LM april 2021 final hi

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that “roughly 8,600 candidates of color each year were unable to enter the classroom over a period of approximately seven years because of the basic skill test barrier.” The move by ISBE was a huge step forward and should dramatically help the shortage in two to three years as individuals still have to achieve their degree before they can teach. The Golden Apple Accelerators Program was initiated in FY2021. It was developed to assist school districts by recruiting, preparing and mentoring college seniors and non-educators with bachelor’s degrees looking for a career change. This program will choose individuals who will become lead teachers in special education and physical education in year two of the program. For more information about this program go to https://www.goldenapple.org/accelerators . Another positive result came from some of the policy changes contained in HB 2170—the Education Omnibus Bill passed in the lame-duck session this past January. The highpoints of the bill that have the potential to help the teacher shortage problem include: • The removal of state-required GPA entrance requirements that limited alternative program participation. • Improved educator preparation course articulation and alignment between 2 and 4-year colleges.

The Scaling Education Pathways Initiative (SEPI) was started this school year through a collaboration between the Illinois P-20 Council, The Joyce Foundation and the Education Systems Center through Northern Illinois University. This program helps create an educator pathway program that hopes to help solve the teacher shortage problem. In this education pathway, students take actual education courses while in high school that can lead to becoming a teacher. The assistance offered through this program includes helping students through the College and Career Pathway Endorsement process as well. Centralia High School, along with Vandalia High School, are two southern Illinois school districts that were recipients of a grant to participate in SEPI. Another initiative that was reported by Roosevelt University is the effort to transition full time substitute teachers and paraprofessionals to full time, licensed teachers. The university is also setting up full time, one-year resident student teacher programs to assist in this process.

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LM April 2021