5:190 Teacher Qualifications

A teacher, as the term is used in this policy, refers to a District employee who is required to be licensed under State law. The following qualifications apply:

1. Each teacher must:
   • Have a valid Illinois Professional Educator License issued by the State Superintendent of Education with the required endorsements as provided in the School Code.
   • Provide the District Office with a complete transcript of credits earned in institutions of higher education.
   • On or before September 1 of each year, unless otherwise provided in an applicable collective bargaining agreement, provide the District Office with a transcript of any credits earned since the date the last transcript was filed.
   • Notify the Superintendent or designee of any change in the teacher’s transcript.
2. All teachers with primary responsibility for instructing students in the core academic subject areas (science, the arts, reading or language arts, English, history, civics and government, economics, geography, foreign language, and mathematics) must be highly qualified for those assignments as determined by State and federal law.

The Superintendent or designee shall:

1. Monitor compliance with State and federal law requirements that teachers be appropriately licensed and highly qualified for their assignments;
2. Through incentives for voluntary transfers, professional development, recruiting programs, or other effective strategies, ensure that minority students and students from low-income families are not taught at higher rates than other students by unqualified, out-of-field, or inexperienced teachers; and
3. Ensure parents/guardians of students in schools receiving Title I money are notified: (a) of their right to request their students’ classroom teachers’ professional qualifications, and (b) whenever their child is assigned to, or has been taught for 4 or more consecutive weeks by, a teacher who is not highly qualified.

Cross Reference: 

6:170 Title I Programs

Legal Reference(s):

20 U.S.C. §§6319.

34 C.F.R § 200.55,  -56, -57 and 61.

105 ILCS 5/10-20.15, 5/21-1, 5/21-10, 5/21-11.4, and 5/24-23.

23 Ill.Admin.Code §1.610 et seq., §1.705 et seq., and Part 25

Date Adopted: 12/14/2010

Date Amended: 09/23/2014