10/23/2015
MOD1 ASSIGNMENT
You
will critically examine and propose a 500-word (1 page) amendment to the 2010
Accreditation of English Language Training Programs Act
(http://www.ice.gov/sevis/accreditation-act/) enacted by the government of the
United States of America, and enforced by the United States Department of
Homeland Security. Through examination, you will address: a) the impact
of the act on prospective students’ access to education, b) the act’s
implications on the field of education in general, and TESOL instructors in the
United States in particular, and c) your analysis supported with evidence of
what unforeseen ramifications the act has/will have on defining the future of
English language curriculum, instruction, and assessment.
“In
accordance with the Accreditation Act, all ESL programs of study that are SEVP,
Student and Exchange Visitor Program- certified must either possess or have
applied for accreditation before Dec. 15, 2011, by a regional or national
accrediting agency recognized by the Department of Education,”
The SEVP Accreditation of English Language
Training Programs Act for ESL is a huge step towards equality and fairness in
education for nonimmigrant students in the US. This Act provides some
governance by the US department of education, that will help ensure exchange
students are getting structured and legitimate language classes from “stand-alone,”
and “combined schools” whose teacher are properly trained to meet ESL program
standards. This, also, means ESL programs will now be regulated to make sure there
is systemic growth in ESL programs that really protect and benefit nonimmigrant
students. The systemic part of this process of accrediting ESL programs is
being able to continuously train, collaborate, and grow programs, to better ESL
programs across the country.
The schools that meet Form I-17 for
SEVP, ELT accreditation will ultimately have other schools follow suit that
secures an ESL program status- quo for institutions, administrators, teachers.
Accreditation provides a forum that
holds institutions accountable for their actions, and an expectation to be
upheld. Reading through the www.ice.gov
website, you see the reasons for SEