Illinois Sen. Loughran Cappel educator licensure reform bill passes House and Senate

Passed bill authored by State Sen. Meg Loughran Cappel seeks to streamline and enhance the educator licensure system in Illinois by renaming the certification board, establishing various license types, and introducing a paraprofessional pathway, according to the Illinois General Assembly.

In the House, 75 Democrats and nine Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while 31 Republicans opposed it.

Meanwhile, in the Senate, 35 Democrats and 15 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while two Republicans voted against it.

Loughran Cappel introduced the bill in the Illinois Senate on Feb. 6, 2025 during the 104th session.

The legislation, known as SB1947, was passed on May 31, 2025 during the general assembly session 104.

According to the Illinois General Assembly site, the legislature summarized the bill’s official text as follows: “Amends the Educator Licensure Article of the School Code. Adds 5 administrative or faculty members of community colleges to the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board. For a Professional Educator License: provides that the requirements to successfully complete specified coursework are only required until July 1, 2027 or the date that the revised test for a particular content area is implemented, whichever is later; and exempts persons seeking a school support personnel or chief school business official endorsement from the requirement that a person must successfully complete specified coursework. Requires, by July 1, 2027, the State Superintendent of Education to begin incorporating specified topics into revised examinations for individuals seeking a Professional Educator License endorsed in teaching or administration, excluding a chief school business official endorsement. Exempts, for educator licenses, applicants seeking a school support personnel endorsement who hold an active and valid professional license in the same subject matter as the endorsement sought from being required to pass a test of content area knowledge for each area of endorsement for which there is an applicable test. Creates the Teacher Performance Assessment Advisory Committee to aid in operationalizing and creating a pilot, State-developed, teacher performance assessment. Establishes the Paraprofessional to Teacher Pathway Program to provide an expedited pathway for paraprofessionals to earn a Professional Educator License in a specific content area. Sets forth the Program criteria, the requirements for individuals for entry into the Program, and the adoption of rules by the State Board of Education. Provides that an institution of higher education approved to offer educator preparation programs may enter into a partnership agreement with a community college to offer an approved educator preparation program leading to educator licensure for individuals who already hold a bachelor’s degree. Makes other changes.”

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill proposes changes to the Illinois School Code regarding educator preparation and licensure. It renames the State Teacher Certification Board to the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board and specifies its composition and appointment procedures. It establishes a licensure system with various license types, including professional educator, educator with stipulations, substitute teaching, and short-term substitute teaching licenses. It outlines requirements for each license and introduces a new Paraprofessional to Teacher Pathway Program to expedite licensing for paraprofessionals. The bill also calls for a Teacher Performance Assessment Advisory Committee to develop a pilot for assessing teacher performance, and it sets specific educational and testing requirements for out-of-state and international teacher applicants. The bill mandates the development of content area tests and requires partnerships for educator preparation programs at community colleges. These changes are aimed at streamlining and enhancing the educator licensure process, with the bill set to repeal certain sections by Jan. 1, 2028.

The bill was sponsored by Rep. Katie Stuart (Democrat-112th District), Sen. Kimberly A. Lightford (Democrat-4th District), and Rep. Laura Faver Dias (Democrat-62nd District), along with three other sponsors.

Bills in Illinois follow a multi-step legislative process, beginning with introduction in either the House or Senate, followed by committee review, floor debates, and votes in both chambers before reaching the governor for approval or veto. The General Assembly operates on a biennial schedule, and while typically thousands of bills are introduced each session, only a fraction successfully pass through the process to become law.

You can read more about bills and other measures here.

Cappel graduated from Benedictine University with a BA.

Cappel, a Democrat, was elected to the Illinois State Senate in 2020 to represent the state’s 49th Senate District, replacing previous state senator Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant.

Lawmakers listed as “Not Voting” were present for the vote but did not cast a vote. Those marked as having an “Excused Absence” were not present and formally provided a reason for their absence, which was accepted.

While the final vote determined the bill’s passage, lawmakers in both chambers held an additional vote related to a concurrence. This earlier vote is included below for context.