Published in the June 2026 issue of the ISHA Voice.
By Maureen Marrandino, ASHA SEAL for IL and Legislative and Regulatory Committee Member, and Karen Kockler, ASHA SEAL for IL and School Affairs Committee Member
Hello, New SLP Master’s Graduates!
We are excited to welcome new school-based Speech-Language Pathologists into the educational setting this August! Congratulations on completing your graduate program and earning your master’s degree — this is a significant accomplishment, and we look forward to supporting you as you begin your professional journey in the schools!
Before you are able to independently provide speech-language services in an Illinois school setting, there are important steps that must be completed:
1. Take and pass the National Praxis Exam, and verify that your master’s degree has been conferred.
2. Apply for a temporary SLP license through the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR); a temporary IDFPR license is needed to complete the 9 months of supervised professional experience (a.k.a. the CFY).
3. At some point during/toward the end of the 9 months, apply for your Professional Educator License (PEL) through the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), your permanent IDFPR license, and ASHA CCCs (if you are planning to be ASHA-certified). For the PEL, most SLPs hold PEL School Support Personnel/Non-Teaching, so unless you took education courses to be a special education teaching SLP, you will apply for the PEL School Support Personnel.
We also want to remind graduates that providing speech-language services in a school setting prior to completing requirements is not permitted under Illinois regulations. These steps are necessary to ensure compliance with state licensure and educational requirements and to protect students, families, staff, the community and professionals entering the field.
Practicing before all required credentials are in place may result in serious professional and legal consequences, which could impact future licensure eligibility and professional certification opportunities.
We encourage all graduates to complete these steps as soon as possible and to reach out to their university program, employer, IDFPR, ISBE or ISHA with any questions about the process. We are excited to see you enter the profession, and we wish you success as you begin your careers serving students, communities and families!