Illinois Teacher Certification Renewal
Illinois teacher certification renewal happens every five years, when licensed teachers complete 120 hours of professional development through ISBE’s Educator Licensure Information System (ELIS), or 60 hours if they hold National Board Certification. Lapsed licenses can be reinstated online by completing any outstanding professional development, then either finishing nine semester hours of coursework or paying a $50 penalty fee.
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Illinois teacher certification renewal runs through the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), which issues teaching credentials as a Professional Educator License (PEL) that must be renewed every five years to stay valid for employment in an Illinois public or state-operated school. Renewal and reinstatement are both handled online through ELIS, the Educator Licensure Information System, rather than by mail. If you haven’t yet earned your initial PEL, see our guide to Illinois teacher certification for the full application process.
Teaching Certification Renewal
Illinois teachers must complete 120 hours of professional development within each five-year PEL cycle, which averages out to 24 hours per year. This requirement applies regardless of how many degrees or advanced degrees a teacher holds. Teachers who hold a current National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) master teacher designation only need 60 hours instead of 120.
Acceptable professional development hours come from a regionally accredited Illinois college or university, National Board Certification, a National License for school support personnel, or activities offered by an ISBE-approved professional development provider. Districts often offer some of these hours directly, but teachers are responsible for tracking down any additional hours on their own and entering every completed activity into their ELIS account before the renewal window closes.
The renewal window opens April 1 of the year a PEL expires, with the license itself due for renewal by June 30. ISBE allows a grace period through August 31 for educators who need extra time to finish professional development hours. Once all required professional development has been entered in ELIS, teachers log into their ELIS account, confirm their hours, and pay the registration fee, $10 per year of the cycle, or $50 total over five years, to complete the renewal online. See ISBE’s Professional Development for Educators page for the full breakdown by license type.
Administrator License Renewal
Educators who hold a PEL endorsed in an administrative field and work 50% or more full-time in a position requiring that credential face a different threshold: 100 hours of professional development, plus completion of one Illinois Administrators’ Academy course during each fiscal year of the five-year cycle. See our guide to Illinois principal and administrator certification for the full path to earning that endorsement.
Reinstatement of Certification
A PEL lapses when its registration fees go unpaid, or its required professional development isn’t submitted by the end of a renewal cycle. A lapsed license is not valid for employment in an Illinois public or state-operated school until it’s reinstated. (If you’re licensed in another state and want to teach in Illinois for the first time, see our guide to Illinois teacher reciprocity instead, since this section only covers renewing or reinstating a PEL you already hold.)
To reinstate a lapsed PEL, an educator must first complete any outstanding professional development (or Administrators’ Academy requirements, if applicable) and enter it into ELIS. Once that’s done, ISBE offers two paths to finish reinstatement:
- Complete nine semester hours of coursework in one or more of the endorsement areas listed on the license, completed within the last five fiscal years, from a regionally accredited college or university
- Pay a $50 penalty fee instead of completing the coursework
Reinstatement itself is applied for directly in ELIS: log in, select Reinstatement from the Action Center, and choose one of the two options above. After the license is reinstated, all back and current registration fees still owed must be paid before the license becomes valid again. See ISBE’s Reinstatement page for the full list of acceptable coursework by endorsement area.
For questions about a specific license type or renewal cycle, contact your local Regional Office of Education or the ISBE Educator Licensure Division at 217-557-6763.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How often do Illinois teachers need to renew their certification?
Every five years. The Professional Educator License operates on a five-year renewal cycle, and the renewal window opens each year on April 1 for licenses expiring that year.
How many professional development hours do I need to renew my Illinois teaching license?
Most teachers need 120 hours of professional development over the five-year cycle. Teachers who hold current National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification only need 60 hours.
What happens if my Illinois teaching license lapses?
A lapsed license can’t be used for employment in an Illinois public school until it’s reinstated. You’ll need to complete any outstanding professional development, then either finish nine semester hours of coursework in an endorsement area or pay a $50 penalty fee through ELIS.
Can I skip the nine semester hours requirement when reinstating my license?
Yes. ISBE allows educators to pay a $50 penalty fee in place of completing the nine semester hours of coursework when reinstating a lapsed Professional Educator License.
Do school administrators have different renewal requirements than teachers?
Yes. Administrators with a PEL endorsed in an administrative field need 100 clock hours of professional development plus one Illinois Administrators’ Academy course for each year of their five-year cycle, rather than the 120-hour teacher requirement.
- The PEL renews every five years — Illinois teachers complete 120 hours of professional development per cycle, or 60 hours with National Board Certification.
- Renewal and reinstatement both run through ELIS — there’s no mailed application. Teachers log in, enter their PD hours, and pay fees online.
- Administrators face a separate requirement — 100 clock hours plus an Administrators’ Academy course each year of the cycle, not the standard 120-hour teacher threshold.
- Lapsed licenses have two reinstatement paths — nine semester hours of endorsement-area coursework, or a $50 penalty fee, after any outstanding PD is completed.
Find accredited teacher certification programs in Illinois, including coursework that can count toward your professional development hours for renewal.
