ESL/BL Endorsement Program
As a licensed teacher, you may have seen firsthand the growing need for teachers who can advocate and meet the needs of students whose first language is not English. With significant population changes in society, every teacher will encounter students in their classrooms whose first language is not English. Be successful and prepared to help those students flourish by adding an English as a second language or bilingual (ESL/BL) Endorsement to your teaching license. In 2017, the Illinois State Board of Education extended the ESL/BL endorsement to apply to teaching in Pre-K to Grade 12.
Our ESL/BL endorsement program at Trinity focuses on advocacy as well as strategies, methods and appropriate assessments for teaching ESL/BL students. You will learn from experienced professors who have taught ESL/BL students and are familiar with the research-based methods and legislative developments. Through our ESL/BL program, you will:
- Increase your knowledge of best practices for teaching ESL/BL students
- Experience a program taught from a Christian perspective
- Understand the impact of every student’s cultural background
- Create vocational opportunities, especially in districts which only hire teachers with this endorsement
Dates and Tuition
The program begins each fall and consists of 18-credit hours that will be completed over 3 semesters (fall, spring and summer). During the fall and spring semesters, courses meet one night a week from 6-10 pm with additional online instruction. During the final summer semester, the courses are 100% online.The coursework can be completed at either the undergraduate or graduate level. Tuition for the 2017-2018 year is:
- Undergraduate: $475 per credit hour
- Graduate: $581 per credit hour
Note: Tuition does NOT include rental books.
Courses
- AEDU 225: Foundations of Teaching ESL/Bilingual (3 credit hours)
- AEDU 340: Cross Cultural/Multicultural Issues in Education (3 credit hours)
- AEDU 341: Methods and Materials of Teaching ESL Students (3 credit hours)
- AEDU 345: Assessment of Bilingual/ESL Students (3 credit hours)
- AEDU 342: Methods and Materials of Teaching Bilingual Students (3 credit hours)
- AEDU 271: Linguistics (3 credit hours)
Requirements
You must have a valid Illinois teaching license or be currently enrolled in a licensure program.
To Apply
Trinity has a rolling admissions with no set deadline to apply. There are, however, a limited number of seats available each fall. We do recommend completing the application process early to reserve your seat. To apply, you will need to do the following:
- Complete the online application at apply.trnty.edu with the $25 application fee. For both levels of coursework, you will select the ADULT STUDIES application option. If you are interested in the graduate level coursework, please note in the text box within the online application.
- Submit official transcripts from every school you have attended.
- Submit a copy of your valid Illinois teaching license.
Trinity Christian College is accredited by and is a member of The Higher Learning Commission (www.ncahlc.org or 800.621.7440). Trinity’s Adult Studies Education programs are accredited by the Illinois State Board of Education for elementary, middle grades, secondary and K-12 license.
