Frequently Asked Questions
Legislation signed in 2017 created the Illinois Global Scholar Certificate. This certificate awards merit, on the state transcript, to Illinois high school students who demonstrate global competence. School districts must opt in to administer the certificate and qualifying students must complete four basic requirements.
The Global Scholar Certificate responds to a growing body of research and data that suggest future careers will depend heavily upon the ability of students to work and collaborate in multiple cultural contexts. The Illinois Global Scholar Certificate aims to recognize students who have attained significant expertise in the area of global competence.
The Illinois Global Scholar Certificate is not a mandated program. School districts must opt in to administer the certificate and then form a Global Scholar Committee (GSC) comprised of certified educators. After successfully completing global competence training, the GSC must conduct a review of available curricular and extracurricular opportunities to determine areas of global-focus. Once any necessary adjustments have been made, the school district must register their intent to award the Illinois Global Scholar Certificate with the Illinois State Board. For more details, click on “Find out More” tab found on the bottom left of the home page of this website, then click on “How to Implement.”
- 8 Globally-Focused Courses
- At least One Sustained and Globally-focused Service Learning Experience
- At least One Global Collaboration/Dialogue Experience
- Completion of the Illinois Global Scholar Performance-based Assessment (Capstone)
Creating a global education certificate gives students an opportunity to examine current curricular offerings through a lens of global issues. This lens allows students to make connections in their coursework and experiences that they might not otherwise make. Emphasizing global competence also prepares students to collaborate and compete in a global contexts around the world and prepares students to succeed in a variety of fields beyond high school. Global learning leads to successful collaboration in scientific research, CTE, business, and STEM and enriches student understanding of the humanities, arts and language. Understanding the world should be an integral part of education in Illinois.
