The Education Department holds primary responsibility within Illinois College for the preparation of teachers. In collaboration with other academic departments of the College, the Department offers certification programs to prepare entry-level teacher candidates in grades pre-kindergarten through twelve. The teacher education faculty, and faculty members from departments with secondary certification programs, comprise the Unit and share a commitment to quality programs by offering courses to satisfy certification in Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, Secondary Education and K-12 Education.

Illinois College is accredited by the Illinois State Board of Education to offer programs in Teacher Education. Programs are offered which prepare candidates for teacher certification at the early childhood, elementary, secondary, and K-12 levels. For more information, visit Teacher Preparation Program.

Admission to the Teacher Education Program

The Teacher Preparation Committee (TPC) determines admission to the Teacher Preparation Program and retention in the program. Candidates seeking admission to the program are required to meet the admission and retention requirements in effect at the time of their acceptance into the program. Candidates are advised that changes in the certification requirements may occur as a result of subsequent action by the Illinois State Board of Education.

The requirements for admission to the Teacher Preparation Program are listed below:

1. Have on file in the Education office evidence of a satisfactory background check.
2. Maintain an Illinois College GPA of 2.500 by the date of application.
3. Complete ED 101, 203, 237, EN 121, IC 102, and CO 101 with a grade of "C" (2.0) or better, and ED 132, 133 with a "P" (passing.)
4. Achieve a passing score on the Illinois Certification Testing System (ICTS) Basic Skills test.
5. Earn a passing score on the Admission to Program Rubric in order to be recommended to the Teacher Preparation Committee for admission.
6. Obtain TPC approval for admission and receive formal notification.
7. Submit an application for Admission to the Teacher Preparation Program to the Director of Teacher Preparation.
8. Complete an interview and submit an electronic portfolio in accordance with the guidelines in the Teacher Competence Portfolio packet.

All students, including transfer students, should realize that it may not be possible to obtain a certificate within a four year sequence if they have not applied to the Education Department by the beginning of the second semester of their sophomore year.

Transfer Credit Policy

Professional education courses will be accepted on a course-by-course basis for transfer credit only from institutions that are accredited by the State of Illinois and/or NCATE. Acceptance of credits by the Registrar of the College as transfer does not insure their application to a particular program or endorsement. Determination of applicability of all transfer courses is the responsibility of the Education Department, the Teacher Preparation Committee, and/or the specific academic department. Only credits earned with a grade of “C” (2.0) or better at accredited institutions will be accepted.

Retention in the Program and Admission to Student Teaching

For retention in the program and for admission to the student teaching semester, candidates must:

1. Continue to demonstrate proficiency in oral and written communication.
2. Demonstrate additional proficiencies in the use of technology.
3. Demonstrate satisfactory dispositions for effective teaching.
4. Maintain a grade point average of 2.5 or above for all Illinois College course work.
5. Earn a grade of “C” (2.0) or better in all courses required by the candidate's major and for certification.
6. Be recommended for assignment to the student teaching semester by the academic department in which the teaching subject content is being taken.
7. Achieve a “passing” score on the Illinois Certification Testing System Content Area Test. A passing score for the ICTS Content Area test is required for admission to the Student Teaching Semester.
8. Achieve a “passing” score on the assessments that meets the requirements of the Teacher Preparation Program for admission to the student teaching semester.
9. Submit the Application for Admission to Student Teaching.

All candidates completing Illinois College’s approved teacher preparation program in early childhood, elementary, secondary and special teaching areas are required to take the Assessment of Professional Teaching (APT) test for their certification area. The APT requirement is in addition to the requirement for passing the Basic Skills and Content Area tests. Candidates normally take this test during the student teaching semester. The APT test framework, which describes the content covered on the test, test registration information, and the study guide may be found at
www.icts.nesinc.com.

The Sequence of Professional Course Work

Courses in education are designed to provide professional preparation for students who anticipate careers in early childhood, elementary, secondary, or K-12 teaching. Candidates for early childhood, elementary and K-12 physical education teaching certificates major in Education. Candidates for secondary teaching certificates must complete majors in approved programs for secondary certification. The secondary teaching areas are Science-Biology, English, Mathematics, and Social Science-History. Teacher candidates completing a major in art, music, physical education, French, German or Spanish must complete the approved K-12 certification program aligned with those majors. All students selecting secondary and K-12 certification programs must complete specific professional education courses to meet certification requirements. All courses in the professional education component, teaching content areas, area of concentration and specified courses in the general education component must be completed with a grade of “C” (2.0) or above.

General Education Requirements

Students are required to meet the General Education program defined in the college catalog. Information regarding specific courses that meet these requirements and appropriate course sequencing information is available from Education or other departmental advisors.

Requirements for the Education Major

Students wishing to major in Education must complete one of the following programs:

Early Childhood Certification (Birth-grade 3)
ED 101, 132, 133, 203, 237, 263, 274, 301, 311, 337, 362, 385, MA 127, 128 and PS 275 or 276 and 309. ED 431, 432, 433, and 434 are required for certification.

Elementary Certification (K-9)
ED 101, 132, 133, 203, 237, 301, 313, 335, 352, 362, MA 127 and 128 and PS 309. ED 431, 432, 433, and 434 are required for certification.  ED 255, PS 312, and an eligible content area are required for Middle School endorsement.

Physical Education Certification (K-12)
A major in Education with K-12 Physical Education certification consists of 44 semester hours and must include EP 208, 211, 214, 305, 308, 310, 383, 405, BI 107, and BH 335/340, and other courses as specified in the Teacher Preparation Program Handbook.

A minor in Physical Education (with or without teaching) consists of 24 credit hours from the following list of courses. A minimum of 12 credit hours must be earned from courses at the 300 level or higher. EP 208, 211, 214, 305, 308, 310, 383, and 405.

Teacher candidates pursuing an endorsement in health should consult with the Director of Teacher Preparation for the most recent ISBE requirements.

Requirements for Secondary and K-12 Certification

Secondary Certification
Illinois College has approved programs in secondary education for science-biology, English (literature or writing emphasis), social science-history, and mathematics majors. Students wishing to obtain certification to teach at the secondary level in the above areas must complete all graduation and major requirements in one of these majors, in addition to ED 101, 132, 133, 203, 237, 301, 313 (for English majors), 335, PS 309, the appropriate methods course from ED 321-326, and, for certification, ED 431, 432, 433, and 434. Electives for secondary candidates include PS 312, and ED 255, for those wishing to receive an endorsement to teach at the middle school level.

K-12 Certification
Illinois College has approved programs in K-12 teaching for art, music, physical education, French, German, and Spanish majors. Students wishing to obtain certification to teach in one of these areas must complete all graduation and major requirements required by the major, in addition to ED 101, 132, 133, 203, 237, 255, 301, 335, and PS 309, 312, the appropriate content methods courses and for certification, ED 431, 432, 433, and 434.