(105 ILCS 5/14C-4)
(from Ch. 122, par. 14C-4)
Sec. 14C-4.
Notice of enrollment; content; rights of parents.
No later than 30 days after the beginning of the school year or 14 days after the enrollment of any child in a program in transitional bilingual education during the middle of a school year, the school district in which the child resides shall notify by mail the parents or legal guardian of the child of the fact that their child has been enrolled in a program in transitional bilingual education. The notice shall contain all of the following information in simple, nontechnical language:
(1) The reasons why the child has been placed in and
|
| needs the services of the program. |
|
(2) The child's level of English proficiency, how |
| this level was assessed, and the child's current level of academic achievement. |
|
(3) The method of instruction used in the program and |
| in other available offerings of the district, including how the program differs from those other offerings in content, instructional goals, and the use of English and native language instruction. |
|
(4) How the program will meet the educational |
| strengths and needs of the child. |
|
(5) How the program will specifically help the child |
| to learn English and to meet academic achievement standards for grade promotion and graduation. |
|
(6) The specific exit requirements for the program, |
| the expected rate of transition from the program into the regular curriculum, and the expected graduation rate for children in the program if the program is offered at the secondary level. |
|
(7) How the program meets the objectives of the |
| child's individual educational program (IEP), if applicable. |
|
(8) The right of the parents to decline to enroll the |
| child in the program or to choose another program or method of instruction, if available. |
|
(9) The right of the parents to have the child |
| immediately removed from the program upon request. |
|
(10) The right of the parents to visit transitional |
| bilingual education classes in which their child is enrolled and to come to the school for a conference to explain the nature of transitional bilingual education. |
|
The notice shall be in writing in English and in the language of which the child of the parents so notified possesses a primary speaking ability.
Any parent whose child has been enrolled in a program in transitional bilingual education shall have the absolute right to immediately withdraw his child from said program by providing written notice of such desire to the school authorities of the school in which his child is enrolled or to the school district in which his child resides.
(Source: P.A. 92-604, eff. 7-1-02.) |
(105 ILCS 5/14C-8)
(from Ch. 122, par. 14C-8)
(Section scheduled to be repealed on June 30, 2013)
Sec. 14C-8.
Teacher certification - Qualifications - Issuance of certificates.
No person shall be eligible for employment by a school district as a teacher of transitional bilingual education without either (a) holding a valid teaching certificate issued pursuant to Article 21 of this Code and meeting such additional language and course requirements as prescribed by the State Board of Education or (b) meeting the requirements set forth in this Section. The Certification Board shall issue certificates valid for teaching in all grades of the common school in transitional bilingual education programs to any person who presents it with satisfactory evidence that he possesses an adequate speaking and reading ability in a language other than English in which transitional bilingual education is offered and communicative skills in English, and possessed within 5 years previous to his or her applying for a certificate under this Section a valid teaching certificate issued by a foreign country, or by a State or possession or territory of the United States, or other evidence of teaching preparation as may be determined to be sufficient by the Certification Board, or holds a degree from an institution of higher learning in a foreign country which the Certification Board determines to be the equivalent of a bachelor's degree from a recognized institution of higher learning in the United States; provided that any person seeking a certificate under this Section must meet the following additional requirements:
(1) Such persons must be in good health;
(2) Such persons must be of sound moral character;
(3) Such persons must be legally present in the
|
| United States and possess legal authorization for employment; |
|
(4) Such persons must not be employed to replace any |
| presently employed teacher who otherwise would not be replaced for any reason. |
|
Certificates issuable pursuant to this Section shall be issuable only during the 5 years immediately following the effective date of this Act and thereafter for additional periods of one year only upon a determination by the State Board of Education that a school district lacks the number of teachers necessary to comply with the mandatory requirements of Section 14C-3 of this Article for the establishment and maintenance of programs of transitional bilingual education and said certificates issued by the Certification Board shall be valid for a period of 6 years following their date of issuance and shall not be renewed, except that one renewal for a period of two years may be granted if necessary to permit the holder of a certificate issued under this Section to acquire a teaching certificate pursuant to Article 21 of this Code. Such certificates and the persons to whom they are issued shall be exempt from the provisions of Article 21 or Article 21B of this Code, except that Sections 21-16, 21-22, 21B-75, 21B-90, and 21B-105 of this Code shall continue to be applicable to all such certificates or licenses.
After the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1984, an additional renewal for a period to expire August 31, 1985, may be granted. The State Board of Education shall report to the General Assembly on or before January 31, 1985 its recommendations for the qualification of teachers of bilingual education and for the qualification of teachers of English as a second language. Said qualification program shall take effect no later than August 31, 1985.
Beginning July 1, 2001, the State Board of Education shall implement a test or tests to assess the speaking, reading, writing, and grammar skills of applicants for a certificate issued under this Section in the English language and in the language of the transitional bilingual education program requested by the applicant and shall establish appropriate fees for these tests. The State Board of Education, in consultation with the Certification Board, shall promulgate rules to implement the required tests, including specific provisions to govern test selection, test validation, determination of a passing score, administration of the test or tests, frequency of administration, applicant fees, identification requirements for test takers, frequency of applicants taking the tests, the years for which a score is valid, waiving tests for individuals who have satisfactorily passed other tests, and the consequences of dishonest conduct in the application for or taking of the tests.
