Illinois offers a wealth of diverse teaching opportunities. Teachers will find a variety of districts, ranging from rural community districts, well-funded and highly successful suburban districts, to one of the nation’s largest urban districts, Chicago. Illinois is home to some of the country’s most successful public schools; at the same time, it has some of the nation’s most notorious failing public schools. For this reason, it is an exciting time to teach in Illinois. The government is committed to improving educational outcomes for all students and building on the success of many Illinois public schools. Depending on the type of environment one is looking for, Illinois can offer the perfect opportunity.
Illinois offers salaries higher than the national average, and salaries can vary greatly from district to district. Future teachers will find a large number of tuition assistance and waiver programs available to individuals committed to working in high-needs schools. As a state committed to attracting high-quality teachers, Illinois offers several alternative certification routes for qualified individuals.
Math Teacher Certification in Illinois
Math Teaching Qualifications
Illinois requires certified teachers to hold a bachelor’s degree, complete a teacher certification program and meet testing requirements.
Credentials & Exams
- Illinois has its own testing system for teachers. Teachers must pass the Illinois Certification Testing System (ICTS) Basic Skills Test, the Assessment of Professional Teaching Test (APT), as well as the appropriate ICTS Content-Area test.
- There are three tiers of teacher certification in Illinois: The first is an Initial License, which is available to new teachers and valid for four years. After four years of teaching experience and meeting continuing education requirements, teachers can apply for the Standard license, which is renewable and valid for five years. The third is a Master license, which is also renewable and valid for ten years.
Alternative Certification for Math Teachers
here are several alternative certification routes in Illinois:
- The first is the Alternative Teacher Certification program. This two-year program begins with a one-year intensive course and finishes with a year of full-time teaching.
- The second is the Resident Teacher Certification. Participants in this program must pass the ICTS basic skills test and complete a six-week teacher preparation course.
- The third is the Chicago Teaching Fellows. This program is aimed at professionals wishing to enter the teaching profession. Fellows participate in an intensive summer preparation course and are placed in high-need schools in Chicago.
- A final option is the Troops to Teachers program, offered to veterans wishing to enter the teaching profession.
Financial Aid for IL Math Teachers
- Illinois Teachers and Child Care Providers Loan Repayment Program: This program (up to $5,000 loan forgiveness) is available to those who have already received loan forgiveness through the federal Teacher Loan Forgiveness program. Applicants must be Illinois residents who have at least five years of experience teaching in a low-income school or two years experience working in a low-income child care facility.
- Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois: This scholarship program is available to high school students who commit to teaching in high-need schools in Illinois.
- Illinois Special Education Tuition Waiver Program: This program is available to those planning to teach special education and provides a tuition waiver at an approved university.
- Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) Scholarship Program: Minority students planning to become teachers can receive up to $5,000 per year toward their education expenses. Participants must commit to teach in a low-income school in Illinois.
Math Teaching Degrees in Illinois
Below we've listed all of the Illinois math teacher education programs in our database. We're constantly scouring the web to find new programs to add, so feel free to check back frequently.
20 schools shownFilter School Results
Augustana College
Rock Island, Illinois
Program level:
Bachelor
Grade(s):
Secondary
Initial certification:
No
Offered online:
No
Aurora University
Aurora, Illinois
Program level:
Master
Grade(s):
K-12
Initial certification:
No
Offered online:
Yes
Blackburn College
Carlinville, Illinois
Program level:
Bachelor
Grade(s):
Secondary
Initial certification:
No
Offered online:
No
Program level:
Bachelor
Grade(s):
Secondary
Initial certification:
No
Offered online:
No
Program level:
Bachelor
Grade(s):
Secondary
Initial certification:
No
Offered online:
No
Bradley University
Peoria, Illinois
Program level:
Certificate
Grade(s):
Secondary
Initial certification:
No
Offered online:
No
Program level:
Master
Grade(s):
Elementary
Initial certification:
No
Offered online:
No
Program level:
Master
Grade(s):
Secondary
Initial certification:
No
Offered online:
No
City Colleges of Chicago-Harry S Truman College
Chicago, Illinois
Program level:
Associate
Grade(s):
Secondary
Initial certification:
No
Offered online:
No
Program level:
Associate
Grade(s):
not specified
Initial certification:
No
Offered online:
No
College of DuPage
Glen Ellyn, Illinois
Program level:
Associate
Grade(s):
Secondary
Initial certification:
No
Offered online:
No
Concordia University-Chicago
River Forest, Illinois
Program level:
Certificate
Grade(s):
Elementary
Initial certification:
No
Offered online:
No
Program level:
Certificate
Grade(s):
Secondary
Initial certification:
No
Offered online:
No
Program level:
Master
Grade(s):
Secondary
Initial certification:
Yes
Offered online:
Yes
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois
Program level:
Master
Grade(s):
Secondary
Initial certification:
Yes
Offered online:
No
Program level:
Master
Grade(s):
Secondary
Initial certification:
No
Offered online:
No
Program level:
Master
Grade(s):
not specified
Initial certification:
No
Offered online:
No
Program level:
Master
Grade(s):
Middle
Initial certification:
No
Offered online:
No
Greenville College
Greenville, Illinois
Program level:
Bachelor
Grade(s):
not specified
Initial certification:
No
Offered online:
No
Illinois Institute of Technology
Chicago, Illinois
Program level:
Bachelor
Grade(s):
Secondary
Initial certification:
Yes
Offered online:
No
Program level:
Master
Grade(s):
Secondary
Initial certification:
Yes
Offered online:
No
Program level:
Bachelor
Grade(s):
Secondary
Initial certification:
Yes
Offered online:
No
Illinois State University
Normal, Illinois
Program level:
Doctorate/PhD
Grade(s):
K-12
Initial certification:
No
Offered online:
No
Program level:
Bachelor
Grade(s):
not specified
Initial certification:
No
Offered online:
No
Program level:
Bachelor
Grade(s):
not specified
Initial certification:
Yes
Offered online:
No
Program level:
Bachelor
Grade(s):
not specified
Initial certification:
No
Offered online:
No
Program level:
Bachelor
Grade(s):
K-8
Initial certification:
No
Offered online:
No
Program level:
Master
Grade(s):
Elementary
Initial certification:
No
Offered online:
No
Program level:
Master
Grade(s):
Secondary
Initial certification:
No
Offered online:
No
Loyola University Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
Program level:
Bachelor
Grade(s):
K-9
Initial certification:
Yes
Offered online:
No
National Louis University
Chicago, Illinois
Program level:
Bachelor
Grade(s):
Elementary
Initial certification:
No
Offered online:
No
Program level:
Master
Grade(s):
Secondary
Initial certification:
No
Offered online:
No
Program level:
Master
Grade(s):
K-8
Initial certification:
No
Offered online:
No
Saint Xavier University
Chicago, Illinois
Program level:
Bachelor
Grade(s):
Secondary
Initial certification:
No
Offered online:
No
Program level:
Bachelor
Grade(s):
Secondary
Initial certification:
No
Offered online:
No
Trinity Christian College
Palos Heights, Illinois
Program level:
Bachelor
Grade(s):
not specified
Initial certification:
No
Offered online:
No
Program level:
Educational Specialist
Grade(s):
6-12
Initial certification:
Yes
Offered online:
No
Trinity International University-Illinois
Deerfield, Illinois
Program level:
Certificate
Grade(s):
Secondary
Initial certification:
No
Offered online:
No
Triton College
River Grove, Illinois
Program level:
Associate
Grade(s):
Secondary
Initial certification:
No
Offered online:
No
University of Illinois at Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
Program level:
Bachelor
Grade(s):
Secondary
Initial certification:
Yes
Offered online:
No
Program level:
Doctorate/PhD
Grade(s):
not specified
Initial certification:
No
Offered online:
No
Program level:
Master
Grade(s):
K-8
Initial certification:
Yes
Offered online:
No
Program level:
Master
Grade(s):
Secondary
Initial certification:
Yes
Offered online:
No
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, Illinois
Program level:
Doctorate/PhD
Grade(s):
K-12
Initial certification:
No
Offered online:
No
Program level:
Bachelor
Grade(s):
6-8
Initial certification:
No
Offered online:
No
Program level:
Bachelor
Grade(s):
9-12
Initial certification:
No
Offered online:
No
University of St Francis
Joliet, Illinois
Program level:
Bachelor
Grade(s):
Secondary
Initial certification:
Yes
Offered online:
No
Fast Facts for Illinois Math Teachers
Educator Licensing
Illinois State Board of Education
100 N. 1st St.
Springfield, IL 62777
866-262-6663
Common Core
Common Core Standards adopted June 2010; implemented 2013-14. Learn more about math standards for Illinois here.
Math Teacher Jobs
Professional Associations
Teacher Shortages in Math
None reported in 2014-15.Expenditure per Student: $12,927
Illinois’ public K-12 expenditures per student in fall 2012-13 enrollment totaled $12,927, or 116.8% of the national average. (Source: NEA)
