Illinois HB 4440: SCH CD-LICENSURE-PARAPROFESS

Bill Text

Full Text of HB4440 

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 Illinois General Assembly

 ILGA.GOV 

 HB4440 - 104th General Assembly 

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY 
State of Illinois 
2025 and 2026
HB4440

Introduced 1/20/2026, by Rep. Natalie A. Manley 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

105 ILCS 5/21B-20

 Amends the Educator Licensure Article of the School Code. Allows the State Superintendent of Education to issue a short-term approval for a paraprofessional educator to an individual who does not meet the requirements necessary for issuance of an Educator License with Stipulations with a paraprofessional educator endorsement. Provides that the short-term approval authorizes an individual to serve as a paraprofessional educator in a school district, including a charter school, or a State-operated program, with the short-term approval expiring on June 30 immediately following the third full fiscal year after the approval was issued without renewal. Provides that upon expiration of the short-term approval, the State Superintendent of Education shall issue an Educator License with Stipulations with a paraprofessional educator endorsement to the individual if the individual meets specified requirements.

LRB104 17872 LNS 31308 b

A BILL FOR

HB4440LRB104 17872 LNS 31308 b

1 AN ACT concerning education.

2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 

3represented in the General Assembly:

4 Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section 

521B-20 as follows:

6 (105 ILCS 5/21B-20)

7 Sec. 21B-20. Types of licenses. The State Board of 

8Education shall implement a system of educator licensure, 

9whereby individuals employed in school districts who are 

10required to be licensed must have one of the following 

11licenses: (i) a professional educator license; (ii) an 

12educator license with stipulations; (iii) a substitute 

13teaching license; or (iv) until June 30, 2028, a short-term 

14substitute teaching license. References in law regarding 

15individuals certified or certificated or required to be 

16certified or certificated under Article 21 of this Code shall 

17also include individuals licensed or required to be licensed 

18under this Article. The first year of all licenses ends on June 

1930 following one full year of the license being issued.

20 The State Board of Education, in consultation with the 

21State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, may adopt such 

22rules as may be necessary to govern the requirements for 

23licenses and endorsements under this Section. 

HB4440- 2 -LRB104 17872 LNS 31308 b

1 (1) Professional Educator License. Persons who (i) 

2 have successfully completed an approved educator 

3 preparation program and are recommended for licensure by 

4 the Illinois institution offering the educator preparation 

5 program, (ii) have successfully completed the required 

6 testing under Section 21B-30 of this Code, (iii) have 

7 successfully completed coursework on the psychology of, 

8 the identification of, and the methods of instruction for 

9 the exceptional child, including, without limitation, 

10 children with learning disabilities, (iv) have 

11 successfully completed coursework in methods of reading 

12 and reading in the content area, and (v) have met all other 

13 criteria established by rule of the State Board of 

14 Education shall be issued a Professional Educator License. 

15 Persons seeking a Professional Educator License with a 

16 school support personnel endorsement or chief school 

17 business official endorsement are exempt from the 

18 requirements in items (iii) and (iv). All Professional 

19 Educator Licenses are valid until June 30 immediately 

20 following 5 years of the license being issued. The 

21 Professional Educator License shall be endorsed with 

22 specific areas and grade levels in which the individual is 

23 eligible to practice. For an early childhood education 

24 endorsement, an individual may satisfy the student 

25 teaching requirement of his or her early childhood teacher 

26 preparation program through placement in a setting with 

HB4440- 3 -LRB104 17872 LNS 31308 b

1 children from birth through grade 2, and the individual 

2 may be paid and receive credit while student teaching. The 

3 student teaching experience must meet the requirements of 

4 and be approved by the individual's early childhood 

5 teacher preparation program. No institution of higher 

6 education shall establish or maintain any policy which 

7 requires student teaching for preservice teachers to be 

8 unpaid. 

9 Individuals can receive subsequent endorsements on the 

10 Professional Educator License. Subsequent endorsements 

11 shall require a minimum of 24 semester hours of coursework 

12 in the endorsement area and passage of the applicable 

13 content area test, unless otherwise specified by rule.

14 (2) Educator License with Stipulations. An Educator 

15 License with Stipulations shall be issued an end