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This report, submitted in compliance with 105 ILCS 5/1A-4E, provides a discussion of the overall condition of education in Illinois. Information is included concerning student and teacher demographics; data on teacher and administrator licensure; federal, state, and local resources; and other data on Illinois education. The 2021 Condition of Education finds: (1) The fiscal year 2022 General Funds budget for preK-12 education was $9.2 billion, of which $7.6 billion was appropriated for Evidence-Based Funding (EBF)--an increase of $362.1 million over FY 2021. FY 2022 marked the fifth year of implementation of EBF, which directs increases in state funding to the districts in the greatest financial need; (2) The 2020-21 school year started at the height of the pandemic, and fewer than 10 percent of Illinois students had access to fully in-person learning. While more and more students returned to in-person learning as the school year progressed, the wholly or partially remote environment had a significant impact on student enrollment; (3) The COVID-19 pandemic has affected almost every aspect of education in Illinois--temporarily in some ways and lasting in others. ISBE's Strategic Plan, adopted in November 2020, provides a roadmap for Illinois public schools through 2023 and defines the steps the agency will take to provide each and every child in the state with safe and engaging schools, excellent teachers, and equitable learning opportunities; and (4) Remote learning took a serious toll on student performance and academic achievement. One in five Illinois students was chronically absent last year, missing 10 percent or more of the school year (with or without a valid excuse)--a 21 percent increase over 2019. [For the "Illinois State Board of Education 2020 Annual Report," see ED618647.]

This study aimed to identify best practices for collecting and reporting state teacher supply and demand data. The study examined data systems for monitoring teacher demand and supply data, such as district position vacancies by certification area, candidate recruitment, and the performance and productivity of educator preparation programs. Information on supply and demand data systems best practices was collected through a literature review and interviews with a convenience sample of five West Virginia educator preparation programs and three teacher residency programs from across the country. The study found that effective state data systems tracked school district-level teacher certification areas in which there were shortages and overages of graduates and shared these data with the state's educator preparation programs. Other key data included measures of educator candidate diversity and quality, the quality of educator preparation programs, program graduate placement and effectiveness as teachers, and their retention in school districts and the teaching profession. The study highlights data system recommendations from the Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Council on Teacher Quality. Implementing high-quality teacher supply and demand data systems provides states with an effective tool for addressing teacher shortages. The report's appendices include examples of data reports from Colorado, Illinois, and Virginia.

This past year has been unlike any in recent history. In March, the global COVID-19 pandemic forced Illinois to shift suddenly to remote learning for all students. This adjustment exposed the digital divide as a stark reality. One bright spot in the year occurred in May, when the Illinois' plan for career and technical education (CTE) received federal approval. This plan, which focuses on equity and inclusion, raises the bar for CTE in Illinois and sets up students for success in the post-pandemic economy. Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic has been an exercise in equity and how to truly make decisions in the best interests of students. Informed by this experience, the agency's new strategic plan was finalized. The plan provides a roadmap for Illinois public schools through 2023 and defines the steps the agency will take to offer all Illinois students safe and engaging schools, excellent teachers, and equitable learning opportunities. It also incorporates a stand-alone Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan that introduces new tools to guide the agency's internal decision-making and improve its external supports for schools. This annual report provides updates in the following categories: (1) 2020 Illinois Teacher of the Year; (2) 2020 Condition of Education; (3) State, Local, and Federal Resources; (4) Schools and Districts; (5) Students; (6) Student Performance; (7) Educators; and (8) Special Education. [This report was published by the Illinois State Board of Education's Internal Communication Department.]

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) is committed to the cognitive, linguistic, and socio-emotional development of all children in Illinois. ISBE's Multilingual Department is focused on ensuring that students with diverse linguistic repertoires and those who may benefit from additional support have equitable access to academic instruction in English. Data for this report were extracted by the Data Strategies and Analytics Department at the Illinois State Board of Education from the school year 2019-20 Student Information System Enrollment, English Learner (EL) Records, and I-Star Student Approval Records. The data values were calculated based on the 2020 Report Card Snapshot. This report provides statistics regarding: (1) English Learner Enrollment per Type of Program; (2) Endorsements of Teachers Serving English Learners; (3) EL Student Enrollment by County; (4) EL Student Count by Language; (5) Top 50 Native Languages; (6) EL Student Count by Grade and Race/Ethnicity; (7) EL Students with Individualized Education Programs; (8) EL Student Count by Instructional Design; (9) EL Student Performance on ACCESS; and (10) EL Student Performance on State ELA and Math Assessments. [This report was produced by the Illinois State Board of Education's Multilingual Department and the Data Strategies and Analytics Department.]

