Relay Chicago students in our licensure track hold an Educator License with Stipulations - Alternative Provisional Educator (ELS-APE) during Relay's two-year program. Upon graduation and successful completion of all licensure requirements, graduates receive their Professional Educator License (PEL). The steps to apply for and register either license are the same, and are listed below.
Step 1 - Relay Entitles the License
Once you have completed Relay's year 1 Summer Term and demonstrated all licensure eligibility requirements, Relay Chicago will entitle you for the ELS-APE in the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) Educator License Information System (ELIS). Relay will let you know once you have been entitled and are ready to complete the next steps.
The process is the same for the PEL. After graduation, Relay will entitle you for the PEL in ELIS and will let you know that you have been entitled and are ready to complete the next steps.
Step 2 - Apply for and Register the License
Once entitled, log into your ELIS account to apply for and register the license through the Illinois State Board of Education. Follow the instructions in this video from ISBE to complete the steps. Please note the following items:
- Both steps happen through the ELIS home page, not the credentials page. Once you apply for the license and it is issued, return to the home page and the registration step will be available in the Action Center.
- The video is just a sample of the process and may refer to a different license than the one you are entitled with. In your ELIS account the ELS-APE will show up as “APE” and the PEL will show up as "PEL."
- ISBE will request your credit card information twice: once to apply for the license and once to register the license. Licensure fees are the responsibility of the Relay student, as stated in our Licensure Guide and summer orientation.
- Your license is not valid in IL until it is registered. Teachers in the city of Chicago will register in Region 15. Teachers outside of CPS’ geographical area should select their corresponding region.
- Be sure to review the survey questions in the system carefully and answer them honestly. Your license will be automatically issued once the steps above are complete.
- Because of tech issues that can happen in ELIS, your license may go into “Pending Review” status once you apply for it. If this happens, please email support@relay.edu to let us know, so we can ask ISBE to resolve it (typically within 24 hours). Then check back in your ELIS account the next day to complete the registration step.
Step 3 (ELS-APE only) - Upload Screenshot to Relay Checklist
For year 1 students: once you have applied for AND registered your ELS-APE, take a screenshot of your ELIS Credentials screen that shows your name, IEIN, and the APE license row. Upload that screenshot to your Relay Checklist Certification tab under “Complete your Certification Requirements” Milestone 1. Select the link called “Apply and Register for the Educator License with Stipulations” and upload the screenshot. This is required so we can verify that your license was issued and registered correctly.
Please refer to the Illinois Teacher Certification/Licensure Guide for your Relay class for all licensure track policies and requirements.