Transcript State of Illinois Teacher Certification and Recertification

State of Illinois
Teacher Certification,
Recertification and ECS
Current Certification System
Became effective on Feb. 15,
2000. There are three levels
of teaching certificates with
the system.
LEVEL ONE: Initial Certificates
4-year renewal cycle
(All new teachers start here)
You must complete equivalent of four full
years of teaching experience.
(Renew after 4 calendar years if you have not totaled
four full years of teaching time)
You must complete a professional
development option.
Initial Cert. Professional Development Options
-Advanced education-related degree, earned any time prior to
application
-National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
(NBPTS) certification process
-Approved Induction and Mentoring Program
-12 semester hours of graduate-level coursework
towards an advanced, education-related degree
-Subsequent Illinois certificate or endorsement
-Requirements for becoming “highly qualified” in another
teaching area for NCLB purposes
-Four semester hours of approved graduate-level coursework
in one of the following: Assessment of One’s Own
Teaching Performance OR National Board for Professional
Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certification preparation
-Continuing Professional Development Units (CPDUs)
Examples of Ways to Achieve Four Full Years of
Teaching Experience on an Initial Certificate
FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12 FY13 FY14 FY15 FY16
½ time
½ time
½ time
½ time
½ time
½ time
½ time
½ time
4 full
years
Move to
Standard
Renew
Initial
Full time
Full time
½ time
½ time
Renew
Initial
Full time
Full time
Full time
Full time
4 full
years
Move to
Standard
½ time
½ time
4 full
years
Move to
Standard
After you complete your 4 full
years of teaching, you will need to
verify your teaching experience
so you can move to the second
level of certification (Standard).
How do you verify teaching experience?
Acquire letter(s) from district administrator(s)
including:
~Administator’s signature
~School Letterhead
Validity of Initial Certificate
After the fourth full year of teaching
experience the Initial Certificate becomes
invalid and you apply for a Standard
Certificate
(Apply at the end of the school year)
What if I have not done a
professional development
option after four years of
teaching?
The teacher may request a
one year reinstatement from
the Regional Office
ECS – Educator Certification System
One of the first things you will need to do is
create an account on ECS so you can…
•Track your credentials and teacher certification information recorded
at the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE)
•Add professional development activities and hours
•Register certificates online (if you are comfortable with this method)
•Renew certificates online (if you are comfortable with this method)
•Change your exemption status when you move from an Initial to a
Standard certificate
To Create an ECS Account
Log on to ECS through our website
www.roe43.k12.il.us
or
through the ISBE website
www.isbe.net
Application Process to go from
Initial Certificate to
Standard Certificate
5 Steps…
Step 1
A) Complete the Assurance Statement on
the Educator Certification System (ECS)
then
B) Submit the Assurance Statement on the
Educator Certification System (ECS)
These are actually separate processes.
Step 2
Submit letters of teaching
experience to your Regional
Office of Education after May
1st of your fourth year.
Step 3
File certificate application with the
Regional Office or on Educator
Certification System (ECS)
Step 4
Pay $30 application fee per
certificate held.
Step 5
In order to teach, you must register your
new Standard certificate with the
Regional Office or on ECS
The $25 registration fee covers all
Certificates held for a five-year cycle.
LEVEL TWO: Standard Certificates
(5-year renewal cycle)
Apply for this after completing 4 full years of
teaching experience.
~Valid for 5 years at a time
~Complete a professional
development option
Once On A Standard or
Master Certificate…
Teachers are required to:
• Complete Creditable Professional
Development Units (CPDU)
• Maintain evidence of completion – 2 pieces for
each activity you do
• Request approval for travel from their
Regional Office (30 days prior to travel)
• Submit assurance statement.
Once you move to a Standard
Certificate, you will have to
log on to ECS and change
your Professional
Development Exemption
Status to match your current
employment status.
Standard Certificate Status on ECS
Valid and Active
~Teaching or counseling in a public school
~Must do professional development
Valid and Exempt
~Teaching in a private school, vocational teachers,
substitute teachers, retired teachers
~Not required to do professional development
It is the teacher’s responsibility to change their teaching
status on the ECS system. So, on ECS, you…
If a teacher’s certificate status was
Valid/Exempt AND Valid/Active
during their renewal cycle, they must
complete the proportionate
professional development credits for
their Valid/Active year(s) only.
Example: 5-year cycle
2 years Valid/Active and 3 years Valid/Exempt
Must do professional development for those 2 years
of Valid/Active status, but not for the other 3.
If a teacher is employed less than
half time, their professional
development requirement is
reduced by half.
Example: Taught less than ½ time for 5 years
Requirement is 60 CPDUs rather than 120
TEACHERS WITH
ADVANCED DEGREES OR
MASTER CERTIFICATES…
Advanced Degree - Master’s
Degree
Master Certificate –
Completed the Master
Certificate Program (NBPTS)
Need to be obtained prior to the beginning of
the certificate’s renewal cycle.
Professional Development Reductions:
If you have a Master’s Degree:
Complete only two-thirds of professional
development requirement
(80 CPDUs instead of 120)
If you have multiple Master’s Degrees, Master
Certificate, Ed. Specialists or Doctorate:
Complete one-third of professional development
requirement
(40 CPDUs instead of 120)
STANDARD CERTIFICATE
Professional Development
Options That Meet
Requirements for Renewal :
-Complete advanced degree
-Meet Illinois criteria for becoming highly qualified in
another teaching area
-Complete National Board for Professional Teaching
Standards (NBPTS) certification process
-Earn eight semester hours of college coursework in
education-related program
-Earn subsequent Illinois certificate or endorsement
-Complete four semester hours of graduate coursework
in Assessment of One’s Own Teaching Performance
or NBPTS preparation
-Earn CEUs/CPDUs in activities listed in the Certificate
Renewal Manual.
-The complete renewal cycle requirement must total
120 CPDUs (Must be through an approved provider)
Professional Development Values
Credible Educator Units(CEUs) =
5 CPDUs
One hour of college credit =
15 CPDUs
Professional Development must include at least
one of the following purposes:
A. Improve your knowledge & skills in your current area of
certification, endorsement, or teaching assignment.
B. Develop your knowledge & skills in one or more of the
state’s priority areas (math, reading, technology,
standards or assessment, & special education).
C. Develop/improve your knowledge & skills related to your
school improvement plan.
D. Expand your knowledge & skills in an additional field or
advance toward acquisition of an additional certificate or
endorsement.
E. Activities that focus on adapting/modifying curriculum in
the fundamental area of learning to assist students with
disabilities.
Purpose E
(Corey H.-Special Education)
Regular education teachers using CPDUs
for their must have 20% of the credits in
Purpose E
Special education teachers must have 50%
of their CPDUs in Purpose E
Standard Certificate
Renewal Process
Step 1
Complete your Statement of
Assurance on ECS
You may submit your statement after Sept. 1 of
your fifth or last year of your renewal cycle.
Step 2
The Regional Superintendent
will approve your Assurance
Statement
Step 3
Register your certificate on ECS
or through the Regional Office.
Registration Fee: $5 per Year
Standard Certificate
(5 years - $25)
Master Certificate (Not Master’s Degree)
(10 years - $50)
You need to maintain copies of
your professional development
through the next recertification
cycle, including 2 pieces of
evidence. The state of Illinois
requires random audits.
If a teacher has completed all
required activities and filed their
Statement of Assurance, they
may begin to accumulate credit
for their next renewal cycle after
April 1 of the fifth year of their
renewal cycle.
If you have certification
questions please contact us at
the Regional Office of Education
309-248-8212
or
[email protected]
[email protected]