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, we refer to tasks that do not require
linguistic competence (e.g., quantitative assignments or multiple choice).
After taking the ITA Test, candidates place into one of the five categories below.
PASS for all TA
assignments:
Can teach undergraduate and graduate classes, labs and studios:
Category
1: Fluent enough in English to become a TA
without further language training (however, may need training in
teaching skills).
Category
2: Fluent enough in English to become a TA
but must attend 15 hours of ICC language training concurrent with any teaching
assignment.
Guidelines
for students in Category Two or Three.
Some language problems interfere with comprehensibility and distract
somewhat from meaning, but do not seriously hinder the ability to communicate
to students.
Note: Category 2 students do NOT need to strive
to become Category 1.
PASS for restricted
TA assignments listed below:
Category
3: Fluent enough in English to work as:
- 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).
Must attend 15 hours of ICC language training concurrent with a TA assignment.
Can negotiate meaning in one-on-one conversations, but lacks the
fluency to present material clerly in the classroom, lab or studio. Continued language
training needed for academic success.
Guidelines
for students in Category Two or Three.
PASS for quantitative grading
assignments only:
Category
4: Not fluent enough to communicate to learners,
but can communicate sufficiently with faculty or other TAs to work as a grader for quantitative
and multiple choice assignments.
Language deficiencies may affect success in graduate work. Must work regularly on
language skills to succeed in graduate work.
Category
5: Not fluent enough in English to do either
teaching or grading. Students in this category have significant
language gaps and need to work very seriously on language
skills to be able to succeed in their academic work.
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