Bill
HB 2523
Illinois must create by rule a Montessori education endorsement for the Professional Educator License, with rules due by 6/1/2026 and sunset on 1/1/2027.
Status & key dates
- Bill: HB 2523 (sponsored by Rep. Jaime M. Andrade, Jr.)
- Amends: School Code, Section 21B‑25 (105 ILCS 5/21B‑25) — “Endorsement on licenses”
- Introduced: Feb 4, 2025
- Enacted: Signed by the Governor May 24, 2025
- Law effective date: September 1, 2025
- Rulemaking deadline established in the statute: June 1, 2026
- Temporary provision: The changes added by this amendatory Act become inoperative on and after January 1, 2027
Purpose and intent
- To require the State Board of Education (in consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board) to create, by administrative rule, a Montessori education endorsement that can be added to an Illinois Professional Educator License.
Key provisions
- Adds a new paragraph (1.5) to Section 21B‑25 that directs the State Board of Education, consulting the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, to:
- Establish, by rule, a “Montessori education” endorsement to be added to the Professional Educator License.
- Specify that the rules must outline the requirements for obtaining that endorsement.
- Sets a statutory deadline of June 1, 2026 for those rules to be adopted.
- States that the statutory changes made by this bill become inoperative on January 1, 2027 (i.e., the requirement to adopt the rule expires on that date unless reenacted or extended).
Who is affected
- State Board of Education and the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board: must consult and promulgate rules establishing the endorsement and its requirements.
- Educator preparation programs and institutions: may need to adapt curricula or add training pathways if they choose to offer Montessori endorsement preparation.
- Teachers and prospective license holders: will have a formal, rule‑defined pathway (endorsement) to document Montessori qualification on an Illinois Professional Educator License when the rules are adopted.
- School districts and employers: will be able to identify Montessori‑endorsed license holders on their staff.
Practical impact and limits
- The bill does not itself define the content, coursework, testing, experience, or other specific requirements for the endorsement; those details are left to State Board rules.
- The measure imposes a rulemaking timeline (by 6/1/2026) but is temporary: the statutory mandate to establish the endorsement lapses 1/1/2027. If the legislature or board intends a permanent endorsement framework, further legislative or regulatory action would be required.
- Because the rule content is not specified in statute, the actual eligibility standards, scope (grade levels, Montessori methods levels), and enforcement/audit mechanisms will depend on the adopted administrative rules.
Relevant statutory citation
- 105 ILCS 5/21B‑25 (as amended by HB 2523)
Note
- The bill modifies the general statutory structure for endorsements on the Professional Educator License by adding a specific, time‑limited requirement to establish a Montessori endorsement; stakeholders should watch forthcoming rulemaking for substantive requirements.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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