All teaching endorsements require the following:

A bachelor's degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution of higher education
Proof of a valid, comparable, out of state license
32 semester hours, or a major in the content-area, from a regionally accredited institution of higher education
Student teaching or equivalent experience
Completion of coursework* addressing methods of teaching exceptional children, reading methods, content area reading, and methods of teaching English language learners (Use form 80-02: State Approved Program and Completion of Standards Verification)
Licensure Tests: All test scores are valid indefinitely. View the options below to see the required tests for each area. Click here to register for the tests.

If completing a program at an Illinois institution, please work closely with the institution to ensure their specific requirements/timeframes are met.

Early Childhood

Validity/Grade Range	ILTS Tests
Self-contained general education from birth to grade 3	A test of basic skills Early Childhood (107) Student teaching completed prior to 8/31/15: edTPAor APT Student teaching completed 9/1/15 or later:edTPA**

Elementary

Validity/Grade Range	ILTS Tests
Self-contained general education in kindergarten-grade 9***	A test of basic skills Elementary Middle Grades(110) Student teaching completed prior to 8/31/15: edTPA or APT Student teaching completed 9/1/15 or later: edTPA**

Secondary

Validity/Grade Range	ILTS Tests
Subject-specific courses in grades 6-12. Senior high endorsements are valid 9-12***	A test of basic skills Specific Content-Area Test Student teaching completed prior to 8/31/15: edTPA or APT Student teaching completed 9/1/15 or later: edTPA**

Special K-12

Validity/Grade Range	ILTS Tests
Area of specialization in K-grade 12	A test of basic skills Specific Content-Area Test Student teaching completed prior to 8/31/15: edTPA or APT Student teaching completed 9/1/15 or later: edTPA**

Special Pre K-Age 21 Special Education

Validity/Grade Range	ILTS Tests
Areas of Learning Behavior Specialist I (LBS I), Blind or Visually Impaired, Deaf and Hard of Hearing, or Speech Language Pathologist (Teaching)	A test of basic skills LBS I (155) OR Teacher of Students who are Blind or Visually Impaired (150) OR Teacher of Students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (151) OR Speech Language Pathologist; Teaching (153) Special Education General Curriculum Test (163) Student teaching completed prior to 8/31/15: edTPA or APT Student teaching completed 9/1/15 or later: edTPA**

Early Childhood Special Education

Validity/Grade Range	ILTS Tests
Special education from birth to grade 3	A test of basic skills** Early Childhood Special Education (152) Student teaching completed prior to 8/31/15: edTPA***or APT Student teaching completed 9/1/15 or* later:edTPA****

*To see a list of acceptable courses you may take to fulfill this coursework requirements, click here

The following test scores may be accepted for the test of basic skills:

Test of Academic Proficiency (TAP 400)
ACT: Prior to 9/1/15 - Composite score of 22 with combined English/Writing score of 19 -OR- 9/1/15 and later - Composite score of 22 with Writing score of 16 - OR - 9/10/16 and later - Composite score of 22 with Writing score of 6
SAT: Prior to 3/5/16 - Composite score of 1030 (mathematics and critical reading) with a minimum writing score of 450 -OR- 3/5/16 and later - Composite score of 1110 (evidence-based reading and writing + mathematics = 1110 or higher) and a minimum score of 26 on writing and language
Out-of-state test of basic skills that led to licensure in another state

The information is accurate at this time (note date below). Applicants will be held to the most current statutory and administrative rule requirements.

***Middle School endorsements (valid for grades 5-8 on a license endorsed for elementary education or grades 6-8 on a license endorsed for secondary education) may be added if additional coursework requirements are met. View the Middle School and Middle Grades to see the content coursework and middle school professional coursework required.

****If the edTPA has been passed as part of a teacher preparation program in another state, have official scores sent to ISBE and use form 80-01A: Out-of-State Applicant Verification of EdTPA

If the edTPA has not been passed at the time of application, one of the below options may be utilized:

If the educator meets the requirements for the provisional license (ELS-PEDU) and this license is issued, the educator may complete the edTPA while teaching on this license.
The educator can enroll in the student teaching portion of an educator preparation program and complete the edTPA during this time.
The educator can provide evidence with his/her application of having at least one year of full-time teaching experience and having achieved a "proficient" or higher (or equivalent) rating on his/her most recent performance evaluation. Use form 80-01: Out-of-State Applicant Request to Waive EdTPA.

This information is accurate at the date posted below. Applicants will be held to the most current statutory and administrative rule requirements.

If you do not have a major on an official transcript in Early Childhood Education or Elementary Education, the suggested coursework acceptable to fulfill the 32 hour constructed major includes the following:

Early Childhood: history and philosophy of early childhood education, child growth and development, language acquisition and development, early childhood assessment, early childhood methods, primary level teaching methods, and a child, family, and community course.

Elementary: elementary reading methods, elementary reading assessment, elementary content area reading,children's literature, elementary math methods, elementary science methods, elementary social science methods, a general elementary methods course, child growth and development, adolescent psychology, and history and philosophyof education.

Resources

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