Accreditation Standards

Purpose of Accreditation

TESL Sask is an independent professional association for ESL/EAL teachers in the province of Saskatchewan. TESL Sask provides an accreditation designation to professionals teaching in a variety of contexts, ranging from those who teach in the K-12 school systems to those who teach in colleges, universities, and government or volunteer organizations. It is important to note that the accreditation offered by TESL Sask has no application beyond the recognition provided by TESL Sask. The TESL Sask accreditation should not, for example, be confused with the meaning of accreditation used by Saskatchewan's Ministry of Education for teachers in the K-12 system. Teachers who wish to teach in a K-12 school division should consult the Saskatchewan Teachers' Professional Regulatory Board for more information regarding certification.

The intent of accreditation is to recognize and validate the training and experience of TESL Sask members. The field of teaching ESL/EAL has grown in recent years – provincially, nationally and internationally – and many agencies have begun to offer TESL qualifications of varying worth. TESL Sask has established a standard whereby teachers can clearly demonstrate a level of training and experience approved by a panel of experienced practitioners. The accreditation process began in 1994, and in January 1998 the first applications were invited.

TESL Sask accreditation is offered as an independent professional standard by which employers may appraise current and prospective employees. This association advises employers in the field of TESL to give preference when hiring to those applicants who have, or are eligible for, TESL Sask accreditation.

Applying for Accreditation (updated Feb. 3, 2020)

To apply for TESL Sask accreditation, the following is required:

TESL Sask Intro (Standard 1) Accreditation:

1. Any university degree
2. 100 academic contact hours (9 credit units) of post secondary TESL methodology and theory from a recognized institution [*1]
3. 20 hours of a supervised practicum in Canada from a recognized TESL program that includes at least 10 ESL classroom observation and 10 hours of supervised ESL practice teaching; (a minimum of 1000 verifiable hours of successful teaching in, and in charge of, an ESL classroom, with at least 500 hours completed in Canada, can waive the practicum requirement)

4. Reference letter or performance review from a TESL Sask or TESL Canada Standard 2 or 3 Accredited member [*2]
5. Course-by-Course WES Credential Evaluation assessment https://www.wes.org/ca/ and proof of academic Language Proficiency if the degree was obtained in any country other than Canada [See Table B]
6. Membership in TESL Sask
7. A fee of $65.00

TESL Sask Competency in TESL (Standard 2) Accreditation

(This standard has two statuses, Competency in TESL and Competency in TESL- Senior)

A) Standard 2

1. Any university degree
2. 250 academic contact hours (18 credit unions) of post secondary TESL  methodology and theory from a recognized institution [*1]
3. 50 hours of a supervised practicum in Canada from a recognized TESL program that includes at least 30 ESL classroom observation and 20 hours of supervised ESL practice teaching; (a minimum of 1000 verifiable hours of successful teaching in, and in charge of, an ESL classroom, with at least 500 hours completed in Canada, can waive the practicum requirement)
4. Reference letter or performance review from a TESL Sask or TESL Canada Standard 3 Accredited member [*2]
5. Course-by-Course WES Credential Evaluation assessment https://www.wes.org/ca/ and proof of academic Language Proficiency if the degree was obtained in any country other than Canada [See Table B]
6. Zero teaching hours required but a minimum of 750 verifiable hours of full-time teaching in, and in charge of, an ESL classroom is required every 5 years to maintain this status.
7. Membership in TESL Sask
8. A fee of $75.00

B) Standard 2-Senior

1. Any university degree
2. 250 academic contact hours (18 credit unions) of post secondary TESL methodology, theory and pedagogical grammar from a recognized institution [*1]
3. 50 hours of a supervised practicum in Canada from a recognized TESL program that includes at least 30 ESL classroom observation and 20 hours of supervised ESL practice teaching; (a minimum of 1000 verifiable hours of successful teaching in, and in charge of, an ESL classroom, with at least 500 hours completed in Canada, can waive the practicum requirement)
4. Reference letter or performance review from a TESL Sask or TESL Canada Standard 3 Accredited member [*2]
5. Course-by-Course WES Credential Evaluation assessment https://www.wes.org/ca/ and proof of academic Language Proficiency if the degree was obtained in any country other than Canada [See Table B]
6. A minimum of 2000 verifiable successful hours of teaching in, and in charge of, an ESL classroom (at least 5 learners)
7. Membership in TESL Sask
8. A fee of $75.00

