Frequently Asked Questions
The Oral English Proficiency Program (OEPP) implements the University's policy on oral English proficiency for international teaching assistants or instructors.
Specifically, the OEPP provides oral English proficiency screening services to all departments on campus employing international teaching assistants (ITAs) whose first language is not English, certifies the oral English proficiency of ITAs whose first language is not English, offers English instruction to ITAs whose first language is not English, and documents departmental compliance with the University policy on oral English proficiency.
Students may be certified by either receiving a 5.5 or higher (post Jan. 21, 2026) or 27 or higher (pre Jan. 21, 2026) on the speaking subsection of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL iBT) or receiving an 8.0 or higher on the speaking band score of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).
Those students who are admitted but have not met the required speaking score minimums for ITA certification are required to take the Oral English Proficiency Test (OEPT).
Students who do not pass the OEPT are required to enroll in SCLA 620 "Academic and Professional Communication for International Teaching Assistants" to achieve certification. At the end of the course, the student’s performance is evaluated against the criteria for certification.
See the chart below for the scores that are accepted for certification.
| Test | Minimum Scores Accepted for Oral English Certification |
| Oral English Proficiency Test | 50 |
| TOEFL iBT speaking sub-score (post Jan. 21, 2026) | 5.5 |
| TOEFL iBT speaking sub-score (pre Jan. 21, 2026) | 27 |
| IELTS speaking band score | 8.0 |
| TOEFL Essentials | Not accepted for oral English certification |
| Duolingo English Test | Not accepted for oral English certification |
SCLA 620 is a 5 credit hour course. However, because the grade for this course is either, P (pass) or NP (not pass), these credits do not count towards a plan of study or factor in to a student's GPA. These credits are counted towards the minimum credit hours required of international graduate students per semester.
No. The Department of Mathematics and the School of Languages and Cultures use approved alternative departmental screening procedures that meet the unique needs of their units. Therefore, students certified through these units are certified only to be teaching assistants in the unit conducting the screening. Students who wish to be teaching assistants in other university departments must be certified by one of the methods shown on the chart above.
Yes. Students who do not speak English as their first language must be certified in oral English proficiency in order to hold a position as a classroom instructor, lab instructor, or recitation leader. Receiving a degree from an educational institution where English is the language of instruction, in the U.S. or any other country, does not exempt students from this requirement. Because the requirements for admission and certification are different, this policy applies even if the student was exempted from the TOEFL requirement for admission.
The University's policy is not based on citizenship or resident status, but instead on the student's first language. If the student did not grow up speaking English in the home as their first language, they are required to be certified before holding a TA position that involves the direct instruction of undergraduate students.
The OEPT is a computer-based test used by the OEPP to screen prospective ITAs for English language proficiency. While taking the test, candidates speak their responses to eight questions that require them to understand and produce the type of language used for instructional purposes. The responses are recorded and evaluated by at least two trained raters.
