ESL-6027: Assessment of Multilingual Learners (3 hours)

This course equips in-service teachers with a deep understanding of equitable, valid, and meaningful assessment for multilingual learners. Candidates will evaluate and design formative and summative assessment tools, including digital/AI resources, that accurately measure linguistic, academic, and social development. Emphasis is placed on culturally responsive assessment, bias and fairness, home-school collaboration, and using results to inform teaching and advocacy. Students will learn to interpret policy requirements and apply assessment data to improve instructional practice, promoting high expectations and achievement for all multilingual learners. Field Experience: Required.

ESL-6300: Foundations of Bilingual, Bicultural, and Multilingual Learner Education (3 hours)

This course provides an examination of the historical, philosophical, legal, and ethical foundations of multilingual, bilingual, and bicultural education in the United States. In-service teachers will explore critical social issues, educational policy, and advocacy related to the schooling of multilingual learners, including those who are emergent bilinguals and students with interrupted formal education. Through a focus on equity, language rights, and culturally sustaining pedagogies, candidates will develop the professional knowledge, reflective practices, and asset-based mindsets that define outstanding educators of multilingual learners. The curriculum is designed to support professional growth and enable teachers to build inclusive communities that can focus on linguistic and cultural diversity. Field Experience: Required.

ESL-6350: Cross-Cultural Studies: Teaching Multilingual Learners (3 hours)

This course examines diverse cultures and investigates both similarities and differences that influence education, focusing on contemporary social, historical, and cultural issues encountered by multilingual learners. Candidates will explore sociopolitical, psychological, and structural processes shaping the identity, participation, and learning of multilingual students. Ethical practices and culturally responsive instruction are emphasized, alongside strategies for creating equitable, inclusive environments. Field Experience: Required.

ESL-6556: Seminar in Reflective Practice: Capstone II (3 hours)

Implementation of an action research, self-study or other practitioner research project. Data collection and analysis to inform researcher’s perspective as it relates to pertinent educational issues. As a result, the research will be presented in a final formal format to serve as the project capstone. Cross-Listed: EDU-6556. Prerequisite: Grade of B or higher in EDU-6640 or ESL-6640.

ESL-6610: Language and Linguistics for Educators of Multilingual Learners (3 hours)

This course supports in-service teachers in analyzing the structure, history, and sociolinguistic context of English and other languages as they relate to learning in multilingual classrooms. Participants will investigate language as a system, foundations of first and second language acquisition, and the intersection of language varieties and attitudes in school. The curriculum centers culturally responsive, asset-based thinking and reflective practice, enabling teachers to understand and leverage students’ linguistic resources and create equitable, inclusive environments for multilingual learners. Field Experience: Required.

ESL-6620: Teaching English as a Second Language (3 hours)

This course prepares in-service teachers to design, implement, and assess standards-based instruction that integrates language and literacy development within academic subject areas for multilingual learners. Rooted in research and effective pedagogy, candidates will learn to differentiate lessons, adapt assessment practices, and use technology and collaborative practices to advance learning and equity. Emphasis is placed on building student agency, integrating asset-based strategies, and leveraging digital resources to foster inclusive, rigorous classroom environments for multilingual learners. Field Experience: Required.

ESL-6630: Methods and Materials for Teaching Multilingual Learners (3 hours)

This course prepares in-service teachers to select, adapt, and evaluate instructional methods and materials that effectively support multilingual learners across grade levels and content areas. Candidates will develop expertise in differentiated instruction, scaffolding, and performance-based assessment. The curriculum emphasizes culturally and linguistically sustaining pedagogy, collaborative leadership, and authentic classroom practice, allowing teachers to foster equity, engagement, and academic achievement for all multilingual learners. Field Experience: Required.

ESL-6640: Teacher as Researcher: Capstone I (3 hours)

This course prepares students to implement a teacher inquiry (e.g., action research, self-study, practitioner research project, other) project in the second course of a two-course sequence that serves as a requirement for the capstone experience in the Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction with the ESL and/or Bilingual Endorsements (CIE). Through their teacher inquiry students participate in gaining a deeper understanding of their own teaching identity, enhanced modes of inquiry, and methods for improving the quality of education. Students enrolled in the CIE program will develop a plan of inquiry that addresses how teachers can cultivate student learning in their classrooms for culturally and linguistically diverse students. B or higher in ESL-6640 is required for ESL-6556. Prerequisite: B or higher in EDU-6500, SPED-6050, ESL-6027, ESL-6300, ESL-6350, ESL-6610, ESL-6620, and ESL-6630.

ESL-6950: Independent Study in English as a Second Language (1-6 hours)