Online preparation for teachers seeking ELL or ESL certification to change the lives of diverse learners.
Are you a licensed teacher who is interested in helping English language learners succeed in the classroom? If so, this online certification program for ELL and ESL certification is your direct path to becoming a critical asset at your school and throughout your community. You'll graduate with the content knowledge, teaching skills, cultural background, and field experience you'll need to become an in-demand ELL/ESL specialist.
In this ELL or ESL certificate program, you will gain a valuable education endorsement and become highly qualified in ELL or ESL, expand your career opportunities, earn re-licensure points, and possibly become eligible for lane changes leading to increased salary.
This program is nationally recognized by the Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) International Association .
Note: The specific grade levels you will be eligible to teach depend on your state’s licenses and certificate programs.
80% of graduates finish within
18 months
WGU lets you move more quickly through material you already know and advance as soon as you're ready. The result: You may finish faster.
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Tuition per 6-month term is
$3,490
Tuition charged per term—rather than per credit—helps you control the ultimate cost of your degree. Finish faster, pay less!
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Graduates who recommend WGU:
97%
The vast majority of alumni say WGU delivered on its promises. In fact, over 50% of students found WGU thanks to a friend's recommendation.
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In this ESL program you'll be prepared to help English learners thrive in the classroom.
Some 5 million American students speak a language other than English in their homes. For these students, the language barriers they face can stand in the way of their ability to learn and succeed in the classroom—but they don’t have to. Choose to inspire, empower, and enable those students to achieve their goals.
This program is for:
Licensed teachers with bachelor’s degrees who are interested in ELL or ESL certification.
District instructional personnel and curricula leaders.
"Emergency credentialed" ELL or ESL teachers who need a certificate program to be considered highly qualified.
A highly relevant curriculum developed by ELL experts.
This online endorsement preparation program prepares licensed teachers to gain the additional certification and licensure required to teach in ELL or ESL settings and to develop significant skills in curriculum development, design, and evaluation.
WGU's online Endorsement Preparation Program in ELL was designed (and is regularly updated) with input from the experts on our Education Program Council . These respected authorities know exactly what it takes for a graduate to earn a credential and succeed at teaching English language learners who range in age from pre-K through grade 12.
Key Subject Areas
Your program consists of courses focused on education in ELL settings:
Assessment Theory and Practice
Culture
Subject Specific Pedagogy: ELL
Field Experience for ELL
Language Production, Theory and Acquisition
Professional Role of the ELL Teacher
Planning, Implementing, Managing Instruction
Theories of Second Language Acquisition and Grammar
See all courses
Why WGU
Discover why WGU is a great choice for ELL or ESL teachers:
You aren't on your own. WGU has Program Mentors who work with you from the day you start, all the way through graduation. They help you chart your courses, answer your questions, and help you learn about endorsement in your state. You're not alone when you choose an online degree at WGU.Flexible schedule. Students choose WGU for their online degree program because of its flexibility. Whether you already have a full-time job, have responsibilities as a parent, or just have a busy schedule, WGU can work for you.
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A Respected Degree
Administrators and peers will value your ESL endorsement:
Strong alumni network. When you enroll in the ESL certificate program at WGU, you join an impressive network of education professionals. Over 8,000 students graduated from the Teachers College in 2019 alone, taking their skills and impacting the educational system all around the United States.Recognized and accredited. WGU is a regionally accredited institution, meaning your degree is valuable. We also have top recognitions, like being named the best value in teacher education by the National Council on Teacher Quality.
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A supported, personalized experience.
WGU is different from other online universities—in the best possible ways! Take a quick look at what we mean:
Faculty
Learning
Assessment
In-Classroom Experience
Alumni Support
Faculty
SUPPORTING YOU: Faculty focused on students.
An entire team of faculty members has one goal in mind: your success. Your Program Mentor is your individually assigned faculty member, providing regular program guidance and instruction from the day you start, to the day you graduate. In addition, Instructors—subject-matter experts with advanced degrees—provide regular, subject-matter instruction and support, typically one-on-one throughout each course you take.
Learning
YOUR ROADMAP: A personalized learning plan.
Your program is made up of a series of courses, each a personalized journey toward subject mastery. A preassessment provides insight into what you already know. You’ll then learn what you still need to learn, using online learning resources—available 24/7—along with one-on-one or cohort-based faculty instruction.
Assessment
PROVE IT: Show you know your stuff.
WGU measures learning, not time, so each course in your program culminates in an assessment—a test, paper, project, or presentation that allows you to prove what you know. As soon as you’re ready, you take the assessment. Take proctored exams from the comfort of your own home—via webcam, any time of day!
In-Classroom Experience
REAL-WORLD: Experience in a classroom.
Most of your program will be completed online but all teacher licensure programs—and many graduate-level programs for already-licensed teachers—also include the opportunity to observe and practice in a K–12 classroom setting. We’ll help you set everything up at a school near you.
Alumni Support
ALWAYS a Night Owl: WGU for life.
Continued support after you graduate includes many opportunities for professional development and enrichment, career support, and networking. WGU Night Owls may be independent learners, but they also become highly engaged in our active alumni community through apps, groups, and events.
The accreditation you need, plus industry respect and recognition.
One important measure of a degree’s value is the reputation of the university where it was earned. When employers, industry leaders, and academic experts hold your alma mater in high esteem, you reap the benefits of that respect. WGU is a pioneer in reinventing higher education for the 21st century, and our quality has been recognized.
Accredited
Western Governors University is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), which provides the accreditation of many other major institutions, such as the University of Washington, University of Oregon, Gonzaga University, University of Utah, University of Idaho, and Brigham Young University, to name just a few.
Respected
“After graduating from WGU, and through all the rigor and quality of instruction that I received in the educational field, I was awarded Hawaii District Teacher of the Year in 2012.”
Amoreena Nestman
Recognized
Value is a combination of low cost and high quality. University Research & Review has named WGU a Best Value School several years running—a strong measure of return on investment!
Our programs check all the boxes. If this degree is your goal, get started toward becoming a student today—programs start the first of each month.
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