Graduate Certificate in Alternative Principal Preparation
The Graduate Certificate in Alternative Principal Preparation program prepares future elementary and secondary school administrators to be highly qualified for leadership positions in PK-12 schools. This entitlement is required for leadership roles like Principal, Assistant Principal, Dean, and Department Chair. The program was designed to combine university courses with microcredentials to meet the standards and criteria for an administration endorsement. Together, the courses and microcredential requirements provide a rigorous set of experiences to develop the knowledge, skills, dispositions, and competencies needed by educational leaders at the local and state level.
The UIS principal preparation program is approved by the Illinois State Board of Education. Candidates must take and pass content area in each area to qualify for Illinois entitlement. The School of Education is a university partner of the Illinois Principal Association (IPA).
Degree Requirement
Requirements for the Principal Administrative license are established by the ISBE Licensure Board and include a master’s degree, two years of documented successful full-time teaching or four years of documented school service personnel experience, admission approval to an accredited Principal Administrative License program, 32 semester hours of required graduate courses, and an extensive internship experience.
As required by ISBE, all candidates in the Principal Preparation certificate program will complete the following:
- Turn in a portfolio which contains a letter of recommendation from the applicant’s employer (school district); a letter of intent from the district that assures that at the appropriate point in the program the student will receive a placement as an intern in the district and will be permitted to complete his/her internship experiences; a current resume; a copy of the applicant’s teaching license or the page from the Illinois Educator's Licensing Information System (ELIS) that shows current licensure; documents illustrating current leadership activities and skills, using data to solve problems, and implementing strategies used to improve student achievement.
- Complete an interview with EDL faculty. Interview timeslots are open each month and scheduled once the student submits the application portfolio.
Following completion of the approved program and to obtain the licensure for principal, candidates will show proof of passing both ISBE principal exams and the Teacher Evaluator Training. Please refer to the Illinois Licensure Testing System (ILTS) website for the testing schedule.
Grading Policy
Passing at the graduate level is considered a B or higher. A maximum of 8 hours of C (2.0) is applicable, provided that a minimum GPA of 3.0 is reached at the time of program completion and an approved Student Petition is on file in the Office of Records and Registration. Grades of C- or lower are not accepted.
Students also should refer to the campus policy on Grades Acceptable Toward Master’s Degrees section of this catalog.
Requirements
| Required Courses | ||
| EDL 522 | Legal Rights of Teachers, Parents, and Students in Educational Settings | 4 |
| EDL 526 | Internship | 2 |
| EDL 527 | Principal Internship II | 2 |
| EDL 572 | Pathways to Restorative Leadership | 4 |
| Advanced Topics | ||
| EDL 600 | Advanced Topics in EDL | 2 |
| Total Hours | 14 | |
EDL 600 includes assistance with and supervision to complete 15 Microcredentials through Illinois Principals Association ELN network.
The cost for each Microcredential is charged directly to the student by IPA