SB0028 EngrossedLRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 AN ACT concerning education. 2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 3 represented in the General Assembly: 4 Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Sections 5 24-16.5, 24A-2.5, 24A-4, 24A-5, 24A-7, 24A-15, 24A-20, 34-8, 6 and 34-85c as follows: 7 (105 ILCS 5/24-16.5) 8 Sec. 24-16.5. Optional alternative evaluative dismissal 9 process for PERA evaluations. 10 (a) As used in this Section: 11 "Applicable hearing requirements" means (i) for any school 12 district having less than 500,000 inhabitants or a program of 13 a special education joint agreement, those procedures and 14 requirements relating to a teacher's request for a hearing, 15 selection of a hearing officer, pre-hearing and hearing 16 procedures, and post-hearing briefs set forth in paragraphs 17 (1) through (6) of subsection (d) of Section 24-12 of this Code 18 or (ii) for a school district having 500,000 inhabitants or 19 more, those procedures and requirements relating to a 20 teacher's request for a hearing, selection of a hearing 21 officer, pre-hearing and hearing procedures, and post-hearing 22 briefs set forth in paragraphs (1) through (5) of subsection 23 (a) of Section 34-85 of this Code. SB0028 Engrossed LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 2 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 2 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 2 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 "Board" means, for a school district having less than 2 500,000 inhabitants or a program of a special education joint 3 agreement, the board of directors, board of education, or 4 board of school inspectors, as the case may be. For a school 5 district having 500,000 inhabitants or more, "board" means the 6 Chicago Board of Education. 7 "Evaluator" means an evaluator, as defined in Section 8 24A-2.5 of this Code, who has successfully completed the 9 pre-qualification program described in subsection (b) of 10 Section 24A-3 of this Code. 11 "PERA-trained board member" means a member of a board that 12 has completed a training program on PERA evaluations either 13 administered or approved by the State Board of Education. 14 "PERA evaluation" means a performance evaluation of a 15 teacher after the implementation date of an evaluation system 16 for teachers, as specified by Section 24A-2.5 of this Code, 17 using a performance evaluation instrument and process that 18 meets the minimum requirements for teacher evaluation 19 instruments and processes set forth in rules adopted by the 20 State Board of Education to implement Public Act 96-861. 21 "Remediation" means the remediation plan, mid-point and 22 final evaluations, and related processes and requirements set 23 forth in subdivisions (i), (j), and (k) of Section 24A-5 of 24 this Code. 25 "School district" means a school district or a program of 26 a special education joint agreement. SB0028 Engrossed - 2 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 3 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 3 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 3 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 "Second evaluator" means an evaluator who either conducts 2 the mid-point and final remediation evaluation or conducts an 3 independent assessment of whether the teacher completed the 4 remediation plan with a rating equal to or better than a 5 "Proficient" rating, all in accordance with subdivision (c) of 6 this Section. 7 "Student growth components" means the components of a 8 performance evaluation plan described in subdivision (c) of 9 Section 24A-5 of this Code, as may be supplemented by 10 administrative rules adopted by the State Board of Education. 11 "Teacher practice components" means the components of a 12 performance evaluation plan described in subdivisions (a) and 13 (b) of Section 24A-5 of this Code, as may be supplemented by 14 administrative rules adopted by the State Board of Education. 15 "Teacher representatives" means the exclusive bargaining 16 representative of a school district's teachers or, if no 17 exclusive bargaining representatives exists, a representative 18 committee selected by teachers. 19 (b) This Section applies to all school districts, 20 including those having 500,000 or more inhabitants. The 21 optional dismissal process set forth in this Section is an 22 alternative to those set forth in Sections 24-12 and 34-85 of 23 this Code. Nothing in this Section is intended to change the 24 existing practices or precedents under Section 24-12 or 34-85 25 of this Code, nor shall this Section be interpreted as 26 implying standards and procedures that should or must be used SB0028 Engrossed - 3 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 4 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 4 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 4 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 as part of a remediation that precedes a dismissal sought 2 under Section 24-12 or 34-85 of this Code. 3 A board may dismiss a teacher who has entered upon 4 contractual continued service under this Section if the 5 following are met: 6 (1) the cause of dismissal is that the teacher has 7 failed to complete a remediation plan with a rating equal 8 to or better than a "Proficient" rating; 9 (2) the "Unsatisfactory" performance evaluation rating 10 that preceded remediation resulted from a PERA evaluation; 11 and 12 (3) the school district has complied with subsection 13 (c) of this Section. 14 A school district may not, through agreement with a 15 teacher or its teacher representatives, waive its right to 16 dismiss a teacher under this Section. 17 (c) Each school district electing to use the dismissal 18 process set forth in this Section must comply with the 19 pre-remediation and remediation activities and requirements 20 set forth in this subsection (c). 21 (1) Before a school district's first remediation 22 relating to a dismissal under this Section, the school 23 district must create and establish a list of at least 2 24 evaluators who will be available to serve as second 25 evaluators under this Section. The school district shall 26 provide its teacher representatives with an opportunity to SB0028 Engrossed - 4 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 5 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 5 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 5 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 submit additional names of teacher evaluators who will be 2 available to serve as second evaluators and who will be 3 added to the list created and established by the school 4 district, provided that, unless otherwise agreed to by the 5 school district, the teacher representatives may not 6 submit more teacher evaluators for inclusion on the list 7 than the number of evaluators submitted by the school 8 district. Each teacher evaluator must either have (i) 9 National Board of Professional Teaching Standards 10 certification, with no "Unsatisfactory" or "Needs 11 Improvement" performance evaluating ratings in his or her 12 2 most recent performance evaluation ratings; or (ii) 13 "Excellent" performance evaluation ratings in 2 of his or 14 her 3 most recent performance evaluations, with no "Needs 15 Improvement" or "Unsatisfactory" performance evaluation 16 ratings in his or her last 3 ratings. If the teacher 17 representatives do not submit a list of teacher evaluators 18 within 21 days after the school district's request, the 19 school district may proceed with a remediation using a 20 list that includes only the school district's selections. 21 Either the school district or the teacher representatives 22 may revise or add to their selections for the list at any 23 time with notice to the other party, subject to the 24 limitations set forth in this paragraph (1). 25 (2) Before a school district's first remediation 26 relating to a dismissal under this Section, the school SB0028 Engrossed - 5 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 6 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 6 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 6 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 district shall, in good faith cooperation with its teacher 2 representatives, establish a process for the selection of 3 a second evaluator from the list created pursuant to 4 paragraph (1) of this subsection (c). Such process may be 5 amended at any time in good faith cooperation with the 6 teacher representatives. If the teacher representatives 7 are given an opportunity to cooperate with the school 8 district and elect not to do so, the school district may, 9 at its discretion, establish or amend the process for 10 selection. Before the hearing officer and as part of any 11 judicial review of a dismissal under this Section, a 12 teacher may not challenge a remediation or dismissal on 13 the grounds that the process used by the school district 14 to select a second evaluator was not established in good 15 faith cooperation with its teacher representatives. 16 (3) For each remediation preceding a dismissal under 17 this Section, the school district shall select a second 18 evaluator from the list of second evaluators created 19 pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection (c), using 20 the selection process established pursuant to paragraph 21 (2) of this subsection (c). The selected second evaluator 22 may not be the same individual who determined the 23 teacher's "Unsatisfactory" performance evaluation rating 24 preceding remediation, and, if the second evaluator is an 25 administrator, may not be a direct report to the 26 individual who determined the teacher's "Unsatisfactory" SB0028 Engrossed - 6 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 7 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 7 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 7 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 performance evaluation rating preceding remediation. The 2 school district's authority to select a second evaluator 3 from the list of second evaluators must not be delegated 4 or limited through any agreement with the teacher 5 representatives, provided that nothing shall prohibit a 6 school district and its teacher representatives from 7 agreeing to a formal peer evaluation process as permitted 8 under Article 24A of this Code that could be used to meet 9 the requirements for the selection of second evaluators 10 under this subsection (c). 