It is a specialty area endorsement added to a K-12 teaching license that provides evidence of proficiency working with English language learners. It is also referred to as an ESOL endorsement.

(1) Admission to the program, (2) completion of all program courses and the final practicum—a total of 22 credits, (3) passing the ESOL Praxis test and (4) following steps for program completion for the endorsement to be added to the teaching license.

Our courses are designed to allow you to acquire knowledge and skills in 14 competency areas linked to the TSPC standards for the ESL endorsement. During the final practicum, endorsement candidates are evaluated on knowledge and skill, and performance in the field, in relation to these competencies.

Yes. Bilingual ability is not required for the ESL endorsement. This program prepares teachers, most of whom only speak English, with knowledge and skills to work more effectively in the K-12 classroom with students who are non-native speakers of English.  You may have the bilingual designation added to the endorsement if you are fluently bilingual. See “Praxis Test Questions” below for required evidence of bilingual fluency.

Click on Admissions for more information.

Yes, but please complete your admission within the first term of taking courses.

All of our courses are held either evenings or weekends during fall, winter, and spring terms. Evening classes meet once each week, beginning at 5:30pm or later and ending around 9:15pm. Weekend classes meet Fridays 5 to 8:30pm and Saturdays 8:30am to 4pm. Three credit courses meet for three weekends; two-credit courses meet for two weekends. Summer term courses are offered in a one-week accelerated format with classes held Monday-Friday, 8:30am to 4pm, and final assignments are submitted to the instructor approximately two to three weeks after class meetings conclude. Some courses are offered partially online, reducing the amount of time spent in class meetings. Portland State uses a web-based course management system called WebCT/Blackboard for online instruction. For more information click on Access to WebCT/Blackboard.

That depends on how many courses you are willing or able to fit in your schedule and around other life activities. Each program course is offered twice during fall, winter, and spring terms, as well as in the summer, with the exception of the final practicum which is not available during summer. Completing the program within one year is realistic but might not always be possible depending on when classes are scheduled and other time commitments you have. Please keep in mind that it is important to attend all class meetings, especially for weekend classes. Missing a full weekend of class means you are missing one-third of the course content. If you know in advance that you have a conflict for a weekend class meeting, please plan to take that course in another term.

No, because the endorsement must be added to an existing teaching license. If you are a student in Portland States’s GTEP program or another college/university program leading to initial licensure, you can begin taking ESL/Bilingual Endorsement courses concurrently. We strongly recommend that you first complete at least two terms of GTEP (or your basic teaching methods courses if you are at another institution) before starting endorsement program courses. You cannot do your final ESL/Bilingual Endorsement practicum until after meeting all requirements for initial licensure.

While there is no requirement that they be taken in a certain order, we strongly recommend taking EPFA 466/566 Impact of Language and Culture in the Classroom as the first course in the series. Click on Program Courses to see the suggested sequence. All courses must be completed before doing the final practicum.

ESL/Bilingual Endorsement Program courses are offered through Continuing Education (CEED) in the Graduate School of Education. CEED publishes a separate and free course catalog for each term in both print and web formats. The web catalog is most current. ESL Endorsement courses can be accessed through this website by clicking on Current Courses or at www.ceed.pdx.edu, then clicking on “course catalog” and selecting the program from the drop-down window. We also publish quarterly schedule brochures or postcards for the ESL/Bilingual Endorsement Program. These are available approximately six weeks before the beginning of the term. Email ceed@pdx.edu or call 503-725-8279 to be added to the mailing list to receive ESL schedule brochures. Be sure to provide your current mailing address, phone contact, and email.

Find the course(s) as described above. Click on the title of the course for which you want to register. Note the 5-digit course number for graduate or undergraduate credit, then follow the link to register online. If you are a first-time Portland State student or need assistance with registration, call 503-725-4832 or 1-800-547-8887 ext. 4832.

No. Many courses in the program are offered partially online, which reduces the amount of time required to spend on campus. However, our faculty believes strongly that for the best learning to occur, a majority of the content needs to be delivered face-to-face.

That depends. Because so much variance exists in how institutions structure their programs and courses, we do not evaluate transcripts and generally do not accept other institutions’ courses as directly equivalent to ours. We do, however, offer a waiver option through a flexible portfolio approach that can take into consideration knowledge and skills gained in a variety of ways and including prior K-12 ESL teaching experience, similar coursework taken elsewhere, background and experience in TESOL or Applied Linguistics, significant experience living or working in another country and culture, or some combination of all of these. In order to submit portfolio documentation to request course or practicum waiver, you must first attend a two-hour, non-credit Portfolio Waiver Workshop that is offered twice a year, during fall and spring terms. The workshop covers waiver requirements and procedures for preparing and submitting portfolio documentation. The fee of $99 (2007) covers the workshop and up to three individual consultations with the instructor who will review portfolio materials for completeness prior to submission for committee review.

Yes. Please refer to this chart of course equivalencies. You have to take at least two ESL endorsement program courses for which no equivalencies exist through the TESL/TESOL programs. These are EPFA 465/565 ELL School-Community Relations and SPED 455/555 Working with LEP Children Who Have Special Needs. In addition, if none or only a portion of your TESOL Methods practice teaching was done at the level of your K-12 teaching license, you have to complete the final 90-hour ESL practicum.

