Background: STARTALK is a national project funded by the National Security Agency. STARTALK’s mission is to increase the number of U.S. citizens learning, speaking and teaching critical-need languages, with programs nationwide for students (K-16) and teachers (https://startalk.umd.edu/public/).

What: City University of Seattle Startalk 14 will cover tuition for 10.5 out of 12 credits for 13 fluent speakers of Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, Farsi, Korean, Russian, or Spanish to enroll in Startalk and, at the same time, be admitted to and take coursework through CityU’s Alternative Routes to Certification program. Startalk 15 has 12 spaces, base Startalk tuition/application fee coverage: $3830, but likely to rise.

How: Teacher candidates who qualify (meet state requirements, interview, etc.) will be admitted into CityU’s Alternative Route 2, 3 or 4 teacher certification program on a first qualified basis https://www.cityu.edu/programs-overview/alternative-route-teacher-certification/. Regardless of route, summer coursework is the same, and Startalk requirements are in addition to alt route requirements. Note: program subject to change depending on public health guidelines, state and CityU of Seattle changes.

Deadlines:

• CityU STARTALK Teacher Certification: until spaces filled or May 31.
• All tests taken no later than May 31, 2021, with official test scores received by program start.

STARTALK 14 Summer 2021 Overview:  June 27-July 1 online; July 2 on-site workshop; July 5-July 23 on-site, approximately 7:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. NOTE: Teacher candidates will have pre-program readings, online and outside of class assignments, and some assignments due beyond July 23.

STARTALK 14 Summer 2021 Dates:

• Sun.-F, June 27-July1 Online program: online readings/videos; assignments, reflection papers due July 3.
• Fri., July 2 On-site workshop, 9 AM-4 PM Backwards Design, thematic unit and lesson planning
• M-F, July 5-9 CityU orientation, AM certification class; PM lab school prep

• M-Th, July 12-15 Morning lab school, afternoon certification classes
• F, July 16 No lab school, reflect, review, re-align; afternoon certification classes
• M-W, July 19-21 Morning lab school, afternoon certification classes
• Th, July 22 Last day lab school, afternoon certification class
• F, July 24, Wrap up activities, last day classes, final assignments, certificates of summer program completion

STARTALK 15 Summer 2021 Dates:

• Sun.-F, July18-23 Online program: online readings/videos; assignments, reflection papers due July 23.
• Sat., July 24 On-site workshop, 9 AM-4 PM Backwards Design, thematic unit and lesson planning
• M-F, July 26-30 CityU orientation, AM certification class; PM lab school prep
• M-Th, Aug. 2-5 Morning lab school, afternoon certification classes
• F, Aug. 6 No lab school, reflect, review, re-align; afternoon certification classes
• M-W, Aug. 9-11 Morning lab school, afternoon certification classes
• Th, Aug. 12 Last day lab school, afternoon certification class
• F, Aug. 13, Wrap up activities, last day classes, final assignments, certificates of Startalk summer program completion

Where: Chong Wa Hall, 522 7^th Ave. S, Seattle Chinatown 98104

Post Summer CityU Schedule if Teacher Candidates Continue: October-June–Alt. Routes classes approximately every third Saturday in Everett, along with full-time apprenticeships/student teaaching in K-12 schools

Teacher Candidate State Pre-requisites:

1. A bachelor’s degree from an accredited university in the U.S. or other country.
2. Take the WEST-B (Washington Educator’s Basic Skills Test) Reading, Writing and Math (nesinc.com). Substitutions: C-BEST, SAT, ACT. See website for more; passing score not required, but must demonstrate English proficiency http://www.k12.wa.us/certification/Teacher/teachertesting.aspx. WEST-B study materials: https://yvcc.instructure.com/courses/1568768/modules
3. A. Take your choice of ONE of the following Alt. Route endorsement test areas:
   • Special Education (WEST-E 070)
   • ELL(WEST-E 051)
   • Mid Grades Math: (NES 203): Passing NES 203 enables you to teach math 4^th-9^th This test does not include trigonometry and calculus.
   • Secondary Math (NES 304): Passing enables you to teach math 5^th-12^th
   • Reading (NES 104)

B. Talk to Startalk enrollment advisor about combinations of above; attend the pre- enrollment info session in February.

Pre-requisites for Startalk participant tuition coverage:

