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English Courses for International Graduate Students
Requirements for International Teaching Assistants (ITAs)

• What is Academic Spoken English (ASE)?
• What English courses are available for international graduate students?
• What are the English language requirements for ITAs?
• Are there language requirements for graders?
• Are any ITAs exempt from taking EAP 5836?
• Our ITA returned from the first class saying she was not eligible.
• How many credits is EAP 5836? It is listed as variable.

SPEAK Test

• When are SPEAK tests offered ?
• Do ITAs have to repeat the SPEAK test at the end of EAP 5836?
• When should international students take SPEAK/TSE?
• How often can a student take SPEAK?
• What is the difference between TSE and SPEAK?
• How can a student register for the SPEAK Test?
• How can I register a student for the SPEAK Test?
• How does one get SPEAK results?
• When are SPEAK scores available?
• What do the SPEAK scores mean?

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1. ASE offers oral skills courses for international graduate students enrolled at UF and
2. administers the oral proficiency screening (SPEAK) required of international teaching assistants.
3. More information: History and Teaching Methods of ASE

• ASEP 1 Preparation for teaching and language demands of graduate work (SPEAK below 45)
• EAP 5836 For first-semester international teaching assistants (SPEAK 45-50)
• ASEP 3 Advanced skills. Appropriate for graders and tutors (SPEAK 45 or above or completion of ASEP 1.)
• More information is available in our overview of ASE courses

• Florida law and UF Graduate Council policy require international teaching assistants (ITAs) to demonstrate oral proficiency before being appointed to teach. A score of 55 on TSE or SPEAK permits unrestricted teaching. With a score of 45, the ITA may teach if concurrently enrolled in EAP 5836.
• Graduate Council Policy Manual, Section V Financial Aid, Academic Spoken English Program.

• Score 55 on TSE or SPEAK
• Score 45 on TSE or SPEAK and are teaching their first language
• Are graders or other assistants to a professor, not teachers. The Graduate Council has defined teaching as instructing three or more students.
  See Graduate School Policy Manual, Section V Financial Aid, Academic Spoken English Program
• Come from certain countries considered to be English-speaking. Consult the Graduate School (392-1558) for exemptions

• Sometimes there is confusion about whether a "TA" is really teaching. EAP 5836 is a supervised teaching course in which ITAs must be regularly videotaped instructing their students. Therefore, they must be in a lab or classroom situation in which they have actual teaching responsibilities. Otherwise, their GS-705 appointment should be "Graduate Assistant-Other," to avoid triggering the EAP 5836 requirement.
• The oral proficiency requirement does not apply to non-teaching graduate assistants such as graders. It is important for departments to clarify what the international TA's duties will be and then select the appropriate ASE support course.

• Departments should refer students for SPEAK when they are likely candidates for teaching; that is, when TA positions are available and when the student meets other department criteria for teaching. Candidates who, in the view of the department, do not communicate well enough to teach should postpone SPEAK and be referred for language courses.
• Students can be disadvantaged by taking SPEAK prematurely. Examinees may take SPEAK only twice a semester and three times a year, so they should not waste testing opportunities before they are close to passing and teaching. Furthermore, the $60.00 cost is an impediment for some. During registration week, departments could also be inconvenienced by unnecessary tests because the time taken to rate them could delay reporting of other scores.
• Students who wish to assess oral proficiency for personal reasons should register for the Test of Spoken English

• If you prefer to register students yourself or have a department representative do so, contact ASE-Info@ufl.edu and provide the GatorLink username of the department representative who will be registering students. Authorized departmental representatives will connect to the same SPEAK Registration form but will be offered a wider range of options than an ordinary registrant (for whom the form is mostly pre-filled-out).
• If the examinee does not have a GatorLink account, (they should get one!) a temporary ID will be provided, but you should enter their UFID number as well, so that UF records can associate the score with the individual. If a GatorLink ID is not used, test results will be delayed.

• Scores are retrievable from the SPEAK Registration form. At the bottom of the page is a button: "Show me my Score." Users who are logged in with a Gatorlink ID will be able to retrieve their score. Department representatives can enter Gatorlink usernames and retrieve scores for individual students. If a GatorLink ID is not used, test results will be delayed.
• ASE mails written copies of score results to examinees within two weeks of testing. The Graduate School makes scores available to departments on-line, on the Graduate Students and Applicants database. Call 392-1558 for details.

• 55-60 - Examinee may be appointed as a graduate teaching assistant under normal departmental supervision.
  
• 45-50 - Examinee may be appointed as a graduate teaching assistant, but further training in English communication skills is required. Must enroll in EAP 5836 concurrent with first appointment to teach in classroom or laboratory or to tutor groups of three or more students. ASEP 3 may be appropriate for graduate assistants appointed for grading, office hours, assisting a faculty member in lab, or tutoring fewer than three students at a time.
  
• 20-40 - Examinee is not eligible for a graduate teaching assistantship. Enrollment in ASEP 1 is recommended.