11 (4) The second evaluator selected pursuant to 12 paragraph (3) of this subsection (c) must either (i) 13 conduct the mid-point and final evaluation during 14 remediation or (ii) conduct an independent assessment of 15 whether the teacher completed the remediation plan with a 16 rating equal to or better than a "Proficient" rating, 17 which independent assessment shall include, but is not 18 limited to, personal or video-recorded observations of the 19 teacher that relate to the teacher practice components of 20 the remediation plan. Nothing in this subsection (c) shall 21 be construed to limit or preclude the participation of the 22 evaluator who rated a teacher as "Unsatisfactory" in 23 remediation. 24 (d) To institute a dismissal proceeding under this 25 Section, the board must first provide written notice to the 26 teacher within 30 days after the completion of the final SB0028 Engrossed - 7 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 8 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 8 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 8 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 remediation evaluation. The notice shall comply with the 2 applicable hearing requirements and, in addition, must specify 3 that dismissal is sought under this Section and include a copy 4 of each performance evaluation relating to the scope of the 5 hearing as described in this subsection (d). 6 The applicable hearing requirements shall apply to the 7 teacher's request for a hearing, the selection and 8 qualifications of the hearing officer, and pre-hearing and 9 hearing procedures, except that all of the following must be 10 met: 11 (1) The hearing officer must, in addition to meeting 12 the qualifications set forth in the applicable hearing 13 requirements, have successfully completed the 14 pre-qualification program described in subsection (b) of 15 Section 24A-3 of this Code, unless the State Board of 16 Education waives this requirement to provide an adequate 17 pool of hearing officers for consideration. 18 (2) The scope of the hearing must be limited as 19 follows: 20 (A) The school district must demonstrate the 21 following: 22 (i) that the "Unsatisfactory" performance 23 evaluation rating that preceded remediation 24 applied the teacher practice components and 25 student growth components, if any, and determined 26 an overall evaluation rating of "Unsatisfactory" SB0028 Engrossed - 8 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 9 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 9 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 9 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 in accordance with the standards and requirements 2 of the school district's evaluation plan; 3 (ii) that the remediation plan complied with 4 the requirements of Section 24A-5 of this Code; 5 (iii) that the teacher failed to complete the 6 remediation plan with a performance evaluation 7 rating equal to or better than a "Proficient" 8 rating, based upon a final remediation evaluation 9 meeting the applicable standards and requirements 10 of the school district's evaluation plan; and 11 (iv) that if the second evaluator selected 12 pursuant to paragraph (3) of subsection (c) of 13 this Section does not conduct the mid-point and 14 final evaluation and makes an independent 15 assessment that the teacher completed the 16 remediation plan with a rating equal to or better 17 than a "Proficient" rating, the school district 18 must demonstrate that the final remediation 19 evaluation is a more valid assessment of the 20 teacher's performance than the assessment made by 21 the second evaluator. 22 (B) The teacher may only challenge the substantive 23 and procedural aspects of (i) the "Unsatisfactory" 24 performance evaluation rating that led to the 25 remediation, (ii) the remediation plan, and (iii) the 26 final remediation evaluation. To the extent the SB0028 Engrossed - 9 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 10 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 10 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 10 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 teacher challenges procedural aspects, including any 2 in applicable collective bargaining agreement 3 provisions, of a relevant performance evaluation 4 rating or the remediation plan, the teacher must 5 demonstrate how an alleged procedural defect 6 materially affected the teacher's ability to 7 demonstrate a level of performance necessary to avoid 8 remediation or dismissal or successfully complete the 9 remediation plan. Without any such material effect, a 10 procedural defect shall not impact the assessment by 11 the hearing officer, board, or reviewing court of the 12 validity of a performance evaluation or a remediation 13 plan. 14 (C) The hearing officer shall only consider and 15 give weight to performance evaluations relevant to the 16 scope of the hearing as described in clauses (A) and 17 (B) of this subdivision (2). 18 (3) Each party shall be given only 2 days to present 19 evidence and testimony relating to the scope of the 20 hearing, unless a longer period is mutually agreed to by 21 the parties or deemed necessary by the hearing officer to 22 enable a party to present adequate evidence and testimony 23 to address the scope of the hearing, including due to the 24 other party's cross-examination of the party's witnesses. 25 (e) The provisions of Sections 24-12 and 34-85 pertaining 26 to the decision or recommendation of the hearing officer do SB0028 Engrossed - 10 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 11 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 11 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 11 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 not apply to dismissal proceedings under this Section. For any 2 dismissal proceedings under this Section, the hearing officer 3 shall not issue a decision, and shall issue only findings of 4 fact and a recommendation, including the reasons therefor, to 5 the board to either retain or dismiss the teacher and shall 6 give a copy of the report to both the teacher and the 7 superintendent of the school district. The hearing officer's 8 findings of fact and recommendation must be issued within 30 9 days from the close of the record of the hearing. 10 The State Board of Education shall adopt rules regarding 11 the length of the hearing officer's findings of fact and 12 recommendation. If a hearing officer fails without good cause, 13 specifically provided in writing to both parties and the State 14 Board of Education, to render a recommendation within 30 days 15 after the hearing is concluded or the record is closed, 16 whichever is later, the parties may mutually agree to select a 17 hearing officer pursuant to the alternative procedure, as 18 provided in Section 24-12 or 34-85, to rehear the charges 19 heard by the hearing officer who failed to render a 20 recommendation or to review the record and render a 21 recommendation. If any hearing officer fails without good 22 cause, specifically provided in writing to both parties and 23 the State Board of Education, to render a recommendation 24 within 30 days after the hearing is concluded or the record is 25 closed, whichever is later, the hearing officer shall be 26 removed from the master list of hearing officers maintained by SB0028 Engrossed - 11 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 12 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 12 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 12 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 the State Board of Education for not more than 24 months. The 2 parties and the State Board of Education may also take such 3 other actions as it deems appropriate, including recovering, 4 reducing, or withholding any fees paid or to be paid to the 5 hearing officer. If any hearing officer repeats such failure, 6 he or she shall be permanently removed from the master list of 7 hearing officers maintained by the State Board of Education. 8 (f) The board, within 45 days after receipt of the hearing 9 officer's findings of fact and recommendation, shall decide, 10 through adoption of a written order, whether the teacher must 11 be dismissed from its employ or retained, provided that only 12 PERA-trained board members may participate in the vote with 13 respect to the decision. 14 If the board dismisses the teacher notwithstanding the 15 hearing officer's recommendation of retention, the board shall 16 make a conclusion, giving its reasons therefor, and such 17 conclusion and reasons must be included in its written order. 18 The failure of the board to strictly adhere to the timelines 19 contained in this Section does not render it without 20 jurisdiction to dismiss the teacher. The board shall not lose 21 jurisdiction to discharge the teacher if the hearing officer 22 fails to render a recommendation within the time specified in 23 this Section. The decision of the board is final, unless 24 reviewed as provided in subsection (g) of this Section. 25 If the board retains the teacher, the board shall enter a 26 written order stating the amount of back pay and lost SB0028 Engrossed - 12 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 13 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 13 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 13 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 benefits, less mitigation, to be paid to the teacher, within 2 45 days of its retention order. 