Bill Text: IL SB3680 | 2021-2022 | 102nd General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Amends the School Code. Allows a person who is at least 18 years of age (instead of 19 years of age) to be licensed as a paraprofessional educator. Provides that an applicant for a paraprofessional educator endorsement must pass the paraprofessional competency test within 90 days after employment.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-02-10 - Rule 3-9(a) / Re-referred to Assignments [SB3680 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2021-SB3680-Introduced.html

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102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2021 and 2022 SB3680 Introduced 1/21/2022, by Sen. Suzy Glowiak Hilton SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
105 ILCS 5/21B-15
105 ILCS 5/21B-20
Amends the School Code. Allows a person who is at least 18 years of age (instead of 19 years of age) to be licensed as a paraprofessional educator. With respect to the paraprofessional competency test, requires the test to be passed within 90 days after employment.
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A BILL FOR
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AN ACT concerning education.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Sections
21B-15 and 21B-20 as follows:
(105 ILCS 5/21B-15)
Sec. 21B-15. Qualifications of educators.
(a) No one may be licensed to teach or supervise or be
otherwise employed in the public schools of this State who is
not of good character and at least 19 years of age, with the
exception of paraprofessional educators, who must be at least
18 years of age.
In determining good character under this Section, the
State Superintendent of Education shall take into
consideration the disciplinary actions of other states or
national entities against certificates or licenses issued by
those states and held by individuals from those states. In
addition, any felony conviction of the applicant may be taken
into consideration; however, no one may be licensed to teach
or supervise in the public schools of this State who has been
convicted of (i) an offense set forth in subsection (b) of
Section 21B-80 of this Code until 7 years following the end of
the sentence for the criminal offense or (ii) an offense set

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forth in subsection (c) of Section 21B-80 of this Code. Unless
the conviction is for an offense set forth in Section 21B-80 of
this Code, an applicant must be permitted to submit character
references or other written material before such a conviction
or other information regarding the applicant's character may
be used by the State Superintendent of Education as a basis for
denying the application.
(b) No person otherwise qualified shall be denied the
right to be licensed or to receive training for the purpose of
becoming an educator because of a physical disability,
including, but not limited to, visual and hearing
disabilities; nor shall any school district refuse to employ a
teacher on such grounds, provided that the person is able to
carry out the duties of the position for which he or she
applies.
(c) No person may be granted or continue to hold an
educator license who has knowingly altered or misrepresented
his or her qualifications, in this State or any other state, in
order to acquire or renew the license. Any other license
issued under this Article held by the person may be suspended
or revoked by the State Educator Preparation and Licensure
Board, depending upon the severity of the alteration or
misrepresentation.
(d) No one may teach or supervise in the public schools nor
receive for teaching or supervising any part of any public
school fund who does not hold an educator license granted by

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the State Superintendent of Education as provided in this
Article. However, the provisions of this Article do not apply
to a member of the armed forces who is employed as a teacher of
subjects in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps of any
school, nor to an individual teaching a dual credit course as
provided for in the Dual Credit Quality Act.
(e) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Code, the
school board of a school district may grant to a teacher of the
district a leave of absence with full pay for a period of not
more than one year to permit the teacher to teach in a foreign
state under the provisions of the Exchange Teacher Program
established under Public Law 584, 79th Congress, and Public
Law 402, 80th Congress, as amended. The school board granting
the leave of absence may employ, with or without pay, a
national of the foreign state wherein the teacher on the leave
of absence is to teach if the national is qualified to teach in
that foreign state and if that national is to teach in a grade
level similar to the one that was taught in the foreign state.
The State Board of Education, in consultation with the State
Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, may adopt rules as
may be necessary to implement this subsection (e).
(f) No person shall be denied a license issued under this
Article solely based on his or her citizenship status or
immigration status. The General Assembly finds and declares
that this subsection (f) is a State law within the meaning of
subsection (d) of Section 1621 of Title 8 of the United States

