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Certification
Endorsements
Highly Qualified
Tuition and Fee Waivers
Certification
Q: Who should I contact if I have questions about
certification?
A: Brenda Clevenger Evans (bmclvngr@illinois.edu) or Jeff Buck (jbuck@illinois.edu) or 217-333-7195.
Q. When should I apply for certification?
A. If you are completing an approved program at the Urbana campus you should apply at the beginning of the semester in which you will complete your program.
Q. Where can I get an application for certification?
A. Applications are available through the Student Portal on the left-side menu.
Q. Can I print an application from the Illinois State Board of Education web site and submit that to the Council on Teacher Education?
A. No. You must use the application provided by the Council on Teacher Education.
Q. Must I have passed all of my certification tests before I apply for certification?
A. No. Submit your application even if you still have tests to complete. We can begin processing your application on the assumption that we will receive your test scores before the end of the semester.
Q. When I apply for certification will the University provide the ISBE with my official transcripts?
A. No, it is your responsibility to provide the transcripts.
Q. I have completed a Special K-12 program and ECS asks me if I would like to get a K-9 and 6-12 certificate instead. Should I do that?
A. You can if you wish, but there is no reason to do so and it will cost you extra. The information currently on ECS regarding endorsements is incorrect--you CAN add endorsements to a K-12 certificate.
Q. I graduated with certification from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and am trying to get certified in another state. To whom do I send the form that needs to be completed?
A. You send the form to the Council on Teacher Education, 505 E. Green St., Ste. 203, Champaign, IL 61820
Q. When does the new Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) rule regarding grades lower than a 'C' take effect?
A. ISBE rules state that on or after February 1, 2012 no grade lower than a 'C' in content or professional education coursework may be used for certification, endorsements, or approvals.
Q. If I graduate in 2011 and get certified before February 1, 2012, do I need to worry about this rule?
A. Students who receive certification prior to February 1, 2012 will need to be concerned with the new rule if they seek additional certifications, endorsements, or approvals after this date.
Q. I'm graduating in 2012 and have a C-, can the course with the C- count toward certification, endorsements or approvals.
A. No, a course with a grade of C- cannot be used toward certification, endorsements, or approvals. However, there may be courses that you take that are not considered part of the content or professional education coursework. Please contact Brenda Clevenger Evans (bmclvngr@illinois.edu) or Jeff Buck (jbuck@illinois.edu) if you have questions as to whether a course needs to be repeated due to grades.
Endorsements
Q. When do I apply for endorsements?
A. Endorsements are requested on a form when you turn in your entitlement request form nearing the completion of your program.
Q. Can I add endorsements to my teaching certificate after I am certified?
A. Yes. Provided you qualify, you may add endorsements anytime during your teaching career. You will apply for endorsements through the Regional Office of Education where your certificate is registered.
Q. How do I know what endorsements are available and what the requirements are?
A. For middle school endorsements, go to the certification pull-down at the top of this page and click on "Certification Endorsements for Middle Grades (5-8)." For high school endorsements, check with Brenda Clevenger Evans or Jeff Buck at 217-333-7195.
Q. Can I use coursework from a community college toward endorsements?
A. Assuming the coursework applies, yes.
Q. Where can I complete the course work necessary to obtain an endorsement in Safety and Driver Education?
A. Chicago State University, Eastern Illinois University, Greenville College, McKendree University, Millikin University, Northern Illinois University, Olivet Nazarene University, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, and Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville offer the course work. Contact those institutions directly for additional information. (updated 7/8/09)
Q. How can I find out what requirements are to be certified in other states?
A. This link will take you to certification offices for other states.
Q. Does the Urbana campus offer course work to meet the requirements for a reading teacher endorsement?
Q. When will I get my Initial certificate and when will it expire?
A. Your Initial certificate will be issued when you logon at ECS, claim your certificate, and pay your fees. It will expire four years after that, on June 30th. Remember, however, that the Illinois State Board of Education operates on a fiscal year, so the first year on your certificate will expire on the June 30th after the date that you claim your certificate.
Highly Qualified
Q. What is Highly Qualified?
A. Highly Qualified is a federal designation arising out of No Child Left Behind. Federal law requires that parents be notified if their child is being taught a core subject by someone who is not highly qualified.
Q. What are the requirements to be Highly Qualified?
A. One must possess an Initial or Standard certificate, or a provisional version of these, and meet at least one of the following standards in the core subject to which he/she is assigned:
1. have a major indicated on a transcript, or 32 semester hours of subject area content.
