Hiring Policy
Emergency License(s) Availability: Illinois requires that all applicants seeking a state license must pass a subject-matter test, without exception. "No candidate shall be allowed to student teach, serve as the teacher of record, or begin an internship or residency required for licensure until he or she has passed the applicable content area test."
The state offers a provisional in-state educator endorsement. The provisional in-state educator endorsement is available to candidates who have completed an Illinois educator program, have a bachelor's degree, and have passed the applicable content test but not yet passed the edTPA.
Emergency License Validity Period: The provisional in-state educator endorsement is valid for one year and may not be renewed.
COVID-19 State Policy: Illinois has implemented the following changes changes to its rules. Tests are waived during the COVID-19 public health emergency from "prior to student teaching or alternative program entry" to prior to receipt of the professional educator license. Legislation effective in June 2020 provides for a waiver of the edTPA anytime the state is under a public health emergency. COVID-19 policies do not affect the state's grade in Provisional and Emergency Licensure.
Requirements for Out-of-State Teachers: Because licensure requirements for out-of-state teachers are scored in Requirements for Out-of-State Teachers, only the state's policies regarding emergency/provisional
license(s) are considered as part of this goal.
Due to Illinois's strong policies in this area, no recommendations are provided.
Illinois was helpful in providing NCTQ with facts that enhanced this analysis.
6B: Provisional and Emergency Licensure
Teachers who have not passed content licensing tests place students at risk. While states may need a regulatory basis for filling classroom positions with a few people who do not hold full teaching credentials, many of the regulations permitting this put the instructional needs of children at risk, often year after year.[1] For example, schools can make liberal use of provisional certificates or waivers provided by the state if they fill classroom positions with instructors who have completed a teacher preparation program but have not passed their state licensing tests. These allowances are permitted for up to three years in some states. The unfortunate consequence is that students' needs are neglected in an effort to extend personal consideration to adults who cannot meet minimum state standards.[2]
While some flexibility may be necessary because licensing tests are not always administered with the needed frequency, making provisional certificates and waivers available year after year could signal that the state does not put much value on its licensing standards or what they represent. States accordingly need to ensure that all persons given full charge of children's learning are required to pass the relevant licensing tests in their first year of teaching, ideally before they enter the classroom. Licensing tests are an important minimum benchmark in the profession, and states that allow teachers to postpone passing these tests are abandoning one of the basic responsibilities of licensure.