Short-Term Emergency Certification in Special Education

 

School districts occasionally hire certified teachers (early childhood, elementary, secondary, bilingual) to fill a special education position.  The district will ask the new hire to apply through the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) for a short-term emergency certificate in special education.  The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Department of Special Education has the following policy regarding this process.

 

1. Documentation to be provided by the requesting teacher:

• Acceptance letter into the University of Illinois LBS-1 Master’s Program. All teachers requesting the University of Illinois Department of Special Education to provide them with documentation for a short-term emergency certificate must be admitted to the LBS-1 master's program. For application information go to: Department of Special Education Graduate Admissions.

• Copy of the applicant’s valid Illinois teaching certificate (early childhood, elementary, secondary,special or transitional bilingual).

• Need to be enrolled in one Special Education course.

• Applicant’s plan of study identifying enrollment in the University of Illinois, Special Education LBS-1 master’s program and coursework to be completed to qualify for an unlimited LBS-1 approval or certificate within the three-year validity period of the requested certificate.

2. Complete: “Application for Short-Term Emergency Certificate in Special Education”(ISBE Form 73-86). The form must be completed and signed by the requesting teacher, employing school district official, University of Illinois Certification Officer (who is authorized to affix the institution seal), and the regional superintendent of education.

Note: When the applicant is ready to have their documentation (see #1 above) verified by the University of Illinois Certification Officer, the student should submit all documents and a letter outlining their future plans including their plan of study with courses that they have taken and/or are currently enrolled in.

If an applicant wants to take a Special Education course while applying for admission to the LBS-1 master's program, they need to enroll as a non-degree graduate student and obtain permission from the course instructor before enrolling through the University of  Illinois Office of Academic Outreach (phone: 217-333-3060).