| Three times a year the ICC tests
prospective TAs for English proficiency in accordance with Carnegie
Mellon policy and the 1991 Pennsylvania law, “English Fluency in Higher Education,”
which requires that all nonnative speaking students pass a language
certification test before being allowed to teach undergraduates (note:
the university faces a $10,000 fine for each uncertified TA). Carnegie
Mellon has gone beyond the law to require that all TAs pass the language
test before being allowed to teach graduates as well as undergraduates.
Testing Procedure
The test is a teaching simulation that assesses a student's ability to
communicate orally in the classroom. Test candidates will be asked to
explain a topic from their fields to a jury of four to five raters
(each test is allotted 30 minutes). The jury rates the candidate on
language skills such as comprehensibility (e.g., pronunciation, fluency
and grammar), the ability to explain a concept in English, and understanding
and responding clearly to questions. Note that candidates do not need to have
native-like fluency or pronunciation to pass the ITA test.
During the test the jury will assign each candidate a topic from his/her
field (topics are not chosen by the candidates in advance). Test takers
should not be concerned about the topic; if the proposed topic is not
appropriate, the candidate is free to ask for a different topic.
See Preparing for the ITA test and
Tips for Doing your Best on the ITA test.
Scoring
ITA test candidates place into one of five categories
Feedback and results
Each student returns for an individual feedback appointment in which an
ICC instructor will explain the score, review language strengths and weakness,
and prescribe further ICC training if needed. While the final test score is
based solely on language skills, ITAs will also get feedback on teaching skills
and cultural understanding to help them improve classroom performance. Both
students and their departments will receive copies of the final written evaluations.
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