The ESL Endorsement is a professional development program for Kentucky teachers. The Endorsement attaches to an existing Kentucky teaching certificate.

Students who enroll in the ESL Endorsement program may already possess a Kentucky teaching certificate. Upon successful completion of the ESL Endorsement Program, the endorsement will be attached to the certificate.

Students who are currently seeking a Kentucky teaching certificate may also enroll in the ESL Endorsement Program. Upon successful completion of both the certification program and the endorsement program, the endorsement will be attached to the certificate.

Those who may at a later date be seeking the Kentucky teaching certificate may enroll in the ESL Endorsement Program. The endorsement will be attached to the teaching certificate, after the certificate is awarded.

If you are interested in combining work for a Masters Degree and the ESL endorsement, the Humanities Division offers a Masters Degree in Humanities that allows for the ESL endorsement coursework to count towards the degree. If you wish to teach ESL with this degree, it assumes that you already have the teaching certification; satisfying the endorsement requirements allows for the endorsement to be attached to your teaching certificate.

The program for this professional endorsement is intended to provide teachers and those preparing to become teachers with training and practice in effective education for English-as-a-second-language students. The program centers on instructional methods, teaching materials, and curricula that promote the use of English to communicate in social settings, to use English to achieve academically in all content areas, and to use English in socially and culturally appropriate ways. Upon successful completion of this program, teachers and those preparing to become teachers will be able to support their learning through continued professional development and will be able to apply the knowledge and skills necessary to create the conditions for English-as-a-second-language students to advance their academic, social, and cultural learning inside and outside the classroom.

Guidelines for the ESL Endorsement Program

Unofficial ESL Endorsement Advising Sheet

Praxis Test: English to Speakers of Other Languages (one of the last requirements in obtaining the ESL endorsement; you will find it under Praxis II > Registration > Test List and Fees > Subject Assessments/Principles of Learning and Teaching [PLT] > test number 20360; formerly known as Teaching English as a Second Language [test number 10360])  

Checklist for the ESL endorsement certification portfolio, The portfolio is a requirement for the ESL endorsement.

TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) , the national (and international) professional organization for those engaged in teaching English to speakers of other languages 

KYTESOL (the Kentucky affiliate of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) , the state professional organization for those engaged in teaching English to speakers of other languages (access only with Internet Explorer) 

FAQs,

Visit The College of Education and Human Development at the University of Louisville for more information regarding Kentucky teaching certification programs.

If you have questions about the ESL Endorsement Program, please email the advisor of the ESL Endorsement Program, Dr. Elizabeth Patton, 200D Humanities, (502) 852-7118.