Illinois State Board of Education
BECCA
Bilingual Early Childhood Certification Assistance Program
An Alternative Route to Teacher Certification


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If you are looking for the BTTT (K-8) program,
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Eligibility

The BECCA Program is seeking applications from individuals with bachelor's degrees who are committed to bilingual education and who wish to complete a rigorous early childhood teacher preparation program.

To be eligible, applicants must:

  • Wish to work with preschool age children
  • Be committed to working with and advocating on behalf of English language learners
  • Possess at least a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution in any field
  • Have a minimum undergraduate GPA of at least 2.75 on a 4.0 scale (preferred)
  • Be fluent in English and Spanish (or another target language as needed)
  • Have the ability to pass state certification exams (i.e. Basic Skills Test, Target Language Proficiency Test, etc.) *
  • Be capable of meeting the requirements for admission into the Northern Illinois University Graduate School **
  • Be willing to teach in a state funded early childhood program in Lake or McHenry county for at least three years
  • Be a U.S. Citizen or legal Permanent Resident
  • Holders of Type 29 certificates that were issued prior to July 31, 2004 are not eligible.

* Test results for the Basic Skills and Target Language Proficiency tests are not required to apply, but all applicants are encouraged to take these tests as soon as possible. If a selected applicant is unable to pass these tests in a timely fashion, he/she will not be allowed to continue in the program.

** No applicant should complete the requirements for admission to the NIU Graduate School , including taking the GRE/MAT or TOEFL (if applicable), until he/she has been notified of acceptance and has attended the mandatory program orientation.