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International Teaching Assistant Program (ITAP)

Mission

The International Teaching Assistant Program’s (ITAP) mission is to empower international graduate students and postdoctoral scholars to achieve their academic and career goals through cultural and communicative support. This includes fulfilling English language requirements for non-native speakers in teaching appointments.

English Language Requirements

According to Missouri statute 170.012 and University policy, non-native English speakers are subject to several English language requirements before assuming a teaching appointment: 

  • Residency Requirement: Any graduate student who did not receive both primary and secondary education (K-12) in an exempt country is not allowed to have a teaching appointment during their first semester at any public institution of higher education in Missouri. Exceptions can be granted in special cases upon approval by the chief academic and executive officers of the institution.
  • Oral English Language Assessment: Graduate students who did not receive their primary and secondary education (K-12) in an exempt country must be assessed for their ability to communicate orally in English in a classroom setting before receiving a teaching appointment. Oral English language assessment is provided by ITAP at no cost to the student. 
  • Cultural Orientation: Graduate students who have not previously lived in the United States must receive a cultural orientation to prepare them for teaching assistant positions. At Mizzou, cultural orientation is provided as part of the Graduate Teaching Orientation (GTO). 

At the University, graduate students are considered to have teaching responsibilities if they are in teaching assistant (TA) or graduate instructor (GI) job titles, or in non-teaching titles with teaching responsibilities (e.g., grader job title with teaching responsibilities). TAs with no direct contact with students (e.g., responsible for grading only) are exempt from this requirement. 

Services and Information

ITAP offers various services to assess and develop communication skills and provide cultural development for a rewarding and enriching experience at Mizzou. Below you will find such services for students as well as additional information for departments.

Residency Requirement Waiver
Oral English Language Assessment
Graduate Teaching Orientation (GTO)
Oral English Language Development
Hiring Department Responsibilities
Frequently Asked Questions

Residency Requirement Waiver

Waiving the residency requirement

The Chancellor can waive the residency requirement if all the following conditions are met: 

Waivers are not automatically granted and they are given only under the following conditions:

  1. The international student received a language assessment and has strong language skills for the type of teaching assignment they are receiving.
  2. The international student attended Graduate Teaching Orientation (GTO) prior to the beginning of the semester they are to start teaching.
  3. Representatives of the hiring academic department have provided evidence of the ITAs experience with the U.S. postsecondary classroom.

Waivers are not automatically granted and must be requested by ITAP on behalf of the student. In order to be considered for a waiver, the student must complete testing and the program must submit the waiver request at least four weeks prior to the start of the semester. 


Oral English Language Assessment

ITAP offers oral English language assessment at no cost to the student. Beginning in fall 2024, ITAP began administering a new interview-based assessment called the English Proficiency Interview (EPI). This interview, similar to a job interview, involves answering questions about personal and academic experiences. It is designed to assess students’ oral English skills for the classroom, so students should be prepared to demonstrate common teaching tasks such as summarizing, explaining, advising, etc. 

ITAP offers the EPI via Zoom monthly, and students can take the assessment every 4 months. However, students are not permitted to register themselves or others for the assessment; the department’s DGS or contact must register students for this language assessment. 

Note: Departments should schedule assessments as soon as possible so appointment decisions can be made in a timely fashion. These assessments can be completed prior to enrollment but after a student has been formally admitted or postdoctoral scholar start date (e.g., during a campus visit, summer). 

Alternatively, students with a TOEFL or IELTS score less than two years old may use their speaking sub-score as an initial language assessment. See below for more details. 

Students cannot register to take the English assessment directly. They should contact their DGS or departmental contact who will then register them. Please contact ITAP with any questions.

Language assessments are only held for one week of every month, typically the first or second week. Students who are registered by their departments receive an email from the ITAP coordinator a few weeks before their assessment month to submit their availability for the week of assessment.

The assessment schedule for the 2024-2025 academic year is below.

  • Week of August 5
  • Week of September 3
  • Week of October 7
  • Week of November 4
  • Week of December 2
  • Week of January 6
  • Week of February 3
  • Week of March 3
  • Week of April 7
  • Week of May 5

Beginning in the fall 2024 semester, the English Proficiency Interview (EPI) will be administered to students via Zoom. The EPI is a short, 8-question assessment that is similar to a job interview: speakers will be asked questions related to themselves and their academic field. The assessment is designed to determine students’ oral English skills for the classroom, so students should be prepared to demonstrate common teaching tasks (e.g. summarizing, giving advice, explaining concepts, etc.).

Some of the questions are more open, allowing speakers to demonstrate the depth and breadth of their grammatical and lexical knowledge. Other questions are more pointed, asking speakers to demonstrate various functions of English to teach in their subject area. Speakers are assessed based on the criteria found on the EPI Rubric.

