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Current Students FAQs
Don't see your question here? Try the Post-Certification FAQs page!
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What is the NLU Portal and how can it assist me?
The NLU Portal is the main avenue of communication between the University and its students. It is imperative that students become familiar with the NLU Portal system located at http://my.nl.edu -- follow the steps to receive a log-on and password that appear on the screen. This system is used to access NLU e-mail, your course schedule, class locations, and to communicate about your tuition, financial aid, and other issues. If you need help accessing the system (which you cannot do until you enroll for a cluster), contact the NLU Help Desk at (866)813-1177 or x4357 if you are on campus.
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What is "cluster registration," and how do I register for courses?
Courses in the Secondary Education sequence are held in two formats: cluster and non-cluster. Cluster courses for Secondary Education include all necessary classes to gain certification. Once a student has gained admission to a cluster, no further registration is necessary for cluster coursework. Those course locations and times may be accessed through your NLU Portal or on the NLU website.
Non-cluster coursework leads to the M.A.T. degree. There are four courses for which students must register on their own: ESR 514, SEC 525, and two elective courses. To register for a course outside of a cluster, please do so through your NLU Portal. Please see the question below for complete instructions on how to register using your NLU Portal. You can also register by filling out the blue sheet in the Quarterly or downloading the following document: Registration for Non-Cluster Courses. Then fax it to (847)947-5027, the Cluster Office in Wheeling. Non-cluster coursework may be taken at any time during the program.
Information about courses will be available several months before each term, both on the NLU Portal and the online searchable course schedule. Please be sure that you are looking up the specific course for your cluster, which is identified on the "section comments" under the course title.
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How do I register for non-cluster coursework using my NLU Portal?
Follow the instructions below to register for non-cluster coursework using your NLU Portal:
- Click “NLU Self Service” link
- Select “Student Services” tab or “Student” link
- Select “Registration” link
- Select “Look Up Classes” link
- Select a Term and click the “Submit” button
- Fill in the necessary information about your course
- Select the "Class Search" button
- Select the class you are looking for and click the "Register" button at the bottom of the page
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When do classes typically meet?
Class schedules are set by the campus where you enroll. The general schedule for courses is as follows:
Monday & Wednesday:
Elgin Campus
North Shore Campus
Lisle Campus
Tuesday & Thursday:
Chicago Campus
Wheeling Campus
The subject area methods courses for SEC 510 - 524 are generally held on Tuesday nights from 6:00 - 8:50 pm, but that schedule is subject to change per needs of department.
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Who is my advisor?
Your advisor is assigned when you are enrolled in the SEC 502/FND 504 course sequence your first term. The instructor of that class is your advisor for the remainder of your time at NLU. The exception to this rule is: If the instructor is not a full-time member of the Secondary Education department, he or she will inform your class on the first evening of class of the name of your cluster's advisor. The following is a list of advisors for all of the clusters since Fall 2003: Cluster Advisor List.
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What are the course transfer policies, and whom should I contact if I would like to transfer courses?
Only certain courses can be transferred in. Cluster courses cannot be transferred in, as they are completed with a unified group of other students. The M.A.T. electives and SEC 525, however, can be transferred in. ESR 514 can only be transferred in if you petition the Admission and Retention Council. If you are interested in transferring in an elective course, you should contact the Secondary Education department administrative assistant, Wilma Stiltz and Courtney O'Brien in the Registrar's Office. If you want to petition the Admission and Retention Council, you must fill out a Student Petition Form.
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I need to substitute a course. What should I do?
Students needing to change a graduate study plan, for whatever reason, should fill out a Student Adjustment Form and send it to their advisor to obtain a signature. Students should then fax the form to the Secondary Education department administrative assistant, Wilma Stiltz, at (224) 233-2294.
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Are there opportunities to receive financial aid?
National-Louis University provides students with scholarships, loans, fellowships, and work-study opportunities for graduate students. For more information about financial aid opportunities, please visit the Financial Aid Website. Financial aid is not offered through the Secondary Education department.
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I am working in a school as a teacher, with my own classroom, and I am now enrolled in your program. Is there any way I can do paid student teaching?
There are a few options available through the Secondary Education Department for students who are currently teaching to do a paid student teaching assignment. Students must discuss this situation with their advisor and fill out a Paid Student Teaching Application form. Students MUST fill out a traditional Student Teaching Application form as well, as the traditional form must be on file in the OSCR office. The paid student teaching application form must be completed in addition to the traditional form, not in place of it. Paid student teaching applications must be made in the FIRST term, by the 4th week, at the beginning of your cluster sequence.
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What is Livetext?
