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2024-25 Academic Catalog

Dual Language Specialty

Purpose

The Dual Language Specialty for bilingual educators holding a professional or initial teaching license and ESOL Endorsement. The Dual Language Specialty will enhance the teacher's skills by adding content and pedagogy expertise in dual language education.

Program Objectives

Educational Objective

To enable students to:

  • Gain experience and expertise necessary to increase the academic and linguistic progress of students in dual language classrooms.

Professional Objectives

To enable students to:

  • Meet the Oregon state requirements for a Dual Language Specialization.
  • Obtain the Dual Language Specialty added to an ESOL Endorsement.

Admission Requirements

Applicants seeking admission to the Dual Language Specialty must:

  • Meet the requirements for admission to Master of education application and hold an ESOL Endorsement.
  • Demonstrate Target Language proficiency, which could be demonstrated by several avenues: (a) Completion of undergraduate or graduate degree in Target Language; (b) National Evaluation Series (NES) test in Target Language with passing scores; (c) ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI), Reading Proficiency Test (RPT) and Writing Proficiency (WPT) in Target Language.
  • Complete the application form and fee to be considered for admission to the program.

Transfer Credit

Applicants seeking admission to the Dual Language Specialty must:

  • Meet the requirements for admission to Master of education application and hold an ESOL Endorsement.
  • Demonstrate Target Language proficiency, which could be demonstrated by several avenues: (a) Completion of undergraduate or graduate degree in Target Language; (b) National Evaluation Series (NES) test in Target Language with passing scores; (c) ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI), Reading Proficiency Test (RPT) and Writing Proficiency (WPT) in Target Language.
  • Complete the application form and fee to be considered for admission to the program.

Residence Requirements

All work leading to the Dual Language Specialty must be completed within seven years from the time of matriculation. Extension of this limit requires approval of the Graduate Teaching and Leading (GTL) Faculty. However, only one such extension may be considered due to special circumstances, such as ill health. Reinstatement to the program after withdrawal requires Admissions Committee action and may subject the student to additional requirements for the degree.

Course Requirements

The Dual Language Specialty as a stand-alone program is generally three semesters in length with 11 semester hours of coursework required as a minimum for completion. Of the total hours required for the program, 9 are in the dual specialty courses, and 2 hours of practicum in a Dual Language class are also required.

Completion Requirements

In order to complete the Dual Language Specialty students must:

  • Satisfactorily complete a minimum of 11 semester hours with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above.
  • Achieve no grade lower than a B in all core courses. If a grade of a B- or lower is received in a designated course, that course must be retaken (for more specific information, please refer to the student handbook).

Curriculum Plan

Dual Language Specialty Courses (11 credit hours)

Complete the following:

This course, taught in Target Language, examines the fundamental linguistic structures (phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics) of English and Target Language. Topics include comparative and contrastive analysis of both languages, linguistic transfer, linguistic basis for literacy, and discourse analysis of English and Target Language.
This course examines principles, research and applications that strengthen school and community relations to construct a supportive and inclusive learning environment for all students. Emphasis is on improving communication with Target Language families and considering parents as assets and partners in the education of their children.
This course, taught in Target Language, examines issues related to the interaction between language, society and school, with a particular focus on Target Language population in the United States. It emphasizes topics such as language policy, bilingual education, linguistic identity, language choice, and pedagogical use of Target Language in dual language classrooms. It also examines the socio-cultural and historical forces that affect cross-cultural interaction; including social injustice that Target Language populations have experienced.
This course, taught in Target Language, focuses on current methods and materials for English - Target Language biliteracy instruction. Strategies used to teach reading and writing in the content area will be explored, and biliteracy teaching methods will be modeled and implemented. Emphasis is on biliteracy reading and writing trajectories, holistic bilingual assessment, bridging, and Target Language children's literature texts.
This practicum will be completed in either a self-contained multiple subjects classroom or in a single subject content area classroom, in settings with dual language instruction. Candidates will complete a teacher performance assessment during this practicum. Candidates will complete a minimum of 90 hours of clinical practice in a dual language placement.