Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 38, September 20, 2024
The annual payments and incentives established under Section
21B-70 of the Code shall be subject to the requirements of this Section and
shall be contingent upon the appropriation of sufficient funds (see subsection
(a)). When permitted or required by the State Superintendent, documentation
called for in this Section may be submitted via electronic means.
a) When the funding available in any fiscal
year is inadequate to cover all the payments requested by "qualified
educators", as defined in Section 21B-70(a) of the Code, payments shall be paid
on a first-come, first-served basis, regardless of the type of payment being
requested, but shall be subject to any limitations established for a particular
payment type under Section 21B-70 of the Code. Therefore, although a qualified
educator, as defined in Section 21B-70(a) of the Code, is someone who meets the
requirements for a particular payment, not all qualifying educators in any
given year will be assured of receiving the applicable payments.
b) A qualified educator shall qualify for a
payment as called for in Section 21B-70(c)(1), (c)(2), (c)(3), or (d)(1) of the
Code when that educator is employed by a school district or other public entity
providing early childhood, elementary, or secondary education, including
special education, as the individual originally assigned to a full-time
position whose functions:
1) are specifically
authorized by the grade levels and content-area endorsements on the PEL and
include the provision of instruction to students;
2) are specifically authorized by a school
support personnel endorsement for school counselor on a PEL and include the
provision of counseling services to students; or
3) are specifically authorized by the grade
levels and content-area endorsements on an ELS-CTE, ELS-CTEP, or ELS-PCTE and
include the provision of instruction to students.
c) Qualification for Payments
1) A qualified educator shall qualify for one
or more incentive payments under Section 21B-70(c)(5) of the Code for each year
during which:
A) that educator is either:
i) employed by a school district or other
public entity providing early childhood, elementary, or secondary education,
including special education, in a full-time position whose functions meet the
requirements of subsection (b), as verified by the employer using a format
specified by the State Superintendent; or
ii) retired (i.e., drawing an annuity from
either the Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois pursuant to
Article 16 of the Illinois Pension Code [40 ILCS 5/Art. 16] or the Public
School Teachers' Pension and Retirement Fund - Cities Over 500,000 Inhabitants
pursuant to Article 17 of the Illinois Pension Code [40 ILCS 5/Art. 17]);
and
B) the educator
agrees, in writing, using a format prescribed by the State
Superintendent of Education, to provide up to 45 hours of mentoring or
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS)
professional development or both during the school year to classroom
teachers or school counselors as described in Section 21B-70(c)(5) of
the Code. (Section 21B-70(c)(5) of the Code)
2) Funds may also be used to provide
instructional leadership training for qualified educators interested in
supporting implementation of the Illinois Learning Standards or teaching and
learning priorities identified by the State Board. Funds may also be
used for professional development training provided by the National Board
Resource Center (see Section 21B-70(c) of the Code).
3) If adequate funds are available after
distribution to all qualified educators, incentives under Section 21B-70(d) of
the Code may be provided to National Board-certified teacher rural, remote,
distant, diverse, or candidate cohort facilitators, to National Board-certified
teacher rural, remote, distant, diverse, or candidate liaisons, or to
hard-to-staff schools as retention bonuses, as defined by Section 21B-70(a) of
the Code.
d) Requirements
for Professional Development and Assistance to NBPTS Candidates
1) To verify eligibility for the applicable
incentive payment, a qualified educator who provides professional development
to new or experienced teachers or school counselors under subsection (c) shall
submit to the State Superintendent a written log of the assistance provided,
using a format specified by the State Superintendent, demonstrating that the
educator addressed one or more of the standards set forth in 23 Ill. Adm. Code
24.130 (The Illinois
Professional Teaching Standards) or 23 Ill Adm. Code 24. 140 (The Illinois
Professional Educator Standards) as relevant to the classroom-based needs of
the recipient teachers, or one or more of the standards set forth in 23 Ill.
Adm. Code 23.110 (Standards for the School
Counselor), as applicable. Each recipient of professional development shall be
identified by name, shall be working in an Illinois public educational setting,
and shall sign the log as verification of the dates and hours of service
indicated.
2) To verify eligibility
for the applicable incentive payment, a qualified educator who assists other
Illinois educators in preparing for certification by the National Board for
Professional Teaching Standards under subsection (c) shall submit to the State
Superintendent a written log of the assistance provided, using a format
specified by the State Superintendent. This record shall identify the
activities performed and verify that these activities addressed specific
requirements candidates must meet for NBPTS certification.
e) Requirements for Mentoring or NBPTS
Professional Development
1) Mentoring or
professional development provided in accordance with subsection (c) shall be
conducted either:
A) as part of and in
conformance with a mentoring or professional development program formally
established by a school district; or
B) under the terms of a written agreement
among the mentor, the building administrator, mentor coordinator, or other
responsible official of the school district employing one or more recipients,
and those recipients, that describes the goals of the mentoring or professional
development, the duration of the mentor's involvement, and the amount of time
expected to be devoted to each recipient.
2) Mentoring or professional development may
be provided to recipients either individually or in groups, provided that the
mentor must address areas of practice relevant to the needs of each
recipient.
3) An individual who
provides mentoring or professional development under this Section shall notify
the individuals employing district (if different from that of the recipients)
to this effect and, to verify eligibility for the applicable incentive payment,
shall submit to the State Superintendent a written log that:
A) meets the requirements of subsection
(e)(1); and
B) discusses how the
mentoring or professional development was related to the academic needs of the
recipient teachers' students or the needs of the students served by the
recipient counselors, as applicable.
f) Licensed teachers shall receive incentive
payments only for providing mentoring and professional development to other
teachers, and educator licensed school counselors shall receive incentive
payments only for providing mentoring and professional development to other
school counselors.
g) Instructional
Leadership Training
In any fiscal year in which money remains after funding the
categories in subsections (a) through (c), the State Superintendent shall
announce no later than June 1 the amount of funding that will be devoted to
training for qualified educators. The announcement shall indicate the:
1) specific purposes, from among those
specified in Section 21B-70 of the Code of the training to be
conducted;
2) amount of any stipend
awarded for participating in the training;
3) limitations on the qualified educators who
may participate (e.g., school demographics, including student characteristics
and achievement levels; school district location); and
4) process a qualified educator would use to
apply for a stipend under this subsection (g).
