Testing

Candidates for teacher certification must take and pass three tests. These three tests are required by the Illinois State Board of Education and should be taken at specific points in your program.

Basic Skills Test

The Basic Skills Test must be passed before undergraduate students are admitted to the School of Education (typically in the second semester of the sophomore year) and by certification only and MATC students before being admitted to their programs.

Content Test

Students in all programs must pass the content test before beginning student teaching. The content tests are specific for each certificate, e.g., early childhood, elementary, biology, mathematics.

Assessment for Professional Teaching (APT)

This test should be taken during student teaching and must be passed before students can become certified. This test assesses knowledge of the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards.

All of these tests are administered by the Illinois Certification Testing Service. For registration information and a schedule of tests, check the ICTS website.