Library Information Specialist Endorsement - Further Clarification

Some clarification on my prior post is in order. The Library Information Specialist (LIS) endorsement can only be earned by students who are already certified teachers in Illinois. Here's an example: a teacher who has taught 3rd grade for some time would like a change. She would love to be her school's librarian, but needs an extra credential: the LIS endorsement. To qualify for this endorsement, the teacher must take 24 credit hours of library classes and pass an exam. We've had a number of students over the past several years who have done this. However, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has now made a new rule that half the of 24 credit hours have to be graduate level courses. This will take effect in February 2012.

If you are not a certified teacher who wants to earn the LIS endorsement, this news does not impact you. There is an urgency to the post, but only for a few. So sorry to have alarmed some of you unnecessarily. As always, if this is unclear, please email me.

Library Information Specialist Endorsement - Important Changes from the ISBE

Effective February 2012, the ISBE will make a change in the requirements for earning the Library Information Specialist (LIS) endorsement. Half of the 24 credit hours of coursework will need to be taken at the graduate level. This means that getting an endorsement entirely with CLC coursework will no longer be possible. The Regional Office of Education in Lake County has confirmed this. Here is a link to the ISBE info: http://www.isbe.net/certification/requirements/endsmt_struct_eff_020112.pdf

If you are already doing coursework for the endorsement, it is imperative that you go to the Regional Office and apply for the endorsement asap. They will identify the coursework that you need to complete and allow up to a year for you to finish under the current guidelines.

It is highly unlikely that the graduate schools will accept our courses to meet any of their requirements. This is of particular concern when it comes to prerequisites. Just as our Introduction to Library Science is a prerequisite for every subsequent LTA course, it the grad schools will likely have a foundations course that works the same way.

This is tough news. CLC LTA has been a cost-effective and geography-friendly pathway to earning the LIS endorsement. Unfortunately, that option will be more complicated. Please call with questions.