2026 How to Become a High School History Teacher in Illinois: Requirements & Certification

by Imed Bouchrika, PhD

Co-Founder and Chief Data Scientist

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Becoming a high school history teacher in Illinois usually means earning a bachelor’s degree, completing an approved educator preparation program, passing the required Illinois licensure exams, finishing supervised field experience, and applying for a Professional Educator License through the Illinois State Board of Education. The process is manageable, but the details matter: the wrong program, missing field hours, or an unapproved licensure pathway can delay your first teaching job.

This guide is for students, career changers, substitute teachers, and current educators who want to teach history or social science at the high school level in Illinois. It explains the education path, licensure steps, student teaching expectations, curriculum standards, salary considerations, job market factors, professional development requirements, and practical decisions you should make before enrolling in a program.

Quick answer: How do you become a high school history teacher in Illinois?

To become a licensed high school history teacher in Illinois, you typically need a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, completion of a state-approved educator preparation program, supervised field and student teaching experience, passing scores on the required Illinois Licensure Testing System exams, and an application submitted through the Illinois State Board of Education. Illinois teaching licenses are valid for five years and require professional development for renewal.

Key things to know before you start

• Licensing authority: The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) manages educator licensing, establishes licensure standards, and oversees the requirements for maintaining an active teaching license.
• Basic eligibility: Candidates generally need a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, a completed state-approved educator preparation program, student teaching, and passing scores on the required Illinois Licensure Testing System assessments.
• Relevant exam: Future high school history teachers should expect a social science or history-related content assessment. The exam may cover historical concepts as well as geography, economics, political science, and related social science knowledge.
• Application process: After completing education, preparation, and testing requirements, candidates submit licensure materials through ISBE’s online system. The application fee is approximately $100, and processing can take several weeks.
• Renewal requirement: Illinois teaching licenses are valid for five years. Educators generally need at least 120 professional development hours for renewal, which may include approved courses, workshops, and other professional learning activities.

1. What education do you need to teach high school history in Illinois?
2. How does Illinois history teacher certification work?
3. How much classroom experience do future history teachers need?
4. What standards and curriculum expectations shape Illinois history teaching?
5. What is the job market and salary outlook for Illinois history teachers?
6. What continuing education is required after licensure?
7. Which teaching methods work well in high school history classrooms?
8. What advancement paths are available for Illinois history teachers?
9. What legal and ethical rules should history teachers understand?
10. How can history teachers support students with diverse learning needs?
11. How should Illinois history teachers assess student learning?
12. Where can new Illinois history teachers find support?
13. How can history teachers build leadership and management skills?
14. What financial aid options can help future teachers?
15. How can mentorship and networking support career growth?
16. How can visual arts strengthen history instruction?
17. Which certification pathways are available for history educators?
18. What first steps should aspiring Illinois history teachers take?
19. What trends are changing history education in Illinois?
20. How can interdisciplinary experience expand a history teacher’s career?
21. How can community partnerships and library collaborations support history teachers?
22. How can additional subject expertise improve career flexibility?

What education do you need to teach high school history in Illinois?

The most direct route is to complete a bachelor’s degree that combines history or social science content with an Illinois-approved teacher preparation sequence. The degree itself is not enough if it does not lead to licensure, so prospective students should verify the program’s approval status before enrolling.

• Bachelor’s degree: A Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in History, social science education, or a closely related field can support the path to high school history teaching when paired with the correct educator preparation requirements.
• History and social science coursework: Students should expect courses in U.S. history, world history, historical methods, geography, economics, political science, and specialized historical topics. High school history teachers often need broad social science knowledge, not only history content.
• Education coursework: Teacher preparation commonly includes adolescent development, instructional design, assessment, classroom management, educational psychology, inclusive teaching, and methods for teaching social science.
• Approved teacher preparation: Illinois requires completion of an educator preparation program that prepares candidates for state licensure and includes supervised fieldwork and student teaching.
• Accreditation and approval: Institutional accreditation matters, but students should also confirm that the specific teacher preparation program is approved for Illinois licensure. CAEP accreditation can indicate program quality, but the practical question is whether the program satisfies ISBE requirements.
• Content competency: Candidates must pass the required Illinois content exam for the teaching area. This confirms that a future teacher has the knowledge base needed to teach history and related social science topics at the high school level.

Degree path comparison for aspiring Illinois history teachers

How does Illinois history teacher certification work?

