Chicago – The Illinois State Board of Education
is making great progress toward completing all of the major recommendations it
made in 1996 to reform the state’s educator preparation and certification
system, according to an annual report to the General Assembly.
The
report, required to be filed by January 1, 2001, was reviewed and approved
today at the State Board’s regular monthly meeting. The entire report can be
viewed at www.isbe.net in the December State
Board meeting section under Calendars and Meetings.
The
State Board, in its 1996 report titled “Illinois
Framework for Restructuring the Recruitment, Preparation, Licensure, and
Continuing Professional Development of Teachers,” recommended several major initiatives aimed at better
attracting, preparing, and supporting teachers while also making them more
accountable.
Those
recommendations included creating
·
A
standards-led teacher preparation and institutional accountability process;
·
A
multi-tiered certification system;
·
Professional
development expectations for certificate renewal;
·
An
induction and mentoring process for novice teachers; and
·
Alternative
routes to teaching.
Work
is underway on all of these recommendations. The State Board has created and
implemented a three-tiered certification structure. Teachers now receive either
Initial or Standard certificates based on their experience.
The
“Master Teacher” Certificate, the third leg of the new certification system,
has been issued to nearly 100 veteran teachers who have qualified for
certification with the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
Since
February 2000, 10,215 Initial Certificates and 14,977 Standard Certificates
have also been issued to new applicants. Another 45,000 Standard Certificates have
been issued through the certificate exchange program.
For
the first time ever, the state now requires Illinois teachers to complete and
show proof of ongoing professional development for certificate renewal.
Professional development “credits” can be earned for a wide range of activities
completed over the five years covered by a Standard Certificate.
Teachers
must complete Certificate Renewal Plans detailing three individual improvement
goals and how they plan to meet those goals. The plans are reviewed, approved
and administered by Local Professional Development Committees comprising three
teachers, the local superintendent or representative and one other person.
In
June 2000, the State Board authorized the alignment of Illinois teacher
education institutional accreditation expectations with National Council for
the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) 2000 standards and procedures.
Teacher preparation institutions are obligated to meet the standards based on
best practice and research. Institutions will be reviewed according to the
standards in fall 2001.
The
State Board in October 2000 approved seeking legislation to create an induction
and mentoring program that would provide three years of support and guidance to
novice teachers. The program would be administered through local districts and
would focus on a teacher-produced portfolio.
The
State Board has also focused significant time and resources on initiatives
supporting middle grade education; recruitment to the teaching profession; and revised
certification practices that assure rigor, evidence of content knowledge and
proof of performance competency.
Finally,
several universities in 2000 four colleges and universities designed,
implemented and/or continued alternative route to teacher certification
programs in an effort to draw more people into teaching.