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Illinois House Bill HB2523

Illinois 2025-2026 Regular Session

Illinois House Bill HB2523 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.
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11 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 HB2523 Introduced , by Rep. Jaime M. Andrade, Jr. SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 105 ILCS 5/21B-25 Amends the Educator Licensure Article of the School Code. By June 1, 2026, requires the State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, to establish, by rule, a Montessori education endorsement to be added to a Professional Educator License. Requires the rules adopted by the State Board of Education to outline the requirements for obtaining the endorsement. Provides that these provisions are inoperative on and after January 1, 2027. LRB104 08361 LNS 18412 b A BILL FOR 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 HB2523 Introduced , by Rep. Jaime M. Andrade, Jr. SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 105 ILCS 5/21B-25 105 ILCS 5/21B-25 Amends the Educator Licensure Article of the School Code. By June 1, 2026, requires the State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, to establish, by rule, a Montessori education endorsement to be added to a Professional Educator License. Requires the rules adopted by the State Board of Education to outline the requirements for obtaining the endorsement. Provides that these provisions are inoperative on and after January 1, 2027. LRB104 08361 LNS 18412 b LRB104 08361 LNS 18412 b A BILL FOR
22 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 HB2523 Introduced , by Rep. Jaime M. Andrade, Jr. SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
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55 Amends the Educator Licensure Article of the School Code. By June 1, 2026, requires the State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, to establish, by rule, a Montessori education endorsement to be added to a Professional Educator License. Requires the rules adopted by the State Board of Education to outline the requirements for obtaining the endorsement. Provides that these provisions are inoperative on and after January 1, 2027.
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1111 1 AN ACT concerning education.
1212 2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
1313 3 represented in the General Assembly:
1414 4 Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section
1515 5 21B-25 as follows:
1616 6 (105 ILCS 5/21B-25)
1717 7 Sec. 21B-25. Endorsement on licenses. All licenses issued
1818 8 under paragraph (1) of Section 21B-20 of this Code shall be
1919 9 specifically endorsed by the State Board of Education for each
2020 10 content area, school support area, and administrative area for
2121 11 which the holder of the license is qualified. Recognized
2222 12 institutions approved to offer educator preparation programs
2323 13 shall be trained to add endorsements to licenses issued to
2424 14 applicants who meet all of the requirements for the
2525 15 endorsement or endorsements, including passing any required
2626 16 tests. The State Superintendent of Education shall randomly
2727 17 audit institutions to ensure that all rules and standards are
2828 18 being followed for entitlement or when endorsements are being
2929 19 recommended.
3030 20 (1) The State Board of Education, in consultation with
3131 21 the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, shall
3232 22 establish, by rule, the grade level and subject area
3333 23 endorsements to be added to the Professional Educator
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3737 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 HB2523 Introduced , by Rep. Jaime M. Andrade, Jr. SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
3838 105 ILCS 5/21B-25 105 ILCS 5/21B-25
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4040 Amends the Educator Licensure Article of the School Code. By June 1, 2026, requires the State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, to establish, by rule, a Montessori education endorsement to be added to a Professional Educator License. Requires the rules adopted by the State Board of Education to outline the requirements for obtaining the endorsement. Provides that these provisions are inoperative on and after January 1, 2027.
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6868 1 License. These rules shall outline the requirements for
6969 2 obtaining each endorsement.
7070 3 (1.5) By June 1, 2026, the State Board of Education,
7171 4 in consultation with the State Educator Preparation and
7272 5 Licensure Board, shall establish, by rule, a Montessori
7373 6 education endorsement to be added to a Professional
7474 7 Educator License. The rules adopted under this paragraph
7575 8 (1.5) shall outline the requirements for obtaining the
7676 9 endorsement. The changes added to this Section by this
7777 10 amendatory Act of the 104th General Assembly are
7878 11 inoperative on and after January 1, 2027.
7979 12 (2) In addition to any and all grade level and content
8080 13 area endorsements developed by rule, the State Board of
8181 14 Education, in consultation with the State Educator
8282 15 Preparation and Licensure Board, shall develop the
8383 16 requirements for the following endorsements:
8484 17 (A) (Blank).
8585 18 (B) Principal endorsement. A principal endorsement
8686 19 shall be affixed to a Professional Educator License of
8787 20 any holder who qualifies by having all of the
8888 21 following:
8989 22 (i) Successful completion of a principal
9090 23 preparation program approved in accordance with
9191 24 Section 21B-60 of this Code and any applicable
9292 25 rules.
9393 26 (ii) At least 4 total years of teaching or 4
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104104 1 total years of working in the capacity of school
105105 2 support personnel in an Illinois public school or
106106 3 nonpublic school recognized by the State Board of
107107 4 Education, in a school under the supervision of
108108 5 the Department of Corrections, or in an
109109 6 out-of-state public school or out-of-state
110110 7 nonpublic school meeting out-of-state recognition
111111 8 standards comparable to those approved by the
112112 9 State Superintendent of Education; however, the
113113 10 State Board of Education, in consultation with the
114114 11 State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board,
115115 12 shall allow, by rules, for fewer than 4 years of
116116 13 experience based on meeting standards set forth in
117117 14 such rules, including without limitation a review
118118 15 of performance evaluations or other evidence of
119119 16 demonstrated qualifications.
120120 17 (iii) A master's degree or higher from a
121121 18 regionally accredited college or university.
