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International Teaching Assistants (ITA)

To be eligible for a TA or AI appointment, non-native speakers of English must receive ITA English Certification.

ITA English Certification assesses the skills ITAs need to be effective educators in the classroom. Certain exemptions apply and some departments may have additional requirements.

ITA Department Information

Graduate Advisers and Graduate Coordinators are encouraged to read over our ITA Department Information page for cost information, instructions, and best practices specific to departments.

What's the process?

  1. Register

    For Students: If your native language is not English, you will need to complete the Oral English Proficiency Assessment or ITA Screening to be eligible for a TA/AI appointment with a department. To begin the certification process, the Graduate Adviser or Graduate Coordinator of your employing department must request an ITA Screening for you.

    For Departments: Check our ITA Department Information page for comprehensive instructions specific to Graduate Advisers and Coordinators.

    Cost: The cost for the assessment is $80 per screening (starting in Fall 2025, this cost will increase to $100 per screening). This fee is charged to the department only if a department advisor or coordinator has provided IDT billing information to our office. Otherwise, students are billed for the screening fee through What I Owe. Check with your department if you have any questions about payment.

  2. Schedule

    For Spring 2025, we will offer screenings by appointment December 12-13 and January 9-10. The link to the appointment calendar will be emailed to you once your department submits a screening request. Contact our office for scheduling questions. 

    For Summer 2025, screenings will be offered May 1-2 and May 22. The appointment calendar will be available in April. 

    For Fall 2025, screenings will be offered July 31 - August 1, August 4-8, and August 20-21. The appointment calendar will be available in May. 

    Note: Appointments must be canceled at least 24 hours in advance in order to avoid a $80 no-show fee. ITA Screenings may only be taken one time per semester.

  3. Prepare

    Familiarize yourself with the directions for all four sections of the assessment and practice responding to each section. It is very helpful to record yourself and then listen to how your speech actually sounds. Suggested practice activities for each of the sections follow:

    1. Brief conversation — For the introduction, practice saying a greeting, your name, EID, and major. For the conversation, practice talking about the following kinds of topics: what's been going on in your life recently, your studies, your future plans, daily life, and current events. 
    2. Explanation of a basic concept in your field — Practice speaking for 5 minutes about your concept. Be sure to use organizational expressions to help your listeners follow your ideas. Think about questions that the raters might ask you, and practice potential answers. 
    3. Explanation of a visual — Practice describing and discussing information presented in a graph or chart. This usually involves talking about numerical data, percentages, and trends. 
    4. Syllabus role play — Imagine you are an instructor on the first day of class and need to give your students information about the class schedule, location, test dates, textbooks or lab materials, etc. Make sure that your message is clear and that you emphasize the key points.

  4. Scores & Results

    Students are rated on the following skills: Fluency, Grammar, Vocabulary, Pronunciation, and Communicative Competence on a proficiency scale (1-3 Beginner; 4-6 Intermediate; 7-9 Advanced). The screening is scored by two English Language Center professionals and the two raters' scores are averaged for a total score.

    Results

    • Did Not Pass (Score Below 6.0) - Students who receive a Did Not Pass result are ineligible to work as a TA/AI with student contact for the upcoming semester. ESL 388S Oral Communication is the recommended course to continue improving speaking skills.
    • Conditional Pass (Score 6.0 to 6.99) - Students who receive a Conditional Pass are eligible to work as a TA/AI with student contact for one semester only. As required by the Graduate School, students with a Conditional Pass result must enroll in and attend ESL 389T Communication and Teaching Culture (3 credit hours) in order to maintain their conditional TA/AI status. 
      • IMPORTANT: To be a TA/AI in future semesters, students must pass the ITA screening at the end of their one semester of conditional status. If they do not pass the screening, they are ineligible to be appointed as a TA/AI with student contact until they receive a Pass screening result.
    • Pass (Score 7.0 to 7.5) - Students who receive a Pass result are fully certified but are encouraged to take ESL 389S Advanced Oral Communication to continue to improve their low-advanced English skills.
    • Pass+ (Score Above 7.5) - Students who receive a Pass+ result are fully certified. 

    Re-Screening Policies

    Students may take the screening only once per semester and are limited to three attempts per year, with a maximum of five total screenings. 

    In order to receive unconditional English Certification as a TA or AI with student contact, students must obtain a Pass or Pass+ result on the ITA screening.

    After the initial screening, the student is charged for all additional screening fees unless their department authorizes subsequent payment. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Contact

For more information, email us at txglobal-ita@austin.utexas.edu.