The Illinois State Board of Education offers 3 options to obtain a Professional Educator License (PEL):
This is if you completed an approved out-of-state educator preparation program and became licensed in that state. You can qualify for the Illinois PEL by submitting the following documents:
- A copy of your valid, comparable out-of-state license
- You may upload the license to your ELIS account by logging in at isbe.net, selecting "Images", then "Add Image", select the document "Out of State Certificate". Complete the rest of the sections as applicable.
- Or you may email the license to licensure@kaneroe.org for the licensure staff to upload to your ELIS account
- A bachelor's degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution of higher education (Click here for a guide on submitting transcripts)
Option 2: ISBE 80-02
This option is if you completed an approved out-of-state educator preparation program but did not become licensed in that state. You must meet the following requirements to obtain the Illinois PEL:
This option is if you completed an approved out-of-state educator preparation program but did not become licensed in that state. You must meet the following requirements to obtain the Illinois PEL:
- A bachelor's degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution of higher education. (Click here for a guide on submitting transcripts )
- Proof of completion of a State Approved Program (Use form 80-02: State Approved Program and Completion of Standards Verification PDF Document)
- Student teaching or equivalent experience
- To submit evidence of an equivalent experience, the school district administrator must write a letter including your work experience. Please have the letter submitted to licensure@kaneroe.org. Our office will upload it to your ELIS account for ISBE to review.
- Completion of coursework* addressing methods of teaching exceptional children, reading methods, content area reading, and methods of teaching English learners (Use form 80-02: State Approved Program and Completion of Standards Verification PDF Document)
- Licensure Tests: All test scores are valid indefinitely. View the options below to see the required tests for each area. Click here to register for the tests. If out-of-state test scores were completed, copies of the test scores must be submitted per the ISBE 80-02 form. Please Note: The Seal of Biliteracy does not waive the content test for initial PELs endorsed in a world language.
If you are completing an educator preparation program at an Illinois institution, please work closely with the institution to ensure their specific requirements are met. If you'd like to inquire about enrolling in a teacher preparation program, here is a list of Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) approved preparation programs: https://isbe.net/doap. You may also use the Illinois Educator Preparation Profiles tool to browse teacher preparation options in Illinois: https://apps.isbe.net/epp/public#/
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