Section 25.37  Acquisition of Subsequent Endorsements on a Professional Educator License

The provisions of this Section shall apply when an individual who already holds a professional educator license (PEL) with one or more teaching endorsements wishes to receive an additional endorsement in a teaching field or a grade level.

a)         An individual who wishes to add subsequent content area endorsements or grade levels to a PEL shall meet the applicable requirements of this Part specific to the content area of the endorsement sought and provide evidence of having passed the applicable content-area test required under Section 25.720.

b)         A candidate not meeting the criteria of subsection (a) who wishes to receive subsequent content area endorsement in an area of special education (i.e., Learning Behavior Specialist I, Learning Behavior Specialist II, Deaf or Hard of Hearing, Blind or Visually Impaired, or Early Childhood Special Education), reading specialist, elementary mathematics specialist, or gifted education specialist shall submit official transcripts and evidence of teaching experience to an Illinois institution of higher education operating a program approved pursuant to Subpart C that prepares candidates for the endorsement sought.

1)         The institution may, at its discretion, compare the coursework and clinical experiences already completed by the applicant to the standards for the endorsement sought and, based on this comparison, may identify for the candidate a "focused program" consisting of coursework and experiences that the candidate must complete in order to meet those standards.

A)        In formulating this type of program, the institution shall ensure that the candidate has broad and deep knowledge of the subject matter, develops the knowledge and skills that are needed to work with students in the age and grade ranges encompassed by the endorsement sought, and is knowledgeable about pedagogical approaches that are suitable for that age group.

B)        The institution may revise an individual's focused program to include additional or fewer components as it may deem appropriate based upon the results of internal performance assessments that form part of the institution's assessment system (see Section 25.120) or other assessments that are directly related to the standards for the endorsement sought.

C)        Each institution shall make available a description of the method to be used by the educational unit in assessing the degree to which the work previously completed by candidates for focused programs has addressed relevant standards and in identifying the coursework and experiences these candidates will be required to complete in order to qualify for subsequent endorsements.  An institution that uniformly requires all candidates seeking subsequent teaching endorsements to complete certain coursework or field experiences, or to complete a full program without acknowledgment of prior courses or experiences, shall publish and make available a written statement to this effect, describing those requirements.

2)         A candidate who completes a focused program shall be considered as having completed the institution's approved program for the endorsement sought and shall be eligible to be recommended for the endorsement by entitlement, signifying that the candidate has met all applicable standards.

c)         An individual not meeting the criteria of subsection (a) or (b) may provide evidence of holding a valid, comparable out-of-state license in the endorsement area and grade range sought.

d)         An individual who holds a (PEL) endorsed in a school support personnel area listed in Subpart D or any of the administrative positions outlined in Subpart E and who wishes to obtain a teaching endorsement shall meet the requirements of Section 25.100(e)(2)(C).

(Source:  Amended at 46 Ill. Reg. 12973, effective July 13, 2022)