Section 25.425  Individuals Prepared in Out-of-State Institutions

a)         In accordance with Section 21B-35 of the Code, an applicant who was prepared in another state or country may be granted an Illinois professional educator license endorsed in the area (i.e., teaching, administrative, or school support personnel) that corresponds to the completed program if that applicant meets all the generally applicable requirements of Article 21B of the Code (e.g., age and good character) and the requirements for the license and the endorsement sought, as specified in the applicable Sections of this Part. As used in each of those Sections, a "comparable program" is one that leads to eligibility for service in the same specific capacity in the public schools of the state where the program was completed.

1)         Each out-of-state applicant shall have passed each of the tests required for the PEL and the endorsement sought, as set forth in Section 21B-30 of the Code and Section 25.720.

2)         In accordance with Section 21B-30(f) of the Code, beginning September 1, 2025, each applicant who has not been entitled by an Illinois-approved institution of higher education for a PEL endorsed in a teaching field shall pass the teacher performance assessment (edTPA) (see Section 25.720(c) of this Part). If the applicant has not met the requirement to pass the edTPA, the applicant may:

A)        enroll in the student teaching portion of an educator preparation program offered by an Illinois institution of higher education approved to offer a program pursuant to Subpart C, during which time the edTPA shall be completed; or

B)        for purposes of meeting both the requirements of Section 21B-30(f) of the Code and this subsection (a)(4), an applicant who provides evidence with an application of having at least one year of full-time teaching experience and having achieved a "proficient" or higher rating, or the equivalent, on the most recent performance evaluation shall not be required to pass the edTPA.

b)         An individual may receive additional endorsements on a PEL endorsed for teaching by meeting the applicable requirements of Sections 25.37 and 25.100.

c)         A candidate whose credentials were earned at an institution outside the United States shall submit the documents prepared by the foreign institution to a service whose evaluations are accepted by the State Board pursuant to subsection (d) to determine if the candidate has met the requirements of Section 21B-35(b) of the Code.

1)         After reviewing the documents submitted, the service shall provide to the State Superintendent an official translated evaluation report identifying the degree held by the individual and indicating whether the individual has been prepared as an educator. The service shall also provide a list of the courses completed, with the credits earned equated to semester hours.

2)         The evaluation report provided by the service pursuant to subsection (c)(1) shall be reviewed to determine whether the individual qualifies for a PEL and the endorsements for which application was made; if so, the individual shall receive the license and the endorsements indicated by the coursework completed.

3)         If the review of the individual's transcript indicates that the individual does not qualify for a PEL and the endorsements for which application was made, the individual shall receive a notification of the deficiencies for the license and the endorsement requested.

d)         Evaluation services shall be approved to review foreign credentials for purposes of Illinois licensure if they demonstrate experience working on behalf of either the National Association of Foreign Student Affairs or the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. However, the State Board may discontinue acceptance of evaluations from any service based on evidence of material inconsistencies in reviews. The State Board shall maintain an up-to-date list of all organizations whose reviews are being accepted and shall make this list readily available.

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