ESOL Institute
Arkansas K-12 licensed teachers who anticipate having English learners in their fall 2024 classroom can apply to be part of the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Institute and earn an ESL Endorsement on their teaching license. A grant from the Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education will cover tuition, fees and a one-time taking of the state ESOL Praxis exam.
The ESOL Institute will provide K-12 teachers with training and graduate credit to meet the educational needs of students for whom English is a second language.
Priority will be given to those applying by Wednesday, May 8, 2024. Applications received after this date will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis or added to a waiting list.
The Department of Curriculum and Instruction of the University of Arkansas College of Education and Health Professions will select 150 K-12 teachers — in three cohorts of 50 — to participate in the institute, based on predetermined criteria. The ADE selected the U of A as one of four institutions in the state to provide ESOL institutes in 2024.
Participants will attend intensive weeklong summer workshops, and attend virtual Saturday sessions for a total of 10 synchronous days (80 hours) of instruction during the summer and 2024-25 academic year. They will also complete 12 hours of online graduate coursework requiring 25-plus hours during the school year. Online graduate coursework will cover four courses:
- CIED 5933 — Second Language Methods
- CIED 5953 — Second Language Assessment
- CIED 5923 — Second Language Acquisition
- CIED 5943 — Teaching People of Other Cultures
Students also are expected to take about 8-plus hours to complete assignments for each course. Finally, participants will take and pass the Praxis ESOL test and add the ESL Endorsement to their license.
The 2024-25 Arkansas ESOL Institutes Announcement and Registration Information has further details along with the online application form. The application fee is $60 for students and $30 for former U of A students. ADE gives details about the four ESOL Institute campuses in a flyer (PDF).
Dates for the 3 U of A Cohorts
| Cohort 1 | Cohort 2 | Cohort 3 |
| Face to Face | Face to Face | Face to Face |
| June 3-8, 2024 | June 10-14 | June 17-22 |
| Virtual | Virtual | Virtual |
| Sept. 7 | Sept. 7 | Sept. 21 |
| Oct. 12 | Oct. 26 | Oct. 26 |
| Jan. 11, 2025 | Jan. 25 | Jan. 18 |
| Jan. 25 | Feb. 15 | Feb. 8 |
| April 5 |
If you have applied to ADE and been accepted for a U of A cohort, please fill out the commitment form and the use the enrollment checklist, which have been emailed to you, to enroll as a non-degree seeking student for fall 2024.