Who is Required to Take the Tests?

Passing the required certification tests is one component of the process for certification in the state of Illinois. In addition to passing these tests, a candidate for certification must complete all required coursework in an Illinois-approved educator preparation program and complete the field and clinical experience requirements. In addition, successful completion of a content test in the area of teaching assignment is one means of becoming "highly qualified" under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act.

Except as otherwise provided, the following individuals are required to successfully complete one or more ICTS tests:

Each candidate applying for an Early Childhood, Elementary, Secondary, or Special Teaching Certificate must pass the Basic Skills test, the appropriate content-area test(s), and the appropriate Assessment of Professional Teaching (APT) test.
Each candidate applying for a School Service Personnel or Administrative Certificate must pass the Basic Skills test and the appropriate content-area test(s).
Each candidate in an alternative route program must successfully complete the Basic Skills test and the appropriate content-area test before being issued a Provisional Alternative Teaching Certificate.
Each candidate seeking admission to an Illinois-approved educator preparation program must successfully complete the Basic Skills test before being admitted to the program.
Each candidate in an Illinois-approved educator preparation program must successfully complete the appropriate content-area test before becoming certified. Universities may require successful completion of the appropriate content-area test prior to student teaching.
Each candidate seeking a Transitional Bilingual Certificate or a bilingual approval or endorsement must pass the appropriate language proficiency test(s).
Each candidate seeking to move from an LBS I teaching approval to an LBS I endorsement must pass the LBS I test.
Each candidate applying on or after October 1, 2006, for a Special Pre-School-to-Age-21 Certificate, either through an approved program or by transcript evaluation, must pass the Special Education General Curriculum Test.
Candidates who hold LBS I Limited certificates or endorsements have several options for removing the limitations. Please see www.isbe.net/certification/html/notice.htm for a description of these options. Individuals who choose to use testing as an option to remove the limitation may take either the LBS I test or the appropriate test for removal of an LBS I Limitation (see "Test Selection").
Each candidate seeking the advanced, optional LBS II Certificate must first have been issued a Special Pre-School-to-Age-21 Certificate and must pass the appropriate LBS II test(s).

Out-of-State Candidates

Subject to statutory change, an individual who holds a valid, comparable certificate from another state, possession, or territory of the United States and who applies for Illinois certification on or after July 1, 2004, will not be required to pass the ICTS Basic Skills test if the individual has not previously attempted and failed the ICTS Basic Skills test and

the out-of-state certificate was issued before June 30, 2004, or
the individual was required to pass a test of basic skills to obtain the certificate from the other state.

An individual who holds a valid, comparable certificate from another state, possession, or territory of the United States and who applies for Illinois certification on or after July 1, 2004, will not be required to pass an ICTS content-area test if the individual passed an out-of-state test in the same content area in which the individual meets Illinois endorsement requirements and the test was required for certification by the other state.

Out-of-state certificate holders are not exempt from taking the APT test that is required of candidates seeking the Illinois Early Childhood, Elementary, Secondary, and Special Teaching Certificates.

Out-of-state certificate holders seeking a Special Pre-School-to-Age-21 Certificate are not exempt from taking the Special Education General Curriculum Test.

Qualification for a testing exemption. Applicants must request that the out-of-state certification authority verify the title of the test that was passed and also that it was required for certification. To do this you must use ISBE Form 73-99, "Confirmation of State Certification Tests Taken," which is available at www.isbe.net/certification/. For further information about this exemption, contact your regional office of education.

If you believe that you qualify for the testing exemption, you may wish to delay registering for tests until you know whether you qualify for an exemption. Except as described in "Changing Your Registration," test fees cannot be refunded for candidates who register and later learn that they are eligible for a testing exemption.

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