Intensive Teacher Institute (ITI)
ITI History: ITI was created via a grant from the New York State Education Department (NYSED) to address the shortage of certified Bilingual and ESL teachers in New York State. Coordinated by the Bilingual Education Technical Assistance Center (BETAC) at Eastern Suffolk BOCES, ITI collaborates, with specific approval from NYSED, to assist participants in meeting certification requirements in the following areas: Bilingual and Bilingual Special Ed, ESL and ESL Special Education. Across NYS, SUNY Fredonia is one of 26 currently participating IHEs.
Participant Requirements: Viable candidates must be working in a NYS (pre-) K - 12 school setting. Project ELA's focus is on secondary content and support teachers, but elementary teachers are also possible candidates. They may be working as either a Bilingual/ESL general education or special education teacher, or a Bilingual teacher of the speech and hearing handicapped or Bilingual pupil personnel professional. They must have at least a bachelor's degree and provide evidence of a valid NYS certification. They must be working full time in a classroom with at least one English language learner (must provide written evidence from their administrator), or provide written intent from the district to place the candidate in an ESL or Bilingual setting as a result of program completion. The goal is for the candidate to serve as an ESL or Bilingual teacher in their sponsoring district for 2 years upon completion of the ITI program. However, this is between the candidate, the district and ITI. (To date there have been no penalties for candidates who have not completed this requirement).
Candidates are required to matriculate into the SUNY Fredonia TESOL ITI program. They are subject to SUNY Fredonia's requirements. They must take and complete the required 5 courses (course details below). Upon successful completion of ITI coursework, candidates must take, and pass, the CST for ESOL. SUNY Fredonia must recommend the successful candidates for certification. Candidates apply to the TEACH online certification system to receive their certification.NOTE: Completion of the ITI program does not constitute completion in full of New York State's certification requirements. This is a fast track to certification up front, but all other requirements still apply (completion of a Master's degree, professional development hours, etc)
SUNY Fredonia Requirements: The IHE must have an approved bachelor's and /or master's level program leading to certification in Bilingual education, English as a Second language, and/or bilingual special education. The IHE must complete and submit yearly (via the IHE ITI Program Coordinator) the IHE Contract Agreement to continue the ITI relationship and receive program funds. The IHE must canvass ITI candidates and admit those who meet SUNY Fredonia's admission requirements. The IHE is responsible for submitting course offerings for approval (via the IHE ITI Program Coordinator) and offering the approved, required ITI coursework. Upon successful completion of all ITI required coursework, the IHE must recommend each candidate for certification.
The ITI candidates also qualify to participate in Project ELA. As such, Project ELA can offer them the added benefit of paying for their textbooks and fees, costs not covered by ITI.
ITI Requirements: ITI will work with the IHE to approve and align appropriate courses to offer in the program. ITI will reimburse the candidates up to $300 per credit hour (based on the IHE's normal tuition costs) for completed course work. In addition, institutions with 10 or more candidates enrolled in the ITI program are eligible to receive $200 per student, per course (up to $2,000 per course and $10,000 per year) for instructional services provided. The only constraints are the ITI yearly budget.
IHE ITI Program Coordinator (C. Jonsson): The coordinator must work with ITI and the SUNY Fredonia TESOL Coordinator to ensure that candidates are aware of all courses required in the program and all course requirements. Candidates must be advised of the additional need to take and pass the Content Specialty Test (CST) in TESOL and any other remaining certification requirements.
The coordinator serves as a liaison between the candidate, ITI and SUNY Fredonia. In addition, the coordinator must work with the Graduate Office, other Fredonia personnel, and submit billing requests to SUNY Fredonia's Bursar and to ITI per the published schedule and complete any paperwork or reports requested by ITI.