Section 25.25  Requirements for the Professional Educator License

 

The requirements of this Section shall apply to the issuance of professional educator licenses (PELs). All professional education and content-area coursework that forms part of an application for licensure, endorsement, or approval submitted under this Part must have been passed with a grade no lower than "C-" or equivalent to be counted towards fulfillment of the applicable requirements. If the Governor declares a disaster due to a public health emergency under Section 7 of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act [20 ILCS 3305], Illinois educator preparation providers shall be exempt from the "C-" or higher provision when entitling candidates for licensure if the candidates are already enrolled in an educator preparation course at the time the disaster declaration is issued.

 

a)         Each applicant shall:

 

1)         hold a bachelor's degree; and

 

2)         satisfy one of the following requirements:

 

A)        have completed an approved Illinois educator preparation program for the type of endorsement (i.e., teaching, administrative, or school support personnel) sought on the PEL (see Subpart C). (Thirty-two semester hours of content and pedagogy coursework, or a combination of experience and coursework, with no fewer than 18 hours of content coursework (or its equivalent experience) specific to the endorsement sought, are required for teaching endorsements.) Each applicant must complete a program satisfaction survey on the Educator Licensure Information System, as well as coursework addressing:

 

i)          the psychology of, the identification of, and the methods of instruction for the exceptional child, including without limitation children with learning disabilities (Section 21B-20(1) of the Code), which shall focus on the characteristics and methods of instruction for cross-categorical special education students so that all teachers:

 

●          understand the impact that disabilities have on the cognitive, physical, emotional, social, and communication development of an individual and provide opportunities that support the intellectual, social, and personal development of all students;

 

●          understand how students differ in their approaches to learning and create instructional opportunities that are adapted to diverse learners; and

 

●          understand instructional planning and design instruction based on knowledge of the discipline, students, community, and curriculum goal;

 

ii)         methods of reading and reading in the content area (Section 21B-20(1) of the Code), which for teachers and administrators shall address each of the following standards:

 

●          varied instructional approaches used before, during, and after reading, including those that develop word knowledge, vocabulary, comprehension, fluency, and strategy used in the content areas;

 

●          the construction of meaning through the interactions of the reader's background knowledge and experiences, the information in the text and the purpose of the reading situation;

 

●          communication theory, language development, and the role of language in learning;

 

●          the relationships among reading, writing, and oral communication and understanding how to integrate these components to increase content learning;

 

●          the design, selection, modification, and evaluation of a wide range of materials for the content areas and the reading needs of the student;

 

●          variety of formal and informal assessments to recognize and address the reading, writing, and oral communication needs of each student; and

 

●          varied instructional approaches that develop word knowledge, vocabulary, comprehension, fluency, and strategy use in the content areas;

 

iii)        methods of reading and reading in the content area (Section 21B-20(1) of the Code), which for school support personnel shall address each of the following standards:

 

●          to understand how students acquire reading competency;

 

●          to understand reading deficits and reading levels, and how they contribute to a student's ability to succeed in kindergarten through grade 12;

 

●          to understand the correlation of behavior and classroom culture (discipline, management, control, influence on engagement) on reading development and reading acquisition; and

 

●          to use the skills and strategies specific to their school support personnel specialty to support or enhance reading skill development, as applicable;

 

iv)        instructional strategies for English learners, which shall address bilingual education or English as a Second Language; or

 

B)        pursuant to Section 21B-35 of the Code, hold a valid, comparable certificate or license in another state or country, or have completed a comparable teaching or administrative preparation program in another state or country (see Section 25.425), including:

 

i)          coursework in the methods of instruction of the exceptional child (Section 21B-35(a)(2)(A) of the Code) in cross-categorical special education that meets the requirements of subsection (a)(1)(A);

 

ii)         coursework in methods of reading and reading in the content area (Section 21B-35(a)(2)(A) of the Code) that meets the requirements of subsection (a)(1)(B); and

 

iii)        coursework in instructional strategies for English learners (Section 21B- 35(a)(2)(A) of the Code), which shall address bilingual education or English as a Second Language; or

 

C)        pursuant to Section 21B-35 of the Code, hold a valid, comparable certificate or license in another state or country, or have completed a comparable school support personnel preparation program in another state or country (see Section 25.425), including college coursework in:

 

i)          the methods of instruction of the exceptional child (Section 21B-35(a)(2)(A) of the Code) in cross-categorical special education, which shall meet the requirements outlined in subsection (a)(1)(A);

 

ii)         the methods of reading and reading in the content area (Section 21B-35(a)(2)(A) of the Code), which shall meet the requirements outlined in subsection (a)(1)(C); and

 

iii)        instructional strategies for English learners (Section 21B-35(a)(2)(A) of the Code), which shall align to standards for addressing second language acquisition and the diverse learner set forth in the Standards for the Speech-Language Pathologist (23 Ill. Adm. Code 28.230) or, for other school support personnel, the applicable standards in 23 Ill. Adm. Code 23 (Standards for School Support Personnel Endorsements).

 

b)         Each applicant for a PEL endorsed in a teaching field shall have completed student teaching in conformance with the requirements of Section 25.620, except in the following circumstances:

 

1)         Applicants awarded credit in student teaching on a transcript issued by a regionally accredited institution of higher education need not complete another student teaching experience.

 

2)         One full year's teaching experience on a valid certificate, a license, or an approval in the PK-12 schools shall be accepted in lieu of student teaching.

 

3)         Applicants holding a bachelor's degree and a valid, comparable certificate or license from another state or country do not need to provide evidence of student teaching.

 

c)         For the purposes of this Part:

 

1)         A "valid, comparable certificate or license" means a current (not expired) certificate or license endorsed in the specific content area and grade levels for which Illinois licensure is sought that is equivalent to an Illinois PEL.

 

2)         "One full year's teaching experience" means the equivalent of two semesters of scheduled full-time teaching, which may, however, be accumulated in any combination of increments. That is, it need not be accumulated through full-time teaching.

 

3)         An "approval" is a credential valid for serving in a specific education area and grade range. Approvals can be issued on an existing educator license or may stand alone, as applicable to the particular approval.

 

4)         An “approved educator preparation program” means a program approved for recognition under Subpart C or completion of specified coursework, testing, and experiences aligned to State and national standards, as specified and verified by the State Superintendent, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board, that qualifies an individual for the professional educator license.

 

d)         Evidence of teaching experience, as may be required under this Part, may be satisfied in one of the following ways:

 

1)         For teachers employed in Illinois public schools, verification of the teacher's experience obtained from ELIS may be used.

 

2)         The chief administrator or other designated official of the employing school district or nonpublic school (or other employing entity, if applicable to the holder of a PEL endorsed for early childhood; also see subsection (d)(4)) may submit a letter documenting the nature and duration of the applicant's teaching.

 

3)         A letter signed by an official of the state education agency in another state may be substituted for an employer's letter when the latter cannot be secured.

 

4)         Early childhood teaching experience shall be understood as contributing to the fulfillment of this requirement if gained in a position for which a PEL endorsed for early childhood was required pursuant to the rules of the State Board at 23 Ill. Adm. Code 235 (Early Childhood Block Grant).

 

5)         Experience gained while teaching in a home school shall not be applicable to the fulfillment of this requirement.

 

e)         Each applicant for a PEL endorsed in an administrative or school support personnel field shall meet the applicable requirements of Subpart D or E, respectively.

 

f)         The PEL shall be endorsed in accordance with this Part.

 

g)         Each applicant shall be required to pass the tests required for the PEL as specified in Section 21B-30 of the Code and Section 25.720 of this Part.

 

h)         Until August 4, 2023 (the effective date of Public Act 103-488), and beginning again on September 1, 2025, if a candidate has completed all of the requirements for an Illinois-approved educator preparation program at an Illinois institution of higher education as listed in subsection (h)(1), but has not successfully passed a teacher performance assessment (edTPA), the candidate may be entitled for an educator license with stipulations endorsed for a provisional in-State educator by the institution where the program was completed.

 

1)         The candidate must have:

 

A)        at least a bachelor's degree;

 

B)        completed all components of an approved educator preparation program, excluding passing the edTPA;

 

C)        passed the applicable content test, as required by Section 21B-30 of the Code; and

 

D)        attempted an edTPA and received a minimum score on that assessment, as established by the State Board in consultation with SEPLB.

 

2)         The provisional in-State educator endorsement on an educator license with stipulations is valid for one full fiscal year after the date of issuance and may not be renewed.

 

(Source:  Amended at 48 Ill. Reg. 7729, effective May 9, 2024)