About NAFSA
NAFSA's Principles for English Programs and Determination of English Proficiency
An extremely important factor in determining whether the presence of foreign students at a college or university will be a mutually beneficial experience for the students and the institution is the students' ability to use the English language. A student who cannot communicate adequately with faculty, staff, or fellow students will encounter significant difficulties in carrying out even limited daily activities. Moreover, serious deficiencies in English will hamper a student in pursuing an academic program at any level. For those students serving as graduate teaching assistants, the ability to speak English effectively in a classroom is especially critical.
For these reasons, an institution must carefully evaluate the English proficiency (overall ability to use the language) of prospective students when they are being considered for admission. In evaluating English proficiency, both level and field of study should be considered, since the most critical question to be answered is how well the student will be able to cope with a specific program at a given institution. Students whose English proficiency seems adequate for a regular academic program often need an English support course or courses in order to function more efficiently in the classroom or to meet an institutional English requirement. Institutions that maintain a policy of admitting foreign students who are qualified academically but who have limited or minimal skills in English must provide half-time or full-time (intensive) programs in English as a second language or refer students to English training programs where they can receive adequate instruction.
In an effort to establish guidelines by which institutions can evaluate their own or other English programs, NAFSA supports the following principles. These standards apply first to the question of determining English language proficiency and then to the training programs themselves. Except where specifically noted, these principles are meant to apply both to academic institutions and to private, proprietary organizations that offer English training programs.
The procedures and criteria established for determining English proficiency should be clearly defined. While these procedures should be uniform and comprehensive, they must take into consideration differences presented by at least three common situations:
Institutions should periodically assess their capacity to successfully determine English proficiency of prospective foreign students in light of the students' performance in subsequent academic programs.
After admission, the institution should employ effective procedures to identify those students who require some specialized training in English in light of the specific course of studies to be pursued. Special care should be taken to provide training in oral English skills for foreign graduate students assigned as teaching assistants.
Support courses should be designed and taught by individuals with training in the teaching of English as a second language.
Intensive English programs should establish clear goals and objectives for the training they provide. In the most general terms, these goals would be to provide sufficient and appropriate training to enable students to meet test score requirements established by the institutions they plan to attend.
In order to achieve these goals, intensive English programs should receive adequate support from their sponsoring institutions. Although no single administrative pattern is required, intensive programs should be sufficiently independent to permit the smooth functioning of all activities and units.
The director and core faculty of an intensive English program should have principal commitments to the program. The director should have advanced academic training in the teaching of English as a second language and have teaching and administrative experience, if possible, including overseas experience. Part-time instructors, especially if they are graduate students in a university program, should be taking or have taken graduate work in the teaching of English as a second language.
To ensure that students will be adequately prepared for an academic program, the syllabus of an intensive English program should include training in a variety of skills. The most basic are listening (understanding spoken English) and reading (understanding written English). Also of importance for academic work are speaking (in both formal and informal settings) and writing (primarily expository writing needed in most fields of study).
For these reasons, an institution must carefully evaluate the English proficiency (overall ability to use the language) of prospective students when they are being considered for admission. In evaluating English proficiency, both level and field of study should be considered, since the most critical question to be answered is how well the student will be able to cope with a specific program at a given institution. Students whose English proficiency seems adequate for a regular academic program often need an English support course or courses in order to function more efficiently in the classroom or to meet an institutional English requirement. Institutions that maintain a policy of admitting foreign students who are qualified academically but who have limited or minimal skills in English must provide half-time or full-time (intensive) programs in English as a second language or refer students to English training programs where they can receive adequate instruction.
In an effort to establish guidelines by which institutions can evaluate their own or other English programs, NAFSA supports the following principles. These standards apply first to the question of determining English language proficiency and then to the training programs themselves. Except where specifically noted, these principles are meant to apply both to academic institutions and to private, proprietary organizations that offer English training programs.
Determining English Proficiency
The procedures and criteria established for determining English proficiency should be clearly defined. While these procedures should be uniform and comprehensive, they must take into consideration differences presented by at least three common situations:
- For students being admitted directly from overseas, English proficiency should be determined on the basis of results from widely accepted tests designed for this purpose.
- For students who have enrolled in intensive English language programs conducted by the institution to which they are applying, additional information should be sought regarding the students' overall use of English, specific strengths and weaknesses, and motivation for continued improvement. In this regard there should be close communication between the admissions office and the English language program.
- For students who have been enrolled in intensive English language programs at other institutions or at private language schools, similar information indicating level of English language proficiency should be sought. Admissions personnel should seek the assistance of any specialists in English as a second language at their institutions for guidance in interpreting such information.
Institutions should periodically assess their capacity to successfully determine English proficiency of prospective foreign students in light of the students' performance in subsequent academic programs.
English Support Courses
Students with sufficient command of English to begin regular academic work at a college or university frequently require additional training to prepare them for tasks encountered during their program of studies. This training is best provided through English support courses taken in conjunction with regular academic courses in the students' fields. These English courses should address the special needs of students whose native language is not English. They typically range from courses which are the equivalent of freshman English to advanced courses in technical English for graduate students.After admission, the institution should employ effective procedures to identify those students who require some specialized training in English in light of the specific course of studies to be pursued. Special care should be taken to provide training in oral English skills for foreign graduate students assigned as teaching assistants.
Support courses should be designed and taught by individuals with training in the teaching of English as a second language.
Intensive English Programs
The purpose of an intensive English program is to develop and strengthen the English skills of persons whose native language is not English, usually in preparation for pursuing an academic program at the graduate or undergraduate level. Such individuals generally do not have sufficient command of English to begin regular academic work at a college or university. Some programs administered by colleges and universities enroll only students who have received academic admission to the institution but require short-term training, often in the summer. Most programs at academic institutions maintain year-round schedules and enroll people at varying levels of proficiency who intend to enter degree programs at the same or other institutions. Finally, a large number of programs are administered by private organizations. These latter programs, often housed at academic institutions, enroll students who must all continue their academic studies elsewhere. Based on experience from many established programs, it is not unrealistic to expect students who begin at the lowest levels to require a full calendar year to reach levels of proficiency sufficient to begin academic work.Intensive English programs should establish clear goals and objectives for the training they provide. In the most general terms, these goals would be to provide sufficient and appropriate training to enable students to meet test score requirements established by the institutions they plan to attend.
In order to achieve these goals, intensive English programs should receive adequate support from their sponsoring institutions. Although no single administrative pattern is required, intensive programs should be sufficiently independent to permit the smooth functioning of all activities and units.
The director and core faculty of an intensive English program should have principal commitments to the program. The director should have advanced academic training in the teaching of English as a second language and have teaching and administrative experience, if possible, including overseas experience. Part-time instructors, especially if they are graduate students in a university program, should be taking or have taken graduate work in the teaching of English as a second language.
To ensure that students will be adequately prepared for an academic program, the syllabus of an intensive English program should include training in a variety of skills. The most basic are listening (understanding spoken English) and reading (understanding written English). Also of importance for academic work are speaking (in both formal and informal settings) and writing (primarily expository writing needed in most fields of study).