Livetext is an electronic web-based tool used for developing, assessing, and measuring student learning. All students are required to complete an electronic portfolio using Livetext. Instructors in SEC502 Methods and Materials for Teaching at the Secondary Level, SEC510-524 Teaching "Content Area" in the Secondary School, and SEC590A-F Student Teaching Seminar will assist students in creating and organizing the contents of their portfolio. Throughout the program students will have time to edit share, and discuss their portfolio pieces. While students may create a hard copy of their portfolio, all students will be required to do an electronic copy of their portfolio using Livetext.
To register an account with Livetext or to learn more about the web-based tool, visit their website.
If you are having difficulties logging in or using Livetext, please visit the Livetext Help Center.
For further information about LiveText and your student portfolio, please visit the Secondary Education LiveText Portfolios webpage.
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What tests will I have to take, and where can I find information about them?
Candidates in the Secondary Education program are required to take a variety of tests to gain admission to the program and be eligible for a teaching certificate. These test scores are valid for five years. The tests and links to information are listed below:
- Illinois Basic Skills Test
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- Taken prior to admission to the Secondary Education program
- Miller Analogies Test
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- Information can be found from your enrollment representative on campus
- Illinois Subject Area Exams
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- Each subject area has its own test. In Illinois, there are a variety of tests available. For example, if you are notified by NLU that you are qualified to teach psychology, you must take the psychology test, not the history or geography test, even though all of these areas fall within the same general area, social studies. If you have questions about which exam you should take, contact the NLU Transcript Evaluators to find out precisely which exam will be right for you.
- A list of content-area tests can be found at: http://www.icts.nesinc.com/IL13_testselection.asp.
- The Secondary Education Department recommends the study guides from the Advanced Placement test in their subject area. They are published by Princeton Review, Kaplan, and many other presses. They are available at most bookstores in the reference or test preparation sections.
- APT Test
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- This is a test of teaching pedagogy skills. The Secondary Education Department recommends students take the APT after the first methods course of your program. You are free to take it any time during the program, but the first methods course prepares students well for the exam. Study guides, practice questions, test dates, registration, and test frameworks are online at: http://www.icts.nesinc.com.
- Most Secondary Education students will register for the APT: 6-12 test, but those going for certification in Foreign Language should take the APT: K-12 test, because they are earning a Type 10 license.
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Where do I register for state tests?
The Illinois Certification Testing System (ICTS) is online at http://www.icts.nesinc.com. All registration, practice tests, test frameworks, and study guides are provided here.
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What are the dates for state tests?
You can find the dates for state tests on the ICTS website. Here is a link from the ICTS website which lists the test dates for 2009-2010.
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When is the best time to take state tests?
The Basic Skills test and the subject-matter tests are required for admission to the Secondary Education program at National-Louis University. You should take the APT test after taking SEC 502/FND 504, but at least a couple of months before applying for certification. Applicants in science, English, social science, and mathematics must take the Type 09 (grades 6-12) APT test, while foreign language applicants must take the Type 10 (K-12) APT test.
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How long is my certification valid?
Illinois has three tiers of certification for Secondary certificates: 1) Initial, 2) Standard and 3) Master teaching certificates. Students completing the certification portion of the MAT program are eligible to apply for their Initial certificate, which is valid for 5 years, unless there are state changes. Standard teaching certificates are issued to teachers who have more than four years of teaching experience and have completed certain professional development requirements. Master certificates are issued to those with National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification. There is a program at NLU that will help students to earn this highest level of certification, the MEd/NBC Program. For more information about state certification in general, visit the Illinois State Board of Education website.
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What courses do I need to take to be qualified to work in middle schools?
On top of receiving a 6-12 certification, students interested in teaching in middle schools need to take the following two electives: MLE 500 & MLE 502. These electives are necessary in order to obtain a middle school endorsement.
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I had to leave my cluster sequence at NLU, but I wish to return to finish my coursework. How do I go about doing that?
Students have six years from the date of their first course to finish their coursework at NLU. If you have left the program and wish to re-enter, you may follow the steps outlined in the Procedures for Completing Program Out of Sequence document. Make sure to contact your advisor as well so they can help you through the process.If you are not sure who your advisor is (or if that person is no longer with the university), please refer to the Cluster Advisor List.
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What grades do I need to maintain to stay in the program?
Secondary Methods courses, including SEC 502: Introduction to Secondary Education and SEC 510-524: Content Methods, require a "B" or better. Certification requires passing grades in all other coursework of "C" or better. Students must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher to enter student teaching.
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Last modified on: 2009-09-17 15:35:22 by: Sarah Frost
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