Illinois Alternative Certification Programs

Information about university alt cert teacher programs in Illinois

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Find out if this is the route for you to become a public school teacher in Illinois by taking our
WEBQUEST

Task Process Resources Evaluation Conclusion

1.Who am I? 2.What is the job market? 3.What are the programs? 4.What do friends say? 5.Evaluation

PROCESS in the Quest for the Gold...

2. If your personality inventory seems compatible with teaching, you are now ready to actually consider information about public school teaching opportunities in Illinois...

The purpose of this part of the webquest is to help you think of some questions that could affect your decision to pursue a job in teaching, as well as providing some Web resources to help you answer the questions. For example, comparing the state’s projected needs for physics teachers and for math teachers may help you decide in which area to seek certification to maximize your job possibilities upon graduation. Or maybe the job arena in your area looks so dismal you may not want to risk making the shift--what if you should take all the coursework and then not be able to find a job? So here are the second set of questions for you on this Quest for the Gold...

What is the demand for teachers?

What are the national projections for elementary and secondary school enrollment over the next decade? How do projections for the state of Illinois compare to the national projections?

What are the areas of highest demand for teaching jobs in the state of Illinois this year?

What are the projected areas of greatest need over the next five to ten years?

Here is some information pertinent to these questions...

Where on the web can I find listings of teacher openings in Illinois?
Perhaps one of the best places is the Illinois State Board of Educations site...

http://www.isbe.state.il.us/Resources.html

What might I want to know about a school district when applying for a job?

What is the student-to-teacher ratio in your district?

What is the ethnic breakdown of the enrollment in your district?

What is the average starting teacher’s salary in my district and in Illinois?

great site: http://www.thechampion.org/schools/salaries.htm

another link – www.isbe.net/research/average_salary.htm

What were the results of the school’s most recent Report Card from the State?

Web Resources to help in this quest

	Our page of links on Teacher Associations and Teacher Resources
	Illinois State Board of Education: http://www.isbe.net
	Your Regional Office of Education in Illinois can be very helpful for finding out answers to many of the questions here... Here is a link that will give you contact info for the ROE in your area or county: http://www.isbe.net/teachers/ROE/roeinfo.htm
	National Center for Education Statistics: http://nces.ed.gov
	University of Michigan Document Library for education: http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/steduc.html

Considering possible teaching salaries, and the likelihood of teacher openings in your subject area, rate yourself between 1 (dismal prospects) to 10 ("things really look bright for me...") .

Be sure to record your score, for use later...

You are now ready to proceed to the third part of your webquest...

On to part 3 in the Quest for the Gold...