122122 19 (C) Chief school business official endorsement. A
123123 20 chief school business official endorsement shall be
124124 21 affixed to the Professional Educator License of any
125125 22 holder who qualifies by having a master's degree or
126126 23 higher, 2 years of full-time administrative experience
127127 24 in school business management or 2 years of
128128 25 university-approved practical experience, and a
129129 26 minimum of 24 semester hours of graduate credit in a
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140140 1 program approved by the State Board of Education for
141141 2 the preparation of school business administrators and
142142 3 by passage of the applicable State tests. The chief
143143 4 school business official endorsement may also be
144144 5 affixed to the Professional Educator License of any
145145 6 holder who qualifies by having a master's degree in
146146 7 business administration, finance, accounting, or
147147 8 public administration and who completes an additional
148148 9 6 semester hours of internship in school business
149149 10 management from a regionally accredited institution of
150150 11 higher education and passes the applicable State
151151 12 tests. This endorsement shall be required for any
152152 13 individual employed as a chief school business
153153 14 official.
154154 15 (D) Superintendent endorsement. A superintendent
155155 16 endorsement shall be affixed to the Professional
156156 17 Educator License of any holder who has completed a
157157 18 program approved by the State Board of Education for
158158 19 the preparation of superintendents of schools, has had
159159 20 at least 2 years of experience employed full-time in a
160160 21 general administrative position or as a full-time
161161 22 principal, director of special education, or chief
162162 23 school business official in the public schools or in a
163163 24 State-recognized nonpublic school in which the chief
164164 25 administrator is required to have the licensure
165165 26 necessary to be a principal in a public school in this
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176176 1 State and where a majority of the teachers are
177177 2 required to have the licensure necessary to be
178178 3 instructors in a public school in this State, and has
179179 4 passed the required State tests; or of any holder who
180180 5 has completed a program that is not an
181181 6 Illinois-approved educator preparation program at an
182182 7 Illinois institution of higher education and that has
183183 8 recognition standards comparable to those approved by
184184 9 the State Superintendent of Education and holds the
185185 10 general administrative, principal, or chief school
186186 11 business official endorsement and who has had 2 years
187187 12 of experience as a principal, director of special
188188 13 education, or chief school business official while
189189 14 holding a valid educator license or certificate
190190 15 comparable in validity and educational and experience
191191 16 requirements and has passed the appropriate State
192192 17 tests, as provided in Section 21B-30 of this Code. The
193193 18 superintendent endorsement shall allow individuals to
194194 19 serve only as a superintendent or assistant
195195 20 superintendent.
196196 21 (E) Teacher leader endorsement. It shall be the
197197 22 policy of this State to improve the quality of
198198 23 instructional leaders by providing a career pathway
199199 24 for teachers interested in serving in leadership
200200 25 roles, but not as principals. The State Board of
201201 26 Education, in consultation with the State Educator
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212212 1 Preparation and Licensure Board, may issue a teacher
213213 2 leader endorsement under this subdivision (E). Persons
214214 3 who meet and successfully complete the requirements of
215215 4 the endorsement shall be issued a teacher leader
216216 5 endorsement on the Professional Educator License for
217217 6 serving in schools in this State. Teacher leaders may
218218 7 qualify to serve in such positions as department
219219 8 chairs, coaches, mentors, curriculum and instruction
220220 9 leaders, or other leadership positions as defined by
221221 10 the district. The endorsement shall be available to
222222 11 those teachers who (i) hold a Professional Educator
223223 12 License, (ii) hold a master's degree or higher from a
224224 13 regionally accredited institution, (iii) have
225225 14 completed a program of study that has been approved by
226226 15 the State Board of Education, in consultation with the
227227 16 State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, and
228228 17 (iv) have successfully demonstrated competencies as
229229 18 defined by rule.
230230 19 A teacher who meets the requirements set forth in
231231 20 this Section and holds a teacher leader endorsement
232232 21 may evaluate teachers pursuant to Section 24A-5 of
233233 22 this Code, provided that the individual has completed
234234 23 the evaluation component required by Section 24A-3 of
235235 24 this Code and a teacher leader is allowed to evaluate
236236 25 personnel under the respective school district's
237237 26 collective bargaining agreement.
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248248 1 The State Board of Education, in consultation with
249249 2 the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board,
250250 3 may adopt such rules as may be necessary to establish
251251 4 and implement the teacher leader endorsement program
252252 5 and to specify the positions for which this
253253 6 endorsement shall be required.
254254 7 (F) Special education endorsement. A special
255255 8 education endorsement in one or more areas shall be
256256 9 affixed to a Professional Educator License for any
257257 10 individual that meets those requirements established
258258 11 by the State Board of Education in rules. Special
259259 12 education endorsement areas shall include without
260260 13 limitation the following:
261261 14 (i) Learning Behavior Specialist I;
262262 15 (ii) Learning Behavior Specialist II;
263263 16 (iii) Speech Language Pathologist;
264264 17 (iv) Blind or Visually Impaired;
265265 18 (v) Deaf-Hard of Hearing;
266266 19 (vi) Early Childhood Special Education; and
267267 20 (vii) Director of Special Education.
268268 21 Notwithstanding anything in this Code to the contrary,
269269 22 the State Board of Education, in consultation with the
270270 23 State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, may
271271 24 add additional areas of special education by rule.
272272 25 (G) School support personnel endorsement. School
273273 26 support personnel endorsement areas shall include, but
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