At Loyola University Chicago, we recognize the imperative for all educators to have expertise to serve and support the growing number of students labeled as English learners, also referred to as emergent bilinguals. For this reason, the School of Education is proud to offer multiple avenues to English as a Second Language (ESL) and bilingual endorsements in Illinois, as well as states with reciprocity agreements.

English as a Second Language (ESL) Endorsement

The ESL endorsement is woven into all of Loyola’s undergraduate teacher preparation programs, including Bilingual/Bicultural Education, Elementary Education, Secondary Education, Special Education, and Early Childhood/Special Education. Upon program completion, graduates are entitled to add the ESL endorsement to the Professional Educator License (PEL) they earn through completing their major requirements.

Our teacher education programs target and integrate understandings and practices that support multilingual students’ language development simultaneous to learning in PK-12 settings. The ISBE requirements and ESL/bilingual professional teaching standards required for the ESL endorsement are integrated into undergraduate coursework. Each course in the undergraduate Education program outlines the standards and objectives addressed to develop expertise for working with multilingual students. The following coursework develops candidates’ understandings and skills as an educator for this important student population:

Course Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
TLSC 120	Bringing Language, Learning & Development Theory into Practice (Linguistics)	2
TLSC 130 / TLSC 140 / TLSC 160	Sequence One: 130 Community Immersion (Cross-Cultural Studies for teaching Emergent Bilingual Students)	1
TLSC 210	Educational Policy For Diverse Students (Theoretical foundations of Teaching ESL)	2
TLSC 222 / TLSC 320	Authentic Assessment and Instruction for Bilingual Learners (Assessment of Bilingual Students)	2
TLSC 240	Language, Culture, and Pedagogy in Bilingual Classrooms	3
TLSC 310 / TLSC 330	Language and Literacy for Diverse Students (Methods & Materials for teaching ESL)	2
TLSC 340	Teaching and Learning in an Area of Specialization (Elective)	2
Total Hours		14

Suggested Sequence of Classes for ESL Endorsement

Note that no additional courses or modules are required. All of the requirements below are built into each Education major.

Plan of Study Grid

Year 1		Hours
TLSC 120	Bringing Language, Learning & Development Theory into Practice (Linguistics)	2
TLSC 130 / TLSC 140 / TLSC 160	Sequence One: 130 Community Immersion (Cross-Cultural Studies for teaching Emergent Bilingual Students)	1
	Hours	3
Year 2
TLSC 210	Educational Policy For Diverse Students (Theoretical foundations of Teaching ESL)	2
TLSC 222 / TLSC 320	Authentic Assessment and Instruction for Bilingual Learners (Assessment of Bilingual Students)	2
TLSC 240	Language, Culture, and Pedagogy in Bilingual Classrooms	3
	Hours	7
Year 3
TLSC 310 / TLSC 330	Language and Literacy for Diverse Students (Methods & Materials for teaching ESL)	2
TLSC 340	Teaching and Learning in an Area of Specialization (Elective)	2
	Hours	4
	Total Hours	14

Bilingual Education Endorsement

The Bilingual Education endorsement is available to any teacher education candidate (i.e., Elementary, Secondary, Early Childhood/Special Education, Special Education) who is fluent and literate in a language other than English. 

Why Seek a Bilingual Endorsement?

• Bilingual teachers are in high demand in Chicago Public Schools (CPS), throughout Illinois, and across the United States. Having this endorsement will increase your marketability to all schools regardless of your major.  
• In the Chicago Public Schools, almost 1 in 5 students are emergent bilingual learners, with more than 110 different languages spoken by children and their families in this school district.  
• Special education teachers who also have the bilingual endorsement are in extremely high demand.  
• An increasing number of schools and school districts are implementing dual language programs (a type of bilingual education program model) in both elementary and secondary school settings. You will learn about this program model in TLSC 240 Language, Culture, and Pedagogy in Bilingual Classrooms/TLSC 410 Language, Culture and Pedagogy in Bilingual Classrooms and gain pedagogical knowledge and skills to be able to teach in dual language programs.
• You will increase your ability to effectively teach bilingual students, advocate for their needs, and work with their families across grade levels and content areas.

Course List for Bilingual Endorsement

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
TLSC 240 / TLSC 410	Language, Culture, and Pedagogy in Bilingual Classrooms	3

Suggested Sequence of Classes for Bilingual Endorsement

Plan of Study Grid

Year 2		Hours
TLSC 240 / TLSC 410	Language, Culture, and Pedagogy in Bilingual Classrooms	3
	Hours	3
	Total Hours	3

Additional Requirements for the Bilingual Endorsement

1. Complete 50 additional clinical hours in your bilingual target language. Examples include: 
   • Tutoring bilingual PK-12 students using their heritage language at one of our partner schools. 
   • Tutoring children, youth, or adults at an area community organization to support clients’ heritage language. 
2. Pass the IL Target Language Proficiency Test in the language for which you are seeking the endorsement. The IL Licensure Testing Service now offers the exam in 36 different languages. For more information on the exams, please review the Language Proficiency Tests for an Educator License with Stipulations Endorsed as Transitional Bilingual section on the Illinois Licensure Testing System website.

Undergraduate Policies and Procedures

Please see Undergraduate Policies and Procedures for academic policies that supersede those of academic units within the University.

Learning Outcomes

The program provides candidates with:

• knowledge and skills to effectively teach English language learners (ELLs) in the mainstream classroom and the English as a Second Language (ESL) context
• knowledge of foundations, instruction, and assessment for teaching ELLs in PK-12 context. 
• necessary coursework to receive ISBE ESL endorsement in order to be highly qualified to work with the growing population of linguistically diverse students in the state of Illinois.