New 4+1 program

The University of Delaware's School of Education, Department of English and ELI have collaborated to develop a new 4+1 program to meet a new challenge in the job market.

As of 2005, the U.S. Department of Education began requiring that all newly hired public school teachers be “highly qualified instructors.” In order to gain this special status and be eligible for employment, an ESL teacher must have qualifying knowledge of another content area. This is important for ESL teachers, since they often teach other subjects, such as language arts, science or social studies, in an adapted format. The new program will help graduates meet this new federal requirement.

Under the 4+1 program, a Department of English major would be able to apply to the MA TESL (Master of Arts in Teaching English as a Second Language) program. If admitted, the student could take some graduate coursework while still an undergraduate, thus saving a year of study. The successful candidate would graduate with a bachelor’s degree in English after four years and again with a master’s degree in TESL after only one additional year of study, hence the name: 4+1.

“This innovative program will allow UD graduates to enter the job market more quickly,” said ELI director Scott Stevens, who also coordinates the MA TESL program,“and it will help meet the rising demand for highly qualified ESL instructors.”

ELI faculty contribute to the university’s MA TESL program as instructors, mentors, advisors and student teacher supervisors.

For more information on the MA TESL program, visit its website www.udel.edu/educ/graduate/masters/esl/