Licensure
Completing your licensure program is the first step in the process. To obtain your Professional Educator License (PEL), you must APPLY FOR AND REGISTER your license with the State of Illinois AFTER you have been ENTITLED by Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU). DO NOT APPLY until NEIU has entitled you. Please check your ELIS regularly. The entitlement process takes between four and eight weeks after grades are due. Also, we ask that you please do not contact Enrollment Services, the CEST Office, or the Dean's Office during this period regarding the status of your entitlement.
If you need to expedite your entitlement because you have a job offer, please, email the GCOE Dean's office requesting expedited entitlement to GCOE-Endorsements@neiu.edu using "Expedite Entitlement" in the subject line. You will be asked to provide evidence of a job offer from the school district or principal. You will receive further directions on expediting your license once you send the request. Contact your program advisor if you have questions about the entitlement process.
Candidates to whom NEIU has entitled must not apply or register their license and endorsement until they are completely sure that the information NEIU has entered is 100 percent accurate and reflects the application submitted (if any). If you think the information entered in your entitlement is incorrect or incomplete, please DO NOT APPLY — instead, contact the Dean's Office at (773) 442-5500, or email coe@neiu.edu. If you apply and register your license, you may have to pay extra for additional endorsements to enter your ELIS account.
- Entitlement Process (Updated Jan. 10, 2022)
- A video that explains the licensure procedure in detail
- For educators who need to request a temporary Social Security number to create an ELIS account and obtain a license, a new form, “83-92B: Request for Temporary SSN for ELIS Account Creation,” is now available.
- If you are waiting for your content test scores to be posted in ELIS, see the Illinois Licensure Testing System: Scores dates.
Notes:
a) If you completed your program in Fall 2023, the entitlement process begins on Dec. 11, 2023, and will end by Feb. 20, 2024. Keep checking your ELIS account during this period. Please do not contact the Dean's Office if you are not requesting to expedite your license. Please also do not contact the CEST Office; they are not involved in processing your license.
b) If you completed your program in Summer 2023, the entitlement process begins on Aug. 1, 2023, and ends by Sept. 26, 2023. Contact your advisors if you do not see your license in ELIS.
c) Candidates completing student teaching in Spring 2024 must pass the content test before student teaching for licensure during your student teaching semester. Consult with your program advisor for further questions. The edTPA has been eliminated through Aug. 31, 2025. SB 1488 was signed into law on Aug. 4, 2023, and is now PA 103-0488. This law eliminates the edTPA immediately and through Aug. 31, 2025. The edTPA is no longer required for in-state program completers or out-of-state applicants.
d) If you have graduated without licensure but now have met the licensure requirements, please contact your program advisor. Remember, do not delay meeting the licensure requirement; any new state or program changes from the time you graduate and apply for AND register your license will be required before you can be licensed.
Entitlement Application for TLP, Focus, Endorsement Only and MAT: Secondary Education Program
Candidates who are in a TLP, Focus, and Endorsement only program will complete the entitlement application the semester they are expecting to complete the licensure requirements. Consult with your advisor about the requirements of your program. This application is only for candidates completing licensure (non-degree) programs: TLP, Focus, Principal/School Counselor/Special Education endorsement only, and the MAT in Secondary Education program.
If you are earning a bachelor's or master's degree this semester, you do not need to complete the Entitlement Application.
The deadlines are as follows:
Term of anticipated program completion and filing deadline to apply:
- Fall: Nov. 1
- Summer: Aug. 1
- Spring: April 1
Add endorsement to your PEL
How to apply
Please complete the appropriate application available on this page. The Goodwin College will receive new applications for Fall 2023 entitlements until 5:00 p.m. on Oct. 15 (Central Time). Applications received after this date will not be evaluated.
If you are a candidate completing a licensure program (Initial, Advanced, TLP, or Focused) at Northeastern Illinois University and wish to add additional endorsements to your PEL, you must complete an Endorsement Application Form. Submit your application during the semester in which you plan to graduate with licensure or complete the requirements of your initial license.
You do not need to complete this form if you are not adding additional endorsements. For example, if you are completing a program in secondary education in Biology and meet the requirements for a middle-level endorsement general science endorsement, you will only complete an endorsement application for the general science middle-level endorsement.
If your application is incomplete or you missed the deadline, it will be denied. If this happens, please apply through your Regional Office of Education once you have registered your initial license. The evaluation is final. If your application is denied, you can apply through your Regional Office of Education and they will reevaluate your courses as needed. If you graduated without licensure, once you have earned your initial license, apply for any subsequent endorsement through your Regional Office of Education.
If you may qualify for short-term approval, complete an application and consult with your program advisor about the requirements for short-term approval.
