Who must take a Coaching certification course?
Currently, you must have a current, valid Illinois Teaching Certificate to meet the IHSA By-Law requirement to coach without going through an IHSA coaching certification program. If you have a current Illinois Teaching Certificate, then you are certified to coach in Illinois and do not need to take the course.
- Do you have to work as a teacher in the school you will be coaching? No, an Illinois Licensed / Certified Teacher may be hired to coach at any IHSA Member school.
- When you retire from teaching, do you have to maintain your Illinois Teaching Certificate in order to continue coaching? No, retired teachers do not have to maintain their Teaching Certificate and may coach at any IHSA Member School.
If you do not meet the criteria listed above, please follow this link to learn more about coaching certification and to see our answers to frequently asked questions.
Prospective Coaches must select and pass ONE of the following Coaches Education programs (click the link below to be redirected to the website to order your Coaches Education program).
- IHSA Coaching Orientation Online Package
$110.00 Includes IHSA Coaching Orientation (which includes IHSA By-Law Exam as final unit of course), and Sport First Aid)
- IHSA Coaching Education Online Package (with ebook)
$140.00 Includes Coaching Principles (same certification earned, but a more comprehensive curriculum is provided), IHSA By-Law Exam, and Sport First Aid (shipping is charged for a Sports First Aid textbook)
- IHSA Coaching Education Online Package (with both textbooks)
$150.00 Includes both textooks.
- NFHS Certification
You must add to your cart from the NFHS.org Website both of the following: Fundamentals of Coaching (which includes IHSA By-Law Exam) ($69.00) and First Aid for Coaches ($65.00) = $134.00 total
Download the IHSA Handbook for use with the IHSA By-Law Exam.