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Code. Nothing in this subsection shall affect the requirements
to obtain a license that are not directly related to
citizenship status or immigration status. Nothing in this
subsection shall be construed to grant eligibility for
obtaining any public benefit other than a license issued under
this Article.
(Source: P.A. 99-667, eff. 7-29-16; 100-13, eff. 7-1-17;
100-1078, eff. 1-1-19.)
(105 ILCS 5/21B-20)
Sec. 21B-20. Types of licenses. The State Board of
Education shall implement a system of educator licensure,
whereby individuals employed in school districts who are
required to be licensed must have one of the following
licenses: (i) a professional educator license; (ii) an
educator license with stipulations; (iii) a substitute
teaching license; or (iv) until June 30, 2023, a short-term
substitute teaching license. References in law regarding
individuals certified or certificated or required to be
certified or certificated under Article 21 of this Code shall
also include individuals licensed or required to be licensed
under this Article. The first year of all licenses ends on June
30 following one full year of the license being issued.
The State Board of Education, in consultation with the
State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, may adopt such
rules as may be necessary to govern the requirements for

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licenses and endorsements under this Section.
(1) Professional Educator License. Persons who (i)
have successfully completed an approved educator
preparation program and are recommended for licensure by
the Illinois institution offering the educator preparation
program, (ii) have successfully completed the required
testing under Section 21B-30 of this Code, (iii) have
successfully completed coursework on the psychology of,
the identification of, and the methods of instruction for
the exceptional child, including without limitation
children with learning disabilities, (iv) have
successfully completed coursework in methods of reading
and reading in the content area, and (v) have met all other
criteria established by rule of the State Board of
Education shall be issued a Professional Educator License.
All Professional Educator Licenses are valid until June 30
immediately following 5 years of the license being issued.
The Professional Educator License shall be endorsed with
specific areas and grade levels in which the individual is
eligible to practice. For an early childhood education
endorsement, an individual may satisfy the student
teaching requirement of his or her early childhood teacher
preparation program through placement in a setting with
children from birth through grade 2, and the individual
may be paid and receive credit while student teaching. The
student teaching experience must meet the requirements of

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and be approved by the individual's early childhood
teacher preparation program.
Individuals can receive subsequent endorsements on the
Professional Educator License. Subsequent endorsements
shall require a minimum of 24 semester hours of coursework
in the endorsement area and passage of the applicable
content area test, unless otherwise specified by rule.
(2) Educator License with Stipulations. An Educator
License with Stipulations shall be issued an endorsement
that limits the license holder to one particular position
or does not require completion of an approved educator
program or both.
An individual with an Educator License with
Stipulations must not be employed by a school district or
any other entity to replace any presently employed teacher
who otherwise would not be replaced for any reason.
An Educator License with Stipulations may be issued
with the following endorsements:
(A) (Blank).
(B) Alternative provisional educator. An
alternative provisional educator endorsement on an
Educator License with Stipulations may be issued to an
applicant who, at the time of applying for the
endorsement, has done all of the following:
(i) Graduated from a regionally accredited
college or university with a minimum of a

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bachelor's degree.
(ii) Successfully completed the first phase of
the Alternative Educator Licensure Program for
Teachers, as described in Section 21B-50 of this
Code.
(iii) Passed a content area test, as required
under Section 21B-30 of this Code.
The alternative provisional educator endorsement is
valid for 2 years of teaching and may be renewed for a
third year by an individual meeting the requirements set
forth in Section 21B-50 of this Code.
(C) Alternative provisional superintendent. An
alternative provisional superintendent endorsement on
an Educator License with Stipulations entitles the
holder to serve only as a superintendent or assistant
superintendent in a school district's central office.
This endorsement may only be issued to an applicant
who, at the time of applying for the endorsement, has
done all of the following:
(i) Graduated from a regionally accredited
college or university with a minimum of a master's
degree in a management field other than education.
(ii) Been employed for a period of at least 5
years in a management level position in a field
other than education.
(iii) Successfully completed the first phase