As required by TSPC, you must pass the Praxis Series II ESOL test, #20360. This is a standardized test administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). More information is available at the ETS website, www.ets.org. We recommend that you take the Praxis test near or just after completion of your endorsement program coursework. When you take the test, be sure to request that score results be sent to you, TSPC, and Portland State.

We don’t offer Praxis review workshops at Portland State. TSPC has set a relatively easy-to-reach passing score requirement of 510 for this test, and nearly everyone is able to pass with no problem. Some study suggestions you might want to pursue include:

• Review notes and assignments from your endorsement courses, especially LING 422/522
• Review the sample test questions available at the ETS website
• Check out test preparation study guides that can be purchased at bookstores or online
• Form your own study group with friends and classmates
• Seek guidance from an ESL-endorsed teacher who has passed the test

You must either hold a K-12 license to teach another language, or you must take two additional Praxis language tests covering content knowledge and productive language skills: French (test #s 0171 and 0173), German (test #s 0181 and 0182), and Spanish (test #s 0191 and 0192). If your bilingual fluency is in a language other than these, we typically work with PSU’s Dept. of Foreign Languages and Literatures to find someone qualified to assess your speaking, reading, and writing abilities, and provide written verification of fluency.

All details of doing your practicum are discussed at a required practicum orientation meeting held approximately two to three weeks before the beginning of the term in which you are doing your practicum. General practicum requirements include spending at least 90 contact hours teaching at the level of your current license with six or more ELL students over the course of a 10-week Portland State school term (fall, winter or spring). We arrange a placement for you with an ESL-endorsed cooperating teacher. If you are already teaching, you need to arrange for an ESL-endorsed colleague in your school or district to serve in this role for you. As part of the 90 hours, you are required to develop and present a unit of 10 lessons, including pre- and post-assessment, and planning and presentation of the lessons using strategies appropriate for working with ELL students. Practicum written assignments include using a designated format for at least two of the lessons, which are also observed by the practicum supervisor reflections on the lessons and the overall practicum experience and an essay discussing knowledge of the 14 competencies for the ESL endorsement and application of this knowledge when working with English language learners.

Request a practicum application from the ESL/Bilingual Endorsement Program Manager and submit it one term in advance of when you plan to do your practicum in order to allow time to arrange for a University supervisor, and for a placement, if needed. Practicum application deadlines are:

April 15	For fall term practicum beginning late-September
October 1	For winter term practicum beginning early January
January 10	For spring term practicum beginning late-March/early April

No. Summer school programs typically do not provide enough student contact hours to meet practicum requirements.

Submit your practicum application as described above and indicate that you want a placement. Then, if you are hired for a teaching position, inform the ESL/Bilingual Endorsement Program Manager as soon as possible. We work with you to determine if you are able to complete practicum requirements in your own classroom.

Probably not. Most full-time teachers either have enough ELL students in their own classroom(s) or are able to make arrangements to work cooperatively with teaching colleagues who do, so that practicum requirements can be met while working.

No. You must have completed all program courses with grades posted (no I, M or X grades) at least one term before doing your practicum.

No. We do not accept teachers for practicum unless they have completed our ESL endorsement coursework or provided evidence of equivalent competence by successfully waiving courses required for the endorsement. This is because evaluation of practicum activities is based on the competencies acquired through the coursework. It is not appropriate to accept teachers for practicum and evaluate their work against competencies they might not have acquired. You can check with other higher education institutions, but we are not aware of any that allow a teacher to do an ESL practicum without having completed that institution’s endorsement coursework.

Follow instructions for Program Completion or request a Final Paperwork Packet by mail from the ESL/Bilingual Endorsement Program Manager. Be sure to provide your mailing address.

Please allow 2-3 weeks for Portland State to complete all required steps and submit our recommendation to TSPC for the endorsement to be added to your license. We understand TSPC can take up to two months or longer to send out your updated license document showing the endorsement has been added. If you need evidence of the endorsement prior to that time, for your school district or for hiring purposes, it might appear through a license inquiry at the TSPC website, www.tspc.state.or.us.

Yes. Taking courses in this program could allow you to qualify for financial aid. Contact Portland State’s Office of Financial Aid for more information at 503-725-3461 or www.pdx.edu/finaid.

While costs are likely to increase over time, currently a three-credit graduate course costs just over $900, undergraduate about $465. A two-credit graduate course is about $640, undergraduate about $350. The program consists of five three-credit courses, two 2-credit courses, and a final three-credit practicum, which is only available for graduate credit. Program admission and completion fees are approximately $250-300. Books and materials average about $75-100 per course.

Yes, except the final practicum, which is graduate-level only. However, two important reasons to choose graduate credit are: if you intend to use the courses to meet graduate elective requirements or if graduate credits could place you at a higher level on a school district salary scale.

Probably not. Teaching ESL with adults requires a certificate or master’s degree in TESOL—Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, which are offered through Portland State’s Department of Applied Linguistics, 503-725-4088, www.ling.pdx.edu. That department can also offer guidance in preparing to teach English overseas.

Several school districts contract with Continuing Education/Graduate School of Education to offer the ESL/Bilingual Endorsement course series on-site in their districts. These courses are intended for teachers employed by those districts, since the districts are paying the cost for their teachers to attend. If you are currently teaching, contact the ESL/Bilingual Endorsement program manager to find out if the program is being offered in your district.