Public Act 098-1036

HB3948 Enrolled LRB098 15504 NHT 50534 b

AN ACT concerning education.

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

represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Grow Your Own Teacher Education Act is

amended by changing Sections 5, 10, 13, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, and

90 as follows:

(110 ILCS 48/5)

Sec. 5. Purpose. The Grow Your Own Teacher preparation

programs established under this Act shall comprise a major new

statewide initiative, known as the Grow Your Own Teacher

Education Initiative, to prepare highly skilled, committed

teachers who will teach in hard-to-staff schools, including

within the Department of Juvenile Justice School District, and

hard-to-staff teaching positions and who will remain in these

schools for substantial periods of time.

The Grow Your Own Teacher Education Initiative shall help

to create a statewide pipeline of teachers who are likely

effectively recruit and prepare parent and community leaders

and paraeducators to become effective teachers statewide in

hard-to-staff schools serving a substantial percentage of

low-income students and hard-to-staff teaching positions in

schools serving a substantial percentage of low-income

students. Further, the Initiative shall increase the diversity

of teachers, including diversity based on race and ethnicity.

The Grow Your Own Teacher Education Initiative shall ensure

educational rigor by effectively preparing candidates in

accredited bachelor's degree programs in teaching, through

which graduates shall meet the requirements to secure an

Illinois initial teaching certificate.

The goal of the Grow Your Own Teacher Education Initiative

is to add 1,000 teachers to low-income, hard-to-staff Illinois

schools by 2016.

(Source: P.A. 95-476, eff. 1-1-08; 96-144, eff. 8-7-09; 96-414,

eff. 1-1-10; 96-1000, eff. 7-2-10.)

(110 ILCS 48/10)

Sec. 10. Definitions. In this Act:

"Accredited teacher preparation program" means a

regionally accredited, Illinois approved teacher education

program authorized to prepare individuals to fulfill all of the

requirements to receive an Illinois initial teaching

certificate.

"Cohort" means a group of teacher education candidates who

are enrolled in and share experiences in the same program and

are linked by their desire to become Illinois teachers in

hard-to-staff schools and by their need for the services and

supports offered by the Initiative.

"Community organization" means a nonprofit organization

that has a demonstrated capacity to train, develop, and

organize parents and community leaders into a constituency that

will hold the school and the school district accountable for

achieving high academic standards; in addition to

organizations with a geographic focus, "community

organization" includes general parent organizations,

organizations of special education or bilingual education

parents, and school employee unions.

"Developmental classes" means classes in basic skill

areas, such as mathematics and language arts that are

prerequisite to, but not counted towards, degree requirements

of a teacher preparation program.

"Eligible school" means a public elementary, middle, or

secondary school in this State that serves a substantial

percentage of low-income students and that is either hard to

staff or has hard-to-staff teaching positions.

"Hard-to-staff school" means a public elementary, middle,

or secondary school in this State that, based on data compiled

by the State Board of Education in conjunction with the Board

of Higher Education, serves a substantial percentage of

low-income students, as defined by the Board of Higher

Education State Board.

"Hard-to-staff teaching position" means a teaching

category (such as special education, bilingual education,

mathematics, or science) in which statewide data compiled by

the State Board of Education in conjunction with the Board of

Higher Education indicates a multi-year pattern of substantial

teacher shortage or that has been identified as a critical need

by the local school board.

"Initiative" means the Grow Your Own Teacher Education

Initiative created under this Act.

"Para educator" "Paraeducator" means an individual with a

history of demonstrated accomplishments in school staff

positions (such as teacher assistants, school-community

liaisons, school clerks, and security aides) in schools that

meet the definition of a hard-to-staff school under this

Section.

"Parent and community leader" means an individual who has

or had a child enrolled in a school or schools that meet the

definition of a hard-to-staff school under this Section and who

has a history of active involvement in the school or who has a

history of working to improve schools serving a substantial

percentage of low-income students, including membership in a

community organization.

"Program" means a Grow Your Own Teacher preparation program

established by a consortium under this Act.

"Schools serving a substantial percentage of low-income

students" means schools that maintain any of grades

pre-kindergarten through 8, in which at least 35% of the

students are eligible to receive free or reduced-price lunches

and schools that maintain any of grades 9 through 12, in which

at least 25% of the students are eligible to receive free or

reduced price lunches.

"State Board" means the Board of Higher Education.

(Source: P.A. 95-476, eff. 1-1-08; 96-144, eff. 8-7-09;

96-1393, eff. 7-29-10.)

(110 ILCS 48/13)

Sec. 13. Transfer of powers and duties to the Board of

Higher Education. On July 1, 2010, all powers and duties of

the State Board of Education under this Act were shall be

transferred to the Board of Higher Education. All rules,

standards, guidelines, and procedures adopted by the State

Board of Education under this Act shall continue in effect as

the rules, standards, guidelines, and procedures of the Board

of Higher Education, until they are modified or abolished by

the Board of Higher Education.

(Source: P.A. 96-1393, eff. 7-29-10.)