Download the following directions on how to access the endorsement application through TK20:
The deadlines are as follows:
| Term of anticipated program completion | The filing deadline to submit your endorsement application packet |
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Candidates must submit their online application through TK20 and copies of unofficial transcripts from NEIU and all other colleges and universities attended (attached to the TK20 application). Candidates must highlight all classes on the transcripts that they want to be considered for the endorsement. Applications without transcripts attached and/or courses highlighted will be automatically denied. The Dean’s Office will evaluate these courses and make the final recommendation. Once you apply, the Dean's office will evaluate your application. The evaluation process will occur 4-8 weeks after grades are due in a given semester. Check your ELIS regularly; you will see the endorsement(s) in your account if you meet the requirements. Please do not contact us to ask for your application status during the evaluation period. If you do not see your endorsement in ELIS after eight weeks, don't hesitate to contact us to see if you meet the requirements. Check your ELIS account regularly.
For further questions, don't hesitate to contact your advisor.
Additional information about coursework needed to add an endorsement or meet licensure requirements
- Courses to Meet PEL Requirements
- ESL and Bilingual Courses Matrix (Updated Feb. 20, 2023)
- Subsequent Endorsement Rules
Notes for candidates completing the Secondary Education Program in 9-12 History or Science: Subsequent senior high science or social science endorsements may be added in the subject (i.e. science or social science) by passing the applicable content test or completing 12 semesters hours of coursework in the content area. This provision only applies if an educator already holds an issued designation science or social science endorsement.
Teaching Licensure Requirements and Policies in the State of Illinois
Consult with your program advisor about the details of these requirements and policies:
- Content Test: Candidates seeking teaching licensure, principal license, or endorsement in any education-related area must pass their respective content exam before student teaching, practicum, or internship. Register for the Test by visiting the Illinois Licensure Testing System. Individuals for whom English is not a primary language may request an extension of testing time, up to one-and-a-half times the standard test session length. Visit the Illinois Licensure Testing Center for more information. Note for Bilingual Education and Foreign Language Endorsements: An applicant who has obtained working or professional fluency on the Global Seal of Biliteracy shall be exempt from the target language proficiency test required for the bilingual or world language endorsement in the same language. Complete this form before student teaching: ISBE Form 83-91.
- Per IL. School Code [ISBE Rule Section 25.620 f)] (see appendix I) student teachers may be compensated for their services. Please consult with your program advisor regarding the Compensated Student Teaching Policy.
- (Eliminated) A test of basic skills (i.e., TAP, SAT, or ACT): Public Act 101-0220 eliminates the basic skills test requirement. This bill was signed into law by Governor JB Pritzker and took effect immediately. Basic Skills Test Elimination as August 2019 Memorandum. The information is available on ISBE's website.
- (Eliminated) edTPA is required to earn an initial license during student teaching for the first time. The edTPA has been eliminated through Aug. 31, 2025. SB 1488 was signed into law on Aug. 4, 2023, and is now PA 103-0488. This law eliminates the edTPA immediately and through Aug. 31, 2025. The edTPA is no longer required for in-state program completers or out-of-state applicants.
- A minimum of a B.A.
Entitlement For TLP Candidates
For bachelor’s degree entitlement, please contact the COE Dean's Office, Room LWH 4044, (773) 442-5500. For master’s degree entitlement, contact your program advisor.
For TLP-ELED candidates:
Contact: Sean Condon, Room LWH 0019, (773) 442-5374, s-condon@neiu.edu.
TLP-SCED and K-12 programs:
Contact: Vanessa J. King, Room LWH 0018, (773) 442-5387, v-king@neiu.edu.
Changes in the M.A. in lbs I program as of fall 2020
The Master of Arts in Learning Behavior Specialist Program (M.A., LBS I) Program has changed for incoming candidates as of the Fall 2020 semester. Based on a transition to the national standards timeline following statewide requirement changes, we have modified our current program sequence for new incoming students. We would like you to anticipate a timely completion of your current program.
We want to support your successful graduation from your current M.A., LBS I program as soon as possible, but no later than the Spring 2024 semester. Please note that after Spring 2024, you will no longer be able to graduate from your existing program. It will be necessary for you to complete all of your required LBS I Program coursework by May 2024.
So that we can support you in completing your M.A., LBS I-SPED program, I strongly recommend that you meet with Dr. Siker, your LBS I-SPED Program Advisor, to clarify any questions regarding your “M.A., LBS I Program Phase Out” plan. Candidates who have not met with Dr. Siker by the end of Spring 2021 may have difficulty completing their programs. We wish you all the best.
