"If your plan is for a year, plant rice. If your plan is for a decade, plant trees. If your plan is for a lifetime, educate children."

Confucius

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Teacher Certification

Types | Tests | Guidelines | Endorsements | Lapsed

 

Some Types of Certification

Type 04 - Early Childhood
Type 03 - Elementary
Type 09 - Secondary
Type 10 - Special Certificate
Type 29 - Transitional Bilingual Certificate

Certification Tests

Type 04, Type 03, Type 09, and Type 10.

1. Basic Skills Test • Required prior to issuance of the certificate. • Effective July 2002, required of candidates prior to entering teacher education programs leading to any of these certificates (PA 92-734).
2. Content Test • The appropriate test of content knowledge is required prior to issuance of the certificate. • Effective Fall 2004, candidates in Illinois approved programs must pass the appropriate test of content knowledge prior to student teaching (PA 92-734).
   • Beginning July 2003, new special education content tests replaced existing special education tests.
   • Beginning July 2004, new content tests for all other teaching certificates replaced existing content tests.
3. Assessment of Professional Teaching • Is required, prior to the issuance of any of the above certificates, of individuals who apply for one of those certificates on or after October 1, 2003.
   • There are four levels of this test, one for each certificate type: Birth to grade 3, K-9, 6-12, K-12/P-21.

Type 29

1. Endorsed in target language.
2. Language Proficiency Test
   • Required prior to issuance of the certificate.
   • A test of language proficiency in the target language is required unless the applicant received a degree from an institution where the target language was the medium of instruction.
   • A test in English Language Proficiency is required unless the applicant received a degree from an institution where English was the medium of instruction.

Guidelines

Illinois Teacher Certification Information
Illinois State Board of Education Certification Guidelines

Paraprofessionals
New State requirements for qualifications
Form for state approval of qualifications

Endorsements

An endorsement will be issued to an applicant who has 1) completed a 32 semester hour major or 2) completed 24 semester hours of credit related to the subject area and passed the applicable content-area test.

Special provisions apply to those individuals who split special K-12 certificates and are seeking an endorsement for self-contained elementary education. These individuals may qualify for the endorsement on the elementary certificate by completing an approved program in elementary education and passing the elementary/middle grades test. The endorsement may be added to the existing certificate or a new elementary certificate may be issued. However, in the instance of a new certificate issuance, the applicant would be required to pass the basic skills, assessment of professional teaching (unless the applicant had previously passes the APT K12), and elementary/middle grade tests.

Special provisions shall also apply to the issuance of endorsements in science and social science. Individuals seeking to add an endorsement in either field must pass the content-area test for the designation sought and either 1) be recommended for the endorsement and designation by an institution with an approved program in the subject area or 2) present evidence of having accumulated 32 semester hours of coursework in the field with at least 12 hours in the designation sought and hours in at least two other areas.

Full Requirements for all Endorsements and Application Forms

Lapsed Certificates

a) A lapsed certificate, one that has not been registered or renewed for a period of five or more years since expiration of its last registration, shall be reinstated for a one-year period upon payment of all accumulated registration fees.

b) The Regional Superintendent shall notify the holder of a reinstated certificate of:

1) The specific time of reinstatement, including beginning and ending dates.

2) The requirement that, in order to renew the certificate at the end of the period of reinstatement, the certificate holder must:

A) Have earned, within the six-year period that encompasses the certification year of reinstatement and the five-year period immediately prior to the year of reinstatement , five semester hours of college credit from one or more regionally accredited institutions of higher learning in the field of professional education or in courses related to the holder's contractual teaching duties, or

B) Present evidence of holding a valid regular certificate of some other type, whether issued by Illinois or by another state, territory, or possession of the U.S.

C) As a reinstated certificate is a reissued certificate, the expiration of all reinstated certificates shall be on June 30 following the date of reinstatement in accordance with Section 21-22 of the School Code.

D) The Regional Superintendent shall stamp the back of a lapsed certificate with the date of reinstatement.

E) Standard Certificates issued between July 1, 19 29 , and July 1, 19 51 , do not lapse.

F) When a lapsed certificate that was issued prior to February 15, 2000 , has been reinstated and then is to be renewed pursuant to this Section, it shall be exchanged for a comparable standard teaching certificate in accordance with Section 25.11 and Appendix C of this Part. The certificate-holder shall thereupon become subject to the requirements of Sections 21-2 and 21-14 of the School Code and Subpart J of this Part regarding continuing professional development.

1) Subsequent renewals of such an individual's certificate(s) shall be contingent upon his or her completion of continuing professional development activities in accordance with the requirements of Subpart J of this Part.

2) College credit earned pursuant to subsection (b)(2)(A) of this Section shall not be used to satisfy any portion of the continuing professional development requirements of Section 21-14 of the School Code.

(Source: Amended at 29 Ill. Reg. 10068, effective June 30, 2005 )

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