IUPUI has established the policy that all graduate students whose first language is not English and who are being considered for graduate assistantships must demonstrate adequate oral English proficiency before assignment to duties involving direct interaction with students. These duties may include classroom and laboratory instruction, tutoring, and in many cases grading. By definition, these graduate students are considered ITAs (International Teaching Assistants).
AS A CONDITION FOR APPOINTMENT, the academic department seeking to employ a graduate student who is a non-native speaker of English in a position with direct student contact (as an ITA) is responsible for insuring that oral language competency is evaluated before the appointment is made. The Office of Academic and Faculty Records must receive documentation that ITAs have been evaluated and certified. Failure to comply with this policy, either by the department or the ITA, will result in the termination of the ITA appointment.
As do all non-native speakers of English, all potential ITA appointees must take the general ESL placement test as a condition of receiving the ITA appointment. (See this link for a fuller description of the EAP Placement Test) Additionally, all potential ITA appointees who will have direct contact of any form with students in undergraduate or dual-level (graduate and undergraduate) courses are required to have their oral proficiency certified with a SPEAK test as a condition of receiving their ITA appointment. ITAs with primary responsibility for teaching a class or laboratory section are required to have a SPEAK score of = 50; ITAs with direct student contact other than as a class or laboratory instructor are required to achieve a score of = 40. (A copy of the SPEAK Test scoring rubric can be found at this link.) International students employed as research assistants with no direct student contact do not need to have their oral English proficiency evaluated unless their status changes.
Sample questions of the SPEAK test can be found at the EAP Placement Test information page.
The complete version of the ITA Policy passed by the IUPUI Graduate School Council can be found at itapolicy.html
To prepare for the Test of Spoken English, SPEAK TEST, try to respond to the practice questions below. Be sure to speak clearly and say as much as you can in responding to each question.
You will be given a map of a town. Now, imagine that we are colleagues. This is a map of a neighboring town that you have suggested I visit. You will have 30 seconds to study the map. Then I'll ask you some questions about it.
- Choose one place on the map that you think I should visit and give me some reasons why you recommend this place. (30 seconds)
- I'd like to see a movie. Please give me directions from the bus station to the movie theater. (30 seconds)
- One of your favorite movies is playing at the theater. Please tell me about the movie and why you like it.(60 seconds)
For the next section of the test you will be given a page with 6 pictures to study. I'd like you to tell me a story that the pictures show, starting with picture number 1 and going through picture number 6. Please take 1 minute to look at the pictures and think about the story. Do not begin the story until I tell you to do so.- Tell me the story that the pictures show. (60 seconds)
- What could the painters have done to prevent this?(30 seconds)
- Imagine that this happens to you. After you have taken the suit to the dry cleaners, you find out that you need to wear the suit the next morning. The dry cleaning service usually takes two days. Call the dry cleaners and try to persuade them to have the suit ready later today. (45 seconds)
- The man in the pictures is reading a newspaper. Both newspapers and television news programs can be good sources of information about current events. What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of each of these sources?
(60 seconds)
For the next section of the test I'd like to hear your ideas about a variety of topics. Be sure to say as much as you can in responding to each question. After I ask each question, you may take a few seconds to prepare your answer, and then begin speaking when you're ready.- Many people enjoy visiting zoos and seeing the animals. Other people believe that animals should not be taken from their natural surroundings and put into zoos. I'd like to know what you think about this issue.
(60 seconds)- I'm not familiar with your field of study. Select a term used frequently in your field and define it for me.
(60 seconds)
For this section of the test you will be given a graph to study.- This graph presents the actual and projected percentage of the world population living in cities from 1950 to 2010. Describe to me the information given in the graph.(60 seconds)
- Now discuss what this information might mean for the future.(45 seconds)
For the last portion of the test, you will be given an Itinerary to study.- Now please look at the information below about a trip to Washington, DC, that has been organized for the members of the Forest City Historical Society. Imagine that you are the president of this organization. At the last meeting you gave out a schedule for the trip, but there have been some changes. You must remind the members about the details of the trip and tell them about the changes indicated on the schedule. In your presentation do not just read the information printed, but present it as if you were talking to a group of people. You will have one minute to plan your presentation and will be told when to begin speaking. (90 seconds)
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