Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 12, March 22, 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 and freedom from communicable disease, including
evidence of freedom from tuberculosis as may be required by Illinois Department
of Public Health rules (77 Ill. Adm. Code 696; Control of Tuberculosis Code).
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). The State Superintendent's decision shall be considered
an "administrative decision" for purposes of the Administrative Review Law
[735 ILCS
5/Art. III ].
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) To receive an
ELS-PARA an individual must be at least 18 years of age, and use the Educator
License with Stipulations exclusively for grades prekindergarten through grade
8.