A new Illinois law, PA 101-0594, was signed by the Governor which amends the Educator Licensure Article of the School Code to allow certification of a Paraprofessional on an Educator License to be issued to an application who (among other qualifications) has passed a paraprofessional competency test. The new law will allow paraprofessionals to bypass the requirement for an associate’s degree or minimum number of higher education credits if they can pass the competency test, and is hoped to relieve the severe paraprofessional shortage (955 open positions as of the end of October 2019) being experienced by school districts throughout the state of Illinois.
December 2019
