(a) On and after July 1, 2015, the State Board of Education shall require an applicant for certification as a bilingual education teacher to demonstrate written competency in English and written and oral competency in the other language of instruction as a condition of certification. Written competency in English shall be demonstrated by successful passage of the essential skills test approved by the State Board of Education. Written competency in the other language shall be demonstrated on an examination, if available, of comparable difficulty as specified by the Department of Education. If such an examination is not available, competency shall be demonstrated by an appropriate alternative method as specified by the department. Oral competency in the other language shall be demonstrated by an appropriate method specified by the Department of Education.
(b) On and after July 1, 2015, the State Board of Education shall require persons seeking to become (1) elementary level bilingual education teachers to meet coursework requirements in elementary education and bilingual education, and (2) secondary level bilingual education teachers to meet coursework requirements in both the subject area they will teach and in bilingual education. The State Board of Education may issue an endorsement in bilingual education to an applicant who has (A) completed coursework requirements in (i) elementary education and bilingual education, or (ii) the subject area they will teach and bilingual education, and (B) successful passage of examination requirements for bilingual education, as approved by the State Board of Education.
(c) On and after July 1, 2000, the State Board of Education shall require bilingual education teachers holding provisional educator certificates to meet the requirements of this subsection in order to qualify for a professional educator certificate to teach bilingual education. (1) Such bilingual education teachers who teach on the elementary level shall take fifteen credit hours in bilingual education and fifteen credit hours in language arts, reading and mathematics. (2) Such bilingual education teachers who teach on the middle or secondary level shall take fifteen credit hours in bilingual education and fifteen credit hours in the subject matter that they teach. Such professional educator certificate shall be valid for bilingual education and the grade level and content area of preparation.
(P.A. 99-211, S. 4, 10; P.A. 05-290, S. 1; P.A. 06-13, S. 5; P.A. 08-170, S. 15; June 19 Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-1, S. 4; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5, S. 339.)
History: P.A. 99-211 effective July 1, 1999; P.A. 05-245 added Subsec. (d) re certification from July 1, 2005, to July 1, 2008, effective July 1, 2005; P.A. 06-13 made a technical change in Subsec. (d)(1), effective May 2, 2006; P.A. 08-170 amended Subsec. (d) to extend provisions to July 1, 2009, effective July 1, 2008; June 19 Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-1 amended Subsec. (d) to extend provisions to June 30, 2010, effective July 1, 2009; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5 amended Subsec. (a) by replacing “1999” with “2015”, adding “written” to provisions re competency in English, adding “written and oral” to provision re competency in other language of instruction, and adding provision re oral competency in other language to be demonstrated by appropriate method specified by department, amended Subsec. (b) by replacing “be certified” with “meet coursework requirements”, deleting provision re dual certification requirement may be met by earning bachelor's degree and meeting endorsement requirements, and adding Subparas. (A) and (B) re issuance of bilingual education endorsement, and deleted former Subsec. (d) re certification from July 1, 2005, to June 30, 2010, effective July 1, 2015.