The Illinois Certification Testing System (ICTS) is a three-part examination consisting of
  -   a test of basic skills,
  -   a test in your specialty area (e.g., elementary education), and
  -   an assessment of professional teaching (APT).
The basic skills test must be completed prior to Benchmark II -Teacher Education Candidate. (Benchmark II is formal admittance into teacher education and is required to begin any clinical experiences. See Q5). Students should take this test their freshman year. Students are required to pass the specialty test prior to student teaching. The APT is required before the Illinois State Board of Education will issue a certificate (this is subject to change state by state).

Candidates may attempt to pass any ICTS test no more than five times.

Generally, students do complete their program within four years. Sometimes students take a leave of absence or complete summer school, which may increase or decrease the number of years spent at Loyola. There is also a five-year degree for students to receive a B.S. in either Biology or Physics followed by an M.Ed. in Secondary Education.

Yes, the SOE does participate in the Interdisciplinary Honors Program.

We highly encourage students to study abroad. The School of Education offers two two-week courses in Rome. We also now offer student teaching in Rome at the Marymount International School. Check out the Rome Student Teaching Blog.

Program benchmarks for each program can be accessed here
- Elementary Education
- Bilingual/Bicultural
- Early Childhood/Special Education
- Secondary Education
- Special Education

Both the SOE and the Center for Experiential Learning offer programs. The School of Education emails students regarding volunteer sites. The Center for Experiential Learning Service-Learning Projects has a website listing additional opportunities.

The conference is designed to help teacher education candidates explore various career paths in teaching, examine their own reasons for pursuing a career in the field, and learn about experiences and opportunities available through our program. Teacher candidates will also have an opportunity to meet other students who share their interest, to interact with faculty and staff, and to gather information that will support their decision to embark on a teaching career.

Illinois is part of the Interstate Compact Agreement. This means that we have reciprocity agreements with many states in the union, but some states will not recognize your Illinois certificate. If you want to teach in a state with which Loyola does not have a reciprocity agreement, you cannot get a full teacher’s certification. In this case, a state will usually offer a provisional certificate and you may have to take a state-specific teaching test (like the Illinois Basic Skills Test). If you are interested in teaching outside of Illinois, check out that state’s Board of Education webpage and search for out of state credentials. Pay attention to the coursework required for certification in that state. This way, you can take all the classes you need while at Loyola.

Information about financial aid and scholarships is available on the School of Education's Financial Assistance website.

FTC (Future Teachers of Chicago) Loyola is an organization consisting of elementary, high school, and college students interested in becoming future teachers. Activities include: tutoring students, visiting colleges, and attending lectures and social gatherings. Additionally, the Illinois Education Association (IEA) now partners with FTC. The IEA provides an additional network to students who wish to participate.

Many people seeking to pursue other occupations within the K-12 system look to earn the following certificates:

  -   School Service Personnel (Type 73): Allows you to work as a school social worker, school guidance counselor, or school psychologist.

  -   Administrator (Type 75): With this certificate, you can be a principal, general administrator, superintendent, or school business officer.

Also visit the ISBE website for further information.

Courses for the program in Early Childhood, Elementary, Secondary, and Special Certification are offered at Loyola’s Water Tower and Lakeshore Campuses.

Research has repeatedly highlighted the link between close university-student interaction outside the classroom and students’ academic success, retention, and satisfaction with the college experience. The benefits of advising, however, go beyond increasing your likelihood of staying in school and being satisfied. Maintaining close contact with your advisor can help you
a) establish short and long-term goals and develop strategies to meet those goals;
b)assess your personal interests and skills and identify possible career/major directions (an advisor can be invaluable as a sounding board as you consider various opportunities);
c) stay on track toward graduation;
d) stay informed of academic regulations and procedures, campus resources, and special opportunities; and
e) receive moral support as you proceed through the program.

Freshmen and sophomore students will be assigned an advisor in the Office of First and Second Year Advising. Academic Advisors in the Office of First and Second Year Advising can help students with resources both on and off campus, career decision-making, declaring a minor, and a variety of other issues. Their office is located on the second floor of the Sullivan Center on the lakeshore campus.

Students of sophomore status and above meet with Robbie Jones, the School of Education’s Academic Advisor. She holds office hours at both the Lake Shore and the Water Tower Campuses.

To make an appointment with Robbie Jones, call Lindsay Hannah at 312/915-6800. Robbie Jones is at WTC Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays during the school year only, and Monday-Friday during school breaks, including summer. Her phone number there is 312/915-6723. She is at the Lake Shore Campus Tuesdays and Wednesdays during the school year only. Her Lake Shore office number is 773/508-8284.

The academic advisor can help you with short- and long-term academic planning. Specifically, she can serve as a sounding board and guide you through making important decisions, answer questions about careers in your major and direct you to other resources for career information, and explain the requirements for your major and apprise you of your progress toward fulfilling those requirements. She can also provide information about unique opportunities in your major such as departmental honors, special courses, and research projects; answer questions about academic policies and procedures and the core curriculum; and point you in the right direction when you aren’t sure where to go for assistance. You may wish to speak with the academic advisor for advice about graduate and professional school opportunities.

Prior to each semester’s registration, you should consult with your advisor. Your academic advisor in the School of Education is Robbie Jones in the Office of Student Academic Services. You should meet with her at least once a semester. You can contact Robbie Jones at (312) 915-6800 or rjones7@luc.edu.