Hiring and retaining teachers of color is one approach that policymakers can use to support improved academic achievement and opportunities for racially and ethnically diverse students. National data show that while the student population is becoming more diverse, the teacher workforce remains largely white and female. While teachers from all races can inspire student success, research suggests that a more diverse teacher workforce could improve student academic, behavioral, social and emotional outcomes -- particularly for students of color. State policymakers are taking various approaches to building a diverse teacher workforce and ensuring all students reap the myriad benefits of teacher diversity in the classroom. This Policy Brief provides a summary of key research on the benefits of expanding the racial/ethnic diversity of teachers in K-12 classrooms. It also features examples of state-level action intended to advance diversity and ultimately improve students' academic experiences.

In 2015, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that nearly a quarter of all employed U.S. workers are in a profession that requires an occupational license. Given the prevalence of licensing, it is one of the central factors that shapes employment opportunities for many workers. Licensing is also one of the most restrictive forms of occupational regulation since it legally prohibits individuals from working in a licensed occupation if they do not fulfill a jurisdiction's educational and/or experience requirements. The American Institutes for Research (AIR) worked with the National Conference for State Legislatures (NCSL) and its partner organizations, the Council of State Governments (CSG) and the National Governors Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices, to conduct case studies of 11 different states that undertook efforts to review their licensing practices. Each case study in this report takes a retrospective look at one of the occupational licensing initiatives undertaken by a Consortium state. Collectively, the case studies shed light on the processes, successes, challenges, and effects of occupational licensing initiatives pursued by each state. The case studies offer important insight into factors that facilitated and hindered success within licensure efforts. The case studies in this report focus on the following states: (1) Arkansas; (2) Kentucky; (3) Delaware; (4) Wisconsin; (5) Utah; (6) Connecticut; (7) Illinois; (8) Indiana; (9) Nevada; (10) Colorado; and (11) Maryland. The information gathered from the background materials, the interviews, and the quantitative data was used to develop each of the 11 case studies. Each case study includes an introduction, a description of the focal topic, a summary of the findings, a description of the case study approach, and detailed findings.

California has experienced a decline in adequate funding for the public education system that has created a jarring reality for its 6.2 million students. While recent investments have helped schools fully recover from the devastating cuts made during the great recession, that additional spending has not come close to what is needed to achieve the state's goals. Policymakers have adopted important education reforms in California in recent years, which are laudable, but leaders must also understand that the investments made to date have been insufficient to ensure students have enough caring adults on campus. This brief illuminates California's school funding shortfalls based on analysis in key areas like professional staffing and development, student-teacher ratios, per pupil spending, and student performance. Comparisons of three similar high schools in California, Illinois, and New Jersey bring the data to life by showing where dollars are spent and how that translates into actual experiences that benefit students and their success. This brief concludes, stating that state policymakers will need to use their political capital to invest more, so that students actually have what they need to support their success. [Additional support for this brief was provided by Adrienne Bell, Maya Kamath, Maria Mejia, Nima Rahni, Jessica Sawko, Ted Lempert, Kelsey Caldwell, Patrick Dorsey, Nancy Heffernan, and Xavier Roque.]

This summary of the policy brief "Leaks in the Educator Pipeline: Wisconsin Educator Preparation Program (EPP) Completers Working in Illinois and Minnesota Public Schools" examines one type of "leak" in the Wisconsin educator pipeline. The source of these "leaks" are recent graduates from one of the state's 40+ educator preparation programs (EPPs) electing to work in Illinois or Minnesota public schools. The policy brief represents an attempt to quantify how many prospective educators Wisconsin "loses" in a given year to two of its neighboring states. [For the full brief, see ED627857.]

