Who needs to apply for certification?
Students in the Elementary and Secondary Teaching concentrations must apply for certification in order to be eligible to teach in public schools (and some private schools) in Illinois. Graduates of the NU-TEACH program already hold an initial certificate, as do students in the Advanced Teaching program; these students will receive only a master's degree, not an additional certificate, upon completion of the program. Higher Education students do not require a certificate.
Can I apply for certification only?
No. Certification alone cannot be pursued at Northwestern. We feel that our graduate master's coursework is very important to the development of our students as teachers and as future educational leaders.
For further information, please contact the MSEd program office.
What tests do I need to take to become certified?
Three exams are required to become certified in the State of Illinois: the Basic Skills test, a Subject Matter test and the Assessment of Professional Teaching (APT) exam. You may view study guides or register for these exams at Illinois Certification Testing System (ICTS) web site.
When do I need to take the certification tests?
You must take and pass the Basic Skills exam prior to being admitted into the MSEd program as a matriculated (degree-seeking) student. The Basic Skills test is a part of your application like any other. Until we receive your scores, your application will be considered incomplete, and it will not be reviewed.
Secondary teacher candidates should plan to take the Subject Matter exam on the same day as the Basic Skills test. The only exception is in the case that your undergraduate background is in a subject area which differs from the subject area you wish to teach. In this case, you may wish to complete some deficiency coursework prior to taking the Subject Matter exam. Please note that by state law, you may not begin student teaching until you have taken and passed your Subject Matter exam. As a result, the latest possible date you may take the Subject Matter exam is during the September prior to your intended student teaching period.
Elementary teacher candidates may wish to postpone taking their Subject Matter test until after entering the MSEd program. This will allow time to become acquainted with subject matter specifically geared towards elementary-level education, which is rarely addressed in typical undergraduate study. Please note that by state law, you may not begin student teaching until you have taken and passed your Subject Matter exam. As a result, the latest possible date you may take the Subject Matter exam is during the November prior to your intended student teaching period.
You should plan on taking the APT exam as you near the completion of the MSEd program.
Foreign language teacher candidates also need to take the ACTFL oral proficiency exam and score intermediate high or better.
For further information, please contact our certification manager, Meg Kreuser, by e-mail or by phone at 847/491-5362.
I live outside Illinois and can't take the Basic Skills Test prior to the application deadline. What do I do?
Applicants who live outside Illinois may be provisionally accepted before taking the Basic Skills test. However, such applicants must furnish verification that they have registered to take the Basic Skills test along with their application to the program; otherwise, the application will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed. The latest possible date someone in this circumstance may take the Basic Skills exam would be during the first month during which s/he plans to be enrolled in the MSEd program as a matriculated student.
I am applying as a Non-Matriculated Special Student. Do I still need to take the certification tests?
No, you do not need to take the certification tests when applying as a non-matriculated student. However, keep in mind that the Basic Skills test (like the GRE) is a required portion of the application to matriculate into the program. You cannot become a matriculated (degree-seeking) student until after you take and pass the Basic Skills test. As this test is offered only infrequently, we recommend that you take it as soon as possible during your time as a non-matriculated special student.
How do I determine the courses necessary for certification?
In your application packet, you will find transcript review sheets and instructions on how to complete them. They will give you a basic idea of how many deficiencies you have. Do note that once you look at your transcripts, they cannot be included as "official" application transcripts. Those need to arrive in our office in a sealed envelope. Once you have been admitted to the program, our certification manager will look at your official transcripts and those transcript review forms you have filled out and give you an official review. Teacher Certification Transcript Review Sheets.
Do I have to complete my certification deficiencies before entering the program?
No. The choice is left to you, but most people enter the master's program and work on both MSEd courses and deficiency courses each quarter.
Can I take these certification courses at a different university?
It is our policy that you take all coursework, including certification coursework, here at Northwestern, which you are able to do once you are in the MSEd program. Once you are affiliated with our program, we like to think that you are getting the best academic preparation possible. By taking your courses here, we know that your classes will be academically strong, and you know that they will work to fill your deficiencies.
But courses at Northwestern are so much more expensive...
Yes, tuition at Northwestern is higher than that of a community college, but again we hope that the quality of the courses and the perception that your potential employers have of these courses will help you to see the importance of taking them here. We are able to help MSEd students by offering a lower tuition rate when they take their deficiency courses through Northwestern's School of Continuing Studies. School of Continuing Studies courses are approximately half the cost of the MSEd tuition rate.
If an MSEd student takes his/her deficiency courses in Northwestern's undergraduate school, the course rate is charged at the MSEd rate (which is actually a couple of hundred dollars less than the regular undergraduate rate).
I have the transcript review sheets. Is this number of classes outside my discipline really necessary to teach what I want to teach?
The classes that you see on the transcript review sheets are those you would need if you plan to go through NU's program for certification endorsement. Different institutions have different contracts with the state of Illinois that meet, if not exceed, the state's minimum requirements.
How can I receive information on the minimum requirements for Illinois?
Call the Illinois State Board of Education in Springfield at 217/782-2805.
Do I need to turn in the transcript review sheets with my application?
Yes. Those sheets aid our certification manager with your official transcript review.
What if I want to know if a specific class works for a specific deficiency?
Our certification manager, Meg Kreuser, makes these decisions. Ms. Kreuser can be contacted by e-mail or by phone at 847/ 491-5362.
Can I use my Illinois teaching certificate to get a job outside the State of Illinois?
Most states recognize other states' teaching certificates, meaning that you can apply for a comparable license in the target state. There may be additional requirements to get a standard certificate for the state you eventually teach in; this can range from simply taking a state-specific certification test to actually completing additional college-level coursework. The following portal http://www.uky.edu/Education/TEP/usacert.html provides links to the 50 states' boards of education. If you know you will be leaving Illinois to teach after graduating, investigate the target state's requirements.
What if I don't teach my first year after getting my certificate? How long is it valid?
The certificate you receive when you complete the MSEd program is called an Initial Teaching Certificate. After four years of teaching, you will need to apply to get a regular certificate. However, you currently have 12 years in order to get that four years of teaching experience, so even if you do not teach for a few years after finishing the MSEd program, you will still be able to get a teaching job.
My education was in a foreign country. How does that affect my certification?
In order for us to review your transcripts from a foreign country, you must first submit them to one of the private evaluation services listed below. These evaluation services are absolutely necessary in order to determine if coursework taken abroad equates to State of Illinois requirements. Only the four evaluation services listed below may be used; we cannot accept evaluations completed by other sources. The four authorized services are the following:
| 1. |
Consultancy on International Education (CIE)
P.O. Box 2792
Champaign, IL 61825-2792
Telephone: 217/359-9602
|
| 2. |
Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc.
P.O. Box 5787
Milwaukee, WI 53217
Telephone: 414/289-3400
|
| 3. |
World Education Services, Inc.
P.O. Box 11623
Chicago, IL 60611-0623
Telephone: 312/222-0882
|
| 4. |
International Education Research Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 66940
Los Angeles, CA 90066
Telephone: 310/390-6276
|
Do I need to be a United States citizen in order to receive certification?
Any person applying for a teaching certificate who is not a citizen of the U.S. must file a signed letter of intent with the Illinois State Board of Education indicating that either (1) within 10 years after the date that the letter is filed or (2) at the earliest opportunity after the person becomes eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship, he or she will apply for U.S. citizenship.
| 