1. Pass Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Persian, Russian or Spanish Oral Proficiency Interview (OPIc) and Writing Proficiency Test (iWPT) for world language teachers. Passing: Advanced Low; c = computer, i = Internet

https://tms.languagetesting.com/IndividualSite/SelectTestLevel.aspx#nbb

     2.  Pass WEST E 100 Designated World Language Te

3.  Fulfill Teacher Candidate State Pre-requisites section above

 Notes:

• Non-English Bachelor’s degrees:
• Need to be officially translated into English by an agency
• Agency then turns it in to CityU for evaluation
• Or you can go to CityU with the original to have it received officially by a CityU staff member.
• A suggested agency:

Foundation for International Services, https://www.fis-web.com/

505 – 5th Avenue South, Suite 101 Edmonds, WA 98020

Phone: 425-248-2255

• 80 hours teaching and/or tutoring or experience with children required.
• STARTALK 14 covers summer tuition for approximately10.6 out of 12 credits and application fee for teacher candidates ($4,207.85). Candidates pay for 1.4 credits: $642.15 but may be less, subject to approval by NSA.
• STARTALK 15 covers summer tuition for 9/12 credits and application fee for qualifying candidates ($3,830). Candidates pay 3 credits: $1260, but may be less, subject to approval by NSA.
• CityU STARTALK cannot apply for visas or sign for those needing visas to participate in the CityU of Seattle STARTALK Teacher Certification Program.
• Limited number of WEST B vouchers may be available to CityU STARTALK enrolled applicants, first come, first served until vouchers are gone.

Questions? Contact Betty Lau, CityU of Seattle STARTALK director: laubetty@cityu.edu

STARTALK Applicants:

• Email your resume to Betty Lau: laubetty@cityu.edu with cc to Dr. Marge Chow: mchow@cityu.edu for interview/conversation appointment
• Note: Interviewing now for Summer 2021 programs.

Background: STARTALK is a national project funded by the National Security Agency. STARTALK’s mission is to increase the number of U.S. citizens learning, speaking and teaching critical-need languages, with programs nationwide for students (K-16) and teachers (https://startalk.umd.edu/public/).

What: City University of Seattle has 12 scholarships available for fluent speakers of Mandarin Chinese or Korean to take coursework towards Washington state teacher certification.

How: Teacher candidates who qualify (interview, take/pass/meet standard on required tests) will be enrolled in CityU’s Alternative Route 2, 3 or 4 teacher certification program on a first qualified, first scholarshipped basis) https://www.cityu.edu/programs-overview/alternative-route-teacher-certification/. Regardless of Route, summer coursework is the same.

Deadlines: 

• CityU STARTALK Teacher Certification: until spaces filled or May 10
• All tests taken no later than May 10, 2020, with official test scores received by Memorial Day.

STARTALK Summer Schedule:  

• June 29-July 3 online
• July 5 on-site workshop
• July 6-July 24 on-site, approximately 7:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.

NOTE: Teacher candidates will have pre-program readings, online and outside of class assignments, and some assignments due beyond July 24.

STARTALK Summer Dates:

• M-F, June 29-July3 Online program: online readings/videos; assignments, reflection papers due July 3.
• Sun., July 5 Workshop, 9 AM-4 PM Backwards Design, thematic unit and lesson planning
• M-F, July 6-10 CityU orientation, AM certification class; PM lab school prep
• M-Th, July 13-16 Morning lab school, afternoon certification classes
• F, July 17 No lab school, reflect, review, re-align; afternoon certification classes
• M-W, July 20-22 Morning lab school, afternoon certification classes
• Th, July 23 Last day lab school, afternoon certification class
• F, July 24, Wrap up activities, final assignments, certificates of summer program completion

Where: Chong Wa Hall, 522 7th Ave. S, Seattle Chinatown 98104

CityU Schedule:  October-June–Alt. Routes classes approximately every third Saturday in Everett, along with full-time apprenticeships in K-12 schools

Teacher Candidate Pre-requisites:

1. A bachelor’s degree from an accredited university in the U.S. or other country.

2. Take the WEST-B (Washington Educator’s Basic Skills Test) Reading, Writing and Math (west.nesinc.com). Substitutions: C-BEST, SAT, ACT. See website for more; passing score not required, but must demonstrate English proficiency http://www.k12.wa.us/certification/Teacher/teachertesting.aspx.
WEST-B study materials: https://yvcc.instructure.com/courses/1568768/modules

