In the summer of 2008, Northern Kentucky University is offering an intensive summer institute to provide an alternative path to certification for Kentucky world language teachers. This program is intended to facilitate certification for those individuals who:
- Already have proficiency in a world language (Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, or Spanish) AND
- Already possess at least a Bachelor's Degree AND
- Fit into ONE of the following three categories:
- Are currently teaching with emergency or limited certification OR
- Are working as a bilingual instructional aide OR
- Wish to teach but do not have a background in education
Program Description and Dates
The program runs a total of seven weeks beginning June 9th and ending July 25th. Classes meet weekdays from 9:00am to 12:00pm and again from 1:30 to 4:30pm. Participants receive a total of 180 contact hours by the end of the sixth week of the program. In the seventh week, participants will take part in the STARTALK Camp, teaching language classes to children ages 10 to 17 under the supervision of master teachers. After the program ends, participants will need to prepare for the Praxis Principles of Teaching and Learning Exam.
Successful participants receive twelve semester hours of graduate credit. Six of the semester hours focus on teaching methodologies for world language teachers. Topics are suitable for elementary, middle, and secondary school students. Topics include:
- the use of technology in language teaching
- the history of world language teaching
- a review of second language acquisition research and its implications for teaching practice.
- research-based instructional approaches, methods, strategies and techniques for foreign language instruction
- curriculum development, assessment, and evaluation
The other six hours will be focused on education. Two semester hours will be spent in each of the following:
- child and adolescent growth and development
- classroom management
- knowledge of individual differences, including the teaching of exceptional children
All new teacher standards will be covered in the content of these courses.
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Costs
Tuition
In-state tuition for Kentucky residents or applicants currently teaching in Kentucky is $3,804. Applicants teaching in Kentucky but not residing in Kentucky must provide written documentation from their employer of current teaching assignment. Metro rates and out-of-state tuition rates are higher. For more information on tuition rates, please refer to the
Office of Graduate Programs Tuition Rates.
Scholarships covering in-state tuition are available for a fixed number of participants on a first come, first served basis under the Improving Educator Quality Grant (IEQ) (described below) and the STARTALK grant.
There is no need to apply separately for a scholarship; just indicate your interest on the ISIWLT 2008 application form. Participants residing out of state or in the metro area who receive the IEQ tuition scholarship will be required to pay the difference.
Books
Required textbooks for the courses will cost around $400.
Housing
Participants will need to live in the northern Kentucky area during the seven weeks of classes and teaching practice. It is possible to get on campus housing, which will cost about $800 - $1000. for the seven weeks. For information about NKU housing, contact
University Housing.
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Scholarship Information
Scholarships for this program are provided through an Improving Educator Quality grant from the Kentucky Council on Post-Secondary Education and a STARTALK grant from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Grant partners for the Improving Educator Quality grant are the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Education and Human Services at Northern Kentucky University, Thomas More College, the Kentucky Department of Education, Jefferson County Public Schools, and Fayette County Public Schools. Grant partners for the STARTALK grant are the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Education and Human Services, Northern Kentucky University. The STARTALK grant is administered by the National Foreign Language Center at the University of Maryland.
For teachers of Spanish, French, German, Japanese:
The Improving Educator Quality Grant "Certifying World Language Teachers for Kentucky."
- Covers in-state tuition in the Intensive Summer Institute.
- Requires recipients to attend two follow-up workshops in the fall of 2008 and two in the spring of 2009. Workshops will be held on Saturdays, dates to be determined, in Louisville and/or Northern Kentucky, depending on where most of the participants are working.
- Workshops are designed to enhance professional development
- Develop materials and curriculum
- Provide mentoring and peer support
- Recipients will also be required to maintain a professional relationship with one of the workshop institute partners for mentoring. This mentor will observe classes taught by the program participant in the fall 2008 and spring 2009.
- The grant does not pay for books, room or board, or other testing or university fees, such as the application fee.
- Provides $300 of instructional materials, selected by participants, at the end of the grant period in May 2009.
STARTALK Grant -- ONLY for teachers of Arabic and Chinese languages
- Covers full tuition for the Intensive Summer Institute.
- Provides a stipend towards on-campus housing costs for participants who do not live locally.
- Provides additional development sessions specifically on special issues in teaching Arabic or Chinese. These sessions will be held during the Intensive Summer Institute for World Language Teachers.
***LINK To Additional STARTALK Information***
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Living Accommodations
Participants who do not live locally can arrange dormitory rooms at NKU. For information about NKU housing, contact
University Housing. Dining contracts are available in the summer, but dining hours are abbreviated and very limited. We suggest you arrange for a room with a kitchenette.
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Books and Materials
Participants will be expected to purchase books and materials for the institute at their own expense. We will send the list of required textbooks with the acceptance to the program letter. We strongly suggest that participants read through the books before they come to campus so the materials is familiar and the reading load during the program is not so burdensome.
Books will cost about $400, but used copies are often available through online sources.
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Entrance Criteria
Click here for a Printable Checklist to use when applying to ISIWLT
- Applicants must have an undergraduate degree with a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or a graduate degree in an area related to certification. All transcripts submitted to NKU must be official and should be sent directly to the Office of Graduate Programs from the issuing institution. Transcripts must have the registrar's signature and/or official seal of the institution to be considered official. Official transcripts in envelopes sealed by the institution's registrar with stamp or signature across the flap and sent with the application are acceptable. Transcripts from every institution attended must be sent. A summary of credit transferred from one institution and recorded on the transcript of another institution is not acceptable.
