Educator Certification
Standard/Master Teaching Certificates
What are Standard and Master teaching certificates?
Illinois has three tiers of certification for early childhood,
elementary, secondary and special certificates: 1) Initial,
2) Standard and 3) Master teaching certificates. Standard
teaching certificates are issued to teachers who have more
than four years of teaching and/or were issued certificates
prior to February 15, 2000. Master certificates are issued
to those with National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
certification. Standard/Master certificate holders employed
on either type certificate in Illinois public schools must
complete professional development to “renew” the
certificates, which allows registration. To read an overview, click
here 
.
Types of Teaching Certificates with Renewal Requirements:
The requirements for continuing professional development apply to individuals who hold Standard or Master 04 Early Childhood, 03 Elementary, 09 Secondary or 10 Special Teaching Certificates and who are employed in Illinois public schools during the five (Standard) or ten (Master) year validity cycle of those certificates.
Administrative certificates also have renewal requirements. If you are not employed in Illinois public schools on one of the above types of teaching certificates or an administrative certificate, you simply pay registration.
What are my professional development options for renewal?
(complete one)
- Advanced degree
- National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certification process
- Eight semester hours of education-related college-level coursework (105 ILCS 5/21-14 (e)(3)(B))
- Subsequent Illinois certificate or endorsement
- Requirements for becoming NCLB "highly qualified" in another teaching area
- Four semester hours of approved graduate-level coursework in either:
- Continuing Professional
Development Units
What paperwork will I need?
We encourage the use of the online system ECS (Educator Certification System) to submit documentation.
ECS (Educator Certification System) allows educators access to their certification files. Educators can use ECS to submit renewal requirements and receive recommendation electronically, pay registration, make name changes, order duplicate certificates, submit applications for certificates or endorsements, etc.
Paper forms are available in PDF format.
- Assurance Statement (ISBE 73-98) (Updated 6/08)
- Registration Form (ISBE 73-10)
Where does the Statement of Assurance go?
As you can see from the flowchart, your Statement of Assurance is submitted to your Local Professional Development Committee (LPDC) if your district maintained its LPDC and if not, directly to your Regional Superintendent, who then forwards his or her recommendation to the State Teacher Certification Board, a 19-member committee that includes five faculty or administrative members of public or private colleges or universities; 10 classroom teachers, including three from Chicago Public Schools; three school administrators, with at least one representing the Chicago Public Schools; and one Regional Superintendent of Education.
Where do I go if I have questions?
Regional Superintendents are locally elected officials who administer Regional Offices of Education that are grouped by county or counties throughout Illinois. Regional Offices are not entities of the State Board. Regional Superintendents register certificates, accept applications for certificates and endorsements, among other responsibilities. If you have any questions or wish to submit certification documents, please contact the Regional Office that serves the school or district in the area where you are employed or if you are not currently employed, the area where you live. Educators who no longer live in Illinois register or apply through the Regional Office that last registered their certificates. The State Board is currently serving as the Regional Superintendent for City of Chicago only.
