Current through Register Vol. 42, No. 11, August 30, 2024
(1)
Unconditional Admission to an ESOL Program. The program must meet
the requirements in Rule
290-3-3-.41. Initial
certification in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) is at the Class
A level. Requirements for unconditional admission to the program include at
least a valid bachelor's-level professional educator
certificate in a teaching field. (Additional information specific to
Alternative Class A programs is provided in Rule
290-3-3-.42.)
If an individual is unconditionally admitted to an Alabama Class A program
based on a valid bachelor's- or master's-level
professional educator certificate from another state, completes a Class A
program, and subsequently applies for Alabama certification at the Class A
level, then the individual must hold at least a valid
Class B certificate before applying for Class A certification.
(2)
Program Curriculum. The
following standards reflect the standards of Teachers of English to Speakers of
Other Languages (TESOL) International Association.
(a)
Knowledge about
Language.1. Candidates
demonstrate knowledge of English language structures in different discourse
contexts to promote acquisition of reading, writing, speaking, and listening
skills across content areas and serve as language models for English language
learners (ELLs).
2. Candidates
demonstrate knowledge of second language acquisition theory and developmental
process of language to set expectations for and facilitate language
learning.
3. Candidates demonstrate
knowledge of language processes (e.g., interlanguage and language progressions)
to facilitate and monitor ELLs' language learning in English.
4. Candidates apply knowledge of English
academic language functions, learning domains, content-specific language and
discourse structures, and vocabulary to promote ELLs' academic achievement
across content areas.
(b)
ELLs in the Sociocultural
Context.1. Candidates demonstrate
knowledge of how dynamic academic, personal, familial, cultural, and social
contexts, including sociopolitical factors, impact the education of
ELLs.
2. Candidates demonstrate
knowledge of research and theories of cultural and linguistic diversity and
equity that promote academic and social language learning for ELLs.
3. Candidates devise and implement methods to
understand each ELL's academic characteristics, including background knowledge,
educational history, and current performance data, to develop effective,
individualized instructional and assessment practices for their ELLs.
4. Candidates devise and implement methods to
learn about personal characteristics of the individual ELL (e.g., interests,
motivations, strengths, needs) and their family (e.g., language use, literacy,
practices, circumstances) to develop effective instructional
practices.
5. Candidates identify
and describe the impact of his/her identity, role, cultural understandings, and
personal biases and conscious knowledge of U.S. culture on his/her
interpretation of the education strengths and needs of individuals ELLs and
ELLs in general.
(c)
Planning and Implementing Instruction.
1. Candidates plan for culturally and
linguistically relevant, supportive environments that promote ELLs' learning.
Candidates scaffolded instruction of language and literacies to support
standards and curricular objectives for ELLs in the content areas.
2. Candidates know, understand, and apply
concepts, research, and best practices to plan classroom instruction in a
supportive learning environment for ELLs. They plan for multi-level classrooms
with learners from diverse backgrounds using standards-based ESL and content
curriculum.
3. Candidates know,
manage, and implement a variety of standards-based teaching strategies and
techniques for developing and integrating English listening, speaking, reading,
and writing. Candidates support ELLs' access to the core curriculum by teaching
language through academic content.
4. Candidates instruct ELLs using
evidence-based, student-centered, developmentally appropriate interactive
approaches.
5. Candidates adjust
instructional decisions after critical reflection on individual ELLs' learning
outcomes in both language and content.
6. Candidates plan strategies to collaborate
with other educators, school personnel, and families in order to support their
ELLs' learning of language and literacies in the content areas.
7. Candidates use and adapt relevant
materials and resources, including digital sources, to plan lessons for ELLs,
support communication with other educators, school personnel, and ELLs and to
foster student learning of language and literacies in the content
areas.
(d)
Assessment and Evaluation.1.
Candidates apply knowledge of validity, reliability, and assessment purposes to
analyze and interpret student data from multiple sources, including
norm-referenced and criterion-referenced tests. Candidates make informed
instructional decisions that support language learning.
2. Candidates demonstrate understanding of
classroom-based formative, summative, and diagnostic assessments scaffolded for
both English language and content assessment.
3. Candidates demonstrate knowledge of
state-approved administrative considerations, accessibility features, and
accommodations appropriate to ELLs for standardized assessments.
4. Candidates demonstrate understanding of
how English language proficiency assessment results are used for
identification, placement, and reclassification.
(e)
Professionalism and
Leadership.
1. Candidates
demonstrate knowledge of effective collaboration strategies in order to plan
ways to serve as a resource for ELL instruction, support educators and school
staff, and advocate for ELLs.
2.
Candidates apply knowledge of school, district, and governmental policies and
legislation that impacts ELLs' educational rights in order to advocate for
ELLs.
3. Candidates practice
self-assessment and reflection, make adjustments for self-improvement, and plan
for continuous professional development in the field of English language
learning and teaching.
4.
Candidates engage in supervised teaching to apply and develop their
professional practice using self-reflection and feedback from their cooperating
teachers and supervising faculty.
(3)
Requirements for Certification for
Teachers of ESOL. Readiness to serve as a teacher of English for
speakers of other languages shall include:
(a) An official transcript from a regionally
accredited institution documenting an earned master's degree.
(b) A survey of special education course is
required unless that course was taken for prior level certification. [See
definition (51)]. An individual who completed a survey of special education
course prior to the semester when the individual met requirements for
unconditional admission to a Class A program July 1, 2017, and thereafter, must
take a course focused primarily on one of the following categories: methods of
accommodating instruction to meet the needs of students with exceptionalities
in inclusive settings, multicultural education, teaching English language
learners, rural education, or urban education. A diversity course used to meet
this requirement for one level of certification may not be used to meet the
requirement for a higher level of certification.
(c) Satisfactory completion of a
State-approved program with a minimum GPA of 3.0 on all courses in the Alabama
State Board of Education approved educator preparation program. Effective for
candidates unconditionally admitted to a Class A ESOL program July 1, 2017, and
thereafter, satisfactory completion of a State-approved program with a minimum
GPA of 3.25 on all courses in the Alabama State Board of Education approved
program.
(d) Competence to teach
English for speakers of other languages as demonstrated in an internship, with
an ESOL certified cooperating teacher, of at least 300 clock hours that
complies with Rule
290-3-3-.03(6)(e)2.(i)
and (iv) and Rule
290-3-3-.41(5)(e).
(e) A valid Class B
Professional Educator Certificate in a teaching field unless the individual
completes an Alternative Class A program in ESOL.
(4)
Testing for Certification of
Teachers of ESOL. Applicants for initial certification in English for
speakers of other languages through the completion of a Class A program must
meet the Praxis requirements of the Alabama Educator Certification Assessment
Program (AECAP) as a precondition for certification. Additional information is
in Rule
290-3-3-.41(6).
Previous Rule.45 was renumbered.43 per certification
published August 31, 2021; effective October 15,
2021.
