Illinois offers three teacher certifications: the Professional Educator License (PEL), the Substitute License, and the Educator License with Stipulations (ELS). The process of becoming a teacher in Illinois is also called entitlement. Generally, all three types of licensure require the individual to hold a bachelor's degree. Entitlement also requires individuals seeking an Illinois teaching license to pass multiple exams, such as the Evidence-Based Assessment of Teacher Effectiveness (edTPA) and applicable content-specific tests. The PEL is the most traditional Illinois teaching license and is obtained after graduating with a four-year Bachelor of Education degree that includes clinical and field hours. The PEL must be endorsed in teaching, administrative, school support personnel, or special education.
In most cases, the ELS licensure path requires individuals to hold at least a bachelor's degree; some ELS paths require a certain number of hours or other professional experience. For example, the Transitional Bilingual Educator ELS licensure offers three options for licensure and one that allows candidates to hold any degree from an accredited U.S. institution. The ELS licensure path includes paraprofessionals, Chief School Business Officials, Transitional Bilingual Educators, and Career and Technical Educators (CTE).
The Substitute License requires individuals to hold at least a bachelor's degree and is valid for up to five years. In addition, the newly created Short-Term Substitute License requires candidates to hold at least an associate's degree or 60 semester hours of coursework.
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There are a variety of programs that meet the requirements set by the Illinois Department of Education for Illinois teacher certification. Many programs are offered online, in-person, or a hybrid of both. However, the license seeker must ensure the chosen program meets the requirements of the state of Illinois. The Illinois Department of Education must verify teacher preparation programs from outside the state. License seekers who hold degrees from colleges or universities outside the United States will have their foreign education credentials analyzed and adjusted to adhere to Illinois guidelines.
Illinois is home to many colleges and universities that offer teacher preparation programs on varying education levels. Some notable teacher preparation programs the state has to offer include:
Bachelor in Education Content Areas:
Bachelor of Education Content Areas:
Bachelor of Education Content Areas:
Illinois teaching certification often requires in-state license seekers to complete at least 15 semester hours in their chosen content area or major. Out-of-state prospective teachers are required to complete at least 32 semester hours in chosen content area or major. License seekers who choose to obtain an Illinois teaching certification via alternative methods will be required to hold a bachelor's degree in their chosen content area and may be required to complete additional semester hours. For all Illinois teaching certifications, student teaching and fieldwork are mandatory components.
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Aspiring educators in Illinois must take various tests to obtain an Illinois teaching certification. Recent changes have removed financial and logistical barriers to get new teachers into the classroom quickly. Prospective educators are not required to submit any scores from their ACT/SAT nor from Praxis to be considered for Illinois Licensure. License seekers must now only pass the Evidence-Based Assessment of Teacher Effectiveness (edTPA), and any applicable content area exams. The edTPA requires prospective educators to provide samples of real classwork by submitting real student works, short teaching videos, educator feedback and lesson plans. Prospective educators must obtain a passing score, which varies depending on chosen academic subjects. However, if a candidate passed the edTPA in another state, the score will be accepted in Illinois.
Upon completion of a teacher prep program, license-seekers are required to pass chosen content exams within the Illinois Licensure Testing System (ILTS). The ILTS contains all available content area exams, such as Agricultural Education, English Language Arts, Reading Specialist, and Visual Arts. ILTS exams were developed to measure prospective teachers' abilities and understanding of content areas. ILTS exams are scored on a scale of 100 to 300 points. Testers must score 240 or above to pass the exams. When registering for the chosen content exams, license seekers can indicate which teacher prep program should receive their scores. Score results are provided to the license seeker, the teacher prep program indicated, and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).
Before student teaching, license seekers in Illinois must undergo background checks and fingerprinting. The background check includes State of Illinois convictions and FBI criminal background analysis. The Criminal History Records Information (CHRI) via fingerprinting and the Statewide Sex Offender Database and Statewide Child Murderer and Violent Offender Against Youth Database via the Illinois State Police and FBI. These are required for all license seekers.