If the qualifications of an applicant for a certificate valid for teaching in transitional bilingual education programs in all grades of the common schools do not meet the requirements established for the issuance of that certificate, the Certification Board nevertheless shall issue the applicant a substitute teacher's certificate under Section 21-9 whenever it appears from the face of the application submitted for certification as a teacher of transitional bilingual education and the evidence presented in support thereof that the applicant's qualifications meet the requirements established for the issuance of a certificate under Section 21-9; provided, that if it does not appear from the face of such application and supporting evidence that the applicant is qualified for issuance of a certificate under Section 21-9 the Certification Board shall evaluate the application with reference to the requirements for issuance of certificates under Section 21-9 and shall inform the applicant, at the time it denies the application submitted for certification as a teacher of transitional bilingual education, of the additional qualifications which the applicant must possess in order to meet the requirements established for issuance of (i) a certificate valid for teaching in transitional bilingual education programs in all grades of the common schools and (ii) a substitute teacher's certificate under Section 21-9.
This Section is repealed on June 30, 2013.
(Source: P.A. 97-607, eff. 8-26-11.) |
(105 ILCS 5/14C-13)
(from Ch. 122, par. 14C-13)
Sec. 14C-13.
Advisory Council.
(a) There is created an Advisory Council on Bilingual Education, consisting of 17 members appointed by the State Superintendent of Education and selected, as nearly as possible, on the basis of experience in or knowledge of the various programs of bilingual education. The Council shall advise the State Superintendent on policy and rules pertaining to bilingual education. The Council shall establish such sub-committees as it deems appropriate to review bilingual education issues including but not limited to certification, finance and special education.
Initial appointees shall serve terms determined by lot as follows: 6 for one year, 6 for 2 years and 5 for 3 years. Successors shall serve 3-year terms. Members annually shall select a chairman from among their number. Members shall receive no compensation but may be reimbursed for necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties.
By no later than December 1, 2011, the Council shall submit a report to the State Superintendent of Education, the Governor, and the General Assembly addressing, at a minimum, the following questions:
(1) whether and how the 20 child per attendance
|
| center minimum in Section 14C-3 of this Code should be modified; |
|
(2) whether and how educator certification |
| requirements in this Article 14C and applicable State Board of Education rules should be modified; |
|
(3) whether and how bilingual education requirements |
| in this Article 14C and applicable State Board of Education rules should be modified to address differences between elementary and secondary schools; and |
|
(4) whether and how to allow school districts to |
| administer alternative bilingual education programs instead of transitional bilingual education programs. |
|
By no later than January 1, 2013, the Council shall submit a report to the State Superintendent of Education, the Governor, and the General Assembly addressing, at a minimum, the following questions:
(i) whether and how bilingual education programs |
| should be modified to be more flexible and achieve a higher success rate among Hispanic students in the classroom and on State assessments; |
|
(ii) whether and how bilingual education programs |
| should be modified to increase parental involvement including the use of parent academies; |
|
(iii) whether and how bilingual education programs |
| should be modified to increase cultural competency through a cultural competency program among bilingual teaching staff; and |
|
(iv) whether and how the bilingual parent advisory |
| committees within school districts can be supported in order to increase the opportunities for parents to effectively express their views concerning the planning, operation, and evaluation of bilingual education programs. |
|
(b) For the purpose of this Section:
"Parent academies" means a series of parent development opportunities delivered throughout the school year to increase parents' ability to successfully navigate the education system and monitor their children's education. Parent academies are specifically designed for parents of students who are enrolled in any of the English Language Learner programs and are to be provided after work hours in the parents' native language. At a minimum, parent academies shall allow participants to do the following:
(1) understand and use their children's standardized |
| tests to effectively advocate for their children's academic success; |
|
(2) learn home strategies to increase their |
| children's reading proficiency; |
|
(3) promote homework completion as a successful daily |
|
(4) establish a positive and productive connection |
| with their children's schools and teachers; and |
|
(5) build the character traits that lead to academic |
| success, such as responsibility, persistence, a hard-work ethic, and the ability to delay gratification. |
|
"Cultural competency program" means a staff development opportunity to increase the school staffs' ability to meet the social, emotional, and academic needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students and, at a minimum, allows participants to do the following:
(i) discuss the impact that our constantly changing, |
| highly technological and globalist society is having on Illinois' public education system; |
|
(ii) analyze international, national, State, county, |
| district, and local students' performance data and the achievement gaps that persistently exist between groups; |
|
(iii) realize the benefits and challenges of reaching |
| proficiency in cultural competency; |
|
(iv) engage in conversations that lead to |
| self-awareness and greater insight regarding diversity; and |
|
(v) learn strategies for building student-teacher |
| relationships and making instruction more comprehensible and relevant for all students. |
|
(Source: P.A. 97-305, eff. 1-1-12; 97-915, eff. 1-1-13.) |