3 (g) A teacher dismissed under this Section may apply for 4 and obtain judicial review of a decision of the board in 5 accordance with the provisions of the Administrative Review 6 Law, except as follows: 7 (1) for a teacher dismissed by a school district 8 having 500,000 inhabitants or more, such judicial review 9 must be taken directly to the appellate court of the 10 judicial district in which the board maintains its primary 11 administrative office, and any direct appeal to the 12 appellate court must be filed within 35 days from the date 13 that a copy of the decision sought to be reviewed was 14 served upon the teacher; 15 (2) for a teacher dismissed by a school district 16 having less than 500,000 inhabitants after the hearing 17 officer recommended dismissal, such judicial review must 18 be taken directly to the appellate court of the judicial 19 district in which the board maintains its primary 20 administrative office, and any direct appeal to the 21 appellate court must be filed within 35 days from the date 22 that a copy of the decision sought to be reviewed was 23 served upon the teacher; and 24 (3) for all school districts, if the hearing officer 25 recommended dismissal, the decision of the board may be 26 reversed only if it is found to be arbitrary, capricious, SB0028 Engrossed - 13 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 14 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 14 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 14 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 an abuse of discretion, or not in accordance with law. 2 In the event judicial review is instituted by a teacher, 3 any costs of preparing and filing the record of proceedings 4 must be paid by the teacher. If a decision of the board is 5 adjudicated upon judicial review in favor of the teacher, then 6 the court shall remand the matter to the board with direction 7 for entry of an order setting the amount of back pay, lost 8 benefits, and costs, less mitigation. The teacher may 9 challenge the board's order setting the amount of back pay, 10 lost benefits, and costs, less mitigation, through an 11 expedited arbitration procedure with the costs of the 12 arbitrator borne by the board. 13 (Source: P.A. 97-8, eff. 6-13-11; 98-513, eff. 1-1-14.) 14 (105 ILCS 5/24A-2.5) 15 Sec. 24A-2.5. Definitions. In this Article: 16 "Evaluator" means: 17 (1) an administrator qualified under Section 24A-3; or 18 (2) other individuals qualified under Section 24A-3, 19 provided that, if such other individuals are in the 20 bargaining unit of a district's teachers, the district and 21 the exclusive bargaining representative of that unit must 22 agree to those individuals evaluating other bargaining 23 unit members. 24 Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in item (2) of 25 this definition, a school district operating under Article 34 SB0028 Engrossed - 14 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 15 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 15 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 15 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 of this Code may require department chairs qualified under 2 Section 24A-3 to evaluate teachers in their department or 3 departments, provided that the school district shall bargain 4 with the bargaining representative of its teachers over the 5 impact and effects on department chairs of such a requirement. 6 "Implementation date" means, unless otherwise specified 7 and provided that the requirements set forth in subsection (d) 8 of Section 24A-20 have been met: 9 (1) For school districts having 500,000 or more 10 inhabitants, in at least 300 schools by September 1, 2012 11 and in the remaining schools by September 1, 2013. 12 (2) For school districts having less than 500,000 13 inhabitants and receiving a Race to the Top Grant or 14 School Improvement Grant after the effective date of this 15 amendatory Act of the 96th General Assembly, the date 16 specified in those grants for implementing an evaluation 17 system for teachers and principals incorporating student 18 growth as a significant factor. 19 (3) For the lowest performing 20% percent of remaining 20 school districts having less than 500,000 inhabitants 21 (with the measure of and school year or years used for 22 school district performance to be determined by the State 23 Superintendent of Education at a time determined by the 24 State Superintendent), September 1, 2015. 25 (4) For all other school districts having less than 26 500,000 inhabitants, September 1, 2016. SB0028 Engrossed - 15 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 16 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 16 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 16 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 Notwithstanding items (3) and (4) of this definition, a 2 school district and the exclusive bargaining representative of 3 its teachers may jointly agree in writing to an earlier 4 implementation date, provided that such date must not be 5 earlier than September 1, 2013. The written agreement of the 6 district and the exclusive bargaining representative must be 7 transmitted to the State Board of Education. 8 "Race to the Top Grant" means a grant made by the Secretary 9 of the U.S. Department of Education for the program first 10 funded pursuant to paragraph (2) of Section 14006(a) of the 11 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. 12 "School Improvement Grant" means a grant made by the 13 Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education pursuant to 14 Section 1003(g) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. 15 (Source: P.A. 96-861, eff. 1-15-10; 97-8, eff. 6-13-11; 16 revised 7-17-24.) 17 (105 ILCS 5/24A-4) (from Ch. 122, par. 24A-4) 18 Sec. 24A-4. Development of evaluation plan. 19 (a) As used in this and the succeeding Sections, "teacher" 20 means any and all school district employees regularly required 21 to be certified under laws relating to the certification of 22 teachers. Each school district shall develop, in cooperation 23 with its teachers or, where applicable, the exclusive 24 bargaining representatives of its teachers, an evaluation plan 25 for all teachers. SB0028 Engrossed - 16 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 17 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 17 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 17 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 (b) Until July 1, 2025 By no later than the applicable 2 implementation date, each school district shall, in good faith 3 cooperation with its teachers or, where applicable, the 4 exclusive bargaining representatives of its teachers, 5 incorporate the use of data and indicators on student growth 6 as a significant factor in rating teaching performance, into 7 its evaluation plan for all teachers, both those teachers in 8 contractual continued service and those teachers not in 9 contractual continued service. The plan shall at least meet 10 the standards and requirements for student growth and teacher 11 evaluation established under Section 24A-7, and specifically 12 describe how student growth data and indicators will be used 13 as part of the evaluation process, how this information will 14 relate to evaluation standards, the assessments or other 15 indicators of student performance that will be used in 16 measuring student growth and the weight that each will have, 17 the methodology that will be used to measure student growth, 18 and the criteria other than student growth that will be used in 19 evaluating the teacher and the weight that each will have. 20 (b-5) Beginning July 1, 2025, each school district may, in 21 good faith cooperation with its teachers or, where applicable, 22 with the exclusive bargaining representatives of its teachers, 23 incorporate the use of data and indicators on student growth 24 as a factor in rating teaching performance, into its 25 evaluation plan for all teachers in contractual continued 26 service and teachers not in contractual continued service. The SB0028 Engrossed - 17 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 18 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 18 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 18 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 plan shall at least meet the standards and requirements for 2 teacher evaluations established under Section 24A-7. 3 To incorporate the use of data and indicators of student 4 growth as a significant factor in rating teacher performance 5 into the evaluation plan, the district shall use a joint 6 committee composed of equal representation selected by the 7 district and its teachers or, where applicable, the exclusive 8 bargaining representative of its teachers. If, within 180 9 calendar days of the committee's first meeting, the committee 10 does not reach agreement on the plan, then the district shall 11 implement the model evaluation plan established under Section 12 24A-7 with respect to the use of data and indicators on student 13 growth as a significant factor in rating teacher performance. 14 Nothing in this subsection (b) shall make decisions on the 15 use of data and indicators on student growth as a significant 16 factor in rating teaching performance mandatory subjects of 17 bargaining under the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act 18 that are not currently mandatory subjects of bargaining under 19 the Act. 20 The provisions of the Open Meetings Act shall not apply to 21 meetings of a joint committee formed under this subsection 22 (b). 