Illinois issues teaching authority through the Professional Educator License rather than a generic “history teacher certificate.” For high school history, candidates should confirm the grade level and content-area endorsement required for the positions they want. In practice, this means aligning your degree plan, preparation program, field experiences, and licensure exams with Illinois requirements for secondary social science or history instruction.

The certification process is usually sequential: complete an approved education program, document supervised classroom experience, pass required exams, and submit the licensure application to ISBE. Because test names, endorsement rules, and application procedures can change, candidates should use ISBE as the final authority before registering for exams or selecting a program.

Illinois licensure checklist

• Earn the right bachelor’s degree: Choose a history, social science, or education-related program that supports high school licensure.
• Complete an approved educator preparation program: Make sure the program is designed for Illinois licensure and includes fieldwork and student teaching.
• Meet testing requirements: Pass the required Illinois Licensure Testing System assessments, including the content-area exam tied to history or social science.
• Prepare application documents: Gather official transcripts, program completion verification, test results, and any required background or identity documentation.
• Submit through ISBE: Apply through the Illinois State Board of Education system and pay the required fee, which is approximately $100.
• Monitor processing: Review your application status and respond quickly if ISBE or your preparation program requests additional documentation.

How much classroom experience do future history teachers need?

Classroom experience is not a formality. It is where future history teachers learn how to turn content knowledge into instruction that high school students can understand, question, debate, and apply. Student teaching also gives hiring principals evidence that a candidate can manage a classroom, design lessons, assess learning, and adapt instruction.

The path to certification requires a minimum of 100 hours of field experience, including student teaching, which typically spans 16 weeks. Some candidates may complete additional observation hours, tutoring, practicum placements, or substitute teaching experiences depending on their program and background.

• Use feedback deliberately: Ask your mentor teacher to observe specific skills, such as questioning techniques, pacing, classroom transitions, or discussion management.
• Keep a teaching journal: Record what worked, what confused students, and what you would change in the next lesson. Reflection helps you improve faster.
• Build student rapport: High school history discussions can involve identity, politics, conflict, and values. Trust makes rigorous discussion possible.
• Practice multiple lesson formats: Teach direct instruction, document analysis, inquiry lessons, debates, group projects, and review sessions so your portfolio shows range.
• Collect evidence of effectiveness: Save lesson plans, assessments, rubrics, student work samples when permitted, and mentor feedback for job applications.

Many Illinois universities maintain partnerships with local districts for field placements and internships. Candidates should ask programs how placements are assigned, whether transportation is required, and what support is available if a placement is not a good fit.

The chart below shows that Illinois is the fifth-biggest employer of high school teachers among all US states.

What standards and curriculum expectations shape Illinois history teaching?

Illinois high school history instruction is guided by the Illinois Learning Standards for Social Science. The standards introduced in the 2022-2023 academic year emphasize inquiry, analysis, evidence, civic understanding, and disciplinary thinking. That means history teachers are expected to do more than present timelines. They help students ask historical questions, interpret sources, evaluate arguments, and connect past events to civic life.

Core areas Illinois history teachers should understand

• Civic engagement: Students examine democratic participation, rights, responsibilities, institutions, and public decision-making.
• Historical thinking: Lessons should develop skills such as sourcing, contextualization, causation, comparison, and interpretation.
• Economic reasoning: Students consider how scarcity, trade, labor, markets, and public policy have influenced historical developments.
• Geographic reasoning: Geography helps students understand migration, settlement, conflict, borders, resources, and regional identity.
• Inquiry-based learning: Teachers guide students toward evidence-based conclusions rather than asking them only to memorize facts.

For aspiring teachers, the practical takeaway is clear: choose coursework and field experiences that prepare you to teach with primary sources, facilitate civil discussion, and assess historical reasoning. Familiarity with standards also matters in interviews because school leaders often ask how candidates align lesson plans with state expectations.

Candidates interested in using learning platforms, digital archives, simulations, and media-rich assignments may also explore education programs with an educational technology focus. Technology can strengthen history instruction when it supports inquiry rather than replacing careful reading and discussion.

What is the job market and salary outlook for Illinois history teachers?

Illinois has a large public education system and a substantial educator workforce. The state is home to 134,896 teachers, and history teachers may find opportunities in public high schools, charter schools, private schools, alternative schools, and district-level instructional roles. Availability depends heavily on region, district budgets, retirements, enrollment, and the number of applicants for social science positions.

As of 2023, the average annual salary for a high school history teacher in the state is around $60,000. Location can make a major difference: teachers in urban areas like Chicago may earn upwards of $70,000, while those in rural districts might see salaries closer to $50,000. These figures should be treated as broad planning estimates, not guaranteed outcomes, because salary schedules vary by district, education level, years of experience, and collective bargaining agreements.

Competition may be stronger in affluent or highly selective districts, where schools often receive many applications and may prefer candidates with advanced degrees, strong student teaching records, or specialized training. Candidates who are open to multiple regions, related social science courses, extracurricular assignments, or additional endorsements may have more options.

What continuing education is required after licensure?

Licensure is not the end of professional learning. Illinois teachers must continue developing their practice to renew their licenses and remain effective as curriculum standards, technology, student needs, and assessment expectations change.

• Professional development hours: Illinois teachers typically need 120 professional development hours every five years to maintain licensure.
• Workshops and conferences: Organizations such as the Illinois Council for the Social Studies offer sessions on curriculum design, inquiry-based instruction, civic learning, and social studies pedagogy.
• Digital teaching resources: The Library of Congress, C-SPAN Classroom, and similar platforms provide primary sources, videos, lesson plans, and classroom-ready materials.
• Graduate coursework: Teachers who want deeper training may pursue advanced study in teaching, curriculum, history, educational technology, leadership, or special education.
• Professional organizations: Membership groups can help teachers find mentors, share resources, present at conferences, and stay current with social studies education.

Aspiring educators who want a flexible route into the profession can compare online teaching degree and certification options, but they should always verify whether a program meets Illinois licensure requirements before enrolling.

Which teaching methods work well in high school history classrooms?

Effective history teaching combines structure, intellectual challenge, and student voice. The best classrooms are not built around lectures alone; they give students repeated opportunities to investigate evidence, discuss interpretations, write historical arguments, and connect events across time and place.

• Set expectations early: Clear procedures for discussion, group work, technology use, and respectful disagreement help prevent confusion and reduce classroom management problems.
• Use inquiry questions: Frame units around questions such as “What caused this conflict?” or “Whose perspective is missing?” rather than relying only on chapter coverage.
• Teach primary source analysis: Students need explicit modeling for sourcing documents, identifying bias, reading closely, and using evidence in writing.
• Mix instructional formats: Combine brief direct instruction, Socratic seminars, document-based questions, simulations, debates, projects, and independent writing.
• Differentiate materials: Use graphic organizers, vocabulary previews, chunked readings, audio supports, visual timelines, and alternative assessments when appropriate.
• Assess thinking, not memorization alone: Strong history assessment evaluates claims, evidence, reasoning, context, and communication.

Common classroom challenges and better responses

What advancement paths are available for Illinois history teachers?

History teachers can build long-term careers inside and beyond the classroom. Advancement may involve leadership roles, additional endorsements, graduate education, curriculum work, instructional coaching, or movement into broader education career pathways.

• Department leadership: Experienced teachers may become social studies department chairs, mentor teachers, instructional team leaders, or curriculum coordinators.
• School administration: Teachers who want principal, assistant principal, or district leadership roles usually need additional preparation and the appropriate administrative endorsement.
• Curriculum development: Strong history teachers may help design district units, align assessments to standards, choose instructional materials, or lead professional learning.
• Specialized instruction: AP history, dual credit, civics, economics, geography, ethnic studies, or local history expertise can create additional opportunities.
• Additional endorsements: ESL and special education credentials can broaden a teacher’s ability to serve students and may increase employability.
• Graduate study: Teachers planning to advance, specialize, or eventually teach at a higher level may consider the best online master’s degree in teaching options, while confirming fit with their career goals.

The best advancement strategy depends on whether you want to remain primarily classroom-focused, move into leadership, specialize in curriculum, or work across multiple education roles. Start by reviewing district salary schedules and endorsement requirements before committing to a graduate program.

What legal and ethical rules should history teachers understand?

Illinois history teachers work with minors, sensitive topics, public institutions, student records, and diverse communities. Licensure requirements are only one part of professional responsibility. Teachers must also understand mandated reporting, ethical instruction, student privacy, anti-discrimination expectations, and the need to present historical content accurately and responsibly.

Licensure and background requirements

• Professional Educator License: Illinois teachers must hold the appropriate licensure and endorsement for their assignment.
• Background checks: Educators are required to complete background screening to help protect student safety.

Ethical teaching responsibilities

• Commitment to students: Teachers should create classrooms where students can ask questions, examine evidence, and encounter multiple perspectives without being pressured toward a teacher’s personal viewpoint.
• Accuracy and integrity: History instruction should distinguish between evidence, interpretation, opinion, and misinformation.
• Fair treatment: Teachers must support equal opportunity and avoid bias based on a student’s background, identity, beliefs, disability, language, or family circumstances.

