This endorsement requires 18 semester hours of coursework and additional requirements below.
1. A valid Illinois Professional Educator License.
2. Bilingual clinical experience totaling 100 clock hours or three months teaching experience in bilingual programs.
- The school professional you work with where the hours are conducted needs to write a detailed letter on letterhead documenting the nature of activities, age group of individuals in the program, number of days/hours per day worked, etc. The school professional may also send an email to the Council at info@cote.illinois.edu from their school email account as an alternative to writing a letter on letterhead.
3. Successful completion of a Language Proficiency Test for an Education License with Stipulations Endorsed as Transitional Bilingual in the non-English language to be taught. Click here for specific testing information.
NOTE: Per Section 25.720 b) 4) of the Illinois Administrative Code, an individual who holds a State Seal of Biliteracy or who has obtained working fluency or higher on the Global Seal of Biliteracy shall be exempt from the language proficiency test required for a bilingual education.
Click here for more information about the State and Global Seals of Biliteracy.
Credits totaling 18 semester hours distributed among the following course areas:
1. Foundations of Bilingual Education:
CI 433, Foundations of Bilingual Education
2. Assessment of Bilingual Education:
CI 517, Bilingual and English as Second Language Assessment
3. Methods and Materials for Teaching Limited-English-Proficient Students in Bilingual Programs:
CI 477, Bilingual/ESL Methods and Materials
4. Cross-Cultural Studies for Teaching Limited-English-Proficient Students:
EIL 456, Lang and Social Interactions or
CI 446, Culture in the Classroom
Note: CI 415, Language Varieties, Cultures and Learning is a restricted course, but will count for this area for those who are required to take the course.
5. Methods and Materials for Teaching English as a Second Language:
EIL 411, Intro to TESL Methodology or
CI 477, Bilingual/ESL Methods & Materials.
Note: Students pursuing this endorsement will need to take a course to address each subject area and then choose course hours from the remaining options as electives in order to attain the required minimum of 18 credit hours.