TESL Sask Mastery in TESL (Standard 3) Accreditation

1. Any university degree
2. Proof of meeting TESL Sask Standard 2 Accreditation. The proof that the applicant would meet the Standard 2 accreditation is required before the Standard 3 application is reviewed. This could be done by: a) presenting their Standard 2, or b) presenting documents that would meet the Standard 2 requirements.
3. In addition to Standard 2, a Master’s or PhD in Applied Linguistics, Education or TESOL; the Master’s degree must total at least 30 credit units with at least 21 credits (7 courses) explicitly in TESL, 1 course in Research Methodology and 2 more courses with direct relevance to TESL. If the research component consists of a project or thesis, there needs to be proof of its direct relevance to TESL (e.g. abstract, table of contents). An applicant cannot use the courses used to apply for Standard 2 to obtain Standard 3 Accreditation.
4. 50 hours of a supervised practicum in Canada from a recognized TESL program that includes at least 30 ESL classroom observation and 20 hours of supervised ESL practice teaching; (a minimum of 1000 verifiable hours of successful teaching in, and in charge of, an ESL classroom, with at least 500 hours completed in Canada, can waive the practicum requirement)
5. Reference letter or performance review from a TESL Sask or TESL Canada Standard 3 Accredited member [*2]
6. Course-by-Course WES Credential Evaluation assessment https://www.wes.org/ca/ and proof of academic Language Proficiency if the degree was obtained in any country other than Canada [See Table B]
7. A minimum of 3500 verifiable relevant experiential hours, of which a minimum of 2000 must be teaching in, and in charge of, an ESL classroom (at least 5 learners). The remaining maximum of 1500 hours may be in academic administrative tasks such as teacher training activities, supervision of English language programming and staff, curriculum development, or research.
8. Membership in TESL Sask
9. A fee of $85.00

Language Proficiency

A language proficiency test is not required if you have completed an undergraduate or graduate degree from an English-speaking university in one of the following countries:

• Canada
• Anguilla         
• Antigua and Barbuda
• Australia
• Bahamas
• Barbados
• Belize
• Benin
• Bermuda
• Botswana
• British Virgin Islands
• Cayman Islands
• Cameroon
• Dominica
• Ghana
• Grenada
• Guyana
• Jamaica
• Montserrat
• Nigeria
• New Zealand
• Republic of Ireland
• Saint Kitts-Nevis
• St. Lucia
• St. Vincent
• Seychelles
• Sierra Leone
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Turks and Caicos Islands
• United Kingdom
• United States
• Uganda
• US Virgin Islands
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe

Minimum Scores

In order to establish your claim, you must send the following documentation to TESL Sask. All documents must be translated if they are not in English.

1. Education Claim: Original transcripts or notarized copies of transcripts that document your university degree(s)
2. Formal TESL Training Claim: Your relevant transcript or transcripts from an appropriate training institution as described above, or a notarized copy
3. Teaching Experience Claim: A letter or record of employment from your employer(s) stating the number of English language teaching hours, dates, type of classroom, institution (original or notarized copy); a performance review, supervision report, or letter of reference from a past supervisor or supervisors that demonstrates your competence in the English language teaching context (original or notarized copy). As resolved at the 2011 TESL Sask AGM, the letter of reference or supervisors report must be from a person who has observed you as an instructor and whose credentials are at least equivalent to TESL Sask or TESL Canada Standard 2 or 3 accreditation standards.

Note:

1. Contact TESL Saskatchewan should you have questions regarding qualified institutions.
2. Please ensure the following before submitting your reference letter. Only qualified TESL Sask or TESL Canada Accredited members may act as a reference or classroom observer
   1. If you apply for Standard 1, the accredited member must hold Standard 2 or higher
   2. If you apply for Standard 2, the accredited member must hold Standard 3
   3. If you apply for Standard 3, the accredited member must hold Standard 3
3. No documents will be returned. If you expect to find it difficult to obtain new originals of any key document, please submit notarized copies.
4. If we are unable to find in favor of accreditation because your documentation is in any way incomplete, a re-submission fee of $20.00 will be charged when you complete your application package. Please ensure that you qualify for accreditation before you apply.
5. Under certain circumstances, for example when a transcript does not make clear the status of a course as TESL-specific, we will accept such items as Master’s theses, etc. as proof of relevance. Please contact the Accreditation Committee via the Board Assistant in advance if you believe that you may need to provide such supplementary documentation.