(110 ILCS 48/15)

Sec. 15. Creation of Initiative. The Grow Your Own Teacher

Education Initiative is created. The Board of Higher Education

State Board shall administer the Initiative as a grant

competition to fund consortia that will carry out Grow Your Own

Teacher preparation programs.

(Source: P.A. 93-802, eff. 1-1-05; 94-979, eff. 6-30-06.)

(110 ILCS 48/20)

Sec. 20. Selection of grantees. The Board of Higher

Education State Board shall award grants to qualified consortia

that reflect the distribution and diversity of hard-to-staff

schools and hard-to-staff positions across this State. In

awarding grants, the Board of Higher Education State Board

shall select programs that successfully address Initiative

criteria and that reflect a diversity of strategies in terms of

serving urban areas, serving rural areas, the nature of the

participating institutions of higher education, and the nature

of hard-to-staff schools and hard-to-staff teaching positions

on which a program is focused.

The Board of Higher Education State Board shall select

consortia that meet the following requirements:

(1) A consortium shall be composed of at least one

4-year institution of higher education with an Illinois

approved teacher preparation program, at least one school

district or group of schools, and one or more community

organizations. The consortium membership may also include

a 2-year institution of higher education, a school employee

union, or a regional office of education.

(2) The 4-year institution of higher education

participating in the consortium shall have past,

demonstrated success in preparing teachers for elementary

or secondary schools serving a substantial percentage of

low-income students.

(3) The consortium shall focus on a clearly defined set

of eligible schools that will participate in the program.

The consortium shall articulate the steps that it will

carry out in preparing teachers for its participating

schools and in preparing teachers for one or more

hard-to-staff teaching positions in those schools.

(4) The consortium shall recruit potential candidates

for the program and shall take into consideration when

selecting a candidate whether the candidate:

(A) holds A candidate in a program under the

Initiative must hold a high school diploma or its

equivalent; ,

(B) meets must meet either the definition of

"parent and community leader" or the definition of

"para educator" contained in Section 10 of this Act; ,

(C) has must not have attended college right after

high school or must have experienced an interruption in

his or her college education; , and does not hold a

bachelor's degree.

(D) exhibits a willingness to be a teacher in a

hard-to-staff school with the goal of maintaining

academic excellence;

(E) shows an interest in postsecondary education

and may hold an associate's degree, a bachelor's

degree, or another postsecondary degree, but a

postsecondary education is not required;

(F) is a parent, a para educator, a community

leader, or any other individual from a community with a

hard-to-staff school;

(G) commits to completing and passing all State

standards, including the licensure test to obtain an

educator license;

(H) shows a willingness to set high standards of

performance for himself or herself and students; and

(I) demonstrates commitment to the program by:

(i) maintaining a cumulative grade point

average of at least a 2.5 on a 4.0 scale (or the

equivalent as determined by the Board of Higher

Education);

(ii) attending monthly cohort meetings; and

(iii) applying for financial aid from all

other financial aid resources before applying for

assistance from the program.

(5) The consortium shall employ effective procedures

for teaching the skills and knowledge needed to prepare

highly competent teachers. Professional preparation shall

include on-going direct experience in target schools and

evaluation of this experience.

(6) The consortium shall offer the program to cohorts

of candidates, as defined in Section 10 of this Act, on a

schedule that enables candidates to work full time while

participating in the program and allows para educators

paraeducators to continue in their current positions. In

any fiscal year in which an appropriation for the

Initiative is made, the consortium shall guarantee that

support will be available to an admitted cohort for the

cohort's education for that fiscal year. At the beginning

of the Initiative, programs that are already operating and

existing cohorts of candidates under this model shall be

eligible for funding.

(7) The institutions of higher education participating

in the consortium shall document and agree to expend the

same amount of funds in implementing the program that these

institutions spend per student on similar educational

programs. Grants received by the consortium shall

supplement and not supplant these amounts.

(8) The Board of Higher Education State Board shall

establish additional criteria for review of proposals,

including criteria that address the following issues:

(A) Previous experience of the institutions of

higher education in preparing candidates for

hard-to-staff schools and positions and in working

with students with non-traditional backgrounds.

(B) The quality of the implementation plan,

including strategies for overcoming institutional

barriers to the progress of non-traditional

candidates.

(C) If a community college is a participant, the

nature and extent of existing articulation agreements

and guarantees between the community college and the

4-year institution of higher education.

(D) The number of candidates to be educated in the

planned cohort or cohorts and the capacity of the

consortium for adding cohorts in future cycles.

(E) Experience of the community organization or

organizations in organizing parents and community

leaders to achieve school improvement and a strong

relational school culture.

(F) The qualifications of the person or persons

designated by the 4-year institution of higher

education to be responsible for cohort support and the

development of a shared learning and social

environment among candidates.

(G) The consortium's plan for collective

consortium decision-making, involving all consortium

members, including mechanisms for candidate input.

(H) The consortium's plan for direct impact of the

program on the quality of education in the eligible

schools.

(I) The relevance of the curriculum to the needs of

the eligible schools and positions, and the use in

curriculum and instructional planning of principles

for effective education for adults.

(J) The availability of classes under the program

in places and times accessible to the candidates.

