Mission
The ESOL/Bilingual education program prepares teachers to ensure that students succeed in all aspects of their schooling: academics, socialization, linguistic development, acculturation, and physical and emotional health.
As the demographics of the state change and the language and minority population increases, teachers need to be prepared to educate culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students. Teachers with bilingual/ESOL education credentials are in high demand and are usually first to be hired by school districts with high CLD populations.
This program prepares teachers to work effectively with CLD students in the mainstream, sheltered bilingual and ELD (English Language Development) classrooms.
Credit Requirements
The ESOL endorsement requires successful completion of 21 credits unless a student is currently under a CAP with their district.
Program Format
The Division of Teacher Education offers endorsements in ESOL and Bilingual/ESOL. The program leads to an add-on endorsement to an Oregon teaching license and can be completed in three ways:
- By itself
- In conjunction with an undergraduate program
- In conjunction with a graduate program
Bilingual Teacher Initiative
The Bilingual Teacher Initiative recruits, retains and recognizes bilingual students in teacher preparation programs at WOU. A variety of support services and opportunities are offered students pursuing the Bilingual/ESOL Endorsement, who are known as Bilingual Fellows. Link to learn more.
