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1 | AN ACT concerning education.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, | |||||||||||||||||||
3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the | |||||||||||||||||||
5 | Paraprofessional Fast Track to Teaching Degree Pilot Program | |||||||||||||||||||
6 | Act.
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7 | Section 5. Findings. The General Assembly makes all of the | |||||||||||||||||||
8 | following findings: | |||||||||||||||||||
9 | (1) In Illinois, starting 4-year, licensed to teach, | |||||||||||||||||||
10 | college graduates earn $45,000 to $55,000 a year as | |||||||||||||||||||
11 | compared to education paraprofessionals, who are paid an | |||||||||||||||||||
12 | average annual salary of $29,232 and have an average | |||||||||||||||||||
13 | starting salary of $23,000. | |||||||||||||||||||
14 | (2) Education paraprofessionals are required to have a | |||||||||||||||||||
15 | 2-year associate degree to teach in Illinois. Comparing | |||||||||||||||||||
16 | this with other 2-year college technician certificates, | |||||||||||||||||||
17 | such as veterinary technicians who have an average salary | |||||||||||||||||||
18 | of $42,000, human resource assistants who have an average | |||||||||||||||||||
19 | salary of $45,000, forestry technicians who have an | |||||||||||||||||||
20 | average salary of $42,000, and paralegals who have an | |||||||||||||||||||
21 | average salary of $61,000, education paraprofessionals are | |||||||||||||||||||
22 | not seeing the return on their educational investment. | |||||||||||||||||||
23 | (3) School districts have strongly voiced their need |
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1 | for more qualified teachers. | ||||||
2 | (4) Alternative routes to teacher licensure, which | ||||||
3 | tend to be faster and less expensive than traditional | ||||||
4 | programs, should be explored by the State to produce more | ||||||
5 | teachers. | ||||||
6 | (5) It is in the interests of State residents to | ||||||
7 | identify affordable pathways to secure a teacher license | ||||||
8 | in Illinois. | ||||||
9 | (6) Paraprofessional educators are particularly | ||||||
10 | well-positioned to take advantage of such pathways into | ||||||
11 | teaching. Given access to high-quality licensure programs | ||||||
12 | tailored to their specific experiences and needs, they can | ||||||
13 | make a significant contribution to local efforts to | ||||||
14 | address teacher shortages. | ||||||
15 | (7) It is in the interests of State residents to have | ||||||
16 | an accredited paraprofessional-to-teaching degree pathway | ||||||
17 | based on both campus-based instruction and courses offered | ||||||
18 | in the schools where candidates work, while also giving | ||||||
19 | them opportunities to earn academic credit by | ||||||
20 | demonstrating the knowledge and skills they have mastered | ||||||
21 | in their jobs.
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22 | Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Act, unless the | ||||||
23 | context otherwise requires: | ||||||
24 | "Paraprofessional" or "paraprofessional educator" means a | ||||||
25 | person who holds a paraprofessional educator endorsement in |
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1 | accordance with the School Code. | ||||||
2 | "Program" means the Paraprofessional Fast Track to | ||||||
3 | Teaching Degree Pilot Program.
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4 | Section 15. Creation of Program. The Paraprofessional Fast | ||||||
5 | Track to Teaching Degree Pilot Program is created for a 2-year | ||||||
6 | degree pathway by which paraprofessional educators may enroll | ||||||
7 | to achieve the education requirements to attain a professional | ||||||
8 | educator license in this State, which shall comply with the | ||||||
9 | standards of the State Board of Education and the Board of | ||||||
10 | Higher Education.
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11 | Section 20. Program requirements. | ||||||
12 | (a) Subject to appropriation, beginning with the 2024-2025 | ||||||
13 | academic year or, if funds are not appropriated for the | ||||||
14 | Program that academic year, beginning with the academic year | ||||||
15 | in which funds are appropriated for the Program, the State | ||||||
16 | Board of Education and the Board of Higher Education shall | ||||||
17 | coordinate with each other to assign a qualified individual to | ||||||
18 | serve as a Program director to develop the curriculum for the | ||||||
19 | Program. If a source of outside funding for the Program | ||||||
20 | director is secured to support the development of the Program, | ||||||
21 | the State Board of Education and Board of Higher Education | ||||||
22 | shall facilitate the approval of a paraprofessional-to-teacher | ||||||
23 | bachelor's degree curriculum pathway for the public | ||||||
24 | universities agreeing to participate in the Program. |
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1 | (b) Under the Program, one public elementary or public | ||||||
2 | secondary school and one public university in this State shall | ||||||
3 | be chosen to develop a program for transitioning | ||||||
4 | paraprofessionals to teachers through the Program. | ||||||
5 | The core components of the Program must include all of the | ||||||
6 | following: | ||||||
7 | (1) Allowing paraprofessionals to enroll in the public | ||||||
8 | university and enroll in courses that allow them to | ||||||
9 | complete 30 college coursework credits toward a | ||||||
10 | baccalaureate degree that would meet Illinois | ||||||
11 | teacher-licensing standards. | ||||||
12 | (2) Allowing paraprofessionals to earn 30 college | ||||||
13 | coursework credits for the work that they perform in their | ||||||
14 | role as a paraprofessional educator at a public elementary | ||||||
15 | school or public secondary school. | ||||||
16 | (3) Using online course options to reduce costs and | ||||||
17 | required travel. | ||||||
18 | (4) The inclusion of evaluations by the mentor teacher | ||||||
19 | of the paraprofessional for the approval of the 30 college | ||||||
20 | coursework credits earned teaching in the classroom. | ||||||
21 | (5) A promise by the participating elementary or | ||||||
22 | secondary school that it will consider hiring the | ||||||
23 | paraprofessionals as full-time teachers after the | ||||||
24 | paraprofessionals complete the Program. | ||||||
25 | (c) The curriculum of the Program shall be established by | ||||||
26 | the public university's educator preparation program. This |
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1 | curriculum shall reflect the core components of the Program | ||||||
2 | identified in subsection (b). | ||||||
3 | (d) The Program director may expand participation in the | ||||||
4 | Program if the director finds multiple willing and able | ||||||
5 | schools and universities.
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6 | Section 25. Reporting. | ||||||
7 | (a) After the cohort of students completes the Program, | ||||||
8 | the State Board of Education and the Board of Higher Education | ||||||
9 | must submit a report to the Governor, the General Assembly, | ||||||
10 | and the Legislative Reference Bureau detailing the impact of | ||||||
11 | the Program on all of the following: | ||||||
12 | (1) The number of paraprofessionals that attained a | ||||||
13 | baccalaureate degree. | ||||||
14 | (2) The successes and failures of the Program. | ||||||
15 | (3) Reducing the costs of attending an institution of | ||||||
16 | higher learning and overall student loan debt for | ||||||
17 | individuals pursuing a degree in teaching. | ||||||
18 | (4) Creating a model curriculum that can be replicated | ||||||
19 | through partnerships between other institutions of higher | ||||||
20 | learning and school districts across the State. | ||||||
21 | (b) The Program is dissolved on the day the State Board of | ||||||
22 | Education and the Board of Higher Education submit the report | ||||||
23 | required under subsection (a).
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24 | Section 30. Repeal. On the date that the Legislative |
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1 | Reference Bureau receives the report sent to it under | ||||||
2 | subsection (a) of Section 25, this Act is repealed.
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3 | Section 90. Rules. The State Board of Education and the | ||||||
4 | Board of Higher Education must adopt rules to implement this | ||||||
5 | Act.
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