Teaching controversial history responsibly

• Use evidence-based framing: Anchor discussion in sources, historical context, and clear learning goals.
• Set discussion norms: Students should know how to disagree respectfully, cite evidence, and listen actively.
• Include multiple perspectives: Balanced instruction does not mean treating false claims as equally valid; it means helping students understand complexity through credible evidence.

Mandated reporting and student safety

Illinois teachers must report suspected abuse or neglect. This responsibility is central to the trust placed in educators and should be taken seriously from the first day of field experience.

Students who enjoy historical research, archives, and public information work but are unsure about classroom teaching may also want to explore library science career options.

How can history teachers support students with diverse learning needs?

High school history classes include students with different reading levels, language backgrounds, disabilities, interests, and prior knowledge. Inclusive instruction helps more students access complex content without lowering expectations. Teachers can use differentiated readings, visual supports, assistive technologies, guided notes, flexible grouping, and alternative assessment formats when appropriate.

Collaboration is especially important. History teachers should work with special education teachers, English learner specialists, counselors, and families to understand accommodations and design lessons that support student success. Educators who want to deepen this area can review guidance on how to become a special education teacher in Illinois to understand the additional preparation involved.

How should Illinois history teachers assess student learning?

Strong assessment in history measures more than recall. Students should demonstrate that they can interpret sources, build arguments, explain cause and effect, compare perspectives, and communicate conclusions clearly. Teachers should use a combination of formative checks and summative tasks so students receive feedback before major grades are final.

• Formative assessment: Exit tickets, quick writes, source annotations, discussion notes, and concept maps reveal what students understand during instruction.
• Summative assessment: Essays, document-based questions, projects, debates, exams, and presentations can evaluate deeper historical reasoning.
• Rubrics: Clear rubrics help students understand expectations for claims, evidence, reasoning, organization, and accuracy.
• Portfolio evidence: Digital or paper portfolios can show growth in writing, analysis, and interpretation over time.
• Creative assessment: Carefully designed narratives, museum exhibits, podcasts, or multimedia projects can build engagement while still requiring evidence-based historical thinking. Teachers interested in narrative craft may explore an online creative writing degree for broader instructional enrichment.

Where can new Illinois history teachers find support?

New teachers need more than lesson plans. They need mentors, curriculum resources, classroom management support, professional networks, and reliable content materials. The first years can be demanding, so support systems should be identified before problems become overwhelming.

• Professional associations: Groups such as the Illinois Council for the Social Studies can connect new teachers with workshops, conferences, mentors, and classroom resources.
• Digital collections: The Digital Public Library of America, C-SPAN Classroom, and similar sources can support lessons built around primary documents, video, and public history materials.
• Libraries and archives: The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and the Illinois Digital Heritage Hub can help teachers bring state and local history into the classroom.
• District mentorship: Many Illinois districts pair new teachers with experienced educators who can help with planning, grading, communication, and school procedures.
• Peer collaboration: Social studies teams can share pacing guides, assessments, classroom routines, and strategies for difficult units.

The visual below shows that local institutions hire the most K12 teachers in the United States.

How can history teachers build leadership and management skills?

Leadership skills help history teachers influence more than their own classrooms. Teachers who can manage projects, guide teams, lead meetings, analyze data, and support colleagues are better positioned for department leadership, curriculum work, instructional coaching, and administrative roles.

• Lead a small initiative: Start with a shared assessment, civic engagement project, history fair, or primary source unit before taking on larger leadership duties.
• Mentor peers or student teachers: Coaching others strengthens your own instructional judgment and communication skills.
• Study organizational leadership: Coursework in leadership, supervision, or school improvement can help teachers understand how decisions are made across a district. Some educators compare options such as the easiest organizational leadership degree programs when exploring flexible study paths.
• Document results: Keep evidence of improved curriculum, student engagement, team collaboration, or professional learning you helped lead.

What financial aid options can help future teachers?

Teacher preparation can be expensive, especially for students completing field placements that limit paid work hours. Prospective Illinois history teachers should compare financial aid before choosing a program, not after enrollment. The lowest tuition is not always the lowest total cost if a program has extra fees, limited transfer credit, or placement requirements that increase commuting expenses.

