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Graduate Catalog 2013-2014 
    
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Graduate Catalog 2013-2014 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

TESOL PreK-12 - MA

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Program Coordinator Anne Ediger; 1022 West Building; (212) 772-4686; aediger@hunter.cuny.edu

The TESOL program is designed to educate people who wish to teach students for whom English is a second or foreign language – either children or adults. The skill of teaching English to speakers of other languages is acquired through studying specialized methods and techniques that differ from those used by teachers of English to native speakers. This preparation is the focus of the MA program in TESOL.

The MA program in TESOL is interdisciplinary. It encompasses courses that provide students with a theoretical and practical background in general linguistics, phonetics, the structure of American English, second language acquisition, related psychological, sociological, and anthropological aspects, as well as the methods and materials of English language instruction to various populations. Student must also complete a student teaching/practicum at the level(s) at which they intend to teach. Courses in the TESOL curriculum reflect three levels of hierarchy: introductory, intermediate and advanced. Because introductory courses are prerequisites for more advanced courses, students are to take courses in this sequence.

TESOL Programs 1 and 2 satisfy the requirements for New York State certification:

These tracks are not interchangeable, and students must specify one of them for their applications to be processed.

Students may be exempted from up to six credits of course work in any of the TESOL programs, subject to program approval, if they have taken similar content elsewhere.

Meeting minimum admission requirements does not guarantee acceptance into the program. Admission to the program is highly competitive. Each applicant’s grade point average, college coursework, written personal statement and interview, English language proficiency, foreign language credits, letter of recommendation and quality of experience are all carefully considered for admission to the program.

In these programs, links to the ESL classroom are emphasized and students are exposed to extensive field experiences and practice. Students should be prepared to spend considerable amounts of time observing and participating in educational settings in addition to attending classes at Hunter. All fieldwork experience must be done in New York City public schools.

Admission Requirements

Program 1 for Students Without Prior Certification

The Pre-K-12 Program 1 prepares students for New York State certification in TESOL, for which students apply through the college during the last semester in the program.

  1. A cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 from an accredited bachelor’s degree program or 3.5 from a master’s degree program; those applicants who have a GPA between 2.5 and 3.0 may be interviewed by the TESOL faculty and accepted on a non-matriculated basis if space is available.
     
  2. A liberal arts or sciences major or interdisciplinary concentration of at least 30 credits.
     
  3. A general education core in liberal arts and sciences to include:

    • 12 credits of foreign language documented on a transcript or equivalent credits on a standardized proficiency test like the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) or the NYU Proficiency Test in Foreign Language
       
    • 9 credits in communication and English with at least one course in written analysis and expression and one course in English literature
       
    • 9 credits in science and mathematics, with at least one course in math and one course in science (a college course in calculus satisfies 6 credits of this requirement)
       
    • 6 credits in social studies (including at least one course in history or geography)
       
    • 3 credits in the arts
       
    • 3 credits in information retrieval (library studies, research, computer literacy, or educational technology
       
  4. Satisfactory communication skills, as demonstrated through an oral interview and an on-site writing sample.
     
  5. Submission of two letters of recommendation to be included in the graduate application.
     
  6. A statement of purpose to be included in the graduate application.
     
  7. Applicants who have taken all or part of their undergraduate education in a country where English is not the native language countries are required to submit an official TOEFL test score report. These applicants must score at least 600 on the paper administered test or 250 on the computer administered test or 75 (less speaking component) on the TOEFL IBT. They must score at least 5.0 on the Test of Written English (TWE) or 24 on the IBT Writing Section; and 50 on the Test of Spoken English (TSE) or 26 on the IBT Speaking section.

 

Program 2 for Students With Prior Certification

The Pre-K-12 Program 2 is intended for students who already have prior New York State certification in another subject area. Students completing this program qualify for New York State certification in TESOL, in this case, an additional certification.

  1. A cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 from an accredited bachelor’s degree program or a GPA of 3.5 from a master’s program.
     
  2. 12 credits of foreign language documented on a transcript or equivalent credits on a standardized proficiency test like the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) or the NYU Proficiency Test in a Foreign Language.
     
