How to Become a Health Teacher in Illinois

<p>Health teachers educate students on health behaviors, such as exercise and nutrition. They prove information on human diseases and health prevention. Those wishing to become a health teacher in Illinois can obtain the Special K-12 Professional Educator License with a Health Education endorsement. Read on to find out more about this license's requirements. </p> <p /> <table border="1"><tr><td> Education Required </td><td> Bachelor's degree from an accredited school and state-approved teacher preparation program; approved coursework in four content areas</td></tr> <tr><td> Exam Requirements </td><td> ILTS Health Education content exam; Health Education edTPA</td></tr> <tr><td> License Renewal Period </td><td> Five years</td></tr> <tr><td> Requirements for Renewal </td><td> 120 hours of professional development</td></tr> <tr><td> Average Salary (2018) </td><td> $55,660 (all Illinois kindergarten teachers); $62,140 (all Illinois elementary school teachers); $63,860 (all Illinois middle school teachers); $72,370 (all Illinois high school teachers)*</td></tr> <tr><td> Estimated Job Growth (2016-2026) </td><td> 7% (kindergarten and elementary school teachers nationwide); 8% (middle and high school teachers nationwide)*</td></tr> </table><p><i>Source: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) </i></p> <h3 id="section---MeetDegreeRequirement">Meet Degree Requirement</h3> <p>All prospective health teachers in Illinois must have at least a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited university or college. Students typically major in health, school health, health education, or another health-related field. The major generally includes coursework covering subjects such as the foundations of health education, health behavior, and human disease. </p> <h3 id="section---CompleteTeacherPreparationProgram">Complete Teacher Preparation Program</h3> <p>Students must also complete a teacher preparation program approved by the Illinois State Board of Education, which is usually fulfilled as part of the student's degree program. The preparation program includes coursework in areas such as curriculum in school health and practices for teaching, plus fieldwork as a student teacher. This gives students the chance to hone their teaching skills in a real-world health education classroom. </p> <p>As part of the requirements for licensure, students must complete coursework that includes four content areas: cross-categorical special education methods, reading in the content area, ESL/bilingual methods, reading methods. Students should confirm with their program that the courses they choose meets this requirement. </p> <h3 id="section---PassRequiredExams">Pass Required Exams</h3> <p>To receive the health education endorsement, prospective teachers must pass two exams: the edTPA teaching assessment exam in Health Education and the ILTS Health Education content exam. Prospective teachers are eligible to take the edTPA in Health Education once they have completed their student teaching requirement and they must achieve a minimum score of 39 to pass the exam. </p> <p>The ILTS Health Education content exam is a computer-based exam that consists of 100 multiple-choice questions which cover four main health subtopics: health promotion and risk reduction, physical health, health literacy skills, and health education. The minimum passing score for this exam is 240. </p> <h3 id="section---SendInApplication">Send in Application</h3> <p>Once all requirements have been met, prospective teachers can submit their application and pay the fee through the online Educator Licensure Information System (ELIS). Official transcripts must be sent either directly from the school or in the sealed envelope provided by the school. all other required documentation must be sent before the application is evaluated. Once the license is issued, teachers must pay the registration fee of $10 per year for it to be valid. </p> <h3 id="section---CompleteRenewalRequirements">Complete Renewal Requirements</h3> <p>The Illinois Professional Educator License must be renewed every five years. Teachers must complete 120 hours of professional development from a provider that has been approved by the Illinois State Board of Education. A current list of approved providers is maintained by the Board of Education.</p>