Administrative Alternative Certification Program

The Legislation

The Illinois legislature enacted, and the governor signed into law, House Bill 452, which became Public Act 90-548. This legislation was in response to calls for school reform on several fronts and included the following provisions:

  • The State Board of Education...shall establish and implement an alternative route to administrative certification program under which persons who meet the requirements of and successfully complete the program established by this Section shall be issued a standard administrative certificate for serving as a district administrator in schools in this State.
The following program is in response to the law.

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Explanation of Program

The Alternative Certification Initiative (ACI) is designed to be accomplished by students in the following four phases:

  • initial application/ assessment screening and admission to the program
  • an intensive educational experience leading to a provisional administrative certificate (this is a type 26 which is valid for the one year internship)
  • one year's full-time administrative work in a school district's central office
  • a final comprehensive assessment leading to a standard administrative certificate (this is a type 77 which is valid for district level administration only)
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Phase I - Application/Assessment/Admission

Application Students seeking admission to the program will complete two (2) different applications:

  1. One to the Western Illinois University School of Graduate Studies
    • The application form is available at: http://www.wiu.edu/grad/prospective/classification.php
    • Non-refundable application fee of $30 if you have never taken graduate-level classes at WIU before
    • Official transcript indicating highest degree earned to be mailed directly to the School of Graduate Studies
  2. One to the Director of the Alternative Certification Initiative at WIU
    • Completed application form (available on this web site)
    • Application fee of $50
    • Comprehensive vita/resume that completely details the applicant's background, experience and documents a minimum of five years of management level experience
    • Verification of satisfactory completion of the ISBE Basic Skills Test


Life Experience Master’s Equivalent


Applicants, who have not completed a Master's degree, may apply for a life experience equivalency. They will be required to submit a portfolio, with verification of experience, that documents their work history, certifications that they possess (CPA, etc), additional training they have received (military, private business, etc). In the application they will need to document specific references to:


a. Title CEO, CIO, CFO, Director of ______

b. Business Experience Five years of management experience minimum

c. Finance Background Demonstrated understanding of budgets, finance, and  accounting

d. Strategic Planning Demonstrated experience at some level

e. Personnel Experience Demonstrated experience to indicate hiring, firing, promotion, etc.

f. Certifications CPA, CFA, etc.

g. Additional Training How have you expanded your management skills— workshops, CEU’s, etc.

h. Awards Primary emphasis will be given to those that were peer generated

i. Professional Organizations Memberships, leadership positions held

 

In addition, the committee will review other information that could determine that the applicant had life experiences equivalent to a Master's degree. This would be based on the length and breadth of experience.


A committee consisting of the ACI Directors, the WIU Certification Officer, and a WIU EDL Professor will review the portfolios and make a determination if the total life experiences are equivalent to a Master's degree.


Assessment
Candidates will be assessed in the Chicago area as well as on the Macomb and Quad City Campuses. The all day assessment includes two different interviews, a pre-test covering the major course concepts, an in-basket activity, and a writing sample.


Admission
Candidates will be notified of their acceptance within two weeks of the assessment session.

Prior to March 1:

  1. The applicant must submit a signed contract from an Illinois Public School District stating that they will be provided with a one year practicum/internship experience in the district.
  2. Program cost must be paid

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Phase II - Intensive Training

Phase II will consist of an intensive educational experience that will involve a total immersion experience. The program will consist of four courses developed around the Superintendent Standards including:

ACI 601 Facilitating a Vision of Educational Excellence
ACI 602 Developing a Learning Environment and Instructional Program
ACI 603 Managing the Organization
ACI 604 Knowing and Understanding the Laws, Regulations, and Professional Ethics

A calendar of class meeting times is posted on this site.

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Phase III - The Practicum/Internship Experience (ACI 605)

At the end of the intensive training experience each student will:

  1. be evaluated to assure that they have mastered the competencies during the intensive training experience
  2. be required to take and pass the test for the superintendents endorsement to the type 75 Certificate as administered by the Illinois State Teacher Certification Board

After verification of these two areas the student will receive the one year provisional type 26 certificate and they will be admitted to the practicum experience (ACI 605) one year's full-time administrative work in a school district's central office.

Upon admission to the practicum experience each student will complete a self assessment and will develop a comprehensive internship plan in cooperation with their District Supervisor and the WIU Supervisor.  The ELCC Standards will be utilized as a guide in the development of the plan. During the 12 month internship the student will complete a monthly report of activities and a reflection that will be submitted to the WIU Supervisor.

Students will be required to attend at least 5 seminars during their practicum/internship experience.

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Phase IV - Comprehensive Assessment

The last phase in the ACI program will be a comprehensive assessment by the University Supervisor and the District Supervisor to determine the fitness of the candidate for full certification.  The student will prepare a comprehensive summary of their internship including a listing of activities and a reflection for each of the six standards. 


After consultation with the District Supervisor, the University Supervisor will recommend or not recommend the candidate to the University Certification Officer for a Type 77 administrative certificate.

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Program Costs

Application Fee $50
Assessment Fees $450
Program and Practicum/Internship fees $11,000

There will be additional expenses for room, board, travel and books.

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For Further Information Contact:

Alternative Certification Initiative Office
Educational Leadership Department
Western Illinois University
81 Horrabin Hall
Macomb, IL 61455
309-298-1070

Dr. Dean Halverson, Director
dl-halverson@wiu.edu

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