IL SB2693

State Board of Education shall design and implement a system of examinations required before issuing educator licenses, based on national and State professional teaching standards.

Applicants for Professional Educator License or Educator License with Stipulations must pass a test of basic skills covering reading, language arts, and mathematics before licensure, unless their endorsement does not require it.

All applicants seeking any State license must pass a content area knowledge test for each endorsement area where an applicable test exists; no exceptions allowed.

Beginning September 1, 2015, all teacher preparation program candidates must pass an evidence-based assessment of teacher effectiveness approved by the State Board of Education.

Tests must be administered at least 3 times annually, designed to be racially neutral, and include special provisions for bilingual education endorsement applicants to demonstrate language skills in English and the target language.