Education (Teachers)

Amends the Criminal Code of 2012. Provides that aggravated assault of a teacher upon school grounds or grounds adjacent to a school or in any part of a building used for school purposes is a Class 4 felony (rather than a Class A misdemeanor).

Amends the Educator Licensure Article of the School Code. In provisions concerning Substitute Teaching Licenses, requires an applicant who is enrolled in an approved educator preparation program to have either earned at least 75 credit hours or completed 3 semesters in an educator preparation program (rather than requiring the applicant to have earned at least 90 credit hours). Provides that a school district may not require an individual who retired within the last 5 years while holding a valid Professional Educator License or Educator License with Stipulations to seek or hold a Substitute Teaching License to teach as a substitute teacher if substitute teaching for no more than one year. Provides that a retired educator may not be charged an application fee for a Substitute Teaching License if certain conditions are met.

Amends the School Code. Allows, if an assessment is determined to be non-uniform, a provisional in-state educator endorsement on an Educator License with Stipulations to 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 applicable content area test but who: holds at least a bachelor's degree; has completed an approved educator preparation program at an Illinois institution; has passed an evidence-based assessment of teacher effectiveness; and has attempted an applicable content area test that has been determined to be non-uniform and has not attempted any uniform content area tests. Provides that the process by which the State Board of Education evaluates content area tests shall be public information and shall be made available on the website of the State Board. Requires the State Board to evaluate each content area test after it has been administered for at least 10 months, but not more than 12 months, and shall determine that a content test is non-uniform. Provides that if a content test is determined to be non-uniform, the State Board shall: convene one or more committees to review the content, bias, and passing score requirements of that content test and recommend changes to improve uniformity; offer the most recent uniform content area test for the same license or endorsement as an option until the new assessment is determined to be uniform; provide an opportunity to attempt the most recent uniform content area test for the same license or endorsement to candidates who attempted but did not pass the most recent version of the content area test; and implement a process by which candidates who attempted but did not pass the content test may apply for provisional licensure. Provides that if the State Board finds that the content area test forms available as of January 1, 2025 are not uniform in the level of difficulty as compared to previous forms of those exams, any candidate for licensure who attempted any content area test in the form that was available as of January 1, 2025, and whose best scores in each subsection of the same content area exam, taken across multiple attempts on the same form of the exam, equal or exceed the passing score for that content area exam as of January 1, 2025, shall be determined to have passed that content area exam.

Amends the School Code. Allows a METT Educator District License for teaching a course in manufacturing, engineering, technology, or a trade (METT) to be issued to an applicant who has at least 10,000 working hours in a trade. Provides that a METT Educator District License may be issued to qualified individuals who have not obtained a bachelor's degree or an equivalent number of hours in an educational program at an institution of higher education. Provides that a METT Educator District License is valid until June 30 immediately following 5 years of the license being issued and may be renewed. Provides that a METT Educator District License is valid only for the teaching of a course that the State Board of Education has identified as related to the work experience of the licensee. Sets forth other provisions regarding the license. Amends the Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness Act. Provides that the State Board of Education, in conjunction with the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity or the Department of Labor, shall expand a database to identify METT labor shortages. Provides that by July 1, 2028, school districts in identified regions shall be notified by the State Board and shall participate in a College and Career Pathway Endorsement program and offer a METT endorsement. Makes other changes.

HB 3954 allocates $7.05 billion from state funds to cover Illinois public school teachers' retirement contributions for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025. It specifies funding from the General Fund, Common School Fund, and Education Assistance Fund to pay the state's required contributions to teacher retirement systems, including health insurance support and minimum retirement allowances. The bill directly affects all Illinois public school teachers by ensuring state funding for their retirement benefits. This is a routine budgetary measure, not a policy change, with no new requirements for teachers or schools.

Amends the Educator Licensure Article of the School Code. By June 1, 2026, requires the State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, to establish, by rule, a Montessori education endorsement to be added to a Professional Educator License. Requires the rules adopted by the State Board of Education to outline the requirements for obtaining the endorsement. Provides that these provisions are inoperative on and after January 1, 2027.

Amends the State Board of Education Article of the School Code. Provides that the State Board shall use the State and federal programs, grants, and subsidies that are available to assist in paying for student teachers as appropriate funds are made available.

Amends the School Code. Allows a teacher to grieve the issuance of a warning regarding causes that are considered remediable pursuant to the applicable collective bargaining agreement to determine whether the school district had just cause in issuing the warning. Requires notice of remedial warnings to be narrowly specify the nature of the alleged misconduct that needs to be remedied. Provides that general allegations of unprofessional conduct are insufficient to link together otherwise unrelated offenses as related. Provides that under no circumstances shall a notice of remedial warning remain effective or within a teacher's personnel file or record for longer than 3 years from the date of the occurrence which gave rise to the issuance of the notice of remedial warning. Effective immediately.

Amends the State Board of Education Article of the School Code. Provides that, subject to appropriation, the State Board of Education shall pay one-half of the salary of an employee that is employed by a manufacturing company and working within a school district at a high school as a licensed career and technical education teacher.

Amends the Educator Licensure Article of the School Code. Adds 5 administrative or faculty members of community colleges to the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board. For a Professional Educator License: provides that the requirements to successfully complete specified coursework are only required until July 1, 2027 or the date that the revised test for a particular content area is implemented, whichever is later; and exempts persons seeking a school support personnel or chief school business official endorsement from the requirement that a person must successfully complete specified coursework. Requires, by July 1, 2027, the State Superintendent of Education to begin incorporating specified topics into revised examinations for individuals seeking a Professional Educator License endorsed in teaching or administration, excluding a chief school business official endorsement. Exempts, for educator licenses, applicants seeking a school support personnel endorsement who hold an active and valid professional license in the same subject matter as the endorsement sought from being required to pass a test of content area knowledge for each area of endorsement for which there is an applicable test. Creates the Teacher Performance Assessment Advisory Committee to aid in operationalizing and creating a pilot, State-developed, teacher performance assessment. Establishes the Paraprofessional to Teacher Pathway Program to provide an expedited pathway for paraprofessionals to earn a Professional Educator License in a specific content area. Sets forth the Program criteria, the requirements for individuals for entry into the Program, and the adoption of rules by the State Board of Education. Provides that an institution of higher education approved to offer educator preparation programs may enter into a partnership agreement with a community college to offer an approved educator preparation program leading to educator licensure for individuals who already hold a bachelor's degree. Makes other changes.