Sample questions cannot be provided because the EPI is a tightly designed assessment, meaning quality alternate questions which accurately reflect the questions on the EPI do not exist. To keep the interview a valid assessment of students’ knowledge, actual questions from the EPI cannot be revealed either.

Students who have been registered by their departments receive more details by email prior to their interview.

Assessment results are given as a proficiency level from 1 to 4. A minimum of 2 is needed in order to qualify for a teaching-related role (roles vary based upon proficiency levels).

Students may receive a provisional score (e.g., 2.5, 3.5). Those with provisional scores must receive additional support during their first semester; this may include successfully completing an ITAP course. At the end of the semester, the score will be modified to reflect that the provision has been met.

To find out more about the responsibilities a student can take on with their current communication skills, please see the assessment result levels.

A candidate who does not receive the assessment results needed to accept a teaching appointment may not work in that teaching appointment and must wait four months before being reassessed. Students who enroll in an English language development course at Mizzou (see “Oral English Language Development” below) or take an off-campus English language course can be reassessed at the end of the semester in which the language improvement work is completed.

Assessments are evaluated by a minimum of two trained TESOL professionals. In cases where their scores do not align, a third trained grader will provide an additional score. This third score will be averaged with the score closest to it from the initial two graders, ensuring the most accurate assessment possible.

However, if a student believes their assessment score does not accurately reflect their oral English skills, they may request an appeal through their department. To initiate this process, departments should email the ITAP Coordinator. The appeal will involve a separate trained grader who will assign a score, which will then be averaged with the closest existing score.

Assessment Exemptions and Substitutions/Alternatives

I. Peer Assessments: TOEFL iBT or IELTS speaking scores less than 2 years old can be substituted for a language assessment.

TOEFL (IELTS) Speaking ScoreITAP Proficiency LevelTA/GI ResponsibilitiesITAP Course Recommended
29-30 (9)


28 (8.5)		4


3.5		Graduate Instructor


Graduate Instructor with dept. observation		N/A


N/A
26-27 (8.0)3
Recitation, Discussion, or Advanced Lab Leader		GRAD 8300
24-25 (7.5)2.5Laboratory Assistant (without a GRAD class) OR Recitation, Discussion, or Advanced Lab Leader with a GRAD class
To work in level 3 roles with this score, you must take GRAD 8300 concurrently, OR if your final goal is level 3, take GRAD 8300. However, if your final goal is level 4, you may take GRAD 8200 first (while holding a level 2 role), then GRAD 8300 in another semester.
23 (7.0)2Laboratory Assistant, or Foreign Language Instructor, or TAs holding office hours onlyGRAD 8200

2. Alternative ITAP assessment: If you are not from an exempt country, but you believe you should be exempt based on your oral proficiency or experience using English, you may fill out this alternative assessment request form to provide more information about your linguistic background. Once reviewed, the ITAP coordinator will contact you to arrange a conversation via Zoom. This meeting will determine whether you are exempt from the oral English assessment required of international students before assuming teaching assistant or graduate instructor positions.

Note: These exemptions apply to language assessment only, and they do not exempt incoming students with teaching assistantship or graduate instructor responsibilities from participating in Graduate Teaching Orientation (see below).


Graduate Teaching Orientation (GTO) for Teaching Assistants & Graduate Instructors

Graduate Teaching Orientation (GTO) is required for all TAs and GIs (domestic and international) who have not previously taught at the University of Missouri. GTO should be attended prior to the first semester of teaching or assisting with teaching (such as leading recitation, grading, etc.). For non-native English speakers, GTO also helps fulfill the cultural orientation requirement.  

GTO takes place during the week prior to the start of any regular semester. For more details, please contact the Teaching for Learning Center.

To register and find more information, visit the Teaching for Learning Center. Please contact Kelly Holtkamp (HoltkampK@missouri.edu) if you have any questions.

ITAP has compiled a resource guide on cross-cultural communication to help orient graduate students who are new to the United States. This list includes resources on cultural customs, social etiquette, and academic communication to help students prepare for living, learning, and teaching in the U.S.

Oral English Language Development

ITAP encourages all non-native English speaking graduate students to practice English speaking and listening skills with peers, faculty, and MU undergraduates through informal conversation, academic activities, and more intensive programs and classes.

Because language skills improve best through the consistent, focused effort of the classroom experience, ITAP offers two courses with a focus on classroom communicative skills. These courses are open to all international graduate students who want to improve their oral communication and presentation skills, have TA/GI responsibilities, and are preparing for future professional activities. See below for more information on each course.

