To become a math teacher in Illinois, you finish a bachelor’s degree and a state-approved educator preparation program. Then you pass the ILTS content test for your grade band and apply for a Professional Educator License (PEL). Middle grades (5-8) candidates take test 202. High school (9-12) candidates take test 208. Both require a score of 240.
What other states call math teacher certification, Illinois calls a Professional Educator License (PEL). The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) issues it. Your PEL carries an endorsement for the grades you can teach. That grade band decides which content test you take. Here’s how to become a math teacher in Illinois, in five steps (as of October 2026).
- Choose Your Grade Band: Middle Grades (5-8) or Secondary (9-12)
- Complete a Bachelor’s Degree and an Approved Educator Preparation Program
- Pass the ILTS Mathematics Content Test
- Apply for Your Illinois Professional Educator License in ELIS
- Renew Your License and Add Endorsements
Step 1. Choose Your Grade Band: Middle Grades (5-8) or Secondary (9-12)
Decide this first, because it sets your coursework and your test. Illinois issues two math endorsements on the PEL, and here’s how they compare:
| Endorsement | Grades | ILTS Content Test | Program Coursework |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middle grades mathematics | 5-8 | Middle Grades (5-8) Mathematics (202), passing score 240 | 18 hours of math content, including 3 hours of middle grades math methods |
| Secondary mathematics | 9-12 | Mathematics (208), passing score 240 | Set by your approved program |
The middle grades coursework rule comes from 23 Ill. Adm. Code 25.99. Not sure which band fits? A high school endorsement doesn’t lock you out of middle school. Once you hold a PEL, you can add middle grades math later with 18 semester hours and test 202 (Step 5). For a look at the middle grades classroom, read how one Illinois sixth-grade math teacher invests in her students.
Step 2. Complete a Bachelor’s Degree and an Approved Educator Preparation Program
The basics match what certification involves nationwide: a bachelor’s degree, an approved program and student teaching. In Illinois, your program must be approved by ISBE, and the state keeps a directory of approved programs. You can earn the degree and the program together, or add the program after you graduate.
Every PEL program must include this coursework, under 105 ILCS 5/21B-20 and ISBE’s list of required topics:
- The psychology, identification and instruction of exceptional children, including children with learning disabilities
- Methods of reading and reading in the content area
- Methods of teaching English learners
Your program ends with student teaching in a middle or high school math classroom. Since August 15, 2025, Illinois law bars colleges from keeping a policy that requires student teaching to be unpaid. That doesn’t guarantee a stipend, so ask each program how its placements work.
Already Have a Bachelor’s Degree?
Career changers with a math, engineering or finance degree have two routes. You can complete an approved program as post-baccalaureate or master’s work. Or you can enter an Alternative Educator Licensure Program for Teachers, which lets you teach while you finish.
ISBE lists two admission requirements for alternative programs. You need a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution. You also need an undergraduate major or at least 9 semester hours in math, the content area you want to teach. During a one- or two-year residency, you work as a paid teacher of record or co-teacher with a mentor.
To teach during the residency, you’ll need an Educator License with Stipulations (ELS) with an alternative provisional educator endorsement. You qualify once you hold the degree, finish the program’s first phase and pass your ILTS content test (105 ILCS 5/21B-20). That endorsement is valid for two years of teaching and can be renewed for a third.
Licensed in Another State?
Out-of-state applicants qualify through one of two routes in 105 ILCS 5/21B-35. The testing rule differs by route (as of October 2026):
- Reciprocity: You hold a valid, comparable license from another state and a bachelor’s degree. For initial applications since January 1, 2026, you generally must pass the Illinois content test in each content area you seek.
- Out-of-state approved program: You completed another state’s approved program, student teaching and the required coursework. You can pass the Illinois content test or use a qualifying content test you passed for initial licensure in that state.
Requirements depend on your route and endorsement, so confirm yours with ISBE before you register for a test. Applicants trained outside the United States must pass the Illinois content test and have their transcripts evaluated (ISBE Professional Educator License page).
Still choosing between neighboring states? Compare Iowa’s math teacher requirements and Wisconsin’s steps to a math teaching license.
Step 3. Pass the ILTS Mathematics Content Test
Illinois runs its own tests through the Illinois Licensure Testing System (ILTS). If you complete an Illinois program, you must pass the content test for your endorsement before ISBE issues your license (105 ILCS 5/21B-30). Check your program’s deadline too, since some programs want it passed earlier. Out-of-state applicants follow the route rules in Step 2.
- Mathematics (208), grades 9-12: 100 multiple-choice questions, 3 hours 15 minutes of testing time, passing score 240, $110 fee. You bring your own approved graphing calculator.
- Middle Grades (5-8) Mathematics (202), grades 5-8: 100 multiple-choice questions, 3 hours 15 minutes of testing time, passing score 240, $110 fee. An on-screen scientific calculator and a formulas page are provided.
Functions and algebra make up 33 percent of the 208 score, the largest share on that test. On 202, relations, functions and algebra lead at 24 percent, followed by fractions, ratios and the number system at 20 percent. Map the 208 test framework or the 202 study guide against your transcript before you register.
