This set of six courses (18 credit hours) offered through the College of Education meets the ISBE requirements for endorsement in Bilingual or English Second Language through ISBE transcript evaluation processes. This is not an ISBE teaching licensure program, and students must hold an Illinois (or comparable out-of-state) Early Childhood, Elementary, Secondary, or Special Teaching License.
Those who complete the certificate in Bilingual/English as a Second Language Education have the option of applying these credits towards the M.A. in Education with BL/ESL specialization, which is not an ISBE teaching licensure program. Admission requirements to the M.A. in Education will apply, as well as time restrictions. In addition, students may be concurrently enrolled in the M.A. in Education and the Bilingual/English as a Second Language Education certificate programs. If this option is desired, the student should apply to the M.A. in Education and then apply to the Bilingual/English as a Second Language Education certificate program during the first term of coursework.
Special Admission Requirements
In addition to meeting university admission criteria, applicants must hold an Illinois (or comparable out-of-state) Early Childhood Certificate, Elementary, Secondary, or Special Teaching License. Formal application to this certificate program is necessary.
After meeting the university admission requirements, submit to the College of Education a supplemental application packet containing:
- the certificate in Bilingual/ESL Education application;
- an additional set of transcripts showing a cumulative G.P.A. of 2.75 or higher in all undergraduate work attempted and all grades in graduate course work at a “B” or better;
- syllabi and/or detailed narrative descriptions of previous graduate course work to be evaluated for transfer credit, if applicable;
- a copy of valid Illinois or comparable out-of-state initial, standard, or master teaching license;
- evidence of having passed the Test of Academic Proficiency of the Illinois Licensure Testing System (ILTS), or evidence of possessing an Illinois teaching license that required passing this test
Faculty Monitoring of Student Progress
The process for evaluating students’ progress in the Bilingual/English as a Second Language Education certificate program is the same as that described above for the M.A. in Education program.
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