Do I qualify?

PREREQUISITES
The candidate must have:

1. A clear, renewable, Georgia teaching certificate

2. Two or more years of successful teaching experience

3. Recommendations from two system administrators

4. A contract with a Georgia school system

What are the courses?

The English for Speakers of Other Languages Endorsement Program is offered in a sequence of three courses:

Cultural Issues

Applied Linguistics

Methods and Materials

Each course is 50 hours, or 5 PLUs.

The courses should be taken in the sequence listed above.

What is the purpose of the ESOL Endorsement?

The purpose of the Northwest Georgia RESA ESOL Endorsement Program is to prepare the candidate to function as a classroom ESOL teacher in member systems and agencies. Goals for the candidate completing the ESOL Endorsement Programs are:

1. to develop expertise in ESOL instruction for ELL students

2. to develop expertise in assessment, including a variety of informal and performance-based assessments as well as placement and achievement assessments and

3. to become a leader in professional development and in collaborations involving ESOL instruction with teachers, paraprofessionals, administrators, families and communities.

To meet these purposes there are several principles on which the ESOL Endorsement Program is based.

The candidate specializing in ESOL needs:

• In-depth knowledge of the ELL student's progress through the stages of second language acquisition

• A thorough understanding of the historical and theoretical underpinnings of current beliefs and practices

• Knowledge of current research in ESOL and the related fields of language and culture to support decision-making as trends move through the field of practice

• Critical ESOL and thinking ability to be a successful consumer of ESOL research

• Opportunities to implement best practices with ELL students across grade levels (field and practicum experiences)

What field and practicum experiences must I complete?

Required Field and Practicum Experiences

The candidate must plan to complete field and practicum experiences in diverse settings, including ESOL Program classes and/or diverse regular education classes. These field and practicum experiences will require the cooperation and support of the local school system, building level administrator(s), and an identified, mentoring teacher.

The school system, building level administration and mentor teacher will be required to support the candidate's field and practicum experiences by providing time to work with students during the school day and observing and reflecting with the candidate on those experiences.

The candidate will be responsible for identifying appropriate support personnel to ensure completion of the field and practicum experiences.

By completion of the endorsement application packet, the school system and the candidate acknowledge and insure the integrity of the field and practicum experiences.

Can I take classes online or face-to-face?

DELIVERY METHODS
The Northwest Georgia RESA ESOL Endorsement is offered through two delivery methods, ONLINE and FACE-TO-FACE classes.

CANDIDATES MUST CHOOSE EITHER ONLINE OR FACE-TO-FACE DELIVERY METHODS. Classes from each delivery method MAY NOT be combined to complete the requirements for the Northwest Georgia RESA ESOL Endorsement Program.

Click here for ONLINE ESOL Endorsement.

Click here for FACE-TO-FACE Endorsement.

How do I sign up for the ESOL Endorsement?

Prior to registering for the first class, the candidate must complete the application form.

Once the candidate has been accepted into the Northwest Georgia RESA ESOL Endorsement Program, he/she must choose either ONLINE or FACE-TO-FACE delivery.

How do I register once I have been accepted into the program?

CANDIDATES MUST CHOOSE EITHER ONLINE OR FACE-TO-FACE DELIVERY METHODS. Classes from each delivery method MAY NOT be combined to complete the requirements for the Northwest Georgia RESA ESOL Endorsement Program.

Once you have been accepted and chosen a delivery method, you will be emailed a link that will take you directly to the appropriate class for registration.

Transition Point Assessments

Candidate Referral System

A candidate referral system for dealing with behavioral and academic problems is outlined in program guidelines and involves appropriate instructional faculty and local system supervisors.

Click here to view the Candidate Referral System.

Resources and Research

WEBSITES:

www.cal.org – Center for Applied Linguistics

www.crede.org – Center for Research on Education, Diversity and Excellence

http://www.ESOL.org  - The International ESOL Association has a website with booklists, articles, and resources across a wide variety of grade levels and interests.

www.gatesol.org – Georgia TESOL

www.georgiastandards.org – Georgia Performance Standards

www.glc.k12.ga.us/pandp/esol/homepg.htm - Georgia Learning Connections (Quality Core Curriculum)

www.onestopenglish.com – Teacher Resources

www.tesol.org – National TESOL

RESEARCH:

Chamot, Anna Uhl and O’Malley, J. Michael, The CALLA Handbook, Implementing the Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach, Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc., 1994.

Cole, Robert W., Editor, Educating Everybody’s Children – Diverse Teaching Strategies for Diverse Students: What the Research and Practice Say About Improving Achievement, ASCD Improving Student Achievement Research Panel, Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development, Alexandria, Virginia, 1995.

Culture and Learning, Educational Research Service, 2003.

Echevarria, Jana, and Vogt, MaryELL studenten, and Short, Deborah J., Making Content Comprehensible for English Students – The SIOP Model, Second Edition, Pearson Education, Inc. 2004.

Freeman, David E., and Freeman, Yvonne S., Essential Linguistics: What You Need to Know to Teach Reading, ESL, SpELL studenting, Phonics, Grammar, Heinemann, 2004.

Gibbons, Pauline, Scaffolding Language Scaffolding Learning – Teaching Second Language Students in the Mainstream Classroom, Heinemann, 2000.

HerrELL student, Adrienne, and Jordan, Michael, Fifty Strategies for Teaching English Language Students, Second Edition, Pearson Education, Inc., 2004.

Larsen-Freeman, Diane, Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching, Oxford University Press, 2000.

Lessow-Hurley, Judith, Meeting the Needs of Second Language Student’s: An Educator’s Guide, Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development, Alexandria, Virginia, 2003.

Littky, Dennis; GrabELL studente, Samanth, The Big Picture – Education Is Everybody’s Business, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2004.

Menken, Kate, and Antunez, Beth, An Overview of the Preparation and Certification of Teachers Working with Limited English Proficient (LEP) Students, National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education, June 2001.

Nieto, Sonia, Affirming Diversity – The Sociopolitical Context of Multicultural Education, Addison Wesley Longman, Inc., 2000.

No Child Left Behind Title III: Language Instruction for Limited English Proficient and Immigrant Students, The National Clearing House for English Language Acquisition and Language Instruction Educational Programs, www.ncela.gwu.edu.

Parker, Frank, and Riley, Kathryn, Linguistics for Non-Linguists: A Primer with Exercises, Third Edition, Allyn and Bacon, 2000.

Peregoy, Suzanne F., and Boyle, Owen F., Reading, Writing and Learning in ESL – A Resource Book for K-12 Teachers, Fourth Edition, Pearson Education, Inc., 2005.

Rasool, Joan A., and Curtis, A. Cheryl., Multicultural Education in Middle and Secondary Classrooms: Meeting the Challenge of Diversity and Change, Wadsworth Thomas Learning, Thomas Learning, Inc., 2000.

Wood, Chip, Time to Teach: Time to Learn – Changing the Pace of School, Northeast Foundation for Children.  1999.  Greenfield, MA.

Zwiers, J. (2004).  Building ESOL comprehension habits in grades 6-12:  A toolkit of classroom activities.