Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 38, September 20, 2024
a) When State funding is available to support
new proposals for any initiative under Article 21A of the School Code, the
State Superintendent of Education shall issue application materials in order to
solicit applications from eligible entities. As used in this Part, a "proposal"
or "application" means relevant portions of a plan for an induction and
mentoring program that meets the requirements of Section 21A-20 of the School
Code, accompanied by the additional materials applicants will be required to
submit, as described in Subpart B.
1) When the
level of funding is insufficient to provide grants to each eligible entity in
the State, a Request for Proposals (RFP) will be issued to solicit applications
from eligible entities, and applications will be considered for funding based
on the extent to which they meet the criteria set forth in Section
65.150
of this Part.
2) When the level of
funding is sufficient to fund all eligible entities in the State, a request for
applications will be issued and each school district whose plan meets the
requirements of Article 21A of the School Code and this Part will receive a
grant in an amount equal to at least the amount specified in Section 21A-25 of
the School Code.
b) In
accordance with Section 21A-20 of the School Code, each new teacher
induction and mentoring program must align with the standards in Appendix A and
shall be based on a plan that at least does all of the following:
1)
assigns a mentor teacher to each
new teacher for a period of at least 2 school years, providing
sufficient time for the new teacher and mentor to engage in mentoring
activities;
2)
aligns with
the Illinois Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading Standards (see
23 Ill. Adm. Code 24), the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards,
content area standards (see 23 Ill. Adm. Code 20, 21, 26, 27, and 28
as applicable) and applicable local school improvement and professional
development plans, if any. In order to demonstrate the alignment
required by this subsection (b)(2), each plan shall discuss the relationship
among the services and experiences that will be available to new teachers, the
content-area standards applicable to their respective fields of licensure
endorsement or assignment (see 23 Ill. Adm. Code 20, 21, 26, and 27);
3)
describes the role of mentor
teachers, the criteria and process for their selection, and how they will be
trained, provided that each mentor teacher shall demonstrate the best practices
in teaching the mentor teacher's respective field of practice.
A mentor teacher may not directly or indirectly participate in the evaluation
of a new teacher pursuant to Article 24A of the School Code or
the evaluation procedure of the public school; and
4)
is designed to be available for
both in-person and virtual participation. (Section 21A-20 of the
School Code).
c) Each plan shall meet the Illinois
Standards of Quality and Effectiveness for New Teacher Induction Programs set
forth in Appendix A and further amplified in Section 65.150.
d)
The State Board of Education shall
contract with an independent party, using funds from the relevant appropriation
for new teacher induction and mentoring programs, to conduct a comprehensive
evaluation of the new teacher induction and mentoring programs established
pursuant to Article 21A of the School Code. Reports from the evaluation shall
be made available to stakeholders after 3 years of program
implementation. (Section 21A-30 of the School Code)