Yours truly,
Effie Kritikos, Chairperson
Department of Special Education
Pearson Testing Center at CCICS
If you need to pass your content test, you can take it at the Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies (CCICS). See more information at Pearson Testing Center at CCICS.
note for candidates completing secondary/k-12/special education teacher preparation programs
According to the Illinois State Board's rule for Educator Licensure:
Section 27.10 Purpose and Effective Dates: This Part establishes the standards that, together with the standards outlined in Standards for All Illinois Teachers (see 23 Ill. Adm. Code 24), shall apply to the issuance of endorsements in specific teaching fields on a professional educator license according to Article 21B of the School Code [105 ILCS 5]. In this Part, the standards set forth shall apply both to candidates for the respective endorsements and to the programs that prepare them.
a) Transition to New Standards
1) Beginning Oct. 1, 2024, approval of any teacher preparation program or course of study in any field covered by this Part according to the State Board's rules for Educator Licensure (23 Ill. Adm. Code 25, Subpart C) shall be based on the congruence of that program's or course's content with the standards identified in this Part.
2) This Part also includes the standards from the former Part (before the adoption of this new Part) that will continue to apply until Oct. 1, 2024, or, for Section 27.420, until Sept. 1, 2015.
3) Beginning Oct. 1, 2020, no candidate shall be admitted into a program that has not been approved under this Part. Any candidate who is enrolled in a program not approved under this Part shall complete the program on or before Oct. 1, 2024, and be entitled (i.e., receive verification by the candidate's institution of higher education that he/she has completed an approved preparation program and has met the testing and experience requirements for licensure in the specific content area sought) by Oct. 1, 2025.
b) The examinations required for issuance of an endorsement in any field covered by this Part shall be based on the relevant standards outlined in this Part.
c) Beginning Feb. 1, 2018, the standards outlined in Sections 27.100 and 27.130 will be replaced by the standards outlined in Part 21 (Standards for Endorsements in the Middle Grades) both for the approval of any teacher preparation program or course of study in the middle grades and the basis of the examinations required for issuance of an endorsement for teaching literacy (e.g., English language arts) or mathematics in the middle grades.
The programs will begin a redesign following the timeline approved by SPELB:
- Oct. 1, 2020: No candidate shall be admitted into an "old" secondary or K-12 Program
- Oct. 1, 2024: All "old" Programs must be completed
- Oct. 1, 2014: New Program effective by this date
Part 27 rules, which include the national standards to which programs must align, have been approved by SEPLB and reviewed by the State Board at its November 2017 meeting.
Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading Standards
The Illinois State Board of Education adopted new Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading Standards to prepare future educators to teach diverse students. ISBE’s Diverse and Learner Ready Teacher (DLRT) Network developed the standards, which educator preparation programs in colleges and universities will integrate into their course content and field experiences.
The standards support inclusion and equity for students by guiding educators to:
- Self-reflect and gain a deeper understanding of how their life experiences affect their perspectives;
- Understand that systems in our society create and reinforce inequities;
- Learn from and about their students’ cultures, languages, and learning styles to make instruction more meaningful and relevant to their students’ lives;
- Value students’ feedback and leadership;
- Support and create opportunities for student advocacy;
- Develop relationships with families and the community;
- Curate the curriculum to include and represent a wide spectrum of identities; and
- Ensure the diversity of the student population is represented within the broader learning environment.
ISBE develops standards for educator preparation programs through the rule-making process. ISBE will submit the Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading Standards to the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) for consideration. If JCAR issues no objection, ISBE will file the rules with the Office of the Illinois Secretary of State, at which time they will become effective. Existing educator preparation programs will align their programs to the standards by Oct. 1, 2025. Programs that prepare teachers, school support personnel, and administrators in Illinois will submit evidence to ISBE showing how their course content and field experiences address the standards.
CPDUs: Clock Hours of Professional Development Activity Policy
Please contact the Goodwin College of Education Dean's Office at gcoe@neiu.edu for further information about professional development opportunities. Read more about how to be approved for CPDUs in our policy. RCDTD Code: 150165405510000
Read more about CPDUs.
Intern Approval Procedures for Candidates in the School-Counseling Program
School Counseling Students interested in being evaluated for an "intern approval” must complete the Illinois State Board of Education form “Notification of School Support Personnel Intern Eligibility” by following the directions.
Are you looking to hire new teachers or school support personnel?
School districts interested in hiring new teachers, school counselors, school leaders, or principals are welcome to post their available positions in our hiring system. Please complete the registration process in the NEIUHire system.
Are you looking for a job?
Please register in the NEIUHire system. School districts are invited to post their job positions in this system. As an NEIU alumnus, you can take advantage of this service.
