Graduate
Certificate:
Teaching English for Speakers of Other Languages
History
and Background
The Certificate program was originally designed for career
switchers for secondary teaching and has been in the AU
catalogue since 1997. Under contract with the DC Public
Schools, a variation of this program was created for career
switchers who wanted to become certified in teaching English
to Speakers of Other Languages. This option is now open
to any potential student.
Program
This teacher certification program is designed for students
with bachelor’s degrees in the arts, sciences, or
humanities and several years of responsible work experience.
Students complete the program and must pass certification
(licensure) in the District of Columbia and through such
certification are eligible for a reciprocal certification
in over 30 states. Some states may require additional course
or examinations. There are three possible tracks in the
program, each of which requires a different set and number
of courses beyond the core.
Admission
to the Program
Applications must include transcripts of all college work,
AARTS transcripts or equivalent, a cumulative grade point
average of 3.00 (on a 4.00 scale) in the last 60 credit hours
of under graduate work in and in all graduate work, a statement
of purpose and two letters of recommendation. Admission to
the certificate program constitutes admission to the Teacher
Education Program. Students must also obtain a passing score
on the Praxis I test prior to admission.
Course Requirements
Between 24 and 30 credits of approved graduate work including
6 credit hours of student teaching as outlined below, depending
on track. For secondary certification additional specific
course work in the subject area to be taught may be needed
to meet requirements for certification.
Core Courses
(12 Credit Hours)
EDU 521 Foundations
of Education (3)
EDU 620 Theories of Educational Psychology and Human Development
(3)
EDU 699 Student Teaching (6)
English for Speakers of Other Languages (15 credit
hours)
TESL 500 Principles
of Linguistics (3)
TESL 501 English Language Teaching I (3)
TESL 523 Second Language Acquisition (3) or TESL
527 Cultural Issues in the ESL/EFL Classroom (3)
TESL 524 Reading and Writing in the ESL/EFL Classroom (3)
TESL 531 Language Assessment (3)
Ongoing
Assessment of Academic and Professional Performance
To remain in the Teacher Education Program, certificate students
must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.00, receive
satisfactory evaluations in field and methods placements,
obtain satisfactory evaluation from the Teacher Education
Committee based upon academic, professional, and performance
criteria established by the committee, and meet specific course
grade requirements. Academic Skills Assessment prior to beginning
student teaching and PRAXIS II: Teaching English as a Second
Language before the program of study is completed.
Admission
to the M.A.T.
Students in the certificate program seeking admission to M.A.T.
degree program will be considered after satisfactory completion
of up to 18 credit hours of course work.
FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION ON THE GRADUATE CERTIFICATE:ESOL contact
Judy Swanee, Graduate Advisor, School of Education at 202-885-3716
or swan@american.edu