What Illinois No Longer Requires
You won’t take a basic skills test such as the Test of Academic Proficiency (TAP). The part of 105 ILCS 5/21B-30 that once required one now reads “(Blank).” Older guides that still list the TAP, or the ACT and SAT scores that exempted you from it, are out of date.
You also won’t need to pass a teacher performance assessment such as the edTPA, for now. As of October 2026, Illinois doesn’t require one for licensure before September 1, 2029. From that date, a state-approved assessment is generally required again, and it won’t necessarily be the edTPA. Candidates who finish student teaching before September 1, 2028 are exempt.
Separately, every Illinois preparation program takes part in the state’s pilot assessment from September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2029. Ask your program what the pilot asks of you.
Step 4. Apply for Your Illinois Professional Educator License in ELIS
When you finish your program and pass your test, your program recommends you to ISBE. ISBE calls this entitlement. You then apply for your Illinois math teaching license in the Educator Licensure Information System (ELIS). That’s ISBE’s online account for licenses, test scores and renewals.
Here’s what you’ll pay, per ISBE’s application page and the ILTS test pages (as of October 2026):
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| ILTS Mathematics (208) test | $110 |
| ILTS Middle Grades (5-8) Mathematics (202) test | $110 |
| PEL application, Illinois program completer via entitlement | $100 |
| PEL application, Illinois non-entitlement applicant | $150 |
| PEL application, out-of-state or out-of-country applicant | $150 |
| License registration | $10 per year of validity, usually $50, paid up front |
After ISBE issues your license, you register it in ELIS. You pay for the full validity period up front at $10 per year, normally $50 for a five-year PEL (ISBE license registration). ISBE says the license isn’t valid for employment until it’s registered.
Step 5. Renew Your License and Add Endorsements
Your PEL is valid until June 30 after five years from issuance. Most active Illinois teachers renew by completing 120 hours of professional development in each five-year cycle and entering them in ELIS (105 ILCS 5/21B-45). Some licensees need fewer hours or none:
- A current National Board master teacher designation cuts the requirement to 60 hours.
- Working in a position that doesn’t require a license, or under 50% in a year, makes you exempt. You pay only registration.
- Licensees who retire and qualify for state retirement benefits can keep the license in retired status.
Adding the Middle Grades Math Endorsement
You can add middle grades math to a PEL with an early childhood, elementary, middle grades, secondary or special teaching endorsement. You’ll need 18 semester hours of qualifying college coursework in math content and middle grades math methods. You’ll also need a passing score on ILTS test 202 (23 Ill. Adm. Code 25.99). ISBE charges $50 for each subsequent endorsement application.
National Board Certification
National Board Certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is voluntary and separate from your Illinois license. A current National Board master teacher designation lowers your Illinois renewal requirement to 60 hours. Math teachers choose the early adolescence or adolescence and young adulthood certificate, depending on the grades they teach.
Professional Association
The Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics (ICTM) is the statewide association for math teachers. It’s one place to look for professional development as you work toward your renewal hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need an education degree to teach math in Illinois?
No. You need a bachelor’s degree and an ISBE-approved educator preparation program. You can complete the program after earning a math or other degree. Career changers can also enter an Alternative Educator Licensure Program for Teachers. It asks for a math major or at least 9 semester hours of math. That route lets you teach on an Educator License with Stipulations while you finish.
Does Illinois still require the TAP or the edTPA?
No. Illinois no longer requires a basic skills test such as the TAP. As of October 2026, you also don’t need to pass an assessment such as the edTPA before September 1, 2029. You still need a passing content test score for your endorsement.
Do out-of-state teachers have to take the Illinois content test?
It depends on your route. Since January 1, 2026, reciprocity applicants generally must pass the Illinois content test for each content area they seek. Applicants who completed an approved program in another state can use a qualifying content test from their initial licensure there instead.
Can I teach middle school math with a high school license?
You need the middle grades (5-8) math endorsement for that. If you hold a PEL with an eligible teaching endorsement, you can add it. You’ll need 18 semester hours of qualifying math content and methods coursework, plus a passing score on ILTS test 202.
How long is an Illinois teaching license valid?
A Professional Educator License is valid until June 30 after five years from issuance. Most active teachers renew it with 120 hours of professional development per five-year cycle, recorded in ELIS. National Board master teachers need 60 hours, and some licensees are exempt.
- Pick your band first: Middle grades (5-8) candidates take ILTS test 202. High school (9-12) candidates take test 208, and both need a 240.
- Fewer tests than older guides list: Illinois dropped the TAP, and as of October 2026 no performance assessment is required before September 1, 2029.
- Out-of-state rules depend on your route: Since January 1, 2026, reciprocity applicants generally take the Illinois content test, while out-of-state program completers may use their original test.
- Career changers have a route: With a degree and a math major or 9 math hours, an alternative program puts you in a paid residency.
- Renewal is usually 120 hours: Most active teachers log 120 hours per five-year cycle in ELIS, and National Board master teachers need 60.
You’ve picked Illinois, so the next decision is the program. Compare the schools listed here by grade band and by how their student teaching placements work. Check whether the coursework runs online around a full-time job, too.