation and Licensure Board.
24   A visiting international educator endorsement on 
25 an Educator License with Stipulations is valid for 3 
26 years and shall not be renewed.
 
 
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1   (J) Paraprofessional educator. A paraprofessional 
2 educator endorsement on an Educator License with 
3 Stipulations may be issued to an applicant who holds a 
4 high school diploma or its recognized equivalent and 
5 either holds an associate's degree or a minimum of 60 
6 semester hours of credit from a regionally accredited 
7 institution of higher education or has passed a test of 
8 basic skills required under Section 21B-30 of this 
9 Code. The paraprofessional educator endorsement is 
10 valid until June 30 immediately following 5 years of 
11 the endorsement being issued and may be renewed through 
12 application and payment of the appropriate fee, as 
13 required under Section 21B-40 of this Code. An 
14 individual who holds only a paraprofessional educator 
15 endorsement is not subject to additional requirements 
16 in order to renew the endorsement.
17  (3) Substitute Teaching License. A Substitute Teaching 
18 License may be issued to qualified applicants for 
19 substitute teaching in all grades of the public schools, 
20 prekindergarten through grade 12. Substitute Teaching 
21 Licenses are not eligible for endorsements. Applicants for 
22 a Substitute Teaching License must hold a bachelor's degree 
23 or higher from a regionally accredited institution of 
24 higher education.
25  Substitute Teaching Licenses are valid for 5 years and 
26 may be renewed if the individual has passed a test of basic 
 
 
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1 skills, as authorized under Section 21B-30 of this Code. An 
2 individual who has passed a test of basic skills for the 
3 first licensure renewal is not required to retake the test 
4 again for further renewals.
5  Substitute Teaching Licenses are valid for substitute 
6 teaching in every county of this State. If an individual 
7 has had his or her Professional Educator License or 
8 Educator License with Stipulations suspended or revoked or 
9 has not met the renewal requirements for licensure, then 
10 that individual is not eligible to obtain a Substitute 
11 Teaching License.
12  A substitute teacher may only teach in the place of a 
13 licensed teacher who is under contract with the employing 
14 board. If, however, there is no licensed teacher under 
15 contract because of an emergency situation, then a district 
16 may employ a substitute teacher for no longer than 30 
17 calendar days per each vacant position in the district if 
18 the district notifies the appropriate regional office of 
19 education within 5 business days after the employment of 
20 the substitute teacher in the emergency situation. An 
21 emergency situation is one in which an unforeseen vacancy 
22 has occurred and (i) a teacher is unable to fulfill his or 
23 her contractual duties or (ii) teacher capacity needs of 
24 the district exceed previous indications, and the district 
25 is actively engaged in advertising to hire a fully licensed 
26 teacher for the vacant position.
 
 
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1  There is no limit on the number of days that a 
2 substitute teacher may teach in a single school district, 
3 provided that no substitute teacher may teach for longer 
4 than 90 school days for any one licensed teacher under 
5 contract in the same school year. A substitute teacher who 
6 holds a Professional Educator License or Educator License 
7 with Stipulations shall not teach for more than 120 school 
8 days for any one licensed teacher under contract in the 
9 same school year. The limitations in this paragraph (3) on 
10 the number of days a substitute teacher may be employed do 
11 not apply to any school district operating under Article 34 
12 of this Code.