23 (c) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in subsection 24 (b) of this Section, if the joint committee referred to in that 25 subsection does not reach agreement on the plan within 90 26 calendar days after the committee's first meeting, a school SB0028 Engrossed - 18 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 19 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 19 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 19 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 district having 500,000 or more inhabitants shall not be 2 required to implement any aspect of the model evaluation plan 3 and may implement its last best proposal. 4 (d) The Beginning the first school year following the 5 effective date of this amendatory Act of the 100th General 6 Assembly, the joint committee referred to in subsections 7 subsection (b) and (c) of this Section shall meet no less than 8 one time annually to assess and review the effectiveness of 9 the district's evaluation plan for the purposes of continuous 10 improvement of instruction and evaluation practices. 11 (Source: P.A. 100-768, eff. 1-1-19.) 12 (105 ILCS 5/24A-5) (from Ch. 122, par. 24A-5) 13 Sec. 24A-5. Content of evaluation plans. This Section does 14 not apply to teachers assigned to schools identified in an 15 agreement entered into between the board of a school district 16 operating under Article 34 of this Code and the exclusive 17 representative of the district's teachers in accordance with 18 Section 34-85c of this Code. 19 Each school district to which this Article applies shall 20 establish a teacher evaluation plan which ensures that each 21 teacher in contractual continued service is evaluated at least 22 once in the course of every 2 or 3 school years as provided in 23 this Section. 24 Each school district shall establish a teacher evaluation 25 plan that ensures that: SB0028 Engrossed - 19 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 20 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 20 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 20 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 (1) each teacher not in contractual continued service 2 is evaluated at least once every school year; and 3 (2) except as otherwise provided in this Section, each 4 teacher in contractual continued service is evaluated at 5 least once in the course of every 2 school years. However, 6 any teacher in contractual continued service whose 7 performance is rated as either "needs improvement" or 8 "unsatisfactory" must be evaluated at least once in the 9 school year following the receipt of such rating. 10 No later than September 1, 2022, each school district must 11 establish a teacher evaluation plan that ensures that each 12 teacher in contractual continued service whose performance is 13 rated as either "excellent" or "proficient" is evaluated at 14 least once in the course of the 3 school years after receipt of 15 the rating and implement an informal teacher observation plan 16 established by agency rule and by agreement of the joint 17 committee established under subsection (b) of Section 24A-4 of 18 this Code that ensures that each teacher in contractual 19 continued service whose performance is rated as either 20 "excellent" or "proficient" is informally observed at least 21 once in the course of the 2 school years after receipt of the 22 rating. 23 For the 2022-2023 school year only, if the Governor has 24 declared a disaster due to a public health emergency pursuant 25 to Section 7 of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act, 26 a school district may waive the evaluation requirement of all SB0028 Engrossed - 20 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 21 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 21 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 21 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 teachers in contractual continued service whose performances 2 were rated as either "excellent" or "proficient" during the 3 last school year in which the teachers were evaluated under 4 this Section. 5 Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 6 or any other Section of this Code, a principal shall not be 7 prohibited from evaluating any teachers within a school during 8 his or her first year as principal of such school. If a 9 first-year principal exercises this option in a school 10 district where the evaluation plan provides for a teacher in 11 contractual continued service to be evaluated once in the 12 course of every 2 or 3 school years, as applicable, then a new 13 2-year or 3-year evaluation plan must be established. 14 The evaluation plan shall comply with the requirements of 15 this Section and of any rules adopted by the State Board of 16 Education pursuant to this Section. 17 The plan shall include a description of each teacher's 18 duties and responsibilities and of the standards to which that 19 teacher is expected to conform, and shall include at least the 20 following components: 21 (a) personal observation of the teacher in the 22 classroom by the evaluator, unless the teacher has no 23 classroom duties. 24 (b) consideration of the teacher's attendance, 25 planning, instructional methods, classroom management, 26 where relevant, and competency in the subject matter SB0028 Engrossed - 21 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 22 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 22 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 22 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 taught. 2 (c) (blank). by no later than the applicable 3 implementation date, consideration of student growth as a 4 significant factor in the rating of the teacher's 5 performance. 6 (d) (blank). prior to September 1, 2012, rating of the 7 performance of teachers in contractual continued service 8 as either: 9 (i) "excellent", "satisfactory" or 10 "unsatisfactory"; or 11 (ii) "excellent", "proficient", "needs 12 improvement" or "unsatisfactory". 13 (e) on and after September 1, 2012, rating of the 14 performance of all teachers as "excellent", "proficient", 15 "needs improvement" or "unsatisfactory". 16 (f) specification as to the teacher's strengths and 17 weaknesses, with supporting reasons for the comments made. 18 (g) inclusion of a copy of the evaluation in the 19 teacher's personnel file and provision of a copy to the 20 teacher. 21 (h) within 30 school days after the completion of an 22 evaluation rating a teacher in contractual continued 23 service as "needs improvement", development by the 24 evaluator, in consultation with the teacher, and taking 25 into account the teacher's ongoing on-going professional 26 responsibilities including his or her regular teaching SB0028 Engrossed - 22 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 23 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 23 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 23 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 assignments, of a professional development plan directed 2 to the areas that need improvement and any supports that 3 the district will provide to address the areas identified 4 as needing improvement. 5 (i) within 30 school days after completion of an 6 evaluation rating a teacher in contractual continued 7 service as "unsatisfactory", development and commencement 8 by the district of a remediation plan designed to correct 9 deficiencies cited, provided the deficiencies are deemed 10 remediable. In all school districts the remediation plan 11 for unsatisfactory, tenured teachers shall provide for 90 12 school days of remediation within the classroom, unless an 13 applicable collective bargaining agreement provides for a 14 shorter duration. In all school districts evaluations 15 issued pursuant to this Section shall be issued within 10 16 days after the conclusion of the respective remediation 17 plan. However, the school board or other governing 18 authority of the district shall not lose jurisdiction to 19 discharge a teacher in the event the evaluation is not 20 issued within 10 days after the conclusion of the 21 respective remediation plan. 22 (j) participation in the remediation plan by the 23 teacher in contractual continued service rated 24 "unsatisfactory", an evaluator and a consulting teacher 25 selected by the evaluator of the teacher who was rated 26 "unsatisfactory", which consulting teacher is an SB0028 Engrossed - 23 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 24 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 24 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 24 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 educational employee as defined in the Illinois 2 Educational Labor Relations Act, has at least 5 years' 3 teaching experience, and a reasonable familiarity with the 4 assignment of the teacher being evaluated, and who 5 received an "excellent" rating on his or her most recent 6 evaluation. Where no teachers who meet these criteria are 7 available within the district, the district shall request 8 and the applicable regional office of education shall 9 supply, to participate in the remediation process, an 10 individual who meets these criteria. 11 In a district having a population of less than 500,000 12 with an exclusive bargaining agent, the bargaining agent 13 may, if it so chooses, supply a roster of qualified 14 teachers from whom the consulting teacher is to be 15 selected. That roster shall, however, contain the names of 16 at least 5 teachers, each of whom meets the criteria for 17 consulting teacher with regard to the teacher being 18 evaluated, or the names of all teachers so qualified if 19 that number is less than 5. In the event of a dispute as to 20 qualification, the State Board shall determine 21 qualification. 