The Every Students Succeeds Act (ESSA) provided states with newfound flexibility on accountability measures and school improvement strategies. Many policy experts have analyzed states' ESSA plans, which explain how states use their federal funds under various provisions of the new law, as well as the approaches states take to identify and rate schools and improve their performance where needed. While strong accountability frameworks and school improvement plans are critical for school and student success, ensuring that all students have access to excellent educators is just as important. Ensuring that all students have access to well-prepared and supported teachers undergirds all other efforts to improve student outcomes. Not much has been written on how states plan to leverage Title II, Part A of ESSA to strengthen their teacher pipelines. The Center for American Progress has reviewed each state's ESSA plan, searching specifically for state-led and state-supported programs that will be funded, at least in part, through Title II, Part A of ESSA--the section of the law that designates funding specifically for recruiting, preparing, and supporting teachers. This brief highlights a few noteworthy states that have proposed promising teacher pipeline initiatives that they are either starting or continuing with support from Title II, Part A of ESSA. Consistent with the TeachStrong coalition's ESSA guidance for state actors, these states are leveraging ESSA's flexibility to support efforts around recruiting teachers of color; improving the teacher preparation experience; providing induction and mentoring to novice teachers; increasing teacher pay; and creating or encouraging career pathways, with the goal of ensuring that all students--and especially students in low-income schools--are taught by high-quality, prepared, meaningfully supported teachers. The author also notes what other initiatives and actions policymakers and advocates should watch for and consider as they work to modernize and elevate the teaching profession.

Over the past decade, educators and policymakers have sought to increase the number of students pursuing and completing postsecondary credentials. Community colleges play an important role in efforts to increase the percentage of Americans with postsecondary education. Community colleges play an important role in educating the early childhood workforce today--and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Thus it is important to ensure that community college early childhood programs are high quality, provide the supports that early childhood workers need to successfully complete degrees, and enable graduates to successfully transition to four-year degree programs. To maximize the value of community colleges in developing both the current and future early childhood workforce, policymakers and advocates need a clear understanding of the roles that community colleges currently play in preparing and developing early childhood workers and the quality of existing programs, as well as a clear vision for the role that these institutions should play going forward. This paper seeks to help early childhood stakeholders understand the role that community colleges play in preparing and developing early childhood workers and the challenges they face in doing so. First, it provides an overview of the current state of community college early childhood programs, the students they serve, and the outcomes they produce. Then it highlights models of innovative strategies--at both the institution and state policy level--to help early childhood educators succeed in community college programs and go on to obtain higher levels of credentials. Finally, it offers recommendations for community college leaders, early childhood advocates, and policymakers seeking to maximize the potential of community colleges to support professional development and credential attainment for early childhood educators.

The Early Learning Challenge (ELC) program awarded more than $1 billion in four-year grants to 20 States to implement comprehensive and cohesive high-quality early learning systems that support young children with high needs and their families. A key lever in making these improvements was the enhancement of States' Quality Rating and Improvement Systems (QRIS). A QRIS is designed to measure, rate, and dissemination information about the quality of the early learning and development programs that participate in the QRIS. Through ELC, States worked across agencies to improve, or in some cases, reinvent their QRIS. This report summarizes the progress ELC States made since the program began in 2012. It includes selected examples of key initiatives States undertook to create a comprehensive system of high-quality programs for young children and their families. Specifically, it looks at States' efforts to refine their QRIS; examine progress elements (including early learning standards, screenings, and assessment systems); engage and support families; support the early learning workforce; enhance early childhood data systems; and foster community connections. The content was drawn from States' ELC Annual and Final Performance Reports. As a result of the efforts States have undertaken, it can now be said that more children with high needs are enrolled in high-quality programs and more programs participate in the States' QRIS. States made progress in developing and strengthening their comprehensive early learning and development systems. States used the ELC program to make advancements and drive positive changes in their early learning and development systems, often in the face of significant challenges. Other States are benefiting from these experiences and lessons as they work on improving their own systems.

