Who is eligible? All individuals currently employed as South Carolina ESOL teachers in public schools who are still working towards certification. Also eligible are ESOL supervisors and school administrators who have a growing number of English Language Learners in their schools.

I am a mainstream teacher or administrator; am I eligible? If there are any slots available after the ESOL teachers have been placed in the courses, spaces may become available for others who work with ESOL children. For instance, if a mainstream teacher has several ESOL students in his/her classroom and wants to take the class, he/she may be eligible, but preference will be given to currently employed ESOL teachers. The goal of the grant is to build capacity in the field of ESOL teacher certification.

Are these courses completely tuition free? The courses are tuition free, but you must receive a "C" or better average. In other words, if you drop out or earn a grade lower than a "C" you will be responsible for the cost of the course: tuition, registration, and books. This course carries an over $800.00 value. You will be held responsible for the pro-rated tuition if you drop the course.

Are these graduate courses? Yes

Do these courses count towards recertification? Yes

How many of these courses may I take at any one time? You may take as many courses as you would like, but the grant will pay for only one course.

May I apply these courses towards a degree? Yes. In fact, these courses may be applied towards the College of Charleston's Foreign Language M.Ed. program. Please see http://www.cofc.edu/~medlang/ for more information.

How are these courses different from regular professional development courses? These courses are different because they can be applied towards a degree. You may use these courses the way you would use any other, graduate-level course. The courses have the same rigour as any other College of Charleston graduate course. They are discussion and writing intensive.

How may I apply? If you are applying for the tuition-free ESOL courses, you will have to do the following:

• fill out the application found on this web site
  
• when you are contacted, you will be requested to supply a copy of your South Carolina teacher's license and contact the graduate office at the College of Charleston. The graduate office will mail you a registration form. The grant will pay for your registration.

If you are applying for the M.Ed. program, please go to the following site for information: http://www.cofc.edu/~medlang/

If I decide to work towards the Foreign Language M.Ed., will all my courses be tuition free? The only courses that are tuition free are the ESOL ones, if you are still working towards your ESOL certification. If you have worked as an ESOL teacher in South Carolina and want to complete your coursework towards certification while seeking your M.Ed., you may be eligible for tuition-free courses, but only the ESOL component of the M.Ed.

Are these courses completely online? No. Two to three mandatory face-to-face meetings will be scheduled.

Am I eligible even if I don't have great computer skills? The developers and designers of the course are working diligently to make the courses as computer friendly as possible. You will need basic word processing skills and know how to access the Internet. If you have computer phobia, now may not be the time to overcome that fear. You will need the right computer and software to be able to access the courses. Please see requirements. We will spend some time on the first day of class (usually held on Saturdays) accessing the courses so you will be familiar with the process before you go home.

Will the grant pay for mileage? Yes, the grant will provide a stipend to help defer the cost of travel.