22 (k) a mid-point and final evaluation by an evaluator 23 during and at the end of the remediation period, 24 immediately following receipt of a remediation plan 25 provided for under subsections (i) and (j) of this 26 Section. Each evaluation shall assess the teacher's SB0028 Engrossed - 24 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 25 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 25 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 25 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 performance during the time period since the prior 2 evaluation; provided that the last evaluation shall also 3 include an overall evaluation of the teacher's performance 4 during the remediation period. A written copy of the 5 evaluations and ratings, in which any deficiencies in 6 performance and recommendations for correction are 7 identified, shall be provided to and discussed with the 8 teacher within 10 school days after the date of the 9 evaluation, unless an applicable collective bargaining 10 agreement provides to the contrary. These subsequent 11 evaluations shall be conducted by an evaluator. The 12 consulting teacher shall provide advice to the teacher 13 rated "unsatisfactory" on how to improve teaching skills 14 and to successfully complete the remediation plan. The 15 consulting teacher shall participate in developing the 16 remediation plan, but the final decision as to the 17 evaluation shall be done solely by the evaluator, unless 18 an applicable collective bargaining agreement provides to 19 the contrary. Evaluations at the conclusion of the 20 remediation process shall be separate and distinct from 21 the required annual evaluations of teachers and shall not 22 be subject to the guidelines and procedures relating to 23 those annual evaluations. The evaluator may but is not 24 required to use the forms provided for the annual 25 evaluation of teachers in the district's evaluation plan. 26 (l) reinstatement to the evaluation schedule set forth SB0028 Engrossed - 25 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 26 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 26 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 26 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 in the district's evaluation plan for any teacher in 2 contractual continued service who achieves a rating equal 3 to or better than "satisfactory" or "proficient" in the 4 school year following a rating of "needs improvement" or 5 "unsatisfactory". 6 (m) dismissal in accordance with subsection (d) of 7 Section 24-12 or Section 24-16.5 or 34-85 of this Code of 8 any teacher who fails to complete any applicable 9 remediation plan with a rating equal to or better than a 10 "satisfactory" or "proficient" rating. Districts and 11 teachers subject to dismissal hearings are precluded from 12 compelling the testimony of consulting teachers at such 13 hearings under subsection (d) of Section 24-12 or Section 14 24-16.5 or 34-85 of this Code, either as to the rating 15 process or for opinions of performances by teachers under 16 remediation. 17 (n) If After the implementation date of an evaluation 18 system for teachers in a district as specified in Section 19 24A-2.5 of this Code, if a teacher in contractual 20 continued service successfully completes a remediation 21 plan following a rating of "unsatisfactory" in an overall 22 performance evaluation received after the foregoing 23 implementation date and receives a subsequent rating of 24 "unsatisfactory" in any of the teacher's overall 25 performance evaluation ratings received during the 26 36-month period following the teacher's completion of the SB0028 Engrossed - 26 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 27 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 27 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 27 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 remediation plan, then the school district may forgo 2 remediation and seek dismissal in accordance with 3 subsection (d) of Section 24-12 or Section 34-85 of this 4 Code. 5 (o) Teachers who are due to be evaluated in the last 6 year before they are set to retire shall be offered the 7 opportunity to waive their evaluation and to retain their 8 most recent rating, unless the teacher was last rated as 9 "needs improvement" or "unsatisfactory". The school 10 district may still reserve the right to evaluate a teacher 11 provided the district gives notice to the teacher at least 12 14 days before the evaluation and a reason for evaluating 13 the teacher. 14 Nothing in this Section or Section 24A-4 shall be 15 construed as preventing immediate dismissal of a teacher for 16 deficiencies which are deemed irremediable or for actions 17 which are injurious to or endanger the health or person of 18 students in the classroom or school, or preventing the 19 dismissal or non-renewal of teachers not in contractual 20 continued service for any reason not prohibited by applicable 21 employment, labor, and civil rights laws. Failure to strictly 22 comply with the time requirements contained in Section 24A-5 23 shall not invalidate the results of the remediation plan. 24 Nothing contained in Public Act 98-648 repeals, 25 supersedes, invalidates, or nullifies final decisions in 26 lawsuits pending on July 1, 2014 (the effective date of Public SB0028 Engrossed - 27 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 28 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 28 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 28 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 Act 98-648) in Illinois courts involving the interpretation of 2 Public Act 97-8. 3 If the Governor has declared a disaster due to a public 4 health emergency pursuant to Section 7 of the Illinois 5 Emergency Management Agency Act that suspends in-person 6 instruction, the timelines in this Section connected to the 7 commencement and completion of any remediation plan are 8 waived. Except if the parties mutually agree otherwise and the 9 agreement is in writing, any remediation plan that had been in 10 place for more than 45 days prior to the suspension of 11 in-person instruction shall resume when in-person instruction 12 resumes and any remediation plan that had been in place for 13 fewer than 45 days prior to the suspension of in-person 14 instruction shall be discontinued and a new remediation period 15 shall begin when in-person instruction resumes. The 16 requirements of this paragraph apply regardless of whether 17 they are included in a school district's teacher evaluation 18 plan. 19 (Source: P.A. 102-252, eff. 1-1-22; 102-729, eff. 5-6-22; 20 103-85, eff. 6-9-23; 103-605, eff. 7-1-24; revised 8-8-24.) 21 (105 ILCS 5/24A-7) (from Ch. 122, par. 24A-7) 22 Sec. 24A-7. Rules. 23 (a) The State Board of Education is authorized to adopt 24 such rules as are deemed necessary to implement and accomplish 25 the purposes and provisions of this Article, including, but SB0028 Engrossed - 28 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 29 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 29 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 29 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 not limited to, rules: 2 (1) relating to the methods for measuring student 3 growth (including, but not limited to, limitations on the 4 age of usable data; the amount of data needed to reliably 5 and validly measure growth for the purpose of teacher and 6 principal evaluations; and whether and at what time annual 7 State assessments may be used as one of multiple measures 8 of student growth); 9 (2) (blank); defining the term "significant factor" 10 for purposes of including consideration of student growth 11 in performance ratings; 12 (3) controlling for such factors as student 13 characteristics (including, but not limited to, students 14 receiving special education and English Learner services), 15 student attendance, and student mobility so as to best 16 measure the impact that a teacher, principal, school and 17 school district has on students' academic achievement; 18 (4) establishing minimum requirements for district 19 teacher and principal evaluation instruments and 20 procedures; and 21 (5) (blank). establishing a model evaluation plan for 22 use by school districts in which student growth shall 23 comprise 50% of the performance rating. 24 A Notwithstanding any other provision in this Section, 25 such rules shall not preclude a school district may use having 26 500,000 or more inhabitants from using an annual State SB0028 Engrossed - 29 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 30 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 30 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 30 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 assessment as a the sole measure of student growth for 2 purposes of teacher or principal evaluations. 3 (b) (Blank). The State Superintendent of Education shall 4 convene a Performance Evaluation Advisory Council, which shall 5 be staffed by the State Board of Education. Members of the 6 Council shall be selected by the State Superintendent and 7 include, without limitation, representatives of teacher unions 8 and school district management, persons with expertise in 9 performance evaluation processes and systems, as well as other 10 stakeholders. The Council shall meet at least quarterly and 11 may also meet at the call of the chairperson of the Council, 12 following August 18, 2017 (the effective date of Public Act 13 100-211) until December 31, 2024. The Council shall advise the 14 State Board of Education on the ongoing implementation of 15 performance evaluations in this State, which may include 16 gathering public feedback, sharing best practices, consulting 17 with the State Board on any proposed rule changes regarding 18 evaluations, and other subjects as determined by the 19 chairperson of the Council. 