- Applicants with a degree from an institution outside the U.S. must have their transcripts evaluated by an Approved Foreign Education Evaluation Service. Applicants must use one of the agencies found on this webpage in order for the transcript to be accepted by both NKU and the State of Kentucky.
- Applicants who are already teaching in a school district in Kentucky can request that the school district send a photocopy of the foreign transcript or diploma to NKU's Office of Graduate Admissions, but the transcript evaluation must be received directly from the credentialing service.
- GRE Test. Applicants with a bachelor's degree or bachelor's equivalent need to take the GRE Test and have a score report sent directly to NKU from the Educational Testing Service. For information about the GRE test, please contact Educational Testing Services. In the U.S. the test is computer-based and is offered at various locations. To register for the test, locate a test center near you and then set up your test date. Test sites may be busy at certain times of the year, so please schedule it as soon as you can. Applicants who hold a graduate degree in an area related to certification are not required to submit GRE Scores.
- Praxis Content Test. Or evidence of proficiency in the world language
Passing or near passing scores on the Praxis Content Test in your content area are required for Spanish, German and French. Please make note you need to take only the Content part of the Praxis for admission.
There is no Praxis test for Chinese, Japanese or Arabic, so participants in these areas will be asked to provide evidence of their proficiency in the language through other means. If you have completed course work at a university outside the US, where the language you wish to teach was the language of instruction, you may use the transcripts of post-secondary course work that have been evaluated by an accredited agency as evidence of language proficiency.
- TOEFL Test. Non-native speakers of English must take the TOEFL Test and report their score or provide other evidence of academic English language proficiency. Please consult the following webpage http://www.nku.edu/~isa/esl/ from the Office of International Student Affairs for other ways to meet this requirement.
- Application Essay Please write a short essay (about one page) about yourself, why you are interested in teaching, your experiences with teaching and learning languages, and why you are interested in this program. After we receive your essay, we will call or meet with you for a short interview.
***Please remember to have your scores sent DIRECTLY to NKU from the testing center. You are generally asked where you would like to have your scores sent prior to taking the test and it is free at that time. There is a charge if you have to go back later and have them sent.
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Application Process
***Please make note when filling out the Application for Graduate Admission: On question 11, mark Non-degree (Unclassified) and check the (other) box and put in code (WLSP)on the blank line. On question 17, in regards to transferring any credit mark No.
- Fill out Intensive Summer Institute for World Language Teachers 2008 Application. All applicants, including those who intend to enroll later in a graduate program at NKU or who already have a graduate degree, must complete the Unclassified Graduate Application modified specifically for this program. This application cannot be submitted electronically! Please download the form and return via U.S. mail or in person to the Office of Graduate Programs. On this application, boxes have been checked to indicate that you are unable to be admitted to a master's program at this time, but intend to pursue a master's degree at some point in the future and that you plan to take courses in education. Please indicate whether or not you would like to be considered for the tuition scholarships. You are not obligating yourself in any way to pursue a graduate degree in the future at NKU or limiting your options to do so by singing this form.
- Pay the Application Fee. Your fee will depend on the application that you choose to complete above. This fee can be paid directly to the Office of Graduate Programs by check, credit card, or money order. Please include your social security number on your check or money order. (You do not have to pay the application fee if you have already obtained a bachelor's or master's degree from NKU or you are a full-time employee and submit a copy of your faculty ID with your application.)
- Send Confirmation of Teaching Status. Please submit some form of confirmation of teaching experience in Kentucky:
- Proof of current teaching position OR
- Proof of your intention to teach in Kentucky, such as a letter from your principal, a copy of a contract from a school for the up-coming school year, or a statement from a principal committed to or interested in hiring you for the up-coming school year OR
- A statement that you are currently seeking employment in a Kentucky school.
- Send in test scores, transcripts, foreign transcript evaluation. Please send these to the Office of Graduate Programs.
- Send your essay in an e-mail (to the option 7 email address (option7@nku.edu), please write a short essay about why you are interested in teaching and why you want to participate in this program. After we have received your essay, we will call you or meet with you to discuss it. Please remember to put your full name and phone number at the end of your application essay.
- All applications, transcripts, GRE scores, Praxis scores, TOEFL scores and all other documents and fees should be sent to:
Office of Graduate Programs
Northern Kentucky University
302 Lucas Administrative Center
Highland Heights, KY 41099
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Exit Criteria
To be recommended for certification, participants must complete the following:
- Pass all courses in the Intensive Program with a grade of 'B' or better.
- Achieve a passing score on the Praxis Test in your subject area:
- French 159
- German 157
- Spanish 160
- Achieve a passing score on the Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) Test: 161.
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Certification Earned through ISIWLT
Participants who meet the above requirements will receive an initial one-year certification and become eligible for employment in Kentucky as a first-year teacher and for participation in the Kentucky Teacher Internship Program (KTIP). Participants who have not yet passed the Praxis PLT may receive a temporary provisional certificate for teaching.
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Contact Information
| Dr. Gay N. Washburn
College of Education and Human Services
BEP 262
Northern Kentucky University
Highland Heights, KY 41099
(859) 572-7516
|
Dr. Tom Leech
Literature and Language
LA 548
Northern Kentucky University
Highland Heights, KY 41099
(859) 572-5514 |
Jennifer Mason
College of Education and Human Services
BEP 263
Northern Kentucky University
Highland Heights, KY 41099
(859) 572-5727
FAX. 859-572-6096 Attention ISIWLT
|
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« Return to the Opening Page
Find out more information about the STARTALK Grant as part of ISIWLT.
Learn more about the FREE STARTALK Workshops (week-long or Saturday available) for teachers of Arabic and Chinese.
Learn more about the FREE STARTALK Summer Language Camp
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