To teach in Illinois public schools, an individual must hold an appropriate certificate issued by the state. Anyone seeking a first certificate in Illinois must complete an approved teacher education program, either at an Illinois college or university or one from another state. There are two ways an individual can be certificated to teach in our public schools.
Through the approved program process, colleges which have certification programs approved by the State Teacher Certification Board define the courses which the candidate must complete in order to be certified at the grade level and subject of the candidate's interest. The institution recommends the candidate for the certificate upon the candidate's completion of the program requirements.
The other means of certification in Illinois is by a transcript evaluation of credits to verify completion of the minimum requirements for the certificate. However, this route to certification for Early Childhood, Elementary, High School and Special certificates is open only to persons in one of the following categories:
- Those holding an Illinois teaching certificate and have teaching experience in Illinois public or private schools.
- Those holding valid out-of-state certificates comparable to the certificate they seek in Illinois.
- Those having completed an out-of-state approved teacher education program in the area of certification sought in Illinois.
To be a teacher in Illinois you must:
- Be of good character, in good health, at least 19 years of age and a U. S. citizen or legally present and authorized for employment.
- Complete an undergraduate degree at a college with an approved teacher education program.
- Meet the requirements for the type of certificate you are seeking. (Illinois has fifty-five colleges offering approved teacher education programs. None offer all the coursework for all areas of certification.)
- Pass the Illinois Certification Testing System (ICTS) Basic Skills test and the appropriate ICTS test of subject-matter knowledge. (There are two exceptions for out-of-state applicants whose applications are processed on or after July 1, 2004.)
- The basic skills test is not required of individuals who hold valid, comparable out-of-state certificates which were issued before July 1, 2004 or were issued on or after July 1, 2004 based upon the individual’s passage of a test of basic skills.
- The content-area test is not required if the individual holds a valid, comparable out-of-state certificates and presents evidence of having passed a certification test in or directly related to that content area in another state.
- Pass the Assessment of Professional Teaching. (If applying for an Early Childhood, Elementary, Secondary or Special Certificate.) There are four versions of the APT. The one you take is based on the certificate you seek.
- Acquire pre-student teaching clinical experiences or proof of teaching experience and five semester hours, or 10 weeks, of student teaching.
- Complete an Application for Certificate and have it signed by the authorized college or university official. (If you completed all university requirements, your advisor will return the signed application to you.)
- Submit the Application for Certificate to your regional superintendent of schools with the required fees and an official transcript.
The Initial Teaching Certificate
The Initial Teaching Certificate is good for four years of teaching. After that, the ITC holder must meet the requirements for a Standard Teaching Certificate to continue to be eligible to teach in Illinois public schools.
“Four years of teaching” means four full years of employment. A teacher who teaches half-time would accumulate 4 years of teaching after 8 school years (and they do not need to be consecutive years).
Initial Teaching Certificates expire on June 30 after the 4th year of teaching. Teachers not completing the professional development requirements to qualify for a Standard Teaching Certificate by time they have completed their 4 years of teaching may request reinstatement for 1 year. They must then complete the professional development by end of reinstatement period.
If a teacher does not meet the requirements by end of the year of reinstatement, the ITC is no longer valid and cannot be reissued.
A teacher may apply for an Initial Teaching Certificate of a different type if they meet the requirements for it.
Illinois issues the following Initial, Standard and Master Level certificates:
- Early Childhood (birth-grade 3)
- Elementary (grades K-9)
- Secondary (grades 6-12)
- Special (grades K-12, or pre-school to age 21)
- School Service Personnel, and Administrative
Other certificates issued are:
- Substitute
- Provisional Vocational
- Temporary Provisional Vocational
- Part-Time Provisional
- Transitional Bilingual.