20 (c) On July 1, 2024, the State Superintendent of Education 21 shall convene a Performance Evaluation Advisory Committee for 22 the purpose of maintaining and improving the evaluator 23 training and pre-qualification program in this State under 24 Section 24A-3. The Committee shall be staffed by the State 25 Board of Education. Members of the Committee shall include, 26 without limitation, representatives from providers of the SB0028 Engrossed - 30 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 31 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 31 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 31 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 evaluator retraining and pre-qualification program in this 2 State, which include teacher unions, school district 3 management, including a school district organized under 4 Article 34, and a statewide organization representing regional 5 offices of education. Members of the Committee shall be 6 nominated by the providers and appointed by the State 7 Superintendent. 8 The Committee shall meet initially at the call of the 9 State Superintendent and shall select one member as 10 chairperson at its initial meeting. The Committee shall meet 11 at least quarterly and may also meet at the call of the 12 chairperson of the Committee. 13 The Committee shall advise the State Board of Education on 14 the continued implementation of the evaluator training and 15 pre-qualification program in this State, which may include the 16 development and delivery of the program's existing and new 17 administrators' academies, gathering feedback from program 18 instructors and participants, sharing best practices, 19 consulting with the State Board on any proposed rule changes 20 regarding evaluator training, and other subjects as determined 21 by the chairperson of the Committee. 22 (d) Prior to the applicable implementation date, the rules 23 shall not apply to teachers assigned to schools identified in 24 an agreement entered into between the board of a school 25 district operating under Article 34 of this Code and the 26 exclusive representative of the district's teachers in SB0028 Engrossed - 31 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 32 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 32 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 32 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 accordance with Section 34-85c of this Code. 2 (Source: P.A. 102-252, eff. 1-1-22; 102-558, eff. 8-20-21; 3 103-617, eff. 7-1-24.) 4 (105 ILCS 5/24A-15) 5 Sec. 24A-15. Development of evaluation plan for principals 6 and assistant principals. 7 (a) Each school district, except for a school district 8 organized under Article 34 of this Code, shall establish a 9 principal and assistant principal evaluation plan in 10 accordance with this Section. The plan must ensure that each 11 principal and assistant principal is evaluated as follows: 12 (1) For a principal or assistant principal on a 13 single-year contract, the evaluation must take place by 14 March 1 of each year. 15 (2) For a principal or assistant principal on a 16 multi-year contract under Section 10-23.8a of this Code, 17 the evaluation must take place by March 1 of the final year 18 of the contract. 19 The On and after September 1, 2012, the plan must: 20 (i) rate the principal's or assistant principal's 21 performance as "excellent", "proficient", "needs 22 improvement" or "unsatisfactory"; and 23 (ii) ensure that each principal and assistant 24 principal is evaluated at least once every school year. 25 Nothing in this Section prohibits a school district from SB0028 Engrossed - 32 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 33 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 33 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 33 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 conducting additional evaluations of principals and assistant 2 principals. 3 For the 2022-2023 school year only, if the Governor has 4 declared a disaster due to a public health emergency pursuant 5 to Section 7 of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act, 6 a school district may waive the evaluation requirement of all 7 principals or assistant principals whose performances were 8 rated as either "excellent" or "proficient" during the last 9 school year in which the principals or assistant principals 10 were evaluated under this Section. 11 (b) The evaluation shall include a description of the 12 principal's or assistant principal's duties and 13 responsibilities and the standards to which the principal or 14 assistant principal is expected to conform. 15 (c) The evaluation for a principal must be performed by 16 the district superintendent, the superintendent's designee, 17 or, in the absence of the superintendent or his or her 18 designee, an individual appointed by the school board who 19 holds a registered and active Professional Educator License 20 with a principal endorsement or general administrative 21 endorsement Type 75 State administrative certificate. 22 The Prior to September 1, 2012, the evaluation must be in 23 writing and must at least do all of the following: 24 (1) Consider the principal's specific duties, 25 responsibilities, management, and competence as a 26 principal. SB0028 Engrossed - 33 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 34 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 34 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 34 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 (2) Specify the principal's strengths and weaknesses, 2 with supporting reasons. 3 (3) Align with the Illinois Professional Standards for 4 School Leaders or research-based standards established by 5 administrative rule. 6 Until July 1, 2025 On and after September 1, 2012, the 7 evaluation must, in addition to the requirements in items (1), 8 (2), and (3) of this subsection (c), provide for the use of 9 data and indicators on student growth as a significant factor 10 in rating performance. 11 Beginning July 1, 2025, the evaluation must include the 12 requirements in paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) of this 13 subsection (c). The evaluation may provide for the use of data 14 and indicators on student growth as a factor in rating 15 performance. 16 (c-5) The evaluation of an assistant principal must be 17 performed by the principal, the district superintendent, the 18 superintendent's designee, or, in the absence of the 19 superintendent or his or her designee, an individual appointed 20 by the school board who holds a registered and active 21 Professional Educator License with a principal endorsement or 22 general administrative endorsement Type 75 State 23 administrative certificate. The evaluation must be in writing 24 and must at least do all of the following: 25 (1) Consider the assistant principal's specific 26 duties, responsibilities, management, and competence as an SB0028 Engrossed - 34 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 35 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 35 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 35 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 assistant principal. 2 (2) Specify the assistant principal's strengths and 3 weaknesses with supporting reasons. 4 (3) Align with the Illinois Professional Standards for 5 School Leaders or research-based district standards 6 established by administrative rule. 7 Until July 1, 2025 On and after September 1, 2012, the 8 evaluation must, in addition to the requirements in items (1), 9 (2), and (3) of this subsection (c-5), provide for the use of 10 data and indicators on student growth as a significant factor 11 in rating performance. 12 Beginning July 1, 2025, the evaluation must include the 13 requirements in paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) of this 14 subsection (c-5). The evaluation may provide for the use of 15 data and indicators on student growth as a factor in rating 16 performance. 17 (d) One copy of the evaluation must be included in the 18 principal's or assistant principal's personnel file and one 19 copy of the evaluation must be provided to the principal or 20 assistant principal. 21 (e) Failure by a district to evaluate a principal or 22 assistant principal and to provide the principal or assistant 23 principal with a copy of the evaluation at least once during 24 the term of the principal's or assistant principal's contract, 25 in accordance with this Section, is evidence that the 26 principal or assistant principal is performing duties and SB0028 Engrossed - 35 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 36 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 36 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 36 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 responsibilities in at least a satisfactory manner and shall 2 serve to automatically extend the principal's or assistant 3 principal's contract for a period of one year after the 4 contract would otherwise expire, under the same terms and 5 conditions as the prior year's contract. The requirements in 6 this Section are in addition to the right of a school board to 7 reclassify a principal or assistant principal pursuant to 8 Section 10-23.8b of this Code. 9 (f) Nothing in this Section prohibits a school board from 10 ordering lateral transfers of principals or assistant 11 principals to positions of similar rank and salary. 12 (Source: P.A. 102-729, eff. 5-6-22.) 13 (105 ILCS 5/24A-20) 14 Sec. 24A-20. State Board of Education data collection and 15 evaluation assessment and support systems. 