This study responds to a request from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards to analyze National Board certification among high school teachers in understudied subject areas and locales to help fill gaps in the research literature. The authors also were asked to use multiple indicators of performance. The research team selected two new locales for this analysis, the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the Chicago public schools. Chicago, a racially and ethnically diverse city with a population of more than 2.8 million, has one of the largest urban school districts in the country. Kentucky, by contrast, is a largely rural state with some suburban and urban areas. Together, these two locales encompass a full range of public school settings. In addition to examining student test scores, the authors also conducted classroom observations of the instructional practices of high school teachers in science and mathematics, comparing a sample of National Board Certification (NBC) applicants and similar teachers not pursuing this certification. Using the data gathered, the authors found evidence that National Board certification is an effective signal of teacher quality, based on student test scores. They also found evidence that the certification process successfully screens applicants based on their effectiveness. They were unable, however, to find evidence that the certification process itself enhances the instructional quality or effectiveness of teachers who choose to go through it. The following are appended: (1) Leadership by Design (Science Classroom Observation Instrument and Mathematics Classroom Observation Instrument); (2) Rubric for Scoring Classroom Observations (Science Rubric and Mathematics Rubric); (3) A Pilot Test of the Leadership by Design Scoring Rubric for Assessment of Instructional Quality; (4) Construction of the Student Analytic File; (5) Complete Results from All Model Specifications and Outcomes; and (6) Analysis of Ceiling Effects on Instructional Improvement. A glossary, a list of figures, and a list of tables are also included. [This report was written with Christine Mokher, Thomas Geraghty, and Lauren Sartain.]

Improving teacher preparation is critical to long-term improvement in teacher quality. More than 200,000 new teachers enter classrooms each year. Increasing student enrollment, the retirement of baby boom generation teachers, and high attrition in their first five years (between 40 and 50 percent of new teachers leave the profession) have transformed the teacher workforce. As a result, first-year teachers are now the single largest cohort each year. While these numbers might cause alarm, they also highlight a huge opportunity to improve teacher effectiveness. Because states set requirements for certification and licensure and have the power to approve both traditional and alternative preparation programs, the means to transform teacher preparation is well within reach. Policymakers know that improving teaching in our schools requires a systematic review of the many policies that impact educator effectiveness. For example, to be successful, improvements in teacher preparation must be complemented by reforms in educator evaluation, compensation, and school leadership. This issue of re:VISION, part of a series on teacher effectiveness, examines teacher preparation and offers considerations for policymakers in this important area of reform. [For Part 1 of this series, see ED559385; for Part 2, see ED559387; for Part 3, see ED559381; and for Part 5, see ED559391.]

The National Governors Association (NGA) and The Hunt Institute co-hosted the 2013 Governors Education Symposium. To inform participants and generate conversation about the themes of the symposium, the two organizations developed a set of issue briefs discussing four areas: (1) college- and career-training ready standards; (2) building coalitions to scale and sustain reform efforts; (3) teacher and leader effectiveness; (4) and reallocating resources to improve student achievement. The first issue brief on standards focuses on governors' and state policymakers' role in this work in the coming years, including implementing the standards and aligning them with other components of the education system, preparing for drops in test performance, considering the impact of the standards' work on other education reform efforts, ensuring and sustaining stakeholder support, and ensuring involvement of higher education and business communities. The issue brief that focuses on building coalitions recommends that governors' offices and other state policymakers consider opportunities to bring together a variety of groups (e.g., business community, non-profit organizations, and the public) under a common agenda as a mechanism for successful reform that is scale-able and sustainable. Tennessee, Arizona, and Kentucky are profiled as states that have built coalitions to scale and sustain reform efforts. The teacher and leader effectiveness brief focuses on three high-leverage areas of reform that are powerful policy levers for governors: strengthening the quality of educator preparation programs, revising certification to focus on demonstration of performance, and enhancing educator evaluation systems to more closely tie to professional development and support. The final issue brief discusses several considerations for reallocating resources toward a more focused goal of improvement student achievement and encourages governors and state policymakers to: align resource strategies to broader reform; use policy as a vehicle to provide autonomy to educators, establish goals and accountability, and build the knowledge and capacity of education leaders; and setting an agenda that focuses on critical resource areas, such as finance systems, compensation systems, and delivery models. [This symposium took place at Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park.]

This study uses a unique, longitudinal statewide database to track students through the new teacher supply pipeline from high school through college and initial teacher certification. The report examines how each stage influences the characteristics of those who enter the teaching profession, with particular attention to academic skills and racial/ethnic diversity, characteristics that are of national and local concern because of their impact on teacher effectiveness.

