DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - School bells will soon be ringing and students will be filling classrooms.
The problem? There are not enough teachers.
The Illinois Association of School Administrators lists more than 1,700 open instructional positions, with 300 of those from counties in the WAND-TV viewing area.
As it turns out, the teacher shortage is happening nationwide.
"The teacher shortage is pretty bad right now. So anything that we can do to alleviate barriers but still maintain the integrity of the profession is essential," said Emily Fox of the Illinois State Board of Education.
Fox said a step in the right direction happened this week. That's as Gov. JB Pritzker signed a law removing the need for teacher candidates to pass a basic skills test to get their license.
"We have about 260 applications that we're going to be able to re-evaluate and possibly issue so that teachers can enter the field and help fill those shortage areas," Fox explained.
She said the test of basic skills had a really low pass rate in Illinois.
"A lot of feedback that we received from stakeholders was educators who failed the test were still strong educators," Fox shared. "They were doing very well in their teacher preparation programs, they were doing well in their coursework, they were just having trouble passing the exam."
Fox said the alternatives to the basic skills test were not cost or time-efficient. However, she said even after doing away with this requirement, the public can be rest assured great teachers will still fill Illinois classrooms this fall.
"Remaining requirements for licensure are other exams, such as a content exam that ensures an educator is proficient in the specific content area that they'll be teaching. All educators also have to complete a student teaching experience, which is often one semester or a year in length," Fox said. "They have to complete an edTPA, which is an evidence-based assessment showing their success in the teaching environment before they become a licensed teacher."
Fox said there are other proposed rules to be reviewed by the State Board of Education at its meeting on Aug. 14.
She said the rules would help already-licensed teachers address adding subsequent endorsements. This means they're proposing changes in the requirements for teachers who are already licensed and want to add certification in other areas.
Fox said board officials will also look at adding an extension to short-term approvals that would let qualified educators get in the classroom and start working while they're working on finishing their requirements needed for their full endorsements.
