SEP General Information

The Spoken English Program administers approximately 600 SPEAK tests each year, and an average of 78 oral interview exit tests and 68 Mock Teaching Tests per quarter.

On average, the program offers 51 sections of EdT&L 104, 104.5 and 105 and 17 sections of EdT&L 693P45, Individualized Pronunciation Tutoring, per year. In addition to coursework, an extensive Conversation Partner Program matches international teaching assistants enrolled in Spoken English courses with native-speaking undergraduate partners for weekly one-hour meetings.

The Spoken English Program (SEP) was established in 1986 to implement a Council of Deans mandate requiring the screening and training of international teaching assistants (ITAs) whose first language is not English. A subsequent state law, in effect as of September 1986, mandates such screening for prospective international teaching assistants at all state of Ohio institutions.

The Spoken English Program was created in response to a law, passed by the State of Ohio in 1986, which requires the screening for spoken English proficiency of prospective international teaching associates and the provision of training for those who do not pass the initial screening. Click here for a copy of the State Law.

The goal of the Spoken English Program is to ensure that international teaching assistants demonstrate the communication skills necessary to teach effectively in the U.S. university setting. Specifically, the program screens all prospective ITAs, provides coursework for those who require it, and administers teaching performance tests at the end of coursework to determine Certification to teach.