Students majoring in French, German, or Spanish who seek licensure to teach a language in grades K-12 should consult with the Foreign Language Educator Licensure office at the earliest possible opportunity. Educator licensure involves significant requirements in addition to the completion of a language degree and university general education requirements.
Procedures
Declare a major in French, German, or Spanish; usually with an emphasis in language and literature. Consult each semester with the adviser for courses in the specific language major.
Consult with the Foreign Language Educator Licensure office at the time the major is declared and at the beginning of each semester thereafter.
Apply for the first clinical course, ILAS 201, in the March or October prior to the semester in which you wish to take it.
A study abroad experience is highly recommended for all students in the foreign language educator licensure program.
Students are admitted to the educator licensure program when they have:
completed the written application for admission to the program, and a satisfactory interview,
passed the Illinois Test of Academic Performance (TAP, formerly, Basic Skills Test) or the the state approved equivalent ACT score,
attained a cumulative GPA of 2.75 at the time of application, and a GPA of 3.00 in the language in which the applicant hopes to be licensed,
successfully completed ILAS 201, and
earned a grade of at least B in the FLFR 301 or FLGE 301 or FLSP 301 Advanced Grammar course.
Retention
Students admitted to the program must maintain the GPA requirements of 2.75 overall and 3.00 in the foreign language major, and display appropriate professional dispositions at all times.
Requirements in Department
Educator licensure students are required to take all the regular courses for a French, German, or Spanish major, in addition to choosing specific culture and linguistics courses as upper-level electives. Educator licensure students consult regularly with both the language adviser and the Foreign Language Educator Licensure office when choosing courses.
For students who do not have an ACT+ writing score of 22 or above for substitution and who have not passed the TAP/Basic Skills Test, a course in Test of Academic Proficiency preparation may be required. Consult the Foreign Language Educator Licensure office.
The following prerequisites should be taken as part of the B.A.:
One course from another department with cultural content in the target culture (consult with the Foreign Language Educator Licensure office about which courses are available for each language).
Education course work in foundations of education, human development and learning, assessment, teaching exceptional students, and teaching English Language Learners. Consult with the Foreign Language Educator Licensure office about which courses are approved for satisfying this requirement.
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