Test Overview |
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TUESDAY, MARCH 9, 2010
CONTACT: Marilyn Errett
Phone: 916-445-7912
media@ctc.ca.gov
Commission Approves Cultural Society to Assess
Teachers’ Italian Language Skills
SACRAMENTO – The Commission on Teacher Credentialing approved the
Northern
California based Italian Cultural Society as an assessor agency for
teaching credentials in
Italian language instruction, at its March 4, 2010 meeting.
California approves language assessor agencies for less commonly taught
languages
when a California Subject Examinations for Teachers (CSET) is
unavailable in the
specific language and when there are limited Commission-approved
coursework options
in the university programs. There are currently 17 CSET
language examinations in
languages other than English. The goal of this additional
assessment route is to “open
up” opportunities in as many languages as possible for teachers and
teaching credential
candidates who are interested in providing language instruction in the
public schools.
This alternative route includes the sections of the standardized CSET
examinations that
cover linguistics and language instruction techniques as well as the
instruction of the
literature and culture of the target language. However,
approved assessor agencies are
called upon to assess the candidate’s listening, speaking, reading, and
writing skills.
The Italian Cultural Society, located in Carmichael, CA, is a nonprofit
organization that
promotes and preserves the study of Italian language and
culture. Since 2006, the Society
has served as the local agency for Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs
and manages the
Italian Government’s annual allocations granted for the promotion of
Italian language
courses. All of the individuals assigned by the Society to
assess teachers’ language skills
meet the “distinguished” level on the American Council on the Teaching
of Foreign
Languages scale.
Teachers who pass this alternative assessment must also hold a
California teaching
credential or earn one in order to be qualified to teach Italian in the
public schools.
The Italian Cultural Society will make the language skills assessment
available on a
statewide basis as appropriate to respond to candidate assessment
needs. For further
information about the Italian Cultural Society, go to: http://www.italiancenter.net/
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