105 ILCS 5/21B-30 — Illinois Code / Chapter 105 / Act 5 / Section 21B-30::v1
105 ILCS 5/21B-30
Status: in_force

(Text of Section from P.A. 103-846)

Educator testing.

(a) (Blank).

(b) The State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, shall design and implement a system of examinations, which shall be required prior to the issuance of educator licenses. These examinations and indicators must be based on national and State professional teaching standards, as determined by the State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board. The State Board of Education may adopt such rules as may be necessary to implement and administer this Section.

(c) (Blank).

(c-5) The State Board must adopt rules to implement a paraprofessional competency test. This test would allow an applicant seeking an Educator License with Stipulations with a paraprofessional educator endorsement to obtain the endorsement if he or she passes the test and meets the other requirements of subparagraph (J) of paragraph (2) of Section 21B-20 other than the higher education requirements.

(d) All applicants seeking a State license shall be required to pass a test of content area knowledge for each area of endorsement for which there is an applicable test. There shall be no exception to this requirement.

(d-5) The State Board shall consult with any applicable vendors within 90 days after July 28, 2023 (the effective date of Public Act 103-402) to develop a plan to transition the test of content area knowledge in the endorsement area of elementary education, grades one through 6, by July 1, 2026 to a content area test that contains testing elements that cover bilingualism, biliteracy, oral language development, foundational literacy skills, and developmentally appropriate higher-order comprehension and on which a valid and reliable language and literacy subscore can be determined. The State Board shall base its rules concerning the passing subscore on the language and literacy portion of the test on the recommended cut-score determined in the formal standard-setting process. Candidates need not achieve a particular subscore in the area of language and literacy. The State Board shall aggregate and publish the number of candidates in each preparation program who take the test and the number who pass the language and literacy portion.

(e) (Blank).

(f) Beginning on August 4, 2023 (the effective date of Public Act 103-488) through August 31, 2025, no candidate completing a teacher preparation program in this State or candidate subject to Section 21B-35 of this Code is required to pass a teacher performance assessment. Except as otherwise provided in this Article, beginning on September 1, 2015 until August 4, 2023 (the effective date of Public Act 103-488) and beginning again on September 1, 2025, all candidates completing teacher preparation programs in this State and all candidates subject to Section 21B-35 of this Code are required to pass a teacher performance assessment approved by the State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board. A candidate may not be required to submit test materials by video submission. Subject to appropriation, an individual who holds a Professional Educator License and is employed for a minimum of one school year by a school district designated as Tier 1 under Section 18-8.15 may, after application to the State Board, receive from the State Board a refund for any costs associated with completing the teacher performance assessment under this subsection.

(f-5) The Teacher Performance Assessment Task Force is created to evaluate potential performance-based and objective teacher performance assessment systems for implementation across all educator preparation programs in this State, with the intention of ensuring consistency across programs and supporting a thoughtful and well-rounded licensure system. Members appointed to the Task Force must reflect the racial, ethnic, and geographic diversity of this State. The Task Force shall consist of all of the following members:

(1) One member of the Senate, appointed by the