Certification in Teaching English as a Second Language

Students interested in teacher certification in English to Speakers of Other Languages must successfully complete six credits of EDUC 750: Graduate Teaching Internship in one or two semesters during the second year in the program.

In order to satisfy the program entry into student teaching requirement, students must pass the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators Test according to program guidelines. The passing scores and possible exemptions for the reading and math sections of the test are described below.

Students who earn ACT or SAT scores at or above the following levels established by the State of Delaware are exempt from taking the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators tests in reading and mathematics.

• ACT English score at or above 24 – exemption from the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators test in reading.
• ACT mathematics score at or above 24 – exemption from the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators test in mathematics.
• SAT verbal score at or above 560 – exemption from the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators test in reading.
• SAT mathematics score at or above 540 – exemption from the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators test in mathematics.
• GRE mathematics score at or above 145 – exemption from the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators test in mathematics.
• GRE verbal score at or above 152  – exemption from the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators test in reading.

All students must pass the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators test in writing; there is no exemption for this test. Students who are  not exempt from any test would initially register for the Combined Test (reading, mathematics, and writing). Students who are exempt from the reading test and/or mathematics test would register for the Individual Test(s) that they need to pass.

All students planning to become ESL teachers must also pass the Praxis Subject Assessment – English to Speakers of Other Languages (ETS Test # 5362). This test is required by the state of Delaware and the passing score for MA TESL candidates specifically is 150.

Additional Certification Requirements

The following additional certification requirements may apply depending on your area of interest.

• If you are seeking a Bilingual Teacher certificate to teach in a classroom where a language other than English is used, you need to demonstrate oral and written proficiency in the target language of the bilingual classroom or bilingual program by achieving a minimum level of Advanced Mid based on the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines on the ACTFL OPI in the target language, and achieving a passing score on the ACTFL WPT in the target language. For additional information, visit the State of Delaware’s page for Billingual Teachers.
• ESL teachers need to complete at least 6 hours of a foreign language at the intermediate level or pass a language proficiency test.
• Language courses do not count towards the degree. Students are encouraged to complete the language requirement prior to entering the program or over the winter and/or summer sessions.
• Non-native speakers of English who plan to use their M.A. in TESL degree in the United States or apply for certification need to establish proof of their English proficiency by taking the University UDIA and SPEAK tests and scoring 250 and 55, respectively. These tests are administered at the English Language Institute (ELI). Students should contact the ELI to make testing arrangements.