Students should consult with an advisor prior to making a change in their major.

You are expected to
a) take advantage of advising and other opportunities to enrich your college experience,
b) initiate contact with advisors and actively participate in the advising process,
c) schedule an individual advising session each term and come prepared,
d) make final decisions about academic matters and accept responsibility for the consequences of those decisions,
e) explore educational opportunities in light of life and career goals,
f) discuss choice of academic program and explore vocational/major options,
g) address poor academic performance and develop a program of action,
h) be familiar with the School and University policies and procedures as outlined online,
i) keep a personal record of progress toward fulfilling school, core, and major requirements,
j) plan semester schedules and register for classes in a timely fashion,
k) ask for help when needed, and
l) follow through on referrals.
You are expected to actively participate in the advising process, meaning that you should be aware of your responsibilities, keep in regular touch with your advisor, and keep yourself informed and organized.

You will start working in the schools in some of your first education classes. All majors have a “block(s)” clinical placement that includes several consecutive weeks in a school. The culminating clinical experience is student teaching, which occurs over the course of a full semester (15 weeks). During student teaching, you will spend all day, every day in the school and must participate in at least one extra-curricular activity.

Clinical placements allow teacher candidates to practice what they are learning in their course work in preparation for student teaching. During student teaching, candidates are placed for a full semester with the expectation of assuming the role of classroom teacher.

Clinical experiences are designed to give students an opportunity to become involved in off campus educational experiences. Clinical experiences include participating in guided observations such as tutoring, attending school board meetings, observing classroom activities, conducting small group or whole class instruction and judging academic contests.

Student Teaching is the final phase of the Teacher Education Program. Students must apply for admittance about a year in advance of the semester in which they wish to student teach. To complete the application, the student needs to provide:
1) general information,
2) an advisor approval form,
3) a Student Teaching Health Certificate,
4) a personal statement, and
5) a transcript release form.
The completed applications will be filed in each student’s record. Deadlines for submission are March 1st for Spring and October 1st for Fall of each year. You can find the student teaching application on the web forms page.

The Coordinator of Student Teaching interviews students for assessment of readiness for Student Teaching and conducts a transcript interview to help you prepare. Some school sites require an interview prior to confirming placement.

You may request a specific school if you want to teach in Chicago Public Schools, or a school district if you are interested in teaching in the suburbs. Lisa Vogt, the Clinical Services Coordinator, will to her best to honor your request.

When student teaching, you should follow your school’s schedule, not Loyola’s.

Yes, you must attend all seminars. Seminars provide students with vital information regarding the academic program, certification requirements, and an opportunity for professional growth.

Yes, you will register for an assigned section of student teaching.

The University Supervisor visits the student teacher five times during the semester. The University Supervisor and the Cooperating Teacher submit written evaluations of the student’s teaching performance.

The University Supervisor is an adjunct clinical faculty member hired to supervise student teachers at their placements. Your University Supervisor will visit your classroom during student teaching. The Cooperating Teacher is the current classroom teacher at the student teaching site. The Faculty Advisor is your point person for the Student Impact Project, which is done during the semester in which you complete Student Teaching.

To begin the block, students are required to have preliminary education courses , a passing score on the Basic Skills test, meet GPA requirements , and complete at least 15 hours of content major coursework(secondary education majors). Because space is limited, students must apply for block at least one semester in advance. Subsequent blocks are programs specific and depend on performance in previous blocks.

Chicago Public Schools and many suburban schools require all volunteers and teachers to complete a background check before they work in the schools. It is Loyola’s policy that all students must complete a background check before beginning their clinical hours. Accurate Biometrics comes to campus each year to fingerprint students. They then send your fingerprints to the Illinois State Police who report whether you have been convicted of a crime in the past. This background check does not investigate the criminal history of any of your relatives. Be sure to NOT open your background check before bringing it to the School of Education. It must be opened by staff or faculty within the department.

Students are allowed to add endorsements on their certificate to teach in additional subject areas. Contact your advisor for specific course requirements.

To obtain an ESL or Bilingual endorsement, you will need to:
* Complete an approved program at Loyola
* Complete 100 hours of clinical experience in an ESL or Bilingual classroom. Candidates must submit a Clinical Verification Form with the Application for Entitlement.
* Pass the relevant content area test
- NOTE: Bilingual endorsement requires proficiency in a foreign language.

You must file for certification with Loyola University. During student teaching, the certificate officer will explain this process. The application is located at the forms page in the Illinois State Certificate section.

Upon graduation, you will have an Initial level of certification. This level is issued to beginning teachers after completion of requirements for the certificate and is valid for four years of teaching.
NOTE: Standard certification is the next level of certification available to teachers who have a) completed four years of teaching and b) met statutory professional development requirements. For more information access the Illinois State Board of Education website.

No, you must be enrolled in an approved program that has an entitlement agreement with the Illinois State Board of Education.

Applicants who are not US citizens must provide proof of legal presence and eligibility for employment. They must also file form 73-91, “Notice of Intent to Become a United States Citizen.”

Students apply for graduation through LOCUS. Application deadlines are October 1st for May and summer graduates, and April 1st for December graduates.

The Illinois State Board of Education joined the Interstate Compact Agreement. As a result of this, your certificate allows you to receive a compatible initial certificate in many states. For further information, check with the Office of Student Academic Services or the Board of Education in the state in which you wish to teach. You must apply to each state in which you are interested in teaching.