International Teaching Assistant Program

Oral Language Assessment

As stated in Missouri statute 170.012 and University policy, every non-native speaker of English must have sufficient oral-English proficiency before taking on a teaching position. Teaching assistants who have no direct contact with students (e.g., responsible only for grading assignments) are not required to complete the language proficiency assessment. It is recommended that departments schedule assessments for candidates as soon as possible so appointment decisions can be made in a timely fashion. These assessments can be completed prior to enrollment or postdoctoral scholar start date (e.g., during a campus visit, summer).

ITAP provides on-campus, computer-assisted assessment called the MACCS (Mizzou’s Assessment of Classroom Communication Skills.) Students will be given resources to prepare for the assessment and a practice test when they are enrolled for testing.

The MACCS is given each month and additional dates are provided at the end of each semester. When testing must be expedited, ITAP will work with academic departments to accommodate their needs.

Registration

Please note that students cannot enroll themselves. Academic departments must enroll international graduate students in ONITA through the ITAP Canvas site. Please contact ITAP at itap@missouri.edu or 573-884-1762 with any questions.

Results

Assessment results are given as a proficiency level from 1 to 4. A minimum of 2P is needed in order to qualify for a teaching-related role (roles vary based upon proficiency levels). To find out more about the responsibilities a student/postdoc can take on with their current communication skills, please see the assessment result levels.

Reassessment

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 six months before being reassessed. However, because language skills improve faster through consistent effort, students who enroll in an English language development course at Mizzou, complete an individual development plan, 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. Students/postdocs can be assessed no more than six times during their time at MU.

Assessment Alternatives for Students

TOEFL iBT speaking scores less than 2 years old can be substituted for a language assessment.

The department needs to contact ITAP about the student to be exempted and ITAP will confirm their scores through MyZou. Please note: this is an exemption of the language assessment only; it does not exempt an incoming student with a teaching assistantship or graduate instructor responsibilities from participating in the required orientation and early feedback program.

Students with a Level 3 language assessment and two semesters of end-of-semester student evaluations with at least 4.00/5.00 average for ”overall teaching effectiveness” and “communication of subject matter,” may apply for the “Alternative Path to a Level 4.” To learn more about this program or to apply, please see the Alternative Path Application Form.

Orientation for New International Teaching Assistants (ONITA) & Graduate Instructors

ONITA takes place during the week before the start of any regular semester. This orientation is required for all new international graduate students before the first semester of teaching or assisting with teaching at MU.

Orientation Activities

At the orientation, participants will:

• Review principles of effective teaching
• Develop familiarity with the cultural expectations of most U.S. college classes/labs and the communication strategies
• Apply principles in microteaching sessions

Orientation instructors include expert faculty and instructors, experienced international graduate instructors and those with teaching assistantships (ITAs), and MU undergraduate students. Participants have found the orientation sessions to be extremely helpful in preparing for their actual teaching assignments.

Although attendance is strongly encouraged, in rare circumstances, ONITA can be successfully completed online. Contact ITAP for more information.

Orientation Registration

Academic departments must enroll international graduate students in ONITA through the ITAP Canvas site. Please contact ITAP at itap@missouri.edu or 573-884-1762 with any questions.

Residency Requirement Waiver

Waiving the residency requirement

Missouri law and University policy require that international teaching assistants (ITAs) meet language and cultural orientation requirements in order to teach at the University of Missouri. International graduate students are also required to attend a college or university in Missouri for one semester before taking a teaching appointment. The one-semester residency requirement is designed so that international students can adjust to the differences presented by U.S. academic life and culture. In addition, the international student will be able to observe how teaching at the University differs from teaching in their home country.

Neither the language proficiency nor the cultural orientation requirements can be waived, but under certain conditions the chancellor can waive the residency requirement. ITAP can request a waiver from the chancellor on behalf of an ITA. Waivers are not automatically granted. 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 the Orientation for New International Teaching Assistants (ONITA) prior to the beginning of the semester they are to begin teaching.
3. Representatives of the hiring academic department have provided evidence of the ITAs experience with the culture of the U.S. university classroom.

In order to be considered for a waiver, the student must complete testing and the program must submit the waiver application at least two weeks prior to the start of the semester.