ESOL Certification Program Requirements
Requirements
In order to be considered for admission to RISPE’s ESOL Teacher Certification Program, applicants must:
- Hold a Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution with an overall cumulative GPA of at least 3.0.
- Have a current RI Teacher Certification in any grade-span PK-12.
- Be a currently employed educator at a school in a position that allows for at least 45 hours during the duration of our program working with English Learners or have proof of an agreement with a school administrator and/or classroom teacher whose class you will have access to in order to spend 45 hours working with English Learners.
- Have a proven proficiency in Science of Reading
Application Checklist
The application and other required forms can be found at the bottom of this page and will be accepted on a rolling basis. Please submit the form directly on our website.
- Completed Application, including 250-500 word written essay question response. (attached below)
- Completed Proof of Employment or Proof of Classroom Agreement (attached below)
- Which of these should you submit? If you will complete your clinical requirements in your own classroom, you need to submit the Proof of Classroom Employment. If you will complete them in a classroom in your school in which you are not the instructor of record, you will need to submit the Proof of Classroom Agreement.
- Proof of valid educator certification
- Current resume/CV
- Science of Reading proof of proficiency*
- Official transcripts from any undergraduate institution (and graduate, if applicable) from which the applicant was awarded academic credit and/or a degree. Official transcript recipient must be Rhode Island School of Progressive Education and should be requested electronically to certification@rhodeislandspe.com.
- Two letters of recommendation from professional references, including at least one from a former or current supervisor. Letters can be emailed to certification@rhodeislandspe.com by either the applicant or the recommendation reference.
*Science of Reading Proficiency is a requirement to apply for our ESOL Certification Program. Teachers who are not Science of Reading Proficient can still apply. RISPE will provide Science of Reading training as part of your program which will be an additional cost to the program tuition.
What's Next?
Upon application review, you may be invited to attend an admission interview. Applications are considered on a rolling basis. Final Decisions will be made by the end of November 2023.
Questions about this application can be directed to certification@rhodeislandspe.com.
