The ESL Endorsement is a professional development program for Kentucky teachers. The Endorsement attaches to an existing Kentucky teaching certificate.

Students who enroll in the ESL Endorsement program may already possess a Kentucky teaching certificate. Upon successful completion of the ESL Endorsement Program, the endorsement will be attached to the certificate.

Students who are currently seeking a Kentucky teaching certificate may also enroll in the ESL Endorsement Program. Upon successful completion of both the certification program and the endorsement program, the endorsement will be attached to the certificate.

Those who may at a later date be seeking the Kentucky teaching certificate may enroll in the ESL Endorsement Program. The endorsement will be attached to the teaching certificate, after the certificate is awarded.

If you are interested in combining work for a Masters Degree and the ESL endorsement, the Humanities Division offers a Masters Degree in Humanities that allows for the ESL endorsement coursework to count towards the degree. If you wish to teach ESL with this degree, it assumes that you already have the teaching certification; satisfying the endorsement requirements allows for the endorsement to be attached to your teaching certificate.

The program for this professional endorsement is intended to provide teachers and those preparing to become teachers with training and practice in effective education for English-as-a-second-language students. The program centers on instructional methods, teaching materials, and curricula that promote the use of English to communicate in social settings, to use English to achieve academically in all content areas, and to use English in socially and culturally appropriate ways. Upon successful completion of this program, teachers and those preparing to become teachers will be able to support their learning through continued professional development and will be able to apply the knowledge and skills necessary to create the conditions for English-as-a-second-language students to advance their academic, social, and cultural learning inside and outside the classroom.

If you would like to read and/or print more information about the ESL endorsement program, click below.  [All documents in .pdf format].

Guidelines for the ESL Endorsement Program ( in .pdf format, dated August 10, 2005 ) 

Guidelines for the ESL Endorsement Program ( in .html format, dated August 10, 2005 ) 

Facsimile of ESL Endorsement Advising Sheet (in .pdf format only, official form can be obtained from College of Education Advising Office) 

Schedule of courses required for the ESL Endorsement (in .pdf format only, dated March 21, 2008)

Praxis Test: English to Speakers of Other Languages (one of the last requirements in obtaining the ESL endorsement; you will find it under Praxis II > Registration > Test List and Fees > Subject Assessments/Principles of Learning and Teaching [PLT] > test number 20360; the name of this test has changed to the name above, in red; it was formerly known as Teaching English as a Second Language [test number 10360] and you may find it still referenced this way in some of the information on this site)   

Checklist for the ESL endorsement certification portfolio , in .pdf format only, referred to in the Guidelines for the ESL Endorsement Program (above). The portfolio is a requirement for the ESL endorsement. Please see the Guidelines for the ESL Endorsement Program for details about the portfolio requirement and the standards that the teaching portfolio addresses.  

Master of Arts in Humanities with a Concentration in Linguistics and the Humanities , which allows ESL endorsement coursework to count towards the degree 

Initial Teacher Certification Programs , at both the undergraduate and graduate levels offered by the College of Education and Human Development  

TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) , the national (and international) professional organization for those engaged in teaching English to speakers of other languages  

KYTESOL (the Kentucky affiliate of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) , the state professional organization for those engaged in teaching English to speakers of other languages (access only with Internet Explorer)  

FAQs , frequently asked questions in .pdf format with bookmarks 

FAQs , frequently asked questions in .html format with links 

If you have questions about the ESL Endorsement Program, please contact the advisor of the ESL Endorsement Program, Dr. Karen Mullen, 319A Humanities, (502) 852-7158.

If you would like more information about Kentucky teaching certification programs, please go the webpage of The College of Education and Human Development at the University of Louisville.