Aspiring educators in Illinois may submit teaching applications after completing all Department of Education requirements. Applications may be submitted through the Educator Licensure Information System (ELIS) website. License-seekers may submit required documentation to Illinois State Department of Education via email. Mandatory documentation includes:
Teaching applications are accepted primarily during the summer months of June, July and August. Illinois license seekers are encouraged to submit required documentation early to ensure timely processing. The ISBE suggests Illinois license seekers submit teaching applications at least three months before the date they plan to begin teaching.
Aspiring educators can follow an alternative path to entitlement within Illinois. License seekers who hold a bachelor's degree but still need to complete a teacher prep program are still able to obtain an Illinois teaching license. Alternative paths to teaching licensure are common among license seekers looking to change career paths but who have years of professional experience outside the classroom. Obtaining an alternative teacher certification in Illinois is often referred to as the non-traditional teaching licensure path.
Non-traditional license-seekers must hold an accredited bachelor's degree or higher and pass courses that qualify for the Educator Licensure with Stipulations endorsed for Alternative Educator ELS(APE). Following completion of courses, non-traditional license-seekers must complete a two-year residency under the supervision of a teacher mentor. These candidates must have all courses, their two-year residency, chosen content area exams, and the edTPA completed before they can swap the ELS(APE) for the more traditional Professional Educator License (PEL). During the two-year ELS(APE) residency, prospective teachers are given a full-time, paid teaching assignment under the direction of a teacher mentor.
Out-of-state license-seekers may teach within Illinois after completing their chosen content area exams successfully. Teachers from out-of-state can obtain a Provisional Educator License. Proof of valid out-of-state teaching license and proof of an accredited bachelor's degree or higher are required for educators looking to obtain the Provisional Educator License via reciprocity. The Provisional Educator License may be provided to out-of-state educators with a teaching certification in another state through a process called reciprocity and is valid for a maximum of 2 years (with an approved extension). After a year (or two with an approved extension), the Provisional Educator License may be renewed for two more years if full-time employment within an Illinois public or non-public school has not been obtained.
| Illinois Public School Enrollment and Teacher Salary by Grade 2019-2020 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Public School Grade | Total Number of Teachers Employed | Total Number of Students Enrolled | Average Teacher Salary |
| Pre K | 1,511 | 82,456 | $31,500 |
| Kindergarten | 3,735 | 130,713 | $55,660 |
| Elementary Grades 1-8 | 63,981 | 1,349,530 | $62,140 |
| Secondary Grades 9-12 | 30,178 | 607,488 | $72,370 |
| Illinois Private School Enrollment and Teacher Salary by Grade 2019-2020 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Public School Grade | Total Number of Teachers Employed | Total Number of Students Enrolled | Average Teacher Salary |
| Pre K | 1,975.8 | 27,202 | $31,990 |
| Kindergarten | 1,218.3 | 14,448 | $45,044 |
| Elementary Grades 1-8 | 8,367.1 | 145,507 | $51,270 |
| Secondary Grades 9-12 | 4,042.5 | 48,067 | $70,580 |
License-seekers looking to become licensed in Chicago school districts have over 600 public schools and over 350 private schools for employment. Within Chicago, there are both private and public schools available. License-seekers will need to obtain and successfully complete all of the requirements to become licensed to teach within the state of Illinois as required by the Illinois Department of Education.
It takes a minimum of four years to become a teacher following the traditional route. The non-traditional route usually takes 2 years under a teacher mentor. This is called an Educator Licensure with Stipulations endorsed for Alternative Educator - ELS(APE). After completing a 2-year residency, the ELS(APE) can be swapped for the traditional PEL.
Applicants must attend an educator preparation program, either within a Bachelor of Education program or after they have obtained a bachelor's degree in another field. They must also complete the required testing and assessments for licensure.
A candidate who has already earned a bachelor's degree in a related area may apply to a program that allows them to teach for 2 years under a mentorship. This is called the Educator Licensure with Stipulations endorsed for Alternative Educators - ELS(APE).
Candidates must complete the required teaching programs and pass the required licensure testing for the area in which they would like to teach.
Professional Education Licenses must be renewed every five years. At this time, candidates must also complete 120 hours of professional development before renewal of their license.
PEL stands for Professional Educator License. The PEL is the standard license for becoming a teacher in the state of Illinois.