RECRUIT: Program

Program

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Overview

Participants join the program in Year I for a two-semester residency on the UIUC campus during which they complete a set of education courses required for certification. After completing this course of study, the program participants will be issued a one-year nonrenewable Provisional Alternative Teaching Certificate.

During Year I, participants will be provided Teaching Assistantships in innovative science or mathematics courses offered in disciplinary departments on campus to fund their residency at UIUC and provide them with opportunities to examine their content knowledge for the purpose of teaching science or mathematics.

Year II represents an internship-like induction period during which participants pursue and secure a full-time teaching position in a collaborating school district. Participants will teach under the guidance and support of an expert mentor teacher in the building to be identified and compensated by the program. Simultaneously, participants will enroll in a two-term, biweekly seminar sequence that links them to other teacher candidates in their cohort, mentor teachers, and university education and STEM faculty.

The seminar sequence will constitute a forum that will encourage critical reflection and professional growth through providing a problem-posing and problem-solving environment to assist participants with pedagogical, content, classroom management, and other teaching-related issues that are typically faced by beginning teachers.

By the end of Year II, participants will earn a nonrenewable initial Alternative Teaching Certificate valid for four years of teaching. After completing four years of teaching, the program graduates may apply for the Standard Teaching Certificate.

During Year III, participants continue to teach full time. During this year, they enroll in a set of advanced education courses leading to a Master of Education degree.

Participants pursue and secure a full-time teaching position in a partner school district. They will teach under the guidance and support of an expert mentor teacher in the building. Simultaneously, participants will enroll in a two-term, biweekly seminar sequence that provides them with support related to pedagogical, content, classroom management, and other teaching-related issues that are typically faced by beginning teachers. The seminar sequence links participants to other teacher candidates in their cohort, mentor teachers, and university education and STEM faculty.

According to state laws, eligible candidates for alternative certification programs should have five years of working experience in a field related to their bachelor's degree (including advanced academic studies) at the time of admission to alternative certification programs. This requirement is waived for candidates who opt to teach in Chicago Public Schools. In other words, if you have five or more years of working experience in your field at the time of application, you can elect to apply for your internship in any of the partner school districts. However, if you do not meet this criterion and are still interested in the program, your teaching internship has to be completed in Chicago Public Schools.

Participants complete their second year of teaching and enroll in a set of advanced education courses that further their professional development and growth as teachers leading by the end of Year III to a Master of Education degree. This course set include twelve credit hours of 400 level courses in education.

Examples of the advanced courses in education that participants could choose to enroll in appear in the table below. It should emphasized that the following is only a partial listing of the courses available to participants during Year III.