Registration for Next Semester
Registration for Fall semesters takes place in early April; registration for Spring and Summer semesters takes place in early November. Check the academic calendar for exact dates: http://tcnj.pages.tcnj.edu/academics/academic-calendars/.
All students must check with your program coordinator about course election, course substitution, and course transfer via email or by appointment. For your appointment, bring with you a projected schedule and possible alternate courses, and a copy of your unofficial transcript from PAWS or other institutions for transfer consideration.
Registration for Courses from TCNJ’s Partners
With coordinator’s approval, students may take one or two courses via TCNJ’s Partners: RTC (Regional Training Center: https://www.thertc.net/main.php) or PLS 3rd Learning (Performance Learning System: (https://plsclasses.com/). No transfer is needed if you take a RTC course offered by TCNJ or you may need to do course transfer. Courses from PLS 3rd Learning are automatically posted on your transcripts.
Taking Courses at our Global Sites in the Summer
We offer the same program at our global sites in Mallorca, Spain and Bangkok, Thailand in the summer. You can take three courses in five weeks. The tuition is much lower there than that of on NJ campus. Please visit Offsite program website for more information: http://offsitegrad.tcnj.edu/programs/.
Attending ESL Summer Academy Workshops
Supported by a five-year Federal Professional Development Grant, the TESL program runs three-day ESL Summer Academy workshops in the beginning of July from 2017-2021. The workshops are conducted by nationally renowned TESL professionals on various topics related to ESL/Bilingual education. Please visit our grant website for more information: http://teslprofdev.pages.tcnj.edu/.
Applying for Program Change
If you want to change your program, fill out Program Change Form (http://graduate.tcnj.edu/resources/forms/) and bring it to your program coordinator for approval. If you want to continue to get your master’s degree after completion of your certification program, you must apply for admission to the master’s program via PAWS. No application fee and other application documents are required.
Applying for Transfer Credits
A maximum of three credits for the certification programs and a maximum of six credits for M.Ed. in TESL program can be transferred from other institute of higher learning if the courses meet the transfer requirements. They must be equivalent graduate level courses you took within past six years from an accredit university with B or above grade. You must bring a copy of the transcripts to your program coordinator for approval. If approved, you need to fill out Course Authorization Form (http://graduate.tcnj.edu/resources/forms/) and request an official copy of transcripts sent to Mrs. Anita Ball of Records and Registration Office directly from the university for final approval.
Applying for Student Teaching
Students in the ESL initial certification program are eligible to apply for student teaching after taking either ESLM 578 or ESLM 587. In order to secure a placement in a school district, you must do the following at the beginning of the semester before your student teaching: 1) register ESLM 688 Student Teaching, 2) submit the Field Placement form, Field Placement Criminal Background Certification-Form A, and a copy of your current resume to your program coordinator. The STEP office will send your application paperwork to a school district for approval. Mrs. Victoria Edwards of STEP office will notify you about your placement. You may contact her at vedwards@tcnj.edu for your placement status or if you have any questions.
Registration for ESLM 700 Comprehensive exam
ESLM 700 Comprehensive exam is required for both certification and master’s programs. If you took it in your certification program, you don’t need to take it again in your master’s program. All students must register and take it at the last semester of your program. It is a PASS and FAIL exam and retake is allowed. There is no fee for the exam.
Application for Graduation
No matter you are in the certification or master’s program in TESL you must apply for graduation using PAWS and master’s degree candidates also must submit the Conferment of Degree form. There are three graduation times each school year: May, August and December. May applications are due in January, August applications are due in February, and December applications are due in September. The graduation application fee for the master’s degree is $100.00 and there is NO graduation fee for certification programs. Students who apply after the application deadline will be charged a $35.00 late fee.
Application for Certification
In your last semester of your certification program, you must apply for graduation and prepare your application package for NJ certification. The certification office will contact you with the application procedure for certification. You must submit your application package to the office with a check or money order of application fee payable to TCNJ. The following are required documentation for each certification program. No application is necessary for candidates from foreign countries except U.S. Permanent Residents to get Certification of Qualification (CQ). Contact Mrs. Jennifer Pirone at pironeJ@tcnj.edu if you have any questions regarding application for certification. The following table is the list of items required for your application package.
Items
Programs |
Application (pink) form | Application Fee | ACTFL Certificates
OPI & WPT (Advanced low or above) |
HIB
Certificate |
Examination in physiology, hygiene & substance abuse issues | Oath to Become U.S. Citizen (For U.S. Permanent Resident Only) |
ESL Endorsement
(ESLA_SCT01) |
√ |
$95 |
English |
|||
Bilingual Certification
(ESLA_SCT02) |
√ |
$95 |
English & Target Language |
|||
ESL Certification
(ESLA_SCT03) |
√
|
$95 |
English |
Not for Endorsement |
Not for Endorsement |
Not for Endorsement |
√ for Initial | √ for Initial | √ for Initial | ||||
ESL Initial Certification
(ESLA_SCT05) |
√ |
$170 |
English |
√ |
√ |
√ |
Registration for ACTFL Language Proficiency Tests
NJ Department of Education requires ESL certification candidates to take English Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) and Writing Proficiency Test (WPT) and Bilingual certification candidates to take OPI and WPT in both English and a target language. The test results are ranked by proficiency level. Advanced Low level is required in both OPI and WPT in order to get NJ ESL or bilingual certification. Candidates may retake the tests if they do not reach Advanced Low level of any test. The TESL Program runs an official site for the ACTFL tests and offers the tests each semester. When you receive an email about the test date send an email to Dr. Wu at wuyiqian@tcnj.edu with your name, ID, email address before the tests. Each computer-based test costs $70, a total of $140 for OPIc + WPT. A check or money order payable to TCNJ must be submitted to the test administer before taking the tests. After taking the tests, you will receive the test results in the form of test certificate by email from Dr. Wu.
Health & Hygiene Requirement for Initial Certification
The Health & Hygiene Requirement for Initial Teacher Certification: The NJ State Department of Education requires a college-level course in biology, nutrition, general health/wellness, or military basic training. The course must appear on a 4-year college transcript as having been taken or transferred in. Candidates who do not have a course in any of these areas must take a T/F test at any NJ County Superintendent of Schools Office. The list of County Superintendents is on the NJ DOE website at www.state.nj.us/education. Or you may take the test at TCNJ’s Certification Office. Contact Mrs. Jennifer Pirone at pironeJ@tcnj.edu for more information.
HIB Training Requirement for Initial Certification
HIB (Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying Prevention) training is required for all candidates for licensure/ certification in the field of education in NJ. The HIB Training program is offered on line in two parts: Bullying 101 (a two-hour course) and Legal One Advanced: New Jersey’s Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights (70-minute program). Please follow the instruction to register the HIB training: Field Course HIB Training Rev. Fall-2016_Updated 10-19-2016. After you participate in each online training module, you will be given an on-line assessment to complete. When successfully completed you will be issued a certificate recognized by both TCNJ and school districts.
Links
Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL)
OELS (Office of English Language Acquisition, U.S. DOE)
National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition (NCELA)