English Language Learners Endorsement

ELL endorsement

The endorsement is added to an existing valid teaching certificate. With it, you can teach English language learners in preschool through grade 12, be more effective with ELLs in the regular classroom, or be a consulting teacher to assist other educators in effectively meeting the needs of ELLs. The ELL endorsement consists of 18 semester hours. Note that the endorsement requires a practicum in an educational setting where you work with linguistically diverse students (T&L 501).

The bilingual endorsement is only available at the Tri-Cities campus.

On occasion, endorsement courses may be waived or other courses, either from WSU or other accredited institutions, may be substituted for those required by our endorsement program. Typically, a course is waived because of prior experience or course work. Your faculty advisor and the department chair must approve the waiver or substitution based on evidence you provide of the experience or course work. Because the ELL endorsement program is accredited by both state and national agencies and organizations, course waivers and substitutions are granted only if the faculty advisor and department chair are convinced that accreditation standards addressed in a particular course have been met through other means.

Using courses for a master’s degree

If you are interested in using some or all of the graduate ELL endorsement courses for a master’s degree, you must follow standard WSU Graduate School and departmental admission procedures. For example, the ELL courses could, if approved by your committee, count towards the required number of graded credits in a Master of Arts or Ph.D. degree. However, you would also need to fulfill the other requirements for the degree. Similarly, the courses could count, with your committee’s approval, towards the required number of graded credits for the Master of Education degree (Ed.M.). You would also need to complete courses in research (3 credits) and educational foundations (3 credits), and complete an inquiry project. For more information on graduate programs, please refer to the web pages of the WSU Graduate School and our Office of Graduate Education.