  • GRAD 8200: Graduate and Professional Communication Strategies for Global English Speakers-I. This class emphasizes development of rhythm and pitch in oral communication, and compensation strategies to increase Global English efficacy when exchanging messages between listeners and speakers. It provides information on student-centered learning, teacher engagement, and overview of learning objectives in the context of creating a teaching presentation. It explains the process of facilitating discussion in the classroom and the mechanics of language for Global English Speakers during discussions. This course is appropriate for ITAP level 2 students wishing to improve their communicative skills to take on TA positions to lead recitations, discussion or review sessions, or studio classes. It is also appropriate for level 2.5 students (holding level 2 TA positions) who have a goal of level 4, in which case GRAD 8200 can be followed by GRAD 8300 to help students progress toward their goal. Additionally, this class can be taken by postdoctoral scholars who are seeking to improve fluency and ease of interaction for professional development. Graded on S/U basis only**. Click here for more information or to request permission to enroll in this course.
  • GRAD 8300: Graduate and Professional Communication Strategies for Global English Speakers-II This class focuses on the development of extended speech including phrasing, mood, and complex grammatical structures. It provides strategies to tailor speech to specific audiences including varying structure, vocabulary, grammar, and tone to engage, structure, interact, and inform. It includes strategies to identify and navigate difficult situations in the classroom. This course is appropriate for ITAP level 2.5 students (with the end-goal of level 3) wishing to concurrently lead recitations, discussions, reviews, or studio classes as well as for level 3 students. For level 2.5 students wishing to attain level 4, taking GRAD 8200 first (while holding a level 2 TA position), then taking this course, may a better course of study. Additionally, this class can be taken by graduate students/postdoctoral scholars who wish to improve their interpersonal communication and interactive presentation skills for professional development. Graded on S/U basis only**. Click here for more information or to request permission to enroll in this course.

**All courses will appear on students’ transcripts. No tuition is assessed for these courses. Although these courses are listed in MyZou as zero credit hours, the workload is equivalent to a 3 credit course and should be considered as part of a student’s academic training and responsibilities. Consult your advisor and/or international center about recommended number of hours to take in addition to this class.

There are also a wide variety of language-development opportunities at Mizzou, including through the Center for English Language Learning, and in the larger Columbia community.

Hiring Department Responsibilities

Hiring departments and programs interested in having an international graduate student teach or assist with instruction are responsible for the following:

  • Ensuring the student (unless they are from an exempt country) has completed a language assessment through ITAP and that the results are appropriate for the duties of the position
  • Ensuring the student has completed GTO before they take on their duties
  • Ensuring the student does not teach or assist with instruction in their first semester at Mizzou without an approved waiver
  • Strongly encouraging the student’s ongoing professional development activities, such as enrolling in ITAP courses and other offerings
How can departments support students’ development of English communication?
  • Sometimes faculty focus on their students passing a language assessment to allow them to work as TAs, but it is important for all advisors to talk with their students about the importance of language skills beyond TA funding. Those skills play a role in conference presentations and in staying competitive with job candidates who are native speakers of English.
  • Funding and TA/GI opportunities can fluctuate throughout a students’ time at Mizzou, so students should be prepared in advance for that possibility. Even if funding is not a concern, TA/GI positions are valuable experiences to include on a CV for both academic and industrial positions. 
  • Departments already provide opportunities on a regular basis for students to present topics, lead discussions, and share ideas, but consider using those opportunities to create an environment where faculty and students feel comfortable providing constructive feedback that helps the student improve their English. Try to provide honest and specific feedback on topics such as key word clarity, jargon use, transitions, overall clarity, and audience awareness.
  • Encourage international students to take an active role in the department, taking advantage of both social interactions and leadership opportunities. This will allow students to take advantage of daily opportunities and will foster their communication and professional skills.
  • Additionally, faculty and students who speak the same first language are encouraged to limit interaction in that language while on campus to promote the development of the English skills needed in academic and professional environments.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. The Graduate School allows DuoLingo English tests for admissions, so why doesn’t ITAP?

DuoLingo’s English language assessment is still fairly new and has been undergoing changes, so ITAP is reviewing it for future use.

2. What is the difference between an official and a native language?

There’s much confusion between native and official languages. Some people come from countries where English is an official language, but they do not speak it natively, meaning as the first language they were exposed to in their homes from birth. Assessments history shows there is a vast range in speaking proficiency among students who were taught only in English for K-12 but did not otherwise speak English in their homes or communities. For this reason and to adhere to state law, graduate students from countries not on the exemption list must provide a TOEFL or IELTS score or assess with ITAP. For students who feel they are fluent in English, they may request the alternative assessment found above in the “Assessment Exemptions and Substitutions/Alternatives” section.

3. Why might a student’s score decrease on the English Proficiency Interview from the old assessment, the MACCS?

The MACCS involved reading, whereas the interview involves listening to receive prompts. So, students who are stronger readers than they are listeners may not perform as well on EPI as they did on MACCS.

4. What ITAP level does a student need to have to teach an online class independently?

To be listed as an instructor of record, whether for an in-seat course or an online course, a student needs to score at least a level 3.5 on a language assessment.