Latinos accounted for three in five new workers in Metro Chicago's workforce over the last decade--representing a national trend that will intensify as the growing count of young Latinos in the U.S. comes of age (U.S. Census, 1980, 2010). To address this increasing diversity and invest in the future, Illinois passed a mandate designed to foster bilingual skills and early learning in young English-language learners (ELLs). Now the Illinois early childhood education (ECE) workforce is scrambling to comply. This situation in Illinois is indicative of two disparate, national trends: State boards of education are embracing the importance of quality in early childhood education as they simultaneously struggle to define what constitutes quality for diverse, young learners. The New Journalism on Latino Children project, based at UC Berkeley, partnered with The Illinois Early Learning Council (ILELC) and the Chicago's Latino Policy Forum to survey early childhood programs across Illinois to better understand how the workforce is evolving as their children become more diverse. The authors present information on the education and certifications of teachers serving young children in programs funded through the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), as well as on teachers' reported need for and interest in obtaining additional education and certifications. (Contains 3 figures, 4 tables, and 6 footnotes.) [Contributions provided by Jennifer Ly and Sara McElmurry.]

"Linking Resources to Results" explores the deliberate approach--including specific goals, a clearly articulated grantmaking strategy and benchmarks for measuring progress--the Chicago Public Education Fund used to help the Chicago Public Schools recognize, reward and deploy high-quality teachers. The case study is intended to help grantmakers see ways to more deliberately "link resources to desired results," which is one of Grantmakers for Education's Principles for Effective Education Grantmaking. [For the full report, "Linking Resources to Results: The Chicago Public Education Fund's Master Teacher Initiative. Principles for Effective Education Grantmaking. Case Study Number 1," see ED537179.]

The combination of difficult economic times and increased accountability has led policymakers to call for evidence that students taught by National Board of Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS)-certified teachers make greater achievement gains than those taught by non-NBPTS-certified teachers. Overall, studies show mixed results regarding the impact of National Board Certification on student achievement. Some research has found that students assigned to NBPTS-certified teachers make greater achievement gains than students assigned to non-NBPTS-certified teachers, while others have found no such differences. The results of studies have varied depending on the subject area, grade level, and group of teachers analyzed. This review included two studies that can be considered among the most definitive available with regard to testing the efficacy of National Board Certification. Both studies addressed the key issue of whether students taught by NBPTS-certified teachers exhibit greater academic achievement gains than students taught by non-NBPTS-certified teachers. One study was conducted by Cantrell and colleagues (2008) and is to date the only research study addressing National Board Certification that has received the seal of approval (i.e., "well-implemented randomized controlled trial") from the U.S. Department of Education's What Works Clearinghouse. This type of recognition and evaluation carries considerable weight in the field of educational research at the present time. Cantrell and associates found minimal impact of National Board Certification on student achievement in the Los Angeles Unified School District. The other important study, conducted within Florida's own school district and partially funded by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (Cavalluzzo, 2004), found what was described as "robust evidence" for National Board Certification. However, upon closer inspection, one finds a very small positive effect which would be equivalent, for the average student, to a difference of approximately one or two percentile points (Effect Size = 0.07 to 0.08, or 7 to 8 percent of one standard deviation) in favor of students taught by NBPTS-certified teachers. The fact that this finding was statistically significant should not imply high importance since the large sample size used in the study contributed to making such a small effect statistically significant. It can be argued that the size of the difference between NBPTS-certified and non-NBPTS-certified teachers may have been statistically significant, but not in a manner that makes a practical difference in the real world. This Information Capsule presents research on the positive and negative impact of National Board Certification on Student Achievement, as well as the Board's impact on classroom and professional practices. It also shows its impact on teacher retention rates, and describes the unequal distribution of National Board Certified teachers.

This policy analysis explains the need for a system approach to educator talent management. The report analyzes how state policies in the Midwest support the development of effective teachers and leaders throughout their career. The report focuses on state policies in teacher preparation including certification and licensure, recruitment and hiring, induction and mentoring, professional development, compensation and other financial incentives, working conditions, and performance management. This analysis posits that the creation of a systemic approach to educator talent management falls under the purview of states and must be developed by state leadership across agencies and sectors. It offers five recommendations for policymakers to move toward a more systemic educator talent management system. These recommendations are: (1) Assess the status quo of your educator quality policies; (2) Create a cross-organizational team to develop a unified vision and strategic plan for educator quality in your state; (3) Identify all stakeholder groups and partners and specify the level of engagement for each group at every stage of the policy development process; (4) Focus on the development of school leaders as well as teachers; and (5) Ensure that all initiatives to improve educator quality will be assessed on how well they meet the intended goal. (Contains 7 tables.)

