International Teaching Assistants: Testing and Training
Language Proficiency Requirements for International Teaching Assistant (ITA) Appointments
The WSU Executive Order 86-6 mandates that Teaching Assistants (TAs) whose native language is not English must achieve a score of 50 (out of 60) on the Test of Spoken English (TSE) (taken in the U.S.) or the SPEAK (taken at WSU) to be awarded an assistantship. The SPEAK test is administered by the English Language Institute (ELI) nine times per year, and rating is performed by the ELI staff of trained raters. The test costs $50.00 and is paid by the prospective ITA's department if the department is considering hiring this student; otherwise, the student must pay for the test.
ITA Training
Students whose scores are 40 and 45 may take English 052, the ITA training course offered each semester. This three-hour-a-week course consists of one seminar discussion and two small-group language tutorials each week taught by two ESL professionals.
According to the WSU University Policy 2002-1, the hiring unit must assume the tuition for the course if the student has a signed GTA contract. The final exam for this course is a 20-minute teaching performance, involving a presentation, question/answer period and brief office hour role play; the raters for this exam are one representative from the student's department and two ESL professionals not currently working with the student. Passing the class is considered equivalent to passing the TSE or SPEAK. For those who score below 40, an ELI course entitled "American Pronunciation for Accent Reduction and Clear Communication" is offered one evening per week and provides training for those who wish to take it as preparation for taking the SPEAK test again.
Additional TA Training
The Graduate School conducts a two-day, pre-teaching workshop in August for all new TAs on contract; all non-native-English-spearking TAs must attend a third day that is facilitated by the Coordinator of ITA Testing and Training. This workshop covers expectations of American undergraduates, the culture of the American classroom and interactive communication skills.
For more information on ITA Testing and Training, contact:
Sara Tipton, ITA Coordinator
English Language Institute
Wayne State University
351 Manoogian Hall
Detroit, MI 48202
Phone: (313) 577-7706
Fax: (313) 577-2738
E-mail: s.tipton@wayne.edu