16 (a) The On or before the date established in subsection 17 (b) of this Section, the State Board of Education shall, 18 through a process involving collaboration with the Performance 19 Evaluation Advisory Committee Council, develop or contract for 20 the development of and implement all of the following data 21 collection and evaluation assessment and support systems: 22 (1) A system to annually collect and publish data by 23 district and school on teacher and administrator 24 performance evaluation outcomes. The system must ensure 25 that no teacher or administrator can be personally SB0028 Engrossed - 36 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 37 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 37 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 37 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 identified by publicly reported data. 2 (2) Both a teacher and principal model evaluation 3 template. The model templates must incorporate the 4 requirements of this Article and any other requirements 5 established by the State Board by administrative rule, but 6 allow customization by districts in a manner that does not 7 conflict with such requirements. 8 (3) An evaluator pre-qualification program based on 9 the model teacher evaluation template. 10 (4) An evaluator training program based on the model 11 teacher evaluation template. The training program shall 12 provide multiple training options that account for the 13 prior training and experience of the evaluator. 14 (5) A superintendent training program based on the 15 model principal evaluation template. 16 (6) One or more instruments to provide feedback to 17 principals on the instructional environment within a 18 school. 19 (7) A State Board-provided or approved technical 20 assistance system that supports districts with the 21 development and implementation of teacher and principal 22 evaluation systems. 23 (8) Web-based systems and tools supporting 24 implementation of the model templates and the evaluator 25 pre-qualification and training programs. 26 (9) A process for measuring and reporting correlations SB0028 Engrossed - 37 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 38 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 38 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 38 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 between local principal and teacher evaluations and the 2 (A) student growth in tested grades and subjects and (B) 3 retention rates of teachers. 4 (10) (Blank). A process for assessing whether school 5 district evaluation systems developed pursuant to this Act 6 and that consider student growth as a significant factor 7 in the rating of a teacher's and principal's performance 8 are valid and reliable, contribute to the development of 9 staff, and improve student achievement outcomes. By no 10 later than September 1, 2014, a research-based study shall 11 be issued assessing such systems for validity and 12 reliability, contribution to the development of staff, and 13 improvement of student performance and recommending, based 14 on the results of this study, changes, if any, that need to 15 be incorporated into teacher and principal evaluation 16 systems that consider student growth as a significant 17 factor in the rating performance for remaining school 18 districts to be required to implement such systems. 19 (b) (Blank). If the State of Illinois receives a Race to 20 the Top Grant, the data collection and support systems 21 described in subsection (a) must be developed on or before 22 September 30, 2011. If the State of Illinois does not receive a 23 Race to the Top Grant, the data collection and support systems 24 described in subsection (a) must be developed on or before 25 September 30, 2012; provided, however, that the data 26 collection and support systems set forth in items (3) and (4) SB0028 Engrossed - 38 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 39 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 39 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 39 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 of subsection (a) of this Section must be developed by 2 September 30, 2011 regardless of whether the State of Illinois 3 receives a Race to the Top Grant. By no later than September 1, 4 2011, if the State of Illinois receives a Race to the Top 5 Grant, or September 1, 2012, if the State of Illinois does not 6 receive a Race to the Top Grant, the State Board of Education 7 must execute or contract for the execution of the assessment 8 referenced in item (10) of subsection (a) of this Section to 9 determine whether the school district evaluation systems 10 developed pursuant to this Act have been valid and reliable, 11 contributed to the development of staff, and improved student 12 performance. 13 (c) Districts shall submit data and information to the 14 State Board on teacher and principal performance evaluations 15 and evaluation plans in accordance with procedures and 16 requirements for submissions established by the State Board. 17 Such data shall include, without limitation, (i) data on the 18 performance rating given to all teachers in contractual 19 continued service, (ii) data on district recommendations to 20 renew or not renew teachers not in contractual continued 21 service, and (iii) data on the performance rating given to all 22 principals. 23 (d) If the State Board of Education does not timely 24 fulfill any of the requirements set forth in Sections 24A-7 25 and 24A-20, and adequate and sustainable federal, State, or 26 other funds are not provided to the State Board of Education SB0028 Engrossed - 39 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 40 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 40 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 40 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 and school districts to meet their responsibilities under this 2 Article, the applicable implementation date shall be postponed 3 by the number of calendar days equal to those needed by the 4 State Board of Education to fulfill such requirements and for 5 the adequate and sustainable funds to be provided to the State 6 Board of Education and school districts. The determination as 7 to whether the State Board of Education has fulfilled any or 8 all requirements set forth in Sections 24A-7 and 24A-20 and 9 whether adequate and sustainable funds have been provided to 10 the State Board of Education and school districts shall be 11 made by the State Board of Education in consultation with the 12 P-20 Council. 13 (e) The State Board of Education shall annually report 14 teacher evaluation data from each school in the State. The 15 State Board's report shall include: 16 (1) data from the most recent performance evaluation 17 ratings issued prior to the effective date of this 18 amendatory Act of the 103rd General Assembly for all 19 nontenured teachers and teachers in contractual continued 20 service disaggregated broken down by the race and 21 ethnicity of teachers; and 22 (2) data from the most recent performance evaluation 23 ratings issued prior to the effective date of this 24 amendatory Act of the 103rd General Assembly for all 25 nontenured teachers and teachers in contractual continued 26 service disaggregated broken down by the race, ethnicity, SB0028 Engrossed - 40 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 41 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 41 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 41 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 and eligibility status for free or reduced-price lunch of 2 students in the school where the teachers work. 3 The report shall contain data in an aggregate format. The 4 report with the aggregate data is not confidential pursuant to 5 Section 24A-7.1 of this Code unless an individual teacher is 6 personally identifiable in the report. With respect to the 7 report, the underlying data and any personally identifying 8 information of a teacher shall be confidential. The State 9 Board shall provide the data in the report in a format that 10 prevents identification of individual teachers. 11 (Source: P.A. 103-452, eff. 1-1-24.) 12 (105 ILCS 5/34-8) (from Ch. 122, par. 34-8) 13 Sec. 34-8. Powers and duties of general superintendent. 14 The general superintendent of schools shall prescribe and 15 control, subject to the approval of the board and to other 16 provisions of this Article, the courses of study mandated by 17 State law, textbooks, educational apparatus and equipment, 18 discipline in and conduct of the schools, and shall perform 19 such other duties as the board may by rule prescribe. The 20 superintendent shall also notify the State Board of Education, 21 the board and the chief administrative official, other than 22 the alleged perpetrator himself, in the school where the 23 alleged perpetrator serves, that any person who is employed in 24 a school or otherwise comes into frequent contact with 25 children in the school has been named as a perpetrator in an SB0028 Engrossed - 41 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 42 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 42 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 42 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 indicated report filed pursuant to the Abused and Neglected 2 Child Reporting Act, approved June 26, 1975, as amended. 3 The general superintendent may be granted the authority by 4 the board to hire a specific number of employees to assist in 5 meeting immediate responsibilities. Conditions of employment 6 for such personnel shall not be subject to the provisions of 7 Section 34-85. 8 The general superintendent may, pursuant to a delegation 9 of authority by the board and Section 34-18, approve contracts 10 and expenditures. 11 Pursuant to other provisions of this Article, sites shall 12 be selected, schoolhouses located thereon and plans therefor 13 approved, and textbooks and educational apparatus and 14 equipment shall be adopted and purchased by the board only 15 upon the recommendation of the general superintendent of 16 schools or by a majority vote of the full membership of the 17 board and, in the case of textbooks, subject to Article 28 of 18 this Act. The board may furnish free textbooks to pupils and 19 may publish its own textbooks and manufacture its own 20 apparatus, equipment and supplies. 