• Federal student aid: Complete the required financial aid forms early and review eligibility for grants, loans, and work-study.
• Institutional scholarships: Colleges may offer awards for education majors, history majors, transfer students, or high-achieving applicants.
• State and local support: Candidates should ask Illinois institutions and districts about teacher-focused grants, scholarships, and shortage-area incentives.
• Loan forgiveness: Some educators may qualify for loan forgiveness programs depending on employer, service, loan type, and program rules.
• Cost planning: Include exam fees, application fees, transportation to field placements, books, technology, and unpaid student teaching time in your budget.

Students comparing age groups or alternative education roles may also find it useful to review how to become a kindergarten teacher in Illinois, since early childhood and secondary pathways can have different preparation requirements.

What challenges should future Illinois history teachers prepare for?

Teaching history can be meaningful, but it is not an easy fallback career. Candidates should enter the profession with realistic expectations about workload, public scrutiny, classroom complexity, and the emotional demands of working with adolescents.

How can mentorship and networking support career growth?

Mentorship can shorten the learning curve for new history teachers. A strong mentor can help you interpret curriculum expectations, manage parent communication, navigate school culture, and improve instruction after difficult lessons. Networking also matters because many opportunities, including committee work, conference presentations, curriculum writing, and leadership roles, develop through professional relationships.

• Find mentors inside and outside your school: A department colleague can help with daily routines, while a professional association contact may support broader career planning.
• Attend social studies conferences: Conferences expose teachers to new materials, teaching models, and professional opportunities.
• Share useful work: Presenting a lesson, co-authoring a unit, or joining a curriculum team can build credibility.
• Explore related teaching settings: Educators considering nonpublic school environments can review how to become a private school teacher in Illinois to compare expectations.

How can visual arts strengthen history instruction?

Visual arts can make historical thinking more concrete. Paintings, political cartoons, photographs, architecture, maps, posters, memorials, and museum exhibits give students evidence to interpret, not merely decoration to observe. When teachers integrate visual analysis, students learn to ask who created an image, for what audience, with what purpose, and what context is needed to understand it.

Interdisciplinary collaboration with art teachers can also support projects such as historical exhibits, propaganda analysis, visual timelines, and documentary storytelling. Teachers interested in deeper art education pathways can compare requirements for how to become an art teacher in Illinois.

Which certification pathways are available for history educators?

Illinois history teacher candidates may follow traditional or alternative routes depending on their education background. Traditional programs are often best for undergraduates who can complete education coursework and field experiences as part of their degree. Alternative routes may be more relevant for adults who already hold a bachelor’s degree and want to transition into teaching.

The most important decision is not which pathway sounds fastest, but which pathway actually leads to the license and endorsement needed for high school history or social science teaching. Candidates should compare eligibility, cost, placement requirements, testing expectations, and timeline. A broader overview of teacher certification requirements in Illinois can help candidates understand the differences before committing.

What first steps should aspiring Illinois history teachers take?

If you are at the beginning of the process, start with verification. Many delays happen because students assume a degree program, online course, or alternative route leads to licensure when it does not. Before applying, ask direct questions and request written confirmation from the institution.

1. Confirm your target role: Decide whether you want to teach high school history specifically or broader social science courses.
2. Check Illinois requirements: Review ISBE guidance and program admissions materials before choosing a school.
3. Compare approved programs: Look at tuition, field placement support, licensure pass support, transfer credit, online availability, and student teaching expectations.
4. Plan for testing: Ask when candidates usually take the required ILTS exams and what preparation resources are available.
5. Budget for unpaid fieldwork: Student teaching can limit work hours, so plan finances early.
6. Build experience: Tutor, substitute teach if eligible, volunteer, coach, or work with youth to strengthen your application and confirm that teaching fits you.

For a focused overview of the profession, candidates can also review how to become a high school history teacher in Illinois.

What trends are changing history education in Illinois?

History education is shifting toward inquiry, media literacy, civic reasoning, and more inclusive content. Illinois teachers should be prepared to teach students how to evaluate sources, understand contested narratives, and participate thoughtfully in democratic life.

• Local history and civic engagement: Illinois history gives teachers opportunities to connect state events, community stories, labor history, immigration, civil rights, and local institutions to national themes.
• Technology in history classrooms: Digital archives, interactive maps, virtual exhibits, and multimedia projects can expand access to historical materials when used with clear learning goals.
• Inquiry-based instruction: The Illinois Learning Standards for Social Science emphasize questioning, evidence, analysis, and argumentation.
• Equity and inclusion: More classrooms are examining the experiences of Indigenous peoples, African Americans, immigrants, workers, women, and other communities that shaped Illinois and the United States.
• Cross-disciplinary teaching: History increasingly connects with literature, art, economics, geography, science, and media studies.
• Flexible upskilling: Teachers and candidates comparing lower-cost routes can research affordable teaching credential options in Illinois, while still confirming licensure alignment.

