School of Professional Studies

Public School Social Work Certification:

Policy and Procedures for School Social Work (Excluding Post-M.S.W. students) (Illinois requirements)

All graduate social work students interested in taking coursework toward the Type 73 Certification must be in good standing with the School of Social Work and will be required to complete the following procedures:

1. Apply to take the ISBE Basic Skills Examination.
2. Take and pass the Basic Skills Exam by August 1 of the academic year preceding the second-year field placement.
3. Complete SWK 5610: Social Work Practice with the Exceptional Child which meets HB150 guidelines. The course must be completed prior to the second year (school) field placement.
4. Secure a field placement in the public school setting by actively seeking an internship. Since internships in the school setting are very competitive, it is recommended that students begin to look before the end of January of the academic year preceding the second-year (school) field placement.
5. Complete and return the ISBE 73-44 and ISBE 73-42 by June 15 of the academic year preceding the second-year field placement. Students who complete these procedures follow the M.S.W. program, clinical concentration structure outlined in this book.

Post-Master Type 73 Program Requirements (Illinois requirements)

1. The applicant must have earned a Master of Social Work degree from a CSWE-approved program.
2. Applicants must contact the Center for Adult and Graduate Studies for a Post-Master Type 73 Program application package and complete the application, request one letter of recommendation from a professional in the field, and arrange to have their official transcript showing their M.S.W. sent to the Center for Adult and Graduate Studies. When all components of the application package are received by the Center for Adult and Graduate Studies, it is then forwarded to the Associate Director of the School of Social Work. All applicants must show proof that they have passed the Illinois State Board of Education Basic Skills Examination. Information about this exam can be found at www.icts.nesinc.com.
3. Academic requirements include successful completion of the following courses:
   • SWK6430 School Social Work Certification Course 3 semester hours
   • SWK5610 Survey of the Exceptional Child 3 semester hours
   • SWK6670 Post-M.S.W. Type 73 Advanced Field Instruction (minimum of 250 clock hours in the field) 3 semester hours
4. The student should play a vital role in determining his/her field placement. As is the case with our regular M.S.W. students, we maintain a file with the names, addresses, phone numbers and contact persons of schools which have participated as internship sites, from which students can choose. Placements need to be arranged before you can register for SWK6430. Students should begin to make arrangements for internships around January.
5. The student must maintain a minimum 3.00 GPA for the entire course sequence.
6. The program must be completed within four consecutive semesters from the first semester after being officially accepted into the certificate program. Any modification in the program completion plan must have prior approval of the School Social Work Program Coordinator.
7. Post M.S.W.-Type 73 students are not required but are encouraged to enroll in elective course offerings related to school social work practice as a means of rounding out their training experience.
8. As of July 1, 1988 the State of Illinois requires that anyone seeking professional certification to function as a school social worker in public schools must pass two proficiency examinations: the Illinois Basic Skills exam and the Illinois School Social Work exam. The Illinois Basic Skills must be passed before entering the program. The Illinois School Social Work Exam must be passed before applying for the Type 73 certificate.

Note: Information regarding the exams can be found by calling National Evaluation Systems, Inc. at 800-239-8107, or at www.icts.nesinc.com.

Please Note: The information listed on this page is current according to the 2007-2009 Graduate Catalog, unless otherwise noted.