a)
Pursuant to Section 21B-45 of the
Code, renewal of PELs endorsed in a teaching,
administrative, or school support personnel field or an educator license with
stipulations endorsed for chief school business official (see Section 21B-20 of
the
Code) or career and technical educator (see Section
25.805) is contingent upon
licensees' presentation of proof of professional development activities.
Specific approvals, as defined in Section 25.805, are also subject to renewal
requirements set forth in that Section. For the purposes of this Subpart J,
"5-year renewal cycle" for any license or renewable approval shall include July
1 following the license's issuance through June 30 following five years of the
license being issued and every five years thereafter, regardless of whether the
total validity period exceeds five years. Any portion of an additional year
beyond five years that is included in the 5-year renewal cycle shall not
increase the amount of professional development that a licensee is required to
complete. If a licensee earns more than the required number of professional
development hours during a renewal cycle, the additional hours earned between
April 1 and June 30 of the last year of the renewal cycle may be carried over
and applied to the next renewal cycle. Illinois Administrators' Academy courses
or hours earned in those courses may not be carried over.
b) Except as provided in Section
25.880 and in subsection (c) of
this Section, renewal of an individual's license or approval requires the
licensee's completion of professional development activities sufficient to
satisfy the requirements of Section 21B-45 of the
Code. Professional
development hours used to fulfill minimum required hours for a renewal cycle
shall be applied to one renewal cycle only. Each licensee shall:
1) enter the information required by Section
21B-45(e) of the
Code and Section
25.805 of this Part into
ELIS
prior to renewal for each activity completed; and
2) present the evidence of completion upon
request by the regional superintendent or a representative of the State Board
or if required as part of an appeal under this Subpart J.
c) Teachers and School Support Personnel
Any licensee holding a PEL endorsed in a
teaching or school support personnel field shall complete 120
clock hours of professional development activities during
each 5-year renewal cycle, unless otherwise specified in this
Subpart J. (Section 21B-45(e)(1) of the Code) The number of
professional development hours required under this subsection
is reduced by 20% for any renewal cycle that includes the 2021-2022
school year. (Section 21B-45(e-5) of the Code)
d) Administrators
1)
Any licensee holding a
PEL endorsed in an administrative field or an educator license
with stipulations endorsed for chief school business official who is
working in a position that requires this credential shall complete one Illinois
Administrators' Academy (see Section 2-3.53 of the Code)
course each fiscal year, in addition to 100 clock
hours of professional development activities during each 5-year renewal
cycle. (Section 21B-45(e)(3) of the Code)
2) Teacher Leader Endorsements
Any licensee holding a PEL endorsed for
teacher leader issued pursuant to Section 21B-25(2)(E) of the
Code and Section 25.32 of this Part who
is working in an administrative capacity at least 50 percent of the
school day shall complete one Illinois Administrators' Academy course
each fiscal year, in addition to 100 hours of professional development
activities during each 5-year renewal cycle. (Section 21B-45(e)(3) of
the Code) Licensees not working in administrative positions are subject to the
requirements of subsection (b) rather than this subsection
(d).
e) Career and
Technical Educators
Any licensee holding an educator license with stipulations
endorsed for career and technical educator issued pursuant to Section
21B-20(2)(E) of the Code shall complete 120 clock hours of professional
development activities during each 5-year renewal cycle, unless otherwise
specified in this Subpart J. Renewal of the license shall be contingent on the
licensee's fulfillment of the applicable requirements of this Section.
1) For purposes of this subsection (e),
coursework completed for license renewal purposes shall be considered "related
to education" if it leads to a PEL or, for individuals holding a PEL, an
endorsement on that license for the skill area of instruction, or if it relates
to the field of an individual's current teaching assignment or any other field
of teaching assignment.
2) The
provisions of Sections
25.855 and
25.865 shall apply to the
awarding of credit for activities offered by approved providers, provided that:
A) the references to Section 21B-45 of the
Code are not applicable to the educator license with stipulations endorsed for
career and technical educator; and
B) references to Subpart J of this Part shall
be understood as referring to this Section when necessary to the
context.
f)
Educational Interpreters
1) An individual may
accrue the required 50 clock hours of professional development by participating
in conferences, workshops, institutes, seminars, symposia, or other, similar
training events that:
A) are designed to
improve the skills and knowledge of interpreters for the deaf;
B) are organized by an entity that is
approved pursuant to Section 25.855; and
C) address educational concerns.
2) An individual may accrue the
required clock hours for professional development by completing college
coursework that is part of an interpreter training program offered by a
regionally accredited institution of higher education or an Illinois community
college.
g) Interveners
for Students Who are Deaf-Blind
1) An
individual may accrue the required 50 clock hours of professional development
by participating in conferences, workshops, institutes, seminars, symposia, or
other similar events that:
A) are designed to
improve the skills and knowledge of interveners;
B) are organized by an entity that is
approved pursuant to Section
25.855 or
25.860; and
C) address educational concerns.
2) An individual may accrue the
required credit for professional development by completing college coursework
that is part of an intervener training program offered by a regionally
accredited institution of higher education or an Illinois community
college.
h) Retired
Educators
Any licensee whose license is in retired status for a full
five-year cycle shall not be required to complete professional development
activities or pay registration fees until returning to a position that requires
educator licensure. For any renewal cycle in which a licensee retires
during the renewal cycle, the licensee must complete professional development
activities on a prorated basis depending on the number of years during the
renewal cycle the educator held an active license. If a licensee retires during
a renewal cycle, the licensee must notify the State Board of Education using
ELIS that the licensee wishes to maintain the license in retired status and
must show proof of completion of professional development activities on a
prorated basis for all years of that renewal cycle for which the license was
active. (Section 21B-45(e)(6) of the Code). If an individual returns
to a position for which educator licensure is required, that individual shall
complete:
1) at least 24 hours of the
professional development required for the endorsement area, as provided by
subsections (b) though (e), for each year in which the individual is employed
for 50 percent or more of full-time equivalency; and
2) any Administrators' Academy courses as may
be required. (Also see Section 21B-45(e)(2) or (3) of the Code.
