English Language Learners Advanced Certification

The Advanced Certification program is for certified K-12 teachers who wish to add an ELL (English Language Learners) endorsement to an existing teaching certificate. Applicants must already have a teaching certificate in another area of specialization to complete this program.

Admission Requirements for the Advanced Certification Program

The applicant seeking admission to the program must:

Attend an information session/personal interview;
Have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution;
Complete all parts of the online application, including writing sample;
Submit one letter of recommendation;
Submit official transcript(s) of all college-level work completed;
International students: an official transcript and/or an official transcript evaluation is required for admittance into a graduate program;
Submit verification of teaching certificate;
Have a grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale;
Have taken a course in Psychology of the Exceptional Child and Reading Strategies & Interventions in the Content Areas;
ELL: Satisfactory completion of one year of foreign language study or an equivalent experience learning a language within another culture is recommended; and
Students whose primary language is not English are required to submit official score reports of the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) exam. The examination results should not be more than two years old. The minimum TOEFL score required is 550. The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam scores may be submitted in lieu of the TOEFL. The minimum IELTS exam score required for admission is an overall score of 6.5 with no individual band score below 5.5.
Avila alumni applying within two years of completing an Avila School of Education program do not need to submit a letter of recommendation, a writing sample, or an Avila transcript.

Required Courses

The ELL Advanced Certification requires a minimum of 21 hours of coursework. Additional courses may be necessary if a candidate does not meet the professional prerequisites. To maintain enrollment, a student must maintain a 3.0 grade point average in coursework, with no grade lower than a “C.” Only one grade of “C” is accepted in the certification program.

Education Certificate & Advanced Certification Policies

To maintain enrollment, the student must maintain a 3.0 grade point average in all graduate coursework with no grade below a “C.” Only one grade of “C” is accepted toward the program. Only one course may be repeated one time in the entire program. Students who are unable to maintain these academic standards will be dismissed from the program.

Outcomes

The courses in the ELL Advanced Certification program provide students with knowledge of advanced principles of learning and teaching a second language as well as practical applications of those principles in classroom teaching situations. Students who complete the ELL Advanced Certification program will also meet the following outcomes:

Understand the nature of language and language learning.
Understand the structure and use of English in different contexts.
Understand culture and the role it plays in learning a second language.
Consider a range of theories, approaches, methods, and techniques for learning and teaching a second language.
Analyze and critique past practices and current trends in second-language learning, teaching, and evaluation.
Apply the knowledge they have gained by teaching in a supervised setting.
Work with teachers and students in a multicultural environment.
Further develop personal skills in using the English language.
Develop a personal philosophy of second-language learning and teaching.
Understand the evolving nature of second-language learning and teaching and have strategies for dealing effectively with this change.

Assessment

Outcomes for the Advanced Certification program are assessed through a combination of written examinations, key assessments and performance evaluations. Individual course syllabi show in detail the way in which each course addresses and evaluates the graduate and individual program outcomes. Alignment matrices showing the assessment of outcomes in each graduate course is located in the School of Education Office.

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