In addition to any program that you may be following, you may wish to obtain a supplemental certificate for teaching children whose native language is Spanish. You are required to be proficient in Spanish because you will be delivering content instruction in Spanish and in English.
English Language Learners (ELL), also referred to as children with Limited English Proficiency (LEP), have special needs. If instruction is in English-only from the very beginning, these children may fall behind and lose ground because initially they are totally confused. The bilingual certification courses are designed to aid these children in the content areas by using their native language for concept introduction and for clarification purposes. Bilingual courses provide the necessary information for modifications to the curriculum that ensure student success and provide a platform for developing a deep understanding of cultural realities that affect learning and everyday life. If you are working on a graduate degree, you may elect to add a supplemental certificate to teach in a bilingual setting. This certification requires fluent Spanish.
Graduate students may take these courses as electives if part of a master's degree plan. (Standard Elementary Professional Reading Specialist)
The courses required for this certification are offered online. The courses are ONLY offered during the summer sessions and they must be taken in sequence.
Candidates wishing to add the ESL or bilingual supplemental certification may apply to test during the student teaching semester. EC-6 and 4-8 programs prepare candidates for the ESL supplemental exam. Candidates for bilingual certification also must pass the TExES Bilingual Target Language Proficiency Test and the TExES Bilingual Supplemental exam.