ITA Test Scoring Guide
The ITA test assesses spoken language skills and does not provide information about
a TA's ability to communicate effectively in written English: e.g., grading (lab reports, journal entries, essays),
responding to discussion boards, writing test questions, etc. When we indicate grading below, we refer to tasks that do not require
competence with written English (e.g., quantitative assignments or multiple choice).
After taking the ITA Test, candidates place into one of the four categories below.
Category
1: Pass for all TA assignments, undergraduate and graduate classes, labs and studios
PROVISIONAL PASS: must attend 15 hours of ICC work:
Category
2: Provisional Pass for all TA assignments, undergraduate and graduate classes, labs and studios
Some language problems interfere with comprehensibility and distract
somewhat from meaning, but do not seriously hinder the ability to communicate
to students.
Category
3: Provisional Pass for the restricted TA assignments listed below
- a TA for graduate classes, or
- a tutor for one-on-one undergraduate sessions such as office hours or individual
tutoring, or
- an instructor assistant for undergraduate labs or studios (if supervised by an
instructor who is present in the lab or studio, and if not responsible for safety
instructions or for giving presentations to the class), or
- a grader who meets with students to explain and discuss grade, answer questions, etc.
Can negotiate meaning in one-on-one conversations, but lacks the
fluency to present material clearly in the classroom, lab or studio. Continued language
training needed for academic success.
Guidelines
for students in Category Two or Three.
Category 4: Not certified to communicate to students
Language deficiencies may affect success in graduate work. Must work regularly on
language skills in order to improve; may need several semesters of intensive work to get to next category.
|
