Expenses

While the requirements to become an Illinois or Indiana teacher are rigorous, the majority of Chicago corps members end their two-year commitment as certified teachers. Corps members must pass the Test of Academic Proficiency and the appropriate content tests for the state in which they’re teaching.  Special education and bilingual teachers are required to take additional tests. Corps members must also enroll in an alternative certification program with one of our partner universities—Dominican University, National Louis University, or University of Phoenix—in order to be qualified to teach. Corps members are pre-assigned to their university partner based on subject and grade placement.

In Chicago and in Northwest Indiana, most corps members receive the state’s Provisional Certificate after their first year and the Initial Certificate after their second year, provided they have fulfilled all coursework, processing, and testing requirements.