Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 38, September 20, 2024
a) The term "paraprofessional" educator shall
be used to refer to the non-certificated personnel authorized by Sections
10-22.34 and 34-18 of the Code to be employed to assist in instruction and who
are required under Section 21B-20(2)(J) of the Code to hold an educator license
with stipulations endorsed for paraprofessional educator, except that the
following individuals are not subject to this Section:
1) Any individual whose paraprofessional
approval was continued after June 30, 2013, subject to any limitations of that
approval;
2) Any individual who
holds an educator license indicative of completion of at least a bachelor's
degree;
3) Any individual who holds
an educator license with stipulations endorsed for career and technical
educator (see Section
25.70); and
4) Any individual who holds a short-term
substitute teaching license (see Section
25.525).
b) Each paraprofessional educator shall be of
good character, as defined in Section 21B-15 of the Code. Each paraprofessional
educator shall be subject to that portion of Section 24-5 of the Code that
requires physical fitness to perform duties assigned and freedom from
communicable disease. A paraprofessional educator is subject to any additional
health examinations including screening for tuberculosis, as required by the
administrative rules adopted by the Department of Public Health or by order of
a local public health official. To receive an educator license with
stipulations endorsed for paraprofessional educator, an individual shall:
1) present evidence of having completed a
minimum of 60 semester hours of college credit at a regionally accredited
institution of higher education, which shall not include any remedial or
developmental coursework that the applicant has taken;
2) hold an associate degree from a regionally
accredited institution of higher education;
3) hold a high school diploma or its
recognized equivalent and pass the ParaPro test offered by the Educational
Testing Service (ETS) with at least the score identified by the State Board in
consultation with SEPLB; or
4) hold
a high school diploma or its recognized equivalent and pass the
WorkKeys® assessment offered by ACT with at
least the score identified by the State Board in consultation with
SEPLB.
c) Revocation or
Suspension of Approval or Licensure or other Permissible Sanction
1) Revocation, suspension, or other
permissible sanction may be initiated by the State Superintendent with respect
to a paraprofessional approval or an educator license with stipulations
endorsed for paraprofessional educator for any of the bases set forth in
Section 21B-75(b) of the Code and any of these actions shall be governed by,
and conducted in accordance with, 23 Ill. Adm. Code 475 (Contested Cases and
Other Formal Hearings).
2) When the
State Superintendent receives information indicating that an individual who
holds approval as a paraprofessional or an educator license with stipulations
endorsed for paraprofessional educator has been convicted of any offense as
defined in Section 21B-80 of the Code, the State Superintendent shall forthwith
revoke the individual's approval or license. The State Superintendent's
decision shall be considered an "administrative decision" for purposes of the
Administrative Review Law.
3) In
accordance with Section 21B-20(2)(J) of the Code, the educator license with
stipulations endorsed for paraprofessional is valid until June 30 immediately
following five fiscal years after the license was issued and may be renewed
upon application and payment of the fee required by Section 21B-40 of the Code
to register the license.
d) An individual must be at least 18 years of
age to use the Educator License with Stipulations in grades prekindergarten
through grade 8 and an individual must be at least 19 years of age to use the
license in all grades.
