Certification Requirements: TESOL, PK-12 (111)
1) A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution.
2) A minimum of 39 semester hours of college credit in general education including:
- A three-credit survey course in United States history
AND - Coursework in at least five of the following six areas
- natural science (biology, chemistry, earth science, physics)
- English
- social studies (psychology, sociology, economics, political science, anthropology)
- fine arts (visual art, music)
- mathematics
- foreign language
3) A subject area major in TESOL
OR
A minimum of 30 credits in TESOL and a minimum of nine credits in the areas of bilingualism, a foreign language, or literacy development.
NOTE: for candidates who do not have a subject area major in TESOL, the 30 credits in TESOL must include each of the following:
-
English language (includes the history of the English language, British and American literature, English syntax, and English composition)
-
Language theory (includes aspects such as the nature and structure of English and other languages, their systematic organization and change, major contemporary models of linguistic description, and language variation including social, regional, and functional variations of English and other languages; and language acquisition theory and its applications to the assessment, placement and education of limited-English-proficient students; and the development of an instructional plan appropriate to the needs of limited-English-proficient students; bilingualism and language and cognition)
-
Culture and Intergroup Relations (includes awareness of cross-cultural similarities and contrasts, the nature of specific minority American and/or foreign cultures)
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Linguistic and Academic Assessment of limited-English-proficient students (including testing and evaluation techniques applicable to the determination of language dominance, language proficiency, and bilingualism of limited-English-proficient students; and the development of an instructional plan appropriate to the needs of limited-English-proficient students)
4) A minimum of 18 semester hours of college credit in professional education in a planned program of study, including:
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foundations of education (e.g., philosophy of education, school effectiveness, history of education and comparative education)
-
educational psychology (e.g., growth and development children from birth through the life span, psychology of learning, child-adolescent psychology)
-
curriculum and methods of teachingincluding sixcredits in methods of teaching English to speakers of other languages, and curriculum development related to TESOL
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student teaching (minimum of six credits, including a TESOL placement at the elementary level and at the secondary level)
-
an approved three-credit course of study in special education including gifted and talented.
5) A passing score on the Praxis TESOL test
A printable version of these requirements is also available.