Educator Licensure
Kellee Sullivan
Educator Licensure
Division Administrator
Illinois State Board of Education
ksulliva@isbe.net
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Transition to Three Types of Licenses
July 1, 2013
 Professional Educator License
 Educator License with Stipulations
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Alternative Provisional Educator
Alternative Provisional Superintendent
Resident Teacher
Career and Technical Educator
Provisional Career and Technical Educator
Transitional Bilingual
Visiting International Teacher
Paraprofessional
 Substitute Teacher License
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Professional Educator License
 Requirements
 Successfully completed an approved educator preparation program
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and are recommended for licensure by the Illinois institution offering
the educator preparation program;
Successfully completed all testing requirements;
Successfully completed coursework on the psychology of, the
identification of, and the methods of instruction for the exceptional
child, including, without limitation, the learning disabled (to be further
defined in rule);
Successfully completed coursework in methods of reading and
reading in the content area (to be further defined in rule); and
Met all other criteria established by rule of the State Board of
Education.
Professional Educator License
 Self-contained elementary, content-area endorsements, special
education, administrative and school service personnel
endorsements along with appropriate grade levels will be placed
on a professional educator license or an educator license with
stipulations.
 The three levels of teaching certificates: initial, standard and
master will be eliminated; however, a National Board for
Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) designation will appear
on the teaching license.
 A few examples of the exchange follow:
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The Exchange from a Current
Certificate to a License
Certificate
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License
 Type 04 Early Childhood
 Professional Educator License
Certificate
 Valid for Teaching Birth to
Grade 3
 Self-contained General
Education Age 0 through
Grade 3
 Valid for Teaching Birth to
Grade 3
 Self-contained General
Education Age 0 through
Grade 3
The Exchange from a Current
Certificate to a License
Certificate
 Type 03 Elementary
Certificate
 Valid for Teaching Grades
(K-9)
 Endorsed in one or more
middle school content
areas; mathematics middle
school and mathematics
upper elementary/junior
high
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License
 Professional Educator
License
 Self-Contained Elementary
(K-9)
 Endorsed in math middle
school
 Endorsed in math upper
elementary/junior high
The Exchange from a Current
Certificate to a License
Certificate
 Type 10 Special Certificate
 Professional Educator
 Endorsed in Music
License
 Endorsed in Music K-12
 Valid for teaching Grades
K-12
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License
The Exchange from a Current
Certificate to a License
Certificate
 Type 10 Special Certificate
 Endorsed in Learning
Behavior Specialist I (LBS
I) Pre K-Age 21
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License
 Professional Educator
License
 Endorsed in Learning
Behavior Specialist I (LBS
I) Pre K-Age21
The Exchange from a Current
Certificate to a License
Certificate
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License
 Type 29 Transitional
 Professional Educator
Bilingual Certificate
 Valid for teaching grades
K-12
 Language designation
License with Stipulations
 Endorsed in Transitional
Bilingual with a language
designation K-12
Important Change
 Valid for six years
Important Change
 Valid for five years
The Exchange from a Current
Certificate to a License
Certificate
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License
 Type 73 School Service
 Professional Educator
Certificate
 Endorsed in School Social
Work
 Valid for K-12
License
 Endorsed in School Social
Work
 Valid for K-12
The Exchange from a Current
Certificate to a License
Certificate
 Type 75 Administrative
 Professional Educator License
Certificate
 Endorsed for Principal
 Endorsed for Principal
 Valid for K-12
 Type 03 Elementary
 General Admin K-12
 Endorsed for Eled
 Self-Contained K-9
Education
 Mathematics – JH only
 Valid for Self-Contained K-9
 LA – JH only
 Endorsed in MS LA & Math
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License
Professional Educator License
Endorsements
 The license will be endorsed with specific areas and grade levels
in which the holder is eligible to teach.
 A subsequent endorsement for the same grade level may be
added to the Professional Educator License. A subsequent
endorsement for the same grade level requires a minimum of
24 semester hours of coursework in the endorsement area,
unless otherwise specified by rule, and passage of the applicable
content- area test(s).
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Initial Certificates
 Current Initial Certificate Holders will have their certificates exchanged for a
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Professional Educator License (PEL) on July 1, 2013. The license will be valid
for the time remaining on the certificate.
Initial Certificate holders who have completed four years of teaching this year
need not apply for a Standard Certificate and pay the application fee since the
Initial Certificate will be exchanged for the PEL at no cost.
There are no requirements for moving from the Initial Certificate to the PEL; it
is automatic for certificate holders.
Individuals who have not yet completed four years of teaching will also have
their certificate exchanged for the PEL.
Educators should keep Evidence of Completion for all professional
development completed during the validity period of the certificate/license.