3. Pass the Chinese or Korean ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPIc) and Writing Proficiency Test (WPT Internet) for world language teachers. Passing score: Advanced Low.  Please find more information at Language Testing International (http://www.languagetesting.com/oral-proficiency-interview-by-computer-opic)

4. Take your choice of ONE of the following Alt. Route endorsement areas:

• Special Education (WEST-E 070) + Elementary Education NES 102 and NES 103; or Special Education + math (NES 203 or NES 304); or Special Ed + WEST E 100 WL (talk to an enrollment advisor about another possible option and attend the pre-enrollment info session in February).
• ELL(WEST-E 051) + ELED I (NES 102) and ELED II (NES 103); or ELL plus math (NES 203 or NES 304); or ELL + WEST E 100 WL (talk to an enrollment advisor about another possible option and attend the pre-enrollment info session in February).
• Mid Grades Math: (NES 203): Passing NES 203 enables you to teach math 4^th-9^th Mid Grades Math does not include trigonometry and calculus.
• Secondary Math (NES 304): Passing NES 304 enables you to teach math 5^th-12^th

Note: In addition to scores on the WEST-B and above endorsement tests, CityU will determine program eligibility for teacher candidates by alternative test and/or closer review of application packet documents.

Additional Information:

• The Designated World Languages (WEST-E 100) test may be taken during certification; passing it enables you to teach Chinese or Korean.
•  Bachelor’s degrees from outside the U.S. need to be evaluated for equivalency.  Below is one area evaluation agency:

Foundation for International Services
505 – 5th Avenue South, Suite 101
Edmonds, WA 98020
Phone: 425-248-2255

• 80 hours teaching and/or tutoring or experience with children required.
• STARTALK summer tuition scholarship for 9 out of 11 credits and application fee available for qualifying candidates ($3,650). Candidates pay 2 credits: $800.
• CityU STARTALK cannot apply for visas or sign for those needing visas to participate in the CityU of Seattle STARTALK Teacher Certification Program.
• Limited number of WEST B vouchers available to CityU STARTALK enrolled applicants, first come, first served until vouchers are gone.

Startalk Applicants:

1) Email your resume to Betty Lau
2) Interviews will be arranged for January

Questions?  Please contact Betty Lau, CityU of Seattle STARTALK director: laubetty@cityu.edu

Background: Startalk, funded by the National Security Agency (NSA), administered by the National Foreign Language Center (NFLC) at the University of Maryland, has goals to 1) increase the number of qualified teachers of Arabic, Chinese, Dari, Farsi, Hindi, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, Turkish, and Urdu; 2) increase numbers of students taking these languages; and 3) create infrastructure for curricula, materials and resources to support teaching/learning the critical languages (www.startalk.umd.edu).

What: City University of Seattle has 15 scholarships available for fluent speakers of Mandarin Chinese, Korean, Portuguese or Spanish to take coursework towards  Washington state teacher certification, subject to February 2019 Startalk Central grant award announcement and CityU and state changes.

How:Teacher candidates who qualify (pass required tests, interview/conversation) will be enrolled in CityU’s Alternative Route 2 or 3 or 4 teacher certification program on a first qualified, first scholarshipped basis).

Deadlines:

• CityU Startalk Teacher Certification: until spaces filled or May 12
• All tests taken no later than May 12, 2019, with official passing test scores received after that.

Schedule:  June 22-28 online; June 29-July 19 on-site, with July 4 off; 7:30 a.m.- 5 p.m. NOTE: Teacher candidates will have pre-program reading, online assignments; assignments outside of class time, and some assignment due dates beyond July 19.

