Professional Development
on Use of Instructional Materials
Context:
Teacher Recertification and Endorsement Policies
The Illinois State Board of Education revamped teacher certification and endorsement policies based on the State Board’s 1996 report titled, “Illinois Framework for Restructuring the Recruitment, Preparation, Licensure, and Continuing Professional Development of Teachers.” The report was developed with research and advice from ten councils and committees, such as the Council of Chief State School Officers, the Illinois State Board of Education Professional Development Team, the Joint Education Committee of the Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois Board of Higher Education, and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. The report recommended several major initiatives aimed at better attracting, preparing, and supporting teachers, while also making teachers more accountable.
Those recommendations included creating:
- A standards-led teacher preparation and institutional accountability process,
- A multi-tiered certification system,
- Professional development expectations for certificate renewal,
- An induction and mentoring process for novice teachers, and
- Alternative routes to teaching.
CPS teachers were most affected by changes in state policies based on the second and third recommendations concerning teacher certification, recertification, and content endorsements. cite “The Illinois Framework for Restructuring the Recruitment, Preparation, Licensure and Continuing Professional Development of Teachers” (adopted November 21, 1996) promoted a three-tiered system to reflect “the stages in the professional development of teachers and promote their continuing growth as educators—i.e., an Initial License, a Standard License and an Advanced License” (p. 8).
In addition, for the first time ever, the state began requiring Illinois teachers to complete and show proof of ongoing professional development for certificate renewal. Professional development “credits” could be earned for a wide range of activities completed over the five years covered by a Standard Certificate. CMSI professional development was one way for teachers to accrue continuing education credits (called CEUs or CPDUs ). These workshops were ongoing, content-rich, focused on the CMSI reform, aligned with their current classroom activities, and used pedagogical methods that teachers could model. While recertification is accomplished through the accumulation of the required number of hours at approved professional development (such as those for training teachers on the use of instructional materials), content endorsement credits can only be obtained though completing appropriate university courses, as detailed in another section