  3. Proof of New York State teacher certification in an area other than TESOL (specifically, early childhood, childhood, middle childhood, or adolescent education; special subjects; students with disabilities; or literacy).
     
  4. Satisfactory communication skills, as demonstrated through an oral interview and an on-site writing sample.
     
  5. Submission of two letters of recommendation, to be included in the graduate  application.
     
  6. Applicants who have taken all or part of their undergraduate education in a country where English is not the native language are required to submit an official TOEFL score report. These applicants must score at least a 600 on the paper-administered test or 250 on the computer-administered test or 75 (less speaking component) on the TOEFL IBT. They must score at least 5.0 on the Test of Written English (TWE) or 24 on the IBT Writing Section; and 50 on the Test of Spoken English (TSE) or 26 on the IBT Speaking Section.

 

Progress Standards

 

A. 12-Credit Progress Standards for Matriculated Students

  1. Students must maintain an overall GPA of 3.0, which includes courses in the arts and sciences subjects as well as in teacher education, in order to continue in the program.
     
  2. Students with more than one course grade below B in the first 12 credits will not be allowed to continue in the program.
     
  3. A student who receives a grade F in any course including arts and sciences courses in the first 12 credits will not be allowed to continue in the program.
     
  4. Students with one grade of IN (Incomplete) within the first 12 credits are restricted from registering for more than one additional course. Those with two or more INs will not be allowed to register for any courses.

    Note: It is recommended that students with two or more INs take an official leave of absence.

  5. Program 1 students must take the Liberal Arts and Sciences Test (LAST) of the New York State Certification Examinations and submit their scores to the Office of Educational Services before they complete 12 credits of course work. Any student who does not receive a passing score on the LAST must enroll in a college writing course or workshop series approved by an adviser before being permitted to register for any additional courses.

B. Fieldwork Benchmarks

Students must receive a grade of at least B in EDESL 79610  , EDESL 78500  and EDESL 78800  .Any student who receives a grade of B-, C+ or C must apply to the chairperson of the department for permission to repeat that course, which may be repeated only once. Any student who receives a grade of F or WU will not be allowed to continue in the program.

TESOL Program 1 Course of Study

Total Credits: 30-42 credits

Core Requirements

 

Plus One of the Following:

 

And One of the Following:

 

Note(s)

Students may transfer, waive, or be exempted from up to 8 credits if they have taken equivalent course work elsewhere. Credit transfers, waivers, and exemptions are determined by the School of Education upon presentation of acceptable supporting paperwork. Taking EDESL 76000 MA Essay adds 4 credits to the degree.

*Student teaching is a year-long course. Students must complete 60 days during one semester at the K-6 level, and 60 days during the other semester at the 7-12 level. Student teachers may start their student teaching in either the fall or spring semester.

**Practicum Teaching is a year-long course. Students are expected to be in the classroom during the entire year of teaching. Practicum students may start their practicum in either the fall or spring semester.

TESOL Program 2 Course of Study

 Total Credits: 25-37 credits

Core Requirements

 

Plus One of the Following

 

And One of the Following

 

Note(s)

Students may be exempted from up to eight credits if they have taken equivalent course work elsewhere

*Student Teaching is a year-long course. Students must complete 60 days during one semester at the K-6 level, and 60 days during the other semester at the 7-12 level. Student teachers may start their student teaching in either the fall or spring semester.

**Practicum Teaching is a year-long course. Students are expected to be in the classroom during the entire year of teaching. Practicum students may start their practicum in either the fall or spring semester.

Exit Standards

  1. A passing score on the comprehensive examination or successful completion of a master’s essay ( ).
     
  2. Students must demonstrate graduate-level academic oral and written communication skills in their coursework, and the ability to serve as appropriate models of the English language for their future students. Students who cannot demonstrate this level of language ability must take a non-credit writing course offered by the School of Education in order to enroll in any courses after completing 12 credits.
     
  3. An overall GPA of 3.0.
     
  4. Students must pass the School of Education technology assessment.

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