(K) Provision of a level of performance to be

maintained by candidates as a condition of continuing

in the program.

(L) The plan of the 4-year institution of higher

education to ensure that candidates take advantage of

existing financial aid resources before using the loan

funds described in Section 25 of this Act.

(M) The availability of supportive services,

including, but not limited to, counseling, tutoring,

transportation, technology and technology support, and

child care.

(N) A plan for continued participation of

graduates of the program in a program of support for at

least 2 years, including mentoring and group meetings.

(O) A plan for testing and qualitative evaluation

of candidates' teaching skills that ensures that

graduates of the program are as prepared for teaching

as other individuals completing the institution of

higher education's preparation program for the

certificate sought.

(P) A plan for internal evaluation that provides

reports at least yearly on the progress of candidates

towards graduation and the impact of the program on the

target schools and their communities.

(Q) Contributions from schools, school districts,

and other consortia members to the program, including

stipends for candidates during their student teaching.

(R) Consortium commitment for sustaining the

program over time, as evidenced by plans for reduced

requirements for external funding, in subsequent

cycles.

(S) The inclusion in the planned program of

strategies derived from community organizing that will

help candidates develop tools for working with parents

and other community members.

(Source: P.A. 95-476, eff. 1-1-08; 96-144, eff. 8-7-09.)

(110 ILCS 48/25)

Sec. 25. Expenditures under the Initiative.

(a) Every program under the Initiative shall implement a

program of forgivable loans to cover any portion of tuition,

books, and fees of candidates under the program in excess of

the candidates' grants-in-aid. All students admitted to a

cohort shall be eligible for a forgivable student loan. Loans

shall be fully forgiven if a graduate completes 5 years of

service in hard-to-staff schools or hard-to-staff teaching

positions, with partial forgiveness for shorter periods of

service. The Board of Higher Education State Board shall

establish standards for the approval of requests for waivers or

deferrals from individuals to waive this obligation. The Board

of Higher Education State Board shall also define standards for

the fiscal management of these loan funds.

(b) The Board of Higher Education State Board shall award

grants under the Initiative in such a way as to provide the

required support for a cohort of candidates for any fiscal year

in which an appropriation for the Initiative is made. Program

budgets must show expenditures and needed funds for the entire

period that candidates are expected to be enrolled.

(c) No funds under the Initiative may be used to supplant

the average per-capita expenditures by the institution of

higher education for candidates.

(d) Where necessary, program budgets shall include the

costs of child care and other indirect expenses, such as

transportation, tutoring, technology, and technology support,

necessary to permit candidates to maintain their class

schedules. Grant funds may be used by any member of a

consortium to offset such costs, and the services may be

provided by the community organization or organizations, by any

other member of the consortium, or by independent contractors.

(e) The institution of higher education may expend grant

funds to cover the additional costs of offering classes in

community settings and for tutoring services.

(f) The community organization or organizations may

receive a portion of the grant money for the expenses of

recruitment, community orientation, and counseling of

potential candidates, for providing space in the community, and

for working with school personnel to facilitate individual work

experiences and support of candidates.

(g) The school district or school employee union or both

may receive a portion of the grant money for expenses of

supporting the work experiences of candidates and providing

mentors for graduates. Notwithstanding the provisions of

Section 10-20.15 of the School Code, school districts may also

use these or other applicable public funds to pay participants

in programs under the Initiative for student teaching required

by an accredited teacher preparation program.

(h) One or more members of the consortium may expend funds

to cover the salary of a site-based cohort coordinator.

(i) Grant funds may also be expended to pay directly for

required developmental classes for candidates beginning a

program.

(Source: P.A. 95-476, eff. 1-1-08; 96-144, eff. 8-7-09.)

(110 ILCS 48/30)

Sec. 30. Implementation of Initiative. The State Board

shall develop guidelines and application procedures for the

Initiative in fiscal year 2011. The Board of Higher Education

State Board may, if it chooses, award a small number of

planning grants during any fiscal year to potential consortia.

Other than existing cohorts, the first programs under the

Initiative shall be awarded grants in such a way as to allow

candidates to begin their work at the beginning of the

2006-2007 school year.

(Source: P.A. 96-1393, eff. 7-29-10.)

(110 ILCS 48/35)

Sec. 35. Independent program evaluation. The Board of

Higher Education State Board shall contract for an independent

evaluation of program implementation by each of its

participating consortia and of the impact of each program,

including the extent of candidate persistence in program

enrollment, acceptance as an education major in a 4-year

institution of higher education, completion of a bachelor's

degree in teaching, obtaining a teaching position in a target

school or similar school, subsequent effectiveness as a

teacher, and persistence in teaching in a target school or

similar school. The evaluation shall assess the Initiative's

overall effectiveness and shall identify particular program

strategies that are especially effective.

(Source: P.A. 93-802, eff. 1-1-05; 94-979, eff. 6-30-06.)

(110 ILCS 48/90)

Sec. 90. Rules. The Board of Higher Education State Board

may adopt any rules necessary to carry out its responsibilities

under this Act.

(Source: P.A. 93-802, eff. 1-1-05.)