From: Educational Studies Office
Date: March 22nd, 2010
Re: ISBE Changes
This memo is notification of a recent change in the Illinois State Board of Education certification rules.
“All professional education and content-area coursework that forms part of an application for certification, endorsement, or approval received on or after February 1, 2012, must have been passed with a grade no lower than “C” or equivalent in order to be counted towards fulfillment of the applicable requirements.” This ruling is now in effect at every teacher education program in the state of Illinois.
This means students who receive a grade of C- or lower in a professional education course, a required content-area course, or a course taken to meet endorsement requirements, will have to retake the course and achieve a minimum grade of C.
This new rule will impact students graduating in May of 2012, 2013, and beyond.
Professional Education Coursework includes:
- Elementary Education, Secondary, Foreign Language:
- Education 225, 255, 303, 305, 315, 325, 335, 360, 361, 362, 490, 491, 492, 493, 494, 495 496, 498.
- Education 260 is also included if you are pursuing a middle school endorsement.
- Music Education:
- Music 132, 332, 333, 334, 221, 221a, 221b, 223, 224, 225, 497
Content Area Coursework includes:
- All certification coursework required for the major, as listed in the Teacher Education Program Handbook, including coursework required outside of the major for certification.
- Math requirement for Elementary Education students.
In some cases, you may be able to substitute a course – consult with your advisor.
Endorsements:
You must earn a grade of C or higher in any coursework taken to meet requirements for an endorsement at the middle school or secondary level.
If you have received a grade lower than a C in one of the required courses, please consult with your advisor. You will need to complete a petition form (from the registrar’s office) to retake a course with a grade of C-. If you do retake a course, both course grades will be recorded on your transcript, but only the higher grade will be figured into your average GPA. There may also be financial aid implications when re-taking a course if you are not making satisfactory progress. Please consult with your advisor and/or the financial aid office.