|
55 |
MORE THAN ADEQUATE PROFICIENCY for classroom teaching. At least half of items rated 55. Strong skills evident on all items. Little listener effort required to adjust to accent/ prosody/ intonation. Consistently intelligible, comprehensible, coherent, with displays of lexico-syntactic sophistication, fluency and automaticity. Speaker is capable of elaborating a complex or personalized message/argument using a variety of tense/aspect and mood. May show minor fluency or prosodic issues (e.g. occasional misplaced stress, hesitations, filled pauses, occasionally speaks too fast). Any grammar errors are minor (e.g. omission of 3rd pers. sing. present morpheme). Good listening comprehension. Speaker has sufficient range, depth and sophistication of English to communicate successfully in any instructional position. |
|
50 |
ADEQUATE PROFICIENCY for successful classroom communication without support. At least half of items 50 or above. Small amount of listener effort may be required to adjust to accent/prosody/ intonation, but adjustment happens quickly. Consistently intelligible, comprehensible, coherent. Capable of elaborating beyond the prompt with some detail and specificity. Elaborates coherent messages/arguments. Speaker may exert some noticeable effort, and speed may be variable, but there are some fluent runs and no pattern of disfluencies. Despite minor errors of grammar/vocab usage/stress which do not interfere with listener comprehension, message is coherent and meaning is easy to follow. Some lexico-syntactic sophistication, more than basic vocab usage and syntax, ability to paraphrase. Good listening comprehension. Is currently capable of consistently successful classroom communication without support. |
|
45 |
NOT QUITE ADEQUATE or INCONSISTENT PERFORMANCE ACROSS ITEMS. Majority of items 45. Capable of classroom communication but, due to weaknesses, speaker requires support. Tolerable listener effort required to adjust to accent. Consistently intelligible and coherent. Strengths & weaknesses, inconsistencies across other characteristics of speech or across items. Profiles vary: Responses may require more than a little noticeable effort for speaker to compose, delivery may be slow and hesitant (but not disfluent); Message may be generally clear and expressed fluently, but vocab/syntax may be somewhat basic or often inaccurate; responses/messages may tend to be general/generic rather than specific or detailed; pronunciation/stress/prosody may need refining in order for speaker to be easily understood/followed. Good listening comprehension but may simply repeat information verbatim without paraphrasing. Has minimally adequate lexico-syntactic resources and fluency necessary for classroom communication and interaction but requires support to identify weaknesses and improve to reach the next level of proficiency required for certification. List specific areas that speaker would need to improve to be certified. |
|
40 |
LIMITED. Language resources/ability to communicate at a level necessary for classroom teaching is limited. Not ready for classroom teaching. Mix of 40 and 45 item scores, or majority 40 with a few 35s, if any. Able to fulfill most tasks, but weaknesses are obvious. Profiles vary: Consistent listener effort may be needed to follow message. Speaker may be occasionally unintelligible/incomprehensible/incoherent. Grammar and/or vocab resources may be limited. Message may be simplistic/repetitive/unfocused/ occasionally incorrect. Speaker may have to exert noticeable efforts to build sentences/argument or to articulate sounds. Despite all their shortcomings, these speakers are generally able to get the message across, albeit a simple, incomplete, generic or vague one. |
|
35 |
RESTRICTED. Language resources or ability to communicate is RESTRICTED – Likely to need more than one semester of support. Mix of 35 and 40 item scores. Listeners may need to exert considerable effort to follow or may not be able to follow. Profiles vary: Speaker may be more than occasionally unintelligible or incoherent OR may be restricted in several of these areas: fluency, vocabulary, grammar/syntax, listening comprehension, articulation/pronunciation, prosody (intonation, rhythm, stress), often resulting in difficult, frustrating or unsuccessful communication. May not be able to adequately fulfill tasks. Not ready for SCLA 620. Explain specific issues that make the speaker unprepared for SCLA 620. |
The OEPT is offered throughout the year. Notices of testing dates are sent to departments prior to each screening period. The schedule is also available on our website.
If your department wishes to hire you as a teaching assistant, the department will contact the OEPP to schedule a time for you to take the test. Contact the graduate studies office of your department for more information. More information on test registration can be found on the OEPT schedule page.
Your department will schedule an appointment for you to take the OEPT. You will receive an email from "OEPT Registration" with the test location, date, and time. Save this email, as you may need it to start the test. Students who are newly arrived on campus should be given at least 48 hours to rest and recover from jet lag prior to being scheduled for the test.
It is very important for students to prepare for the OEPT by using the OEPT online practice test. There are 2 versions, so you can try multiple times.
Do your best to come as rested, nourished, and relaxed as possible!
Students who score 40 or 45 are encouraged to enroll in SCLA 620. At the end of the semester of instruction, reconsideration for certification is made on the basis of the student's performance in the course. Students who score 35 may retake the test after six months.
Students who score a 35, 40, or 45 may retake the OEPT after after six months. Please see the OEPT Retest Policy page for more information.
Visit our Community Resources page for more information. Students may also wish to consider private tutoring. The OEPP maintains a list of private tutors who offer ESL instruction for a fee.