2. have an advanced degree in the subject
3. have an advanced certificate in the subject (such as an Illinois Master certificate)
4. pass a state examination in the subject
5. comply with the requirements of HOUSSE (this option is only available to veteran teachers)
Q. What are "core subjects"?
A. Core subjects are science, arts, reading, English/language arts, history, civics and government, economics, geography, foreign language, and mathematics.
Q. Are there subjects that do not fall under Highly Qualified designations?
A. Yes. The following areas are NOT required to demonstrate Highly Qualified status: agriculture, business/accounting, driver education, family & consumer science, industrial arts, physical education, social studies (general), special education resource, and technology.
Q. If I have an endorsement in a particular area, am I Highly Qualified?
A. Not necessarily. An endorsement indicates that you are legally able to teach the subject in Illinois. You are not Highly Qualified unless you meet one of the standards for being highly qualified in that subject (see above).
Q. If I am Highly Qualified in a subject, does that mean I can teach that subject?
A. Not necessarily. You may be Highly Qualified, but you cannot teach that subject unless you also meet the requirements for an endorsement in that subject in Illinois.
Q. If I complete the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign program for certification in elementary education, what subjects am I Highly Qualified for?
A. You are Highly Qualified for core academic subjects in grades K-8 (science, arts, reading, English/language arts, history, civics and government, economics, geography, and mathematics). You can only teach those subjects in departmentalized situations, however, if you also meet the requirements for middle grade endorsements in those subjects. You are Highly Qualified because you have passed the ICTS test in Elementary/Middle Grades.
Q. If I complete the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign program for certification in early childhood education, what subjects am I Highly Qualified for?
A. You are Highly Qualified for core academic subjects (see previous question) in grades K-3. You are Highly Qualified because you have passed the ICTS test in Early Childhood Education.
Q. If I complete the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign program for certification in a foreign language, music, or visual arts, what subjects am I Highly Qualified for?
A. You are Highly Qualified in your subject major because 1) you have a major or 32 hours in that subject, and 2) you have passed the ICTS test in that subject.
Q. If I complete the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign program for certification in English Language Arts or Mathematics, what subjects am I Highly Qualified for?
A. You are Highly Qualified in your subject major because 1) you have a major in that subject, and 2) you have passed the ICTS test in that subject.
Q. If I complete the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign program for certification in Social Science: History or any of the sciences, what subjects am I Highly Qualified for?
A. You are Highly Qualified in your major subject and in all social sciences or sciences because 1) you have completed a major in that subject, and 2) you have passed the ICTS test in Social Science or Science.
Q. If I complete the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign program for certification in LBS I, what subjects am I Highly Qualified for?
A. You are Highly Qualified in language arts because you have passed the Assessment of Professional Teaching: Grades K-12.
Q. Where can I find more information on Highly Qualified?
Tuition & Fee Waivers (TFW)
Q. What is a TFW and who gets it?
A. The TFW is a waiver of tuition and service fees for one term (semester). TFW are awarded to cooperating personnel such as teachers who host student teachers or Early Field Experience students.
Q. What is covered by a TFW?
A. Tuition, service fees, and McKinley Health Center fee for the term in which the TFW is applied.
Q. What is not covered by a TFW?
A. Applicaton fee, medical insurance fee (which can be waived; see next question) and any laboratory fees incurred as part of a course.
Q. How can I get an exemption from the medical insurance fee?
A. Contact the Student Insurance Office (217-333-0165 or www.SI.uiuc.edu).
Q. Who should I contact if I have questions about TFW?
A. Council on Teacher Education Office (217-333-2804) or cote-waivers@illinois.edu
Q. Are TFW transferable?
A. No
Q. Does receipt of a TFW entitle me to register for classes?
A. No. Receipt of a TFW does not imply admission to the University or guarantee admission to a particular graduate course. Admission is the responsibility of the colleges of UIUC and their various departments.
Q. How long are TFW valid?
A. The Board of Trustees has approved the following revision to the Tuition & Fee Waiver (TFW) policy for Cooperating Teachers. Beginning in the Fall 2009 semester, TFW for cooperating teachers will be awarded at the end of the term of service, and may be redeemed in any one of the four terms immediately following the term of service. Thus, if a cooperating teacher hosts a student teacher (or accumulates the required number of hours of hosting EFE candidates) during the Fall 2009 term, the TFW may be used in any one of the following terms: Spring 2010, Summer 2010, Fall 2010, Spring 2011.
Q. Can I use my TFW from UIUC at UIS or UIC?
A. Yes. Contact the Council on Teacher Education (see above) to process the transfer. (Note: At UIS, the TFW only covers up to four credit hours of tuition and fees) |