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act provides support "to ensure that teachers have the necessary subject matter knowledge and teaching skills in the academic subjects that the teachers teach." Title II of the act allows funds to be used for "carrying out programs that establish, expand, or improve alternative routes for state certification of teachers," as well as for "reforming teacher certification (including recertification) or licensing requirements." This study informs that effort by rigorously examining the effect of alternative-route program teachers on student achievement and classroom practices. It also investigates whether certification training experiences are associated with teacher performance. The study found no benefit, on average, to student achievement from placing an alternative-route program teacher in the classroom when the alternative was a teacher certified through a traditional route, but there was no evidence of harm either. In addition, the experimental and nonexperimental findings together indicate that while individual teachers appear to have an effect on student achievement, the study could not identify what about a teacher affects student achievement. Variation in student achievement was not strongly linked to the teachers' chosen preparation route or to other measured teacher characteristics. (Contains 1 figure.) [For the full report, "An Evaluation of Teachers Trained through Different Routes to Certification. Final Report. NCEE 2009-4043," see ED504313.]

Preschool for All (PFA) is a part-day (2.5 hours for up to five days a week) early childhood education program for 3- and 4-year-olds in Illinois. The program is voluntary to families and is designed to be a high-quality preschool option for all children--especially those at risk of academic failure. PFA was implemented in 2006 and is free to parents. Some key components include: (1) curriculum that meets Illinois Early Learning Standards; (2) set teacher credential and training standards; (3) a maximum staff-child ratio of 1 to 10; and (4) additional features including screening and professional development. The study involved interviews with families from Nigeria and Pakistan living on Chicago's North Side to examine their experiences and perspectives around accessing Preschool for All. Researchers conducted focus groups with parents and spoke with PFA providers for their perspective on issues families raised. The findings suggest Nigerian and Pakistani families can face numerous barriers accessing Preschool for All. While some barriers are unique to their immigration status, others are experienced by other low-income and vulnerable families as well. The report concludes with implications for policy and recommendations for future research. If the findings of this study are true in other parts of Chicago and the state, it suggests that the PFA program could be changed in several ways to facilitate enrollment among immigrant populations. The findings also underscore the importance of talking with families about their experiences, and of not assuming that the experiences of any particular immigrant group would be identical to the experiences of another. Appended to this report are: (1) Incidence of Immigrant Populations in Illinois and Metro Chicago (2000); and (2) Study Methodology. (Contains 22 notes and 1 table.)

This study examines the distribution, change, and impact of the Index of Teacher Academic Capital (ITAC) in all Illinois public schools from 2001 to 2006. The ITAC is a school-level composite of five measures: teacher ACT Composite and English scores, teacher Basic Skills Test results, teacher certification status, and teacher undergraduate college competitiveness. We find that students in high-poverty and high-minority schools, especially those in Chicago, had less access to high ITAC than their counterparts elsewhere. However, high-poverty schools statewide and high-minority schools in Chicago also experienced the greatest gains in ITAC over the time period. We show the impact of ITAC by using fixed-effects models, which reveal that schools that increase their ITACs also tend to improve their achievement. (Contains 7 endnotes, 13 figures and 16 tables.)

Illinois' policy makers recognize the importance of reading competency to success in school. In this paper we summarize the findings of several recent national reports on reading and consider their findings for Illinois' reading initiatives. The paper also provides an overview of reading programs and certification in Illinois, including the Assessment of Professional Teaching examination that will be required for initial certification in October 2003.

In 1997, the Illinois Legislature passed significant legislation that increased the foundation level for general state aid. Provisions in the legislation for increased teacher accountability included changing the single-level teacher certification system to a multi-tiered process, changing the length of time required before attaining teacher tenure from 2 years to 4 years, and modifying the recertification of teacher certificates to include proof of continuing professional growth. The language used in the Illinois House Bill 542 (Public Act 90-548) suggests that the Illinois State Legislature does not believe school districts are keeping teachers abreast of current instructional practices and teachers are not taking the initiative to keep current. The bill allows teacher unions to select the majority of teachers for local professional development committees, which may not provide the best teachers for determining appropriate staff development. Teachers will need to attend approved workshops, conferences, or courses, though it is doubtful that doing so will significantly increase student learning more than prior recertification practices. The Initial, Standard, and Master certificates may result in a three-tiered pay schedule. Given that the elected regional superintendents will play significant roles in the appeal process, politics could play a role in a recertification appeal. (Contains 10 references.) (RT)