• June 22-28: Online program: online readings/videos; reflection papers due June 28
• June 29 Workshop: Backwards Design, thematic unit and lesson planning
• July 1 CityU orientation and first certification class begins
• July 2, 3, 5 Certification classes, including lab school preparation
• July 8-12 Morning lab school with afternoon certification class
• July 15-17 Morning lab school with afternoon certification class
• July 18 Last day morning lab school; continue certification class
• July 19 Wrap up class activities, surveys, evaluations, certificates of summer completion

Where: Chong Wa Hall, 522 7^thAve. S, Seattle Chinatown 98104

Teacher Candidate Pre-requisites to Receive a Startalk Scholarship:

1. A bachelor’s degree from an accredited university in the U.S. or other country.
2. Passing the WEST-B (Washington Educator’s Basic Skills Test) Reading, Writing and Math (nesinc.com). Substitutions: See website for more http://www.k12.wa.us/certification/Teacher/teachertesting.aspx.West B study materials: https://yvcc.instructure.com/courses/1568768/modules
3. Passing Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, or Spanish ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPIc) and Writing Proficiency Test (WPT Internet) for world language teachers. Passing score: Advanced Low                                 http://www.languagetesting.com/oral-proficiency-interview-by-computer-opic
4. Passing your choice of ONE of the following Alt Route endorsement areas:

• Special Education (WEST-E 070) + Elementary Education NES 102 and NES 103; or Special Education + math (NES 203 or NES 204)
• ELL(WEST-E 051)+ ELED I (NES 102) and ELED II (NES 103); or ELL plus math (NES 203 or NES 304)
• Mid Grades Math: (NES 203): Passing NES 203 enables you to teach math 4^th-9^th Mid Grades Math does not include trigonometry and calculus.
• Secondary Math (NES 304):Passing NES 304 enables you to teach math 5^th-12^th

Additional Information:

• The Designated World Languages(WEST-E 100) test may be taken near the end of certification; passing it enables you to teach Chinese, Korean or Portuguese (fulfills Startalk Central Goal 1: increase numbers of teachers of critical languages).
• Bachelor’s degrees from outside the U.S. need to be evaluated for equivalency. Below is one area evaluation agency:

Foundation for International Services
505  5th Avenue South, Suite 101
Edmonds, WA 98020
Phone: 425-248-2255

• 80 hours teaching and/or tutoring or experience with children required.
• Summer tuition scholarships available for qualifying candidates.
• CityU Startalk cannot apply for visas or sign for those needing visas to participate in the CityU of Seattle Startalk Teacher Certification Program.
• Limited number of vouchers available to cover the cost of WEST B testing.

Questions? Contact Betty Lau, CityU of Seattle Startalk director: laubetty@cityu.edu

Startalk Applicants:  1) Email your resume to Betty Lau.  2) Interviews will be arranged.

Startalk Teacher Certification Pre-requisites

State Requirements:

1. A bachelor’s degree from an accredited university or college in the U.S. or other country.
2. Passing scores on the WEST B (Washington Educator’s Basic Skills Test) in Reading, Writing and Math (west.nesinc.com).

• Most find that 5 hours is not enough time to do all three tests.
• Past test takers recommend signing up for reading and math first and then taking the writing test in a separate session.
• Substitutions: C-BEST, SAT or ACT scores (see OSPI website)

3. Startalk Requirement: Passing scores on the world language test: ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPIc) and the Writing Proficiency Test (WPT). Choose a Startalk language.

• Sign up for the OPIc if available; it’s more cost effective than asking for an in-person tester.
• In Washington state, passing is set at Advanced Low.

4. Note: CityU requires passing one of the following in order to enroll in its alternate route certification program:

• Either ELL (WEST E 051), plus NES 102 and NES 103.Passing these tests will enable you to teach ELL P-12 and/or elementary grades K-8.
• Or Special Education (WEST E 070); passing this will enable you to teach SpEd P-12.
• Or Secondary Math (grades 6-12), NES 304
• Or Mid Grades Math (grades 5-9), NES 203. The difference is the Mid Grades Math test does not include trigonometry and calculus.
• Note: Passing NES 203 will enable you to teach math 5^th-9^thgrades; passing NES 304 will enable you to teach math 6^th-12^thgrades.

Other endorsements may be added near the end of certification, such as the Designated World Language (E 100) in order for you to teach a Startalk language.

Potential teacher candidates need to start taking the tests as soon as possible because of possibly needing to wait and re-take one or more of the above tests. The waiting period for a re-test is 45 days for the WEST B. And it takes up to six weeks for certain test scores to come in. Test Taking Deadline: May 1, 2019.

Questions? Contact Betty Lau, CityU Startalk director: laubetty@cityu.edu.