Amends the Educator Licensure Article of the School Code. Provides that the State Board of Education shall establish a content area test for applicants seeking a State license to teach in any of grades kindergarten through 8. Provides that the test shall include foundational teaching skills and methods that are developmentally and educationally appropriate for students in grades kindergarten through 8. Provides that, in addition to this test, the State Board of Education shall establish specialty content area tests in mathematics, music, and science that are optional for applicants seeking an endorsement in mathematics, music, or science.
House Floor Amendment No. 2: Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Provides that the State Board of Education shall establish a content area test for applicants seeking a State license to teach in any of grades kindergarten through 5. Provides that the test shall include foundational teaching skills and methods that are developmentally and educationally appropriate for students in grades kindergarten through 5. Provides that, in addition to this test, the State Board of Education shall establish specialty content area tests for an optional endorsement in advanced mathematics, music, and physical education for applicants seeking an endorsement in advanced mathematics, music, or physical education.
House Floor Amendment No. 3: Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Amends the Educator Licensure Article of the School Code. Provides that the State Board of Education shall make available a content area test for applicants seeking a State license to teach in any of grades one through 6. Provides that the test shall include foundational teaching skills and methods that are developmentally and educationally appropriate for students in grades one through 6. Provides that, subject to vendor availability, for all content area tests that include content area questions for college algebra, college statistics, and music theory, contracts entered into after the effective date of the amendatory Act with applicable testing vendors shall allow for questions regarding college algebra, college statistics, and music theory to be removed from the content area test. Provides that if those questions cannot be removed by any available vendors, then, subject to vendor availability, the State Board of Education shall allow for the overall score for the content area test to not include the scores for college algebra, college statistics, and music theory. Provides that the State Board of Education shall allow for the retaking of only the subsections of the test that were failed previously. Provides that the subsections with the highest score each time the content test is taken shall count on the overall score.
Senate Committee Amendment No. 3: Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Amends the Educator Licensure Article of the School Code. Removes the restriction providing that no candidate may be allowed to student teach or serve as the teacher of record until the candidate has passed the applicable content area test. Provides that the Teacher Performance Assessment Task Force shall report to the State Board of Education and the General Assembly on or before October 31, 2024 (rather than August 1, 2024). Provides that the State Board of Education's rules for scoring the content area knowledge test may include scoring and retaking each test section separately and independently. Effective immediately.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 105 ILCS 5/21
Engrossed: 105 ILCS 5/21
Enrolled: 105 ILCS 5/21
Public Act: 105 ILCS 5/21