Out of State Applicants

The following information is designed to assist out of state applicants in learning more about teacher certification in Illinois and in preparing an application for a certificate. Please note that transcript evaluation is available only to individuals who have (1) Completed a state approved education program for the certificate sought; or (2) Hold a valid and comparable certificate from another state or territory. This information applies to professional teaching certificates.

Types of Certificates
The Illinois State Board of Education issues the following types of professional certificates:

• Teaching Certificates
  • Early Childhood (Birth to Grade Three)
  • Elementary (Kindergarten through Grade Nine)
  • Secondary (Grade Six through Grade Twelve)
  • Special (Subject Specific, Kindergarten through Grade Twelve)
  • Special Education Special Certificate (Pre-School to Age Twenty-One)
• Administrative Certificates
  • General Administrative
  • Superintendent
  • Chief School Business Official
  • Director of Special Education
• School Service Personnel Certificates
  • School Guidance Counselor
  • School Nurse
  • School Psychologist
  • School Social Worker
  • Non-Teaching Speech-Language Pathologist

Application Checklist

Testing Requirements

• Teacher Certification
  Individuals seeking certification as a teacher in Illinois must pass three tests: the Basic Skills test, the appropriate content area test, and the appropriate Assessment of Professional Teaching (APT) test.
  
  In addition to the tests listed above, 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
    
• Administrative Certification
  Individuals seeking certification as an administrator in Illinois must pass the Basic Skills test and the appropriate content area test.
  
• School Service Personnel Certification
  Individuals seeking school service personnel certification in Illinois must pass the Basic Skills test and the appropriate content area test.

Certification Tests Taken Out of State

Provisional Certificates

Resources