21 In addition, in January of each year, the general 22 superintendent of schools shall report to the State Board of 23 Education the number of high school students in the district 24 who are enrolled in accredited courses (for which high school 25 credit will be awarded upon successful completion of the 26 courses) at any community college, together with the name and SB0028 Engrossed - 42 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 43 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 43 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 43 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 number of the course or courses which each such student is 2 taking. 3 The general superintendent shall also have the authority 4 to monitor the performance of attendance centers, to identify 5 and place an attendance center on remediation and probation, 6 and to recommend to the board that the attendance center be 7 placed on intervention and be reconstituted, subject to the 8 provisions of Sections 34-8.3 and 8.4. 9 The general superintendent, or his or her designee, shall 10 conduct an annual evaluation of each principal in the district 11 pursuant to guidelines promulgated by the Board and the Board 12 approved principal evaluation form. The evaluation shall be 13 based on factors, including the following: (i) student 14 academic improvement, as defined by the school improvement 15 plan; (ii) student absenteeism rates at the school; (iii) 16 instructional leadership; (iv) effective implementation of 17 programs, policies, or strategies to improve student academic 18 achievement; (v) school management; and (vi) other factors, 19 including, without limitation, the principal's communication 20 skills and ability to create and maintain a student-centered 21 learning environment, to develop opportunities for 22 professional development, and to encourage parental 23 involvement and community partnerships to achieve school 24 improvement. 25 The Effective no later than September 1, 2012, the general 26 superintendent or his or her designee shall develop a written SB0028 Engrossed - 43 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 44 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 44 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 44 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 principal evaluation plan. The evaluation plan must be in 2 writing and shall supersede the evaluation requirements set 3 forth in this Section. The evaluation plan must do at least all 4 of the following: 5 (1) Provide for annual evaluation of all principals 6 employed under a performance contract by the general 7 superintendent or his or her designee, no later than July 8 1st of each year. 9 (2) Consider the principal's specific duties, 10 responsibilities, management, and competence as a 11 principal. 12 (3) Specify the principal's strengths and weaknesses, 13 with supporting reasons. 14 (4) Align with research-based standards. 15 (5) Until July 1, 2025, use Use data and indicators on 16 student growth as a significant factor in rating principal 17 performance. 18 Beginning July 1, 2025, the evaluation plan may provide 19 for the use of data and indicators on student growth as a 20 factor in rating performance. 21 (Source: P.A. 95-496, eff. 8-28-07; 96-861, eff. 1-15-10.) 22 (105 ILCS 5/34-85c) 23 Sec. 34-85c. Alternative procedures for teacher 24 evaluation, remediation, and removal for cause after 25 remediation. SB0028 Engrossed - 44 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 45 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 45 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 45 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 (a) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the board and 2 the exclusive representative of the district's teachers are 3 hereby authorized to enter into an agreement to establish 4 alternative procedures for teacher evaluation, remediation, 5 and removal for cause after remediation, including an 6 alternative system for peer evaluation and recommendations; 7 provided, however, that no later than September 1, 2012: (i) 8 any alternative procedures must include provisions whereby 9 student performance data is a significant factor in teacher 10 evaluation and (ii) teachers are rated as "excellent", 11 "proficient", "needs improvement" or "unsatisfactory". 12 Pursuant exclusively to that agreement, teachers assigned to 13 schools identified in that agreement shall be subject to an 14 alternative performance evaluation plan and remediation 15 procedures in lieu of the plan and procedures set forth in 16 Article 24A of this Code and alternative removal for cause 17 standards and procedures in lieu of the removal standards and 18 procedures set forth in Section 34-85 of this Code. To the 19 extent that the agreement provides a teacher with an 20 opportunity for a hearing on removal for cause before an 21 independent hearing officer in accordance with Section 34-85 22 or otherwise, the hearing officer shall be governed by the 23 alternative performance evaluation plan, remediation 24 procedures, and removal standards and procedures set forth in 25 the agreement in making findings of fact and a recommendation. 26 (a-5) If the Governor has declared a disaster due to a SB0028 Engrossed - 45 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 46 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 46 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 46 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 public health emergency pursuant to Section 7 of the Illinois 2 Emergency Management Agency Act that suspends in-person 3 instruction, the timelines connected to the commencement and 4 completion of any remediation plan are paused. Except where 5 the parties mutually agree otherwise and such agreement is in 6 writing, any remediation plan that had been in place for 45 or 7 more days prior to the suspension of in-person instruction 8 shall resume when in-person instruction resumes; any 9 remediation plan that had been in place for fewer than 45 days 10 prior to the suspension of in-person instruction shall 11 discontinue and a new remediation period will begin when 12 in-person instruction resumes. 13 (a-10) No later than September 1, 2022, the school 14 district must establish a teacher evaluation plan that ensures 15 that each teacher in contractual continued service whose 16 performance is rated as either "excellent" or "proficient" is 17 evaluated at least once in the course of the 3 school years 18 after receipt of the rating and establish an informal teacher 19 observation plan that ensures that each teacher in contractual 20 continued service whose performance is rated as either 21 "excellent" or "proficient" is informally observed at least 22 once in the course of the 2 school years after receipt of the 23 rating. 24 (a-15) (Blank). For the 2022-2023 school year only, if the 25 Governor has declared a disaster due to a public health 26 emergency pursuant to Section 7 of the Illinois Emergency SB0028 Engrossed - 46 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 47 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 47 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 47 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 Management Agency Act, the school district may waive the 2 evaluation requirement of any teacher in contractual continued 3 service whose performance was rated as either "excellent" or 4 "proficient" during the last school year in which the teacher 5 was evaluated under this Section. 6 (b) The board and the exclusive representative of the 7 district's teachers shall submit a certified copy of an 8 agreement as provided under subsection (a) of this Section to 9 the State Board of Education. 10 (Source: P.A. 101-643, eff. 6-18-20; 102-252, eff. 1-1-22; 11 102-729, eff. 5-6-22.) 12 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, 13 2025. SB0028 Engrossed- 48 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 INDEX 2 Statutes amended in order of appearance 3 105 ILCS 5/24-16.54 105 ILCS 5/24A-2.55 105 ILCS 5/24A-4from Ch. 122, par. 24A-46 105 ILCS 5/24A-5from Ch. 122, par. 24A-57 105 ILCS 5/24A-7from Ch. 122, par. 24A-78 105 ILCS 5/24A-159 105 ILCS 5/24A-2010 105 ILCS 5/34-8from Ch. 122, par. 34-811 105 ILCS 5/34-85c SB0028 Engrossed- 48 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 48 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 INDEX 2 Statutes amended in order of appearance 3 105 ILCS 5/24-16.5 4 105 ILCS 5/24A-2.5 5 105 ILCS 5/24A-4 from Ch. 122, par. 24A-4 6 105 ILCS 5/24A-5 from Ch. 122, par. 24A-5 7 105 ILCS 5/24A-7 from Ch. 122, par. 24A-7 8 105 ILCS 5/24A-15 9 105 ILCS 5/24A-20 10 105 ILCS 5/34-8 from Ch. 122, par. 34-8 11 105 ILCS 5/34-85c SB0028 Engrossed- 48 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 48 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 48 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 INDEX 2 Statutes amended in order of appearance 3 105 ILCS 5/24-16.5 4 105 ILCS 5/24A-2.5 5 105 ILCS 5/24A-4 from Ch. 122, par. 24A-4 6 105 ILCS 5/24A-5 from Ch. 122, par. 24A-5 7 105 ILCS 5/24A-7 from Ch. 122, par. 24A-7 8 105 ILCS 5/24A-15 9 105 ILCS 5/24A-20 10 105 ILCS 5/34-8 from Ch. 122, par. 34-8 11 105 ILCS 5/34-85c SB0028 Engrossed - 47 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed- 48 -LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 48 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b SB0028 Engrossed - 48 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b 1 INDEX 2 Statutes amended in order of appearance 3 105 ILCS 5/24-16.5 4 105 ILCS 5/24A-2.5 5 105 ILCS 5/24A-4 from Ch. 122, par. 24A-4 6 105 ILCS 5/24A-5 from Ch. 122, par. 24A-5 7 105 ILCS 5/24A-7 from Ch. 122, par. 24A-7 8 105 ILCS 5/24A-15 9 105 ILCS 5/24A-20 10 105 ILCS 5/34-8 from Ch. 122, par. 34-8 11 105 ILCS 5/34-85c SB0028 Engrossed - 48 - LRB104 07498 LNS 17542 b