VI. Testing for Certificates
Since 1988, all applicants for early childhood, elementary,
secondary and special teaching certificates and all applicants
for school service personnel and administrative certificates
have been required to pass a test of basic skills and
content knowledge applicable to the endorsement on the
certificate sought. Beginning October 1, 2003, applicants
have also been required to pass an Assessment of Professional
Teaching appropriate to the grade level of the certificate
sought.
Beginning July 1, 2004, one option to meet requirements
for endorsements at the secondary level at the time a
certificate is issued is to pass the content test for
the subject and demonstrate 24 semester hours in the content
area. Some designations, however, will require a test
regardless of the number of content-area credits the applicant
has. For details on these requirements, see the section
entitled "Endorsements for Secondary Subjects Effective
July 1, 2004."
Detailed information about testing, including frequently
asked questions, test dates, and study guides, is available
on our website at www.isbe.net/certification/html/testfee.htm.
Those persons who attempt to pass examinations through
deception will, when discovered, be denied all current
and future requests for certification.
TESTS REQUIRED FOR CERTIFICATES JULY
2004
TEACHING CERTIFICATES
Initial or Standard - Type 04, Early Childhood;
Type 03, Elementary; Type 09, Secondary;
Type 10, Special Certificate.
TESTS REQUIRED:
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).
Content Test
- The appropriate test of content knowledge is
required prior to issuance of the certificate.
- Effective Fall 2004, candidates in Illinois approved
programs may be required by the university to pass
the appropriate test of content knowledge prior
to student teaching
- 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.
Assessment of Professional Teaching (APT)
- Individuals who apply for one of above certificates
on or after October 1, 2003, are required to take
the APT prior to the issuance of any of these certificates.
- There are four levels of this test, one for each
certificate type: Early Childhood (birth to grade
3), Elementary (K-9), Secondary (6-12), Special
(K-12/P-21).
Special Education General Curriculum
The Special Education General Curriculum test will
also be required for all individuals who apply for
the following certificates on or after October 1,
2006:
- Learning Behavior Specialist I
- Teacher of Students
Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired
- Teacher of
Students Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
- Speech-Language
Pathologist: Teaching
PROVISIONAL TEACHING CERTIFICATES:
- Issuance is limited to individuals who hold comparable,
valid teaching certificates from other states or countries:
Type 05, Provisional Early Childhood; Type
30, Provisional Elementary; Type 31, Provisional
Secondary; Type 33, Provisional Special.
- The holder must pass the tests required for issuance
of the corresponding Initial or Standard Certificate
no later than nine months from the issue date of the
provisional certificate.
- Failure to do so results in cancellation of the certificate.
SCHOOL SERVICE PERSONNEL CERTIFICATES
Type 73, School Service Personnel (Includes endorsements:
School Nurse, School Psychologist,
School Social Worker, School Counselor and Speech Language
Pathologist-Non Teaching).
TESTS REQUIRED:
Basic Skills Test
- Required prior to issuance of the certificate.
Content Test
- Required prior to issuance of the certificate.
- Beginning July 2003, a new Speech Language Pathologist
-Non Teaching test replaced the existing test required
for that endorsement.
- Beginning July 2005, new content tests will replace
all other existing School Service Personnel tests.
PROVISIONAL SCHOOL SERVICE PERSONNEL CERTIFICATES
- Issuance is limited to individuals who hold comparable,
valid school service personnel certificates from other
states: Type 74, Provisional School Service Personnel.
- The holder must pass the tests required for issuance
of the corresponding Type 73 School Service Personnel
Certificate no later than nine months from the issue
date of the provisional certificate.
- Failure to do so results in cancellation of the
certificate.
ADMINISTRATIVE CERTIFICATES
Type 75, Administrative Certificates include current endorsements:
Director of Special Education,
General Administrative, Chief School Business Official,
and Superintendent.
TESTS REQUIRED:
Basic Skills Test
- Required prior to issuance of the certificate.
Content Test
- Appropriate test of content knowledge required
prior to issuance of the certificate.
- Beginning July 2004, new content tests replaced
existing tests.
- Beginning July 2004, new Director of Special
Education test became available. The test will be
required for the endorsement beginning July 2005.
PROVISIONAL ADMINISTRATIVE CERTIFICATES
- Issuance limited to candidates who hold comparable,
valid administrative certificates from other states:
TYPE 76, Provisional Administrative.
- The holder is required to pass the tests required
for issuance of the corresponding certificate no later
than nine months from the issue date of the provisional
certificate.
- Failure to do so results in cancellation of the
certificate.
ALTERNATIVE ROUTE PROGRAM CERTIFICATES
Issuance limited to candidates enrolled in approved alternative
route teacher education programs:
Type 23, Provisional Alternative Elementary; Type
25, Provisional Alternative Secondary;
Type 26, Provisional Alternative Administrative;
Type 27, Provisional Alternative Special;
Type 38, Resident Teacher Certificate; Type 43,
Provisional Alternative Early Childhood.
TESTS REQUIRED:
Basic Skills Test
- Required prior to issuance of the certificate.
Content Test
- Required prior to issuance of the certificate.
- 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 tests.
TRANSITIONAL BILINGUAL CERTIFICATE
Type 29, Transitional Bilingual Certificate, endorsed
in target language.
TESTS REQUIRED:
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.
Requirement to Take Test of Basic
Skills
for Out-of-State Applicants
Individuals who are applying for an Illinois certificate
after July 1, 2004, and who already hold a valid
and comparable certificate from another state, possession,
or territory of the United States are required to
take the Illinois test of basic skills except
when one of the following conditions is met:
- Their other state's certificate was issued before
June 30, 2004, OR
- Their other state's certificate was issued on
or after July 1, 2004, and the individual
was required to pass a test of basic skills to
obtain the certificate.
However, if an applicant has already attempted
and failed the Illinois test of basic skills, then
he or she is still required to pass the test
to obtain the first Illinois certificate. Further,
an applicant who qualifies for a first Illinois
certificate without taking the Illinois test of
basic skills who then seeks a subsequent Illinois
certificate requiring the test of basic skills must
take and pass the test of basic skills.
Requirement to Take Content-Area Test for Out-of-State
Applicants
Individuals who are applying for an Illinois certificate
and who hold a valid and comparable certificate
from another state, possession, or territory of
the United States are required to pass an Illinois
content-area test unless they have passed a certification
test that would be applicable to a subject area
of endorsement for which they qualify in Illinois.
Acceptance of content tests in other states will
be determined by ISBE.
Documentation that Applicants Have Met Testing
Requirements
To document out-of-state testing, applicants should
complete the top portion of form ISBE 73-99,
"Confirmation of State Tests Taken"
and forward it to the State Testing Authority of
your state for confirmation of the test.
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