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Student & Professional Services Collge of Education & Human Development Student Services

English as a second language (ESL)

Additional licensure

The English as a second language (ESL) additional licensure program prepares teachers to assist students in developing their English language and academic skills in grades kindergarten through secondary school.

This additional licensure program adds ESL licensure for grades K-12 to an already existing elementary or secondary license. Candidates must have a current Minnesota teaching license for either elementary education or a secondary subject area. The program is offered by the second languages and cultures (SLC) faculty in the College’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction (C&I).

These requirements align with Minnesota’s licensure rules for ESL, which took effect September 1, 2001.

Candidates without a Minnesota elementary or secondary licensure must seek initial ESL licensure through the M.Ed./initial licensure program in SLC education in the College’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction (C&I).

Program requirements

Prerequisites

Candidates interested in obtaining an ESL additional licensure must:

  1. Have a bachelor of arts (B.A.) or bachelor of science (B.S.) degree
  2. Have a current Minnesota elementary or secondary teaching license
  3. Have a second-language background. Note that American Sign Language (ASL) qualifies as a second language for this requirement. A second-language background may be represented by one of the following:
    1. Four years of high school second (foreign) language study or
    2. Two years of college or university second (foreign) language study or
    3. A non-English language background and bilingualism in English and another language (note that nonnative English speakers must demonstrate proficiency in English at the "superior" level according to American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages [ACTFL] guidelines—see language proficiency page) or
    4. Significant experience in a second-language community setting or a foreign country with a primary language other than English

Application materials

Candidates must submit the following application materials:

  1. A completed Application for Admission to Additional Licensure Programs [.pdf]. The form is also available at the College's office of Student Services, 110 Wulling Hall, 86 Pleasant Street S.E., Minneapolis, MN 55455; 612-625-6501; e-mail: cehdgrad@umn.edu.
  2. Application fee: Make check, money order, or bank draft payable to the University of Minnesota in the amount of $55 for up to two additional licensure areas. Application fee for each additional area is $25.

    Note: Fee does not apply to current master of education (M.Ed.) students or applicants or to those who have completed the M.Ed. at the University of Minnesota within the past three years.

  3. Official transcripts from all undergraduate or graduate colleges or universities where you completed 12 or more semester credits and all colleges or universities attended after completion of the undergraduate degree, except the University of Minnesota. Official transcripts must be received from the issuing school in a sealed and stamped envelope.
  4. Professional résumé
  5. A copy of your current or previous Minnesota teaching license(s)

Application deadlines

Additional licensure applicants are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Submission deadlines for each academic term are listed below:

Admission requirements

Candidates interested in obtaining an ESL additional licensure must:

  1. Provide evidence of having worked with culturally and linguistically diverse students
  2. Submit with application materials a statement that expresses the applicant’s desire and ability to work in urban settings with linguistically and culturally diverse learners and that explains how ESL additional licensure fits in with the applicant’s professional goals and plans. (Information regarding the district where the candidate is employed may be helpful.)
  3. For more information on completing this additional licensure program in conjunction with the M.Ed./professional studies program in SLC, contact Student Services, 612-625-6501; e-mail: cehdgrad@umn.edu.

Competencies outlined by the Minnesota Board of Teaching

The competencies for ESL licensure were established by the Minnesota Board of Teaching and can be met through coursework and teaching experiences arranged through SLC education faculty in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction (C&I). The seven competency areas and corresponding courses available at the University of Minnesota are listed below. Alternatives to these courses must be approved by the adviser.

General linguistics

LING 5001 or LING 3001—Introduction to Linguistics (4 cr)

English grammar

CI 5646—Understanding and Teaching English Grammar (3 cr)

Language acquisition

LING 5501—Introduction to Language Acquisition (3 cr)

Language and culture

CI 5137—Multicultural Gender-Fair Curriculum (3 cr)
or CI 5147—Language, Culture, and Education (3 cr)

Second-language teaching methods

CI 5656—Reading and Writing in a Second Language (3 cr)
CI 5657—Speaking and Listening in a Second Language (3 cr)
CI 5662—Issues in Second Language Curriculum Design (3 cr)

Student testing and assessment

CI 5642—The Assessment of Learners with Limited English Proficiency (3 cr)

Teaching students with limited English proficiency (LEP)

CI 5697—Practicum: ESL in the Elementary School (2 cr)
CI 5698—Student Teaching in Second Languages and Cultures (2 cr)

Practicum requirements

  1. Because ESL is a K-12 license, applicants must complete student teaching practicums involving observed teaching experiences in both elementary and secondary settings (CI 5697 and CI 5698).
  2. Student teaching/practicum experiences are arranged with SLC faculty or staff on a space-available basis after the candidate has:
    • completed at least 80 percent of the required coursework
    • maintained a minimum 3.00 GPA in courses required for the additional licensure
    • passed the required Praxis II test and proficiency test (if a nonnative English speaker)
  3. The University of Minnesota does not permit the granting of teaching licenses for prior experience. In other words, regardless of prior work experience, observation of the candidate’s ESL teaching must occur in elementary and secondary instructional settings.
  4. Candidates must submit a request to arrange the practicum experience(s) to SLC staff in charge of placements for additional licensure by the end of the semester preceding practicum completion. Candidates may request a particular school, but it must be approved by SLC staff.
  5. Each practicum experience requires at least 30 hours of classroom practice under supervision of a licensed language teacher and 10 hours of observation. The length of the practicum may be negotiated with the SLC staff, the cooperating teacher, and the candidate. However, each practicum typically involves a minimum of three continuous weeks of classroom teaching and observation. Longer time frames (up to 10 weeks in a semester) are recommended.
  6. Credits for CI 5697 and CI 5698 cannot be applied toward the M.Ed.

Program faculty

For more information on this program, please contact:

Martha Bigelow, associate professor
246 Peik Hall
612-624-7087; e-mail: mbigelow@umn.edu

Susan Ranney, lecturer
228 Peik Hall
612-626-0319; e-mail: ranne001@umn.edu

Diane Tedick, associate professor
254 Peik Hall
612-625-1081; e-mail: djtedick@umn.edu

Connie Walker, associate professor
250 Peik Hall
612-625-4828; e-mail: walke002@umn.edu

Updated December 2006