Basic Policy. At MSU, ITAs who are not native speakers of English are required to demonstrate that they meet a minimum standard of fluency in spoken English before they can be assigned teaching work that involves oral communication with undergraduate students. TAs may meet this requirement by
a) getting a score of 50 or higher on the Test of Spoken English (TSE), given by the Educational Testing Service, or
b) getting a score of 50 or higher on SPEAK, given by the English Language Center (ELC), or
c) taking English 097 (the TA Speaking and Listening Class) and getting a score of 50 or higher on the
ITA Oral interview (ITAOI). The ITAOI is given by the ELC.Test of Spoken English. Any person who signs up and pays a fee to the Educational Testing Service is eligible to take TSE. TSE is given regularly on campus and internationally. Provided students pay, they can take the TSE as many times as they wish. Test dates, registration procedures, and a practice test for TSE are posted on the Educational Testing Service home page http://www.toefl.org/tse/tseindx.html .
SPEAK. Both SPEAK and the ITA Oral Interview are given free of charge to eligible students at MSU by the ELC. Students have 4 opportunities to meet the university's requirement via SPEAK or the ITAOI. To be eligible to take SPEAK on campus, students must have regular admission and must have proof of TA status or (for those students who are being considered for a TAship) must submit a SPEAK request form to the ELC signed by their department. Students who do not receive a sufficient score on SPEAK in a given attempt must wait at least two months before re-testing. A SPEAK test practice tape and booklet (call number TAS000#25) are on reserve at the Audio Visual Library (4th floor west wing, Main Library).
The ITA Oral Interview and English 097. English 097 is a course in oral skills for current or prospective international TAs. The course is offered fall and spring semesters. The prerequisite for enrolling is (a) a SPEAK score of 45 or (b) a SPEAK score of 40 and permission of the instructor. Priority in enrollment is given to students who already have TA appointments. To enroll, eligible students must sign up with the instructor at the TA Program Office (9 International Center) before the first day of classes. The class starts Wednesday of the second week of the semester. At the end of the course students are tested on the ITA Oral Interview. Students who get an interview score of 50 or higher satisfy the TA English requirement and are cleared for teaching. Students who score below 50 on their first interview have two semesters and up to two more opportunities to meet the requirement. To re-interview, students must sign up at the ELC Office (A 714 Wells Hall) no earlier than three weeks and no later than one week before the interview date.
Appeal Procedure by Review Board. If a student obtains a 45 on SPEAK or a 45 on the ITAOI and the student's department feels the test result was not reflective of the student's actual speaking ability, the department may ask a Review Board to independently evaluate the student's spoken English. This Board will consist of (a) a departmental representative (b) two ELC representatives, and (c) a representative of the Graduate School. The Graduate Director of the student's department must request the review on the student's behalf. After interviewing the student, the Review Board may grant a full or partial waiver or may decline to grant a waiver.
Work Assignments for TAs who do not Meet the University English Requirement. If a TA does not receive the minimum university score on SPEAK or the ITAOI, the student's department has the option of giving the TA a work assignment that does not involve direct oral communication with undergraduates.
Overseas Preadmission Screening.Each winter the ELC administers the SPEAK test in Beijing, Seoul, and Shanghai. Departments that want more information about the English competency of Chinese or Korean applicants for graduate teaching assistantships can have them take the SPEAK test during this ELC visit. Test results can then be used in decisions for TA appointments. Departments are strongly encouraged to utilize this option. They should send the names and addresses of applicants they want tested to Carol Bahl (3-3220) at the Graduate School no later than one month before the test date. The ELC will attempt to notify the applicants of the test times and places. To overcome recurring problems of mail delivery, some departments also send the applicants a second letter or email with the testing information.