Principal Endorsement
This program prepares future elementary and secondary school administrators (Principals, Assistant Principals, Deans and Department Chairs) who are highly qualified to hold leadership positions in PK-12 schools. The program was designed to 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.
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 Endorsement program will complete the following:
1) 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.
2) 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.
Graduate degree opportunity
A master’s degree is required for student’s obtaining the Principal Endorsement. Students who have not yet completed a master’s would add the Capstone (4 credits) to the required courses below to also complete the Master of Arts in Educational Leadership.
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.
Candidates must take and pass ISBE Licensure Exam(s) in their specific area(s) to qualify for state of Illinois entitlement.
Students also should refer to the campus policy on Grades Acceptable Toward Master’s Degrees section of this catalog.
Requirements
| EDL 502 | School Finance | 4 |
| EDL 503 | School Law | 4 |
| EDL 505 | Introduction To Research | 4 |
| or EDL 541 | Educational Research Methods | |
| EDL 509 | Organizational Dynamics | 4 |
| EDL 511 | School Improvement | 4 |
| EDL 519 | The Principalship | 4 |
| EDL 525 | Supervision Of Instruction | 4 |
| EDL 526 | Principal Internship I | 2 |
| EDL 527 | Principal Internship II | 2 |
| Total Hours | 32 | |