How can interdisciplinary experience expand a history teacher’s career?

Interdisciplinary teaching can make history more relevant and improve career flexibility. A history teacher who can collaborate with English, art, science, business, or library staff may contribute to project-based learning, humanities programs, civic engagement initiatives, and integrated curriculum design.

Even experience outside secondary education can offer useful perspective. For example, reviewing preschool teacher assistant requirements in Illinois can highlight foundational skills in observation, developmental awareness, classroom support, and differentiated instruction. Those skills look different in high school, but the underlying focus on student needs still applies.

How can community partnerships and library collaborations support history teachers?

History teachers do not have to rely only on textbooks. Libraries, museums, universities, historical societies, archives, civic organizations, and local experts can help students encounter history through documents, objects, oral histories, maps, exhibits, and community research.

• Libraries: School and public librarians can help students evaluate sources, use databases, and conduct research projects.
• Museums and historical societies: These partners can provide exhibits, guest speakers, artifact-based lessons, and field trip opportunities.
• Local archives: Archives can support projects on community history, migration, industry, politics, and cultural change.
• Civic organizations: Partnerships can strengthen units on government, public policy, and civic participation.

Teachers who enjoy research and information services may also compare this work with how to become a librarian in Illinois.

How can additional subject expertise improve career flexibility?

History teachers who add complementary expertise can become more adaptable in both hiring and advancement. Additional preparation may support integrated humanities teaching, curriculum leadership, dual-subject assignments, or specialized electives. The best choice depends on district needs and your long-term goals.

• English and writing: Helpful for document-based essays, historical argumentation, and humanities collaboration.
• Economics or government: Useful for broader social science teaching assignments and civic education.
• Special education or ESL: Can strengthen inclusive practice and expand licensure flexibility.
• Educational technology: Supports digital archives, multimedia assignments, and online learning tools.
• Mathematics or STEM collaboration: Teachers interested in comparing a very different secondary subject can review high school math teacher requirements in Illinois.

Common mistakes to avoid when choosing a history teacher pathway in Illinois

Questions to ask before enrolling in an Illinois history teacher preparation program

• Is this program approved for Illinois high school history or social science licensure?
• What endorsement will I be eligible for after completing the program?
• What licensure exams do graduates take, and when do they usually take them?
• How many field experience hours are required before student teaching?
• Where are student teaching placements located, and how are mentor teachers selected?
• What happens if I do not pass a required exam on the first attempt?
• Can I transfer previous college credits into the program?
• What is the total estimated cost, including fees, exams, transportation, and student teaching expenses?
• Does the program support job placement, interview preparation, or connections with Illinois districts?
• If the program is online, how are Illinois field placements arranged?

References:

• Illinois Council for the Social Studies. Resources for Social Studies Teachers. Illinois Council for the Social Studies
• Illinois Report Card (2023). Total Teachers FTE. Illinois Report Card
• Illinois State Board of Education (2023). Illinois Learning Standards for Social Science. Illinois State Board of Education
• National Education Association (2020, September 14). Code of Ethics for Educators. National Education Association
• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Career Paths in History. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Key Insights

• Illinois history teachers typically need a bachelor’s degree, an approved educator preparation program, supervised fieldwork, student teaching, passing licensure exam results, and ISBE approval.
• The safest program choice is one that explicitly leads to Illinois high school history or social science licensure; a history major alone may not be enough.
• Student teaching is one of the most important parts of the pathway because it produces the practical skills, references, and classroom evidence hiring schools want.
• Illinois history instruction is shaped by the Illinois Learning Standards for Social Science, with strong emphasis on inquiry, evidence, civic reasoning, and diverse perspectives.
• Salary varies by district and location. As of 2023, the average annual salary is around $60,000, with examples ranging from closer to $50,000 in some rural districts to upwards of $70,000 in urban areas like Chicago.
• Licensure renewal requires ongoing professional development. Illinois teaching licenses are valid for five years, and teachers generally need 120 professional development hours for renewal.
• Additional endorsements, graduate study, leadership experience, and strong mentoring relationships can improve career flexibility, especially in competitive districts.
• Before enrolling, ask direct questions about licensure alignment, field placements, testing, transfer credits, total cost, and online program requirements.