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of an alternative route to superintendent
endorsement program, as provided in Section 21B-55
of this Code.
(iv) Passed a content area test required under
Section 21B-30 of this Code.
The endorsement is valid for 2 fiscal years in
order to complete one full year of serving as a
superintendent or assistant superintendent.
(D) (Blank).
(E) Career and technical educator. A career and
technical educator endorsement on an Educator License
with Stipulations may be issued to an applicant who
has a minimum of 60 semester hours of coursework from a
regionally accredited institution of higher education
or an accredited trade and technical institution and
has a minimum of 2,000 hours of experience outside of
education in each area to be taught.
The career and technical educator endorsement on
an Educator License with Stipulations is valid until
June 30 immediately following 5 years of the
endorsement being issued and may be renewed.
An individual who holds a valid career and
technical educator endorsement on an Educator License
with Stipulations but does not hold a bachelor's
degree may substitute teach in career and technical
education classrooms.

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(F) Part-time provisional career and technical
educator or provisional career and technical educator.
A part-time provisional career and technical educator
endorsement or a provisional career and technical
educator endorsement on an Educator License with
Stipulations may be issued to an applicant who has a
minimum of 8,000 hours of work experience in the skill
for which the applicant is seeking the endorsement. It
is the responsibility of each employing school board
and regional office of education to provide
verification, in writing, to the State Superintendent
of Education at the time the application is submitted
that no qualified teacher holding a Professional
Educator License or an Educator License with
Stipulations with a career and technical educator
endorsement is available and that actual circumstances
require such issuance.
The provisional career and technical educator
endorsement on an Educator License with Stipulations
is valid until June 30 immediately following 5 years
of the endorsement being issued and may be renewed for
5 years.
A part-time provisional career and technical
educator endorsement on an Educator License with
Stipulations may be issued for teaching no more than 2
courses of study for grades 6 through 12. The

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part-time provisional career and technical educator
endorsement on an Educator License with Stipulations
is valid until June 30 immediately following 5 years
of the endorsement being issued and may be renewed for
5 years if the individual makes application for
renewal.
An individual who holds a provisional or part-time
provisional career and technical educator endorsement
on an Educator License with Stipulations but does not
hold a bachelor's degree may substitute teach in
career and technical education classrooms.
(G) Transitional bilingual educator. A
transitional bilingual educator endorsement on an
Educator License with Stipulations may be issued for
the purpose of providing instruction in accordance
with Article 14C of this Code to an applicant who
provides satisfactory evidence that he or she meets
all of the following requirements:
(i) Possesses adequate speaking, reading, and
writing ability in the language other than English
in which transitional bilingual education is
offered.
(ii) Has the ability to successfully
communicate in English.
(iii) Either possessed, within 5 years
previous to his or her applying for a transitional

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bilingual educator endorsement, a valid and
comparable teaching certificate or comparable
authorization issued by a foreign country or holds
a degree from an institution of higher learning in
a foreign country that the State Educator
Preparation and Licensure Board determines to be
the equivalent of a bachelor's degree from a
regionally accredited institution of higher
learning in the United States.
A transitional bilingual educator endorsement
shall be valid for prekindergarten through grade 12,
is valid until June 30 immediately following 5 years
of the endorsement being issued, and shall not be
renewed.
Persons holding a transitional bilingual educator
endorsement shall not be employed to replace any
presently employed teacher who otherwise would not be
replaced for any reason.
(H) Language endorsement. In an effort to
alleviate the shortage of teachers speaking a language
other than English in the public schools, an
individual who holds an Educator License with
Stipulations may also apply for a language
endorsement, provided that the applicant provides
satisfactory evidence that he or she meets all of the
following requirements:

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(i) Holds a transitional bilingual
endorsement.
(ii) Has demonstrated proficiency in the
language for which the endorsement is to be issued
by passing the applicable language content test
required by the State Board of Education.
(iii) Holds a bachelor's degree or higher from
a regionally accredited institution of higher
education or, for individuals educated in a
country other than the United States, holds a
degree from an institution of higher learning in a
foreign country that the State Educator
Preparation and Licensure Board determines to be
the equivalent of a bachelor's degree from a
regionally accredited institution of higher
learning in the United States.
(iv) (Blank).
A language endorsement on an Educator License with
Stipulations is valid for prekindergarten through
grade 12 for the same validity period as the
individual's transitional bilingual educator
endorsement on the Educator License with Stipulations
and shall not be renewed.
(I) Visiting international educator. A visiting
international educator endorsement on an Educator
License with Stipulations may be issued to an

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individual who is being recruited by a particular
school district that conducts formal recruitment
programs outside of the United States to secure the
services of qualified teachers and who meets all of
the following requirements:
(i) Holds the equivalent of a minimum of a
bachelor's degree issued in the United States.
(ii) Has been prepared as a teacher at the
grade level for which he or she will be employed.
(iii) Has adequate content knowledge in the
subject to be taught.
(iv) Has an adequate command of the English
language.
A holder of a visiting international educator
endorsement on an Educator License with Stipulations
shall be permitted to teach in bilingual education
programs in the language that was the medium of
instruction in his or her teacher preparation program,
provided that he or she passes the English Language
Proficiency Examination or another test of writing
skills in English identified by the State Board of
Education, in consultation with the State Educator
Preparation and Licensure Board.
A visiting international educator endorsement on
an Educator License with Stipulations is valid for 5
years and shall not be renewed.

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(J) Paraprofessional educator. A paraprofessional
educator endorsement on an Educator License with
Stipulations may be issued to an applicant who holds a
high school diploma or its recognized equivalent and
either holds an associate's degree or a minimum of 60
semester hours of credit from a regionally accredited
institution of higher education or has passed a
paraprofessional competency test under subsection
(c-5) of Section 21B-30 within 90 days after
employment. The paraprofessional educator endorsement
is valid until June 30 immediately following 5 years
of the endorsement being issued and may be renewed
through application and payment of the appropriate
fee, as required under Section 21B-40 of this Code. An
individual who holds only a paraprofessional educator
endorsement is not subject to additional requirements
in order to renew the endorsement.
(K) Chief school business official. A chief school
business official endorsement on an Educator License
with Stipulations may be issued to an applicant who
qualifies by having a master's degree or higher, 2
years of full-time administrative experience in school
business management or 2 years of university-approved
practical experience, and a minimum of 24 semester
hours of graduate credit in a program approved by the
State Board of Education for the preparation of school

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business administrators and by passage of the
applicable State tests, including an applicable
content area test.
The chief school business official endorsement may
also be affixed to the Educator License with
Stipulations of any holder who qualifies by having a
master's degree in business administration, finance,
accounting, or public administration and who completes
an additional 6 semester hours of internship in school
business management from a regionally accredited
institution of higher education and passes the
applicable State tests, including an applicable
content area test. This endorsement shall be required
for any individual employed as a chief school business
official.
The chief school business official endorsement on
an Educator License with Stipulations is valid until
June 30 immediately following 5 years of the
endorsement being issued and may be renewed if the
license holder completes renewal requirements as
required for individuals who hold a Professional
Educator License endorsed for chief school business
official under Section 21B-45 of this Code and such
rules as may be adopted by the State Board of
Education.
The State Board of Education shall adopt any rules

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necessary to implement Public Act 100-288.
(L) Provisional in-state educator. A provisional
in-state educator endorsement on an Educator License
with Stipulations may be issued to a candidate who has
completed an Illinois-approved educator preparation
program at an Illinois institution of higher education
and who has not successfully completed an
evidence-based assessment of teacher effectiveness but
who meets all of the following requirements:
(i) Holds at least a bachelor's degree.
(ii) Has completed an approved educator
preparation program at an Illinois institution.
(iii) Has passed an applicable content area
test, as required by Section 21B-30 of this Code.
(iv) Has attempted an evidence-based
assessment of teacher effectiveness and received a
minimum score on that assessment, as established
by the State Board of Education in consultation
with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure
Board.
A provisional in-state educator endorsement on an
Educator License with Stipulations is valid for one
full fiscal year after the date of issuance and may not
be renewed.
(M) (Blank).
(N) Specialized services. A specialized services

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endorsement on an Educator License with Stipulations
may be issued as defined and specified by rule.
(3) Substitute Teaching License. A Substitute Teaching
License may be issued to qualified applicants for
substitute teaching in all grades of the public schools,
prekindergarten through grade 12. Substitute Teaching
Licenses are not eligible for endorsements. Applicants for
a Substitute Teaching License must hold a bachelor's
degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution
of higher education.
Substitute Teaching Licenses are valid for 5 years.
Substitute Teaching Licenses are valid for substitute
teaching in every county of this State. If an individual
has had his or her Professional Educator License or
Educator License with Stipulations suspended or revoked,
then that individual is not eligible to obtain a
Substitute Teaching License.
A substitute teacher may only teach in the place of a
licensed teacher who is under contract with the employing
board. If, however, there is no licensed teacher under
contract because of an emergency situation, then a
district may employ a substitute teacher for no longer
than 30 calendar days per each vacant position in the
district if the district notifies the appropriate regional
office of education within 5 business days after the
employment of the substitute teacher in the emergency

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situation. An emergency situation is one in which an
unforeseen vacancy has occurred and (i) a teacher is
unable to fulfill his or her contractual duties or (ii)
teacher capacity needs of the district exceed previous
indications, and the district is actively engaged in
advertising to hire a fully licensed teacher for the
vacant position.
There is no limit on the number of days that a
substitute teacher may teach in a single school district,
provided that no substitute teacher may teach for longer
than 90 school days for any one licensed teacher under
contract in the same school year. A substitute teacher who
holds a Professional Educator License or Educator License
with Stipulations shall not teach for more than 120 school
days for any one licensed teacher under contract in the
same school year. The limitations in this paragraph (3) on
the number of days a substitute teacher may be employed do
not apply to any school district operating under Article
34 of this Code.
A school district may not require an individual who
holds a valid Professional Educator License or Educator
License with Stipulations to seek or hold a Substitute
Teaching License to teach as a substitute teacher.
(4) Short-Term Substitute Teaching License. Beginning
on July 1, 2018 and until June 30, 2023, the State Board of
Education may issue a Short-Term Substitute Teaching

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License. A Short-Term Substitute Teaching License may be
issued to a qualified applicant for substitute teaching in
all grades of the public schools, prekindergarten through
grade 12. Short-Term Substitute Teaching Licenses are not
eligible for endorsements. Applicants for a Short-Term
Substitute Teaching License must hold an associate's
degree or have completed at least 60 credit hours from a
regionally accredited institution of higher education.
Short-Term Substitute Teaching Licenses are valid for
substitute teaching in every county of this State. If an
individual has had his or her Professional Educator
License or Educator License with Stipulations suspended or
revoked, then that individual is not eligible to obtain a
Short-Term Substitute Teaching License.
The provisions of Sections 10-21.9 and 34-18.5 of this
Code apply to short-term substitute teachers.
An individual holding a Short-Term Substitute Teaching
License may teach no more than 5 consecutive days per
licensed teacher who is under contract. For teacher
absences lasting 6 or more days per licensed teacher who
is under contract, a school district may not hire an
individual holding a Short-Term Substitute Teaching
License. An individual holding a Short-Term Substitute
Teaching License must complete the training program under
Section 10-20.67 or 34-18.60 of this Code to be eligible
to teach at a public school. This paragraph (4) is

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inoperative on and after July 1, 2023.
(Source: P.A. 100-8, eff. 7-1-17; 100-13, eff. 7-1-17;
100-288, eff. 8-24-17; 100-596, eff. 7-1-18; 100-821, eff.
9-3-18; 100-863, eff. 8-14-18; 101-81, eff. 7-12-19; 101-220,
eff. 8-7-19; 101-594, eff. 12-5-19; 101-643, eff. 6-18-20.)