English Language Learners &
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
Online Graduate Education Programs
For questions regarding the following, please contact educgrad@ewu.edu:
- Employment Opportunities
- Program Options
- ELL – Certificated Teachers (K-12)
- TESOL – Candidates who do not hold a K-12 teaching certification
- Internships
- Coursework
For questions regarding program planning and sequence of courses, please contact the School of Education Graduate Office at educgrad@ewu.edu.
Eastern Washington University offers candidates who wish to teach English to speakers of other languages multiple program options. Both program concentrations have the same course requirements, but different admission requirements.
Neither the ELL nor TESOL program leads to an initial residency teaching (K-12) certification. For information on obtaining a teaching certification please contact the School of Education Graduate Office at educgrad@ewu.edu.
Each program concentration and its requirements are outlined below:
The ELL program concentration is designed for candidates who hold a teaching certification and wish to add an ELL endorsement to their certificate.
The ELL program concentration offers 2 paths to program completion:
| Master of Education | Certificate |
|---|---|
| The Master of Education program is a full Master’s degree, designed for candidates who wish to teach English to speakers of other languages. | The graduate certificate program is designed for candidates who are seeking to add an ELL (English Language Learners) endorsement to an existing teacher certification. |
The TESOL program options are designed for candidates who do not hold a teaching certification and wish to teach English outside of the United States.
The TESOL program concentration offers 2 paths to program completion:
| Master of Education | Certificate |
|---|---|
| The Master of Education program is a full Master’s degree, designed for candidates who wish to teach English to speakers of other languages. | The graduate certificate program is designed for candidates who wish to teach English to speakers of other languages in settings such as K-12 schools (private only in US), adult learning centers, and colleges. |
Sequence of Courses
Program & University Resources
It is important for students to review the dates and deadlines for the Online Accelerated program as they are different from posted university dates and deadlines. Deadlines for the Online Accelerated program are extremely strict and exceptions are not made. Please contact the School of Education with questions.
The textbook list shows texts required for all courses in your program. This list will be updated as new book information becomes available.
An online master’s student has full access to Eastern Washington University resources. Click here for quick access to:
- Bookstore
- Library
- Financial Aid
- Writers’ Center
- Veterans Resource Center
- Disability Support Services
- and more
Internship
Internships provide an opportunity for professional growth. The internships meet the Eastern Washington University program requirements for offering opportunities for experiential learning. The hope is the internship may be a steppingstone for new opportunities. Each internship class requires approximately 10 hours per week for each 6-week session that include activities such as working one-on-one with a student, reading, writing discussion boards, class assignments, or creating materials for special needs students. Activities and assignments will be explained further in the canvas course for each internship.
NOTE: Neither the ELL nor TESOL program lead to an initial teaching certification. If you are interested in a teaching certificate please contact educgrad@ewu.edu for more information.
Internship locations may include the following:
- P-12 public or private school
- Language institutes
- Colleges
- Adult education programs, such as GED or CNA
- Vocational ESL centers or businesses which hire English Language Learners, such as hotels
- Community centers or churches with English courses for English Language Learners
- Organizations such as World Relief that offer family literacy programs
- Small group or family of language learners in a formal arrangement approved by Dr. Reeves
- Special circumstances approved by School of Education
Before Your Internship
- Internship Information – Internship location must be identified by student.
- EWU does not place students in internship locations.
- Internship Activities are directed by your professor via a canvas course.
- Internship Enrollment Courses – Students will enroll in two separate internship courses in two separate six-week sessions. You must complete Internship I before Internship II. Each internship accounts for 60 hours of working with students, reading, writing/reflecting, meetings, interviews, actual work on topic, and assignments in Canvas. The internship course numbers are as follows:
EDUC 616 – Internship I 2 credits
EDUC 617 – Internship II 2 credits
- Internship Application Process
- Once you have decided upon your internship location, please complete (must complete all of the following):
- Internship Verification Form (below)
- Building Acknowledgement Form (below)
- Videotaping Permissions: During your internship, you will be required to videotape lessons and/or activities with students throughout the program and will need to obtain parent permission for videotaping each student. Please locate instructions below, depending upon your school/setting choice:
- Setting/school with blanket permissions: Submit a class roster of students regarding videotaping permissions to educgrad@ewu.edu.
- Setting/school without blanket permissions: You will need to get permission from parents by printing and signing the Video Permission Form below and submit a list of students to educgrad@ewu.edu.
- Once you have decided upon your internship location, please complete (must complete all of the following):
- EWU Education will email a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) directly to the district/facility of your choice if you will be doing an internship in a P-12 or college setting. The MOA will be filled out and signed by a district/facility representative. The MOA is a legal document that allows EWU students to complete coursework within a district/facility.
- If your district/facility requires additional information, please have them contact educgrad@ewu.edu.
- This step does not require action by the EWU student.
During Your Internship
- Internship Expectations: Complete course requirements noted above as outlined by instructor.
- Submit plan for internship to EWU instructor of internship course – Part of first module.
Portfolio
ENGL 623 – This course is designed for candidates to assemble a portfolio of work from graduate education courses to demonstrate the candidate has met program outcomes. Candidates will identify written assignments from their courses to revise. Candidates are also required to explain, through a reflection, how these written assignments align with program outcomes. The portfolio class is accessed through Canvas modules.
Comprehensive Exam
The Comprehensive Exam is only required for students in the full MEd Program.
EDUC 619 – The purpose of the Comprehensive Examination is to assess knowledge and understanding of specified core courses and evaluate whether students are academically prepared for their role in education. The Comprehensive Examination requires students to demonstrate the ability to synthesize knowledge gained from courses in the Master of Education degree program and write an academically appropriate response.
This exam consists of three (3) academic papers to be submitted during weeks 2, 3, and 4 during a 6-week session. Students will receive one question each week and have one week to complete each paper. Questions are not made available until the time of the exam.
The expectation for writing is 12-15 pages per question (not including the title and reference pages). Any writing over 15 pages will not be read. The expectation is a scholarly writing piece, using clear, concise words, with correct use of academic language, and APA citations (including a reference page).
Students will receive notification of pass/fail result via email by the Wednesday following the end of the session. This exam is pass/fail, but candidates must pass all three questions to receive a ‘Pass.’ If it is deemed that the candidate did not pass one or more questions, they will have one opportunity for a retake in a subsequent session. Each question not passed is retaken at one additional credit. In this event, the School of Education will contact the candidate with information on registration for any additional comprehensive exam sessions.
Applying for State Endorsement
For candidates holding a Washington State teaching certification:
This test is not required for completing the master’s program. This test is taken by students who wish to add the ELL endorsement to an existing K-12 Washington State teaching certification.
Steps for adding on the ELL endorsement:
- Complete coursework
- Complete candidacy form (linked above) and send to Graduate Programs
- Complete the graduation application through EagleNET (steps outlined below)
- Take and pass the West-E 051 test: Click HERE for test information.
- Contact Certification Officer, Jill Stinson at jstinson1@ewu.edu and Graduate Director, Dr. Ann Van Wig at avanwig@ewu.edu with your request for recommendation to OSPI.
- DO NOT APPLY TO OSPI UNTIL YOU HAVE HEARD FROM THE CERTIFICATION OFFICER
- Upon completion of above:
- Certification Officer – sends a recommendation to OSPI
- Certification Officer – sends notice to candidate to apply for add-on endorsement (now you may apply to OSPI)
- Candidate applies on OSPI website ($)
- The Graduate Programs Office will send out the student diploma or certificate of program completion.
For those who hold a P-12 Teaching Certification Outside the State of Washington:
Graduates of Eastern Washington University’s programs complete requirements to be recommended for endorsement in the state of Washington. Except for Washington State, EWU has made no determination if this program will lead to licensure in your state or the state in which you are seeking licensure. Please use the link below to the Certification Office webpage and reference the “Out-of-State Certification and/or Reciprocity Information” section to determine licensure requirements and/or transfer policies in your state.
https://inside.ewu.edu/education/certification/
For questions regarding certification please contact the Graduate Director, Dr. Ann Van Wig at avanwig@ewu.edu.