Professional Educator License –
National Board Certification
 Those with previous NB certification endorsements will
transfer over and can be taught.
 Those that NOW (as of July 1, 2012) earn NB certification
will only be able to teach on an Illinois endorsement. NB
certification will be noted on the license as a designation.
 Those with a NB designation will renew automatically after 5
years, allowing for their 10 year renewal cycle.
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Professional Educator License
 Rules will define which endorsements will require
completion of an entire approved program—i.e. adding an
administrative endorsement to a license endorsed in a
teaching field.
 Rules will define which endorsements will require
completion of a focused program—i.e. adding a 9-12
mathematics endorsement to a license endorsed in selfcontained elementary.
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Professional Educator License
Out of State Applicants
Must have
 completed a comparable out of state program,
 a degree and degree major or constructed major
corresponding to the license or endorsement sought,
 student teaching
 Methods of Instruction of the Exceptional Child course,
 6 SH in methods of reading and reading in the content area,
 instructional strategies for ELL course,
 passed Basic Skills, Content tests, and APT if appropriate
 Beginning in July 1, 2015 testing will include edTPA
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Educator License with Stipulations
An Educator License with Stipulations will be issued that is:
 Non-renewable; or
 Limits the license holder to one particular position; and/or
 Does not require completion of an approved educator
program; or
 Any combination of these three items.
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Educator License with Stipulations
endorsed as Provisional Educator--Limitations
 A provisional educator endorsement for principal may not be
issued, nor may any person with a provisional educator
endorsement serve as a principal in a public school in Illinois.
 Out-of-state applicants will not receive a provisional
educator endorsement if the person completed an alternative
licensure program in another state unless the program has
been determined to be equivalent to the Illinois program
requirements.
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Educator License with Stipulations
endorsed as Provisional Educator--Validity
 A provisional educator endorsement is valid until June 30
immediately following 2 years of the license being issued,
during which time any remaining testing and coursework
deficiencies must be met.
 Failure to satisfy all stated deficiencies will mean that the
individual is ineligible to receive a Professional Educator
License at that time.
 A provisional educator endorsement on an Educator License
with Stipulations will not be renewed.
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Educator License with Stipulations
endorsed as Provisional Educator
 Evaluations are now good for one full calendar year.
 We are suggesting that an individual apply in their initial
request for all endorsements they want on their license to
avoid additional fees.
 They may add endorsements later, only valid during the
original license validity period, for an additional fee.
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Educator License with Stipulations
endorsed as Career and Technical Educator
 A career and technical educator endorsement may be issued
on a Educator License with Stipulations to an applicant who
has documented the following:
 A minimum of 60 semester hours of coursework from a
regionally accredited institution of higher education;
 Passed a test of basic skills; and
 Accumulated a minimum of 2,000 hours of work experience in
the last 10 years outside of education in each area to be taught.
The career and technical educator endorsement is valid until June
30 immediately following five years of the endorsement being
issued.
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Educator License with Stipulations
endorsed as
Provisional Career and Technical Educator--validity
 The endorsement is valid until June 30 immediately following
five years of the endorsement being issued.
 The endorsement may be renewed one time for five years if the
individual passes a test of basic skills and completes a minimum
of 20 semester hours from a regionally accredited institution.
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Educator License with Stipulations
endorsed as
Transitional Bilingual Educator—validity
 This endorsement is valid Pre K-Grade 12 and is valid until
June 30 immediately following five years of the endorsement
being issued and will not be renewed.
 Persons holding a transitional bilingual must not be employed
to replace any presently employed teacher who otherwise
would not be replaced for any reason.
 Individuals holding a transitional bilingual endorsement may
also apply for a language endorsement on an Educator
License with Stipulations. The language endorsement is valid
for the same validity period as the transitional bilingual
endorsement on an Educator License with Stipulations and
may not be renewed.
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Educator License with Stipulations
endorsed as a Paraprofessional
 A paraprofessional educator endorsement on a Educator
License with Stipulations may be issued to an applicant who
holds a high school diploma or its equivalent and who holds
one of the following:
 An associate’s degree; or
 A minimum of 60 semester hours of credit from a regionally
accredited institution of higher education; or
 Has passed a test of basic skills (defined as the ACT Workkeys or
the ETS Parapro).
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Educator License with Stipulations
endorsed as a Paraprofessional--validity
 The paraprofessional endorsement is valid until June 30
immediately following 5 years of the endorsement being
issued.
 The paraprofessional endorsement may be renewed through
application and payment of the applicable fee.
 An individual who holds only a paraprofessional endorsement
is not subject to additional requirements in order to renew
the endorsement.
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Substitute Teaching License
A Substitute Teaching License may be issued to qualified
applicants for substitute teaching in all grades of the public
schools, Pre K-Grade 12.
Substitute Teaching Licenses are not eligible for
endorsements.
Substitute Teaching Licenses are valid for substitute teaching
in every county of this State.
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Substitute Teaching License
A Substitute Teaching License may be issued to qualified
applicants for substitute teaching in all grades of the public
schools, Pre K-Grade 12.
Substitute Teaching Licenses are not eligible for
endorsements.
Substitute Teaching Licenses are valid for substitute teaching
in every county of this State.
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Substitute Teaching License
 Requirements:
 Hold a bachelor’s degree or higher from a
regionally accredited institution of higher
education.
 If an individual has had his or her Professional
Educator License or Educator License with
Stipulations suspended or revoked, or has not met
renewal requirements for licensure, then the
individual is not eligible to obtain a Substitute
Teaching License.
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Substitute Teaching License
Validity of the Substitute Teaching License
 Valid for five years;
 May be renewed if the individual has passed the TAP.
 The TAP score may be no older than ten years at the time it is submitted
to ISBE;
 An individual who has passed the TAP for the first Substitute Teaching
License is not required to retake the test for future renewals.
 The ACT Plus Writing or the SAT may be used in lieu of the TAP.
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Substitute Teaching License
There is no limit on the number of days that a teacher may
teach in a single school district, provided that:
 No substitute teacher may teach longer than 90 school days
for any one licensed teacher under contract in the same
school year.
 A substitute teacher who holds a Professional Educator
License or an Educator License with Stipulations may not
teach for more than 120 school days for any one licensed
teacher under contract for one school year.
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Lapsed, Suspended of Invalid
Certificates
 In the transition, if on the same license there is a lapsed or invalid
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endorsement (formerly a certificate) and at least one valid endorsement,
for the first cycle only, the lapsed or invalid “certificate” will appear as an
invalid or lapsed endorsement.
If the lapsed or invalid certificate results in two types of licenses in the
transition, the license with the invalid endorsement will be invalid while
the other license may be valid.
In the future a lapsed or invalid endorsement on a license will render the
entire license lapsed or invalid.
Licenses of all types that are not renewed/registered six months after
the last renewal date will lapse, and penalties apply for reinstatement.
Individuals holding lapsed certificates are urged to reinstate them prior
to the exchange for the license to ensure a seamless transition.
Registration
 A fee must be paid to register each type of license held by the same individual for the
period of validity (i.e., the time period during which the certificate is valid). Therefore,
a person holding any combination of the three available types of certificates must register
each type and pay a separate fee to maintain the validity; for example, a person holding a
Professional Educator license and a Substitute License would pay separate registration
fees for each of them every renewal cycle.
 An individual is required to register all types of licenses held and must pay a separate
registration fee for each period of validity.
 Individuals are required to register their licenses in each region where they teach, or in
any county of the State if the individual is not yet employed, but, are required to pay a
registration fee in only one region. Therefore, an individual who moves from one region
to another after paying a registration fee for a particular period of time is required to
register his or her certificates in the new region, but is not required to pay an additional
registration fee
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Renewal
 Be patient until final renewal requirements are released for
those who are renewing July 1, 2014. Determinations about
renewal of the licenses and what will count and how much
credit each activity will be worth are yet to be decided. They
will have sufficient time to renew their new license(s) once
the system is implemented.
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Fees
 $10 per year registration fee for the course of the validity cycle to
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register the license. An individual must register the license immediately
after initial issuance of the license and at the beginning of each renewal
cycle if the individual has satisfied the required renewal requirements.
$50 application fee for each new endorsement or approval an
individual currently holding a license wishes to add to that license.
$75 application fee for a new Professional Educator License or a new
Educator License with Stipulations and for individuals seeking a new
Substitute Teaching License.
$100 application fee beginning on January 1, 2015, for a new
Professional Educator License, new Educator License with Stipulations,
or new Substitute Teaching License.
$150 application fee for individuals who have completed an approved
educator preparation program outside of this state or who hold a valid,
comparable credential from another state or country and are seeking any
of the licenses.
Educator Licensure
Information System
A new database called the Educator Licensure Information
System (ELIS) will replace the current Educator Certification
System (ECS) and TCIS.
Training on ELIS will begin in late February or March.
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How can I assist those with the
question: What Can I Do to Prepare?
Continue doing what you are currently doing!
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Advise educators to continue to participate in quality
professional development.
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What Can We Do to Prepare?
 Renew and register Standard certificates before June 30 if
renewal cycle ends June 30, 2013, to further ensure a
seamless transition to the licensure system. Renewal
requirements will not change if the certificate is valid
through June 30, 2013, although the process may be
streamlined.
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Questions?
Educator Licensure Division 217-557-6763
Investigate ISBE’s website for updates on
licensure and using ELIS
www.isbe.net/certification
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