We are accepting applications for the 2010/2011 school year. Our next deadline is March 1, 2010. We encourage you to apply early as we are rolling admissions.

Candidates must meet the following eligibility requirements to apply. No previous coursework in education or teaching experience is required. However, candidates must:

• Have a bachelor's degree
• Have a GPA of 3.0 or higher (a 2.75 and above if exceptional achievement previously demonstrated)
• Be eligible to work in Chicago Public Schools
• Meet Illinois state testing requirements
• Not be certified to teach in any state
• Not be enrolled in a certification program or have completed 5 or more certification courses
• Meet subject area eligibility requirements

You must have a bachelor's degree
Candidates who hold a bachelor’s degree or expect to have their degree conferred no later than June 30, 2010 are eligible to apply. A bachelor's degree is a requirement for Illinois certification.

Candidates who received credit from foreign universities must have their transcripts evaluated by one of the two foreign credential evaluation agencies approved by Chicago Public Schools:

Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc.
P.O. Box 92970
Milwaukee, WI 53202-0970
Telephone: 414-289-3400
Fax: 414-289-3411
Web Site: http://www.ece.org

When requesting an evaluation, candidates should ensure that the evaluating agency specifically states that the individual has received the U.S. equivalent of a bachelor’s degree in his/her subject area (if applicable) AND provides a full listing of coursework.

If invited to interview, candidates MUST submit evaluations of any foreign transcripts.  A decision will not be made regarding a candidate’s final status unless foreign transcript evaluations have been received.

You must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher or exceptional achievement previously demonstrated if between a 2.75 and 3.0.
Individuals must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher from an accredited college or university.  In some instances, consideration may be given for candidates whose GPA is between a 2.75 and 3.0 and who demonstrate a strong record of achievement in their previous endeavors.  Candidates with a GPA that falls in this range will have the opportunity to address any issues relevant to their academic performance by including a brief statement in the online application.  Candidates with an undergraduate GPA lower than a 2.75 are ineligible for the program.

TRANSCRIPT REQUIREMENT

If invited to an interview, candidates are REQUIRED to provide ONE official transcript from EACH college/university attended on the interview day. A total of five (5) official transcripts from each college/university attended will be needed to completely enroll in the program (transcripts are required by the university, Chicago Public Schools, and the Illinois State Board of Education). We strongly encourage candidates to request official transcript copies as soon as possible to avoid delays in submitting them to the program at the interview event.

WHERE TO SEND TRANSCRIPTS

Due to the high volume of transcripts that the Chicago Teaching Fellows Program office receives, upon enrolling in our program, it is highly recommended as a best practice to have all transcripts sent directly to your home address and then you send all transcripts to Chicago Teaching Fellows in ONE envelope. This will ensure all transcripts from your respective colleges/universities are received and reviewed.

You must be eligible to work in Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
As a condition of employment by CPS, candidates must provide photo identification and proof of U.S. citizenship or permanent residency with a valid green card.

Candidates who are accepted into the program must successfully pass an examination to determine that they are in good health and free of tuberculosis before teaching in a CPS school. A physician must provide the results of the TB skin test or chest x-ray – as well as the date on which the test was performed and read- to comply with Illinois School Code.

Finally, if accepted into the program, candidates must authorize CPS to forward their names to law enforcement officials for the purpose of a criminal background check and agree to execute any forms required by said officials for such purposes.

You must meet Illinois state testing requirements
Candidates must take and pass the Illinois Certification Testing System (ICTS) Basic Skills test and the required content area test(s) that correlates with the subject that the Fellow is assigned to teach. Interested candidates are encouraged to apply to the Chicago Teaching Fellows program even if they have not yet taken these exams. However, admission to the program is contingent upon passage of required tests. Test dates are limited. Please visit http://www.icts.nesinc.com and sign up as soon as possible if you are strongly interested in applying to the Chicago Teaching Fellows program. Candidates are responsible for all test costs and fees. Chicago Teaching Fellows does not pay for this expense.

For more important information on testing requirements, please click here.

You must not be a certified teacher
Because Chicago Teaching Fellows was specifically created to recruit individuals from a variety of disciplines in order to increase the number of highly-qualified individuals entering the teaching field, certified and provisionally certified teachers are not eligible for the program. 

Certified teachers are strongly encouraged to contact the Chicago Public Schools Department of Human Resources and to apply through the regular application process.

You must not be enrolled in a certification program
Because Chicago Teaching Fellows was specifically created to recruit individuals from a variety of disciplines in order to increase the number of highly-qualified individuals entering the teaching field, individuals currently enrolled in a certification program are not eligible to apply. Also, if you have completed more than 5 certification courses, you are well on your way to earning teacher certification and are not eligible to apply for the program. 

Additionally, if you have been previously enrolled in any CPS alternative certification program, you are not eligible to apply for the Chicago Teaching Fellows program. 

Subject Area Eligibility
Fellows will teach in math, science, bilingual education, and special education classrooms – some of the greatest areas of need in the district. Eligibility requirements vary by subject and are established by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).  Candidates must meet subject area eligibility requirements before they are eligible to teach a subject area.    

The Chicago Teaching Fellows program will be accepting applications from candidates who are eligible to teach math, science, bilingual education, or special education.

Fellows are responsible for registering for and passing the Basic Skills test and required content area test(s) in a timely manner.

For more information on testing requirements, please click here.

High School Math Requirements

*Please note that Accounting, Finance, and Business courses will not count toward this requirement.

High School Science Requirements

*Please note that social science coursework will not count toward this requirement.

Bilingual Education Requirements

Please note: Bilingual candidates are required to take and pass three ICTS exams. ICTS allows two exams at most to be taken on the same day. Please take the testing dates into consideration and plan accordingly. Fluency and/or high proficiency in both the respective language and English are expected for bilingual candidates prior to applying.

* Please review the ICTS website for specific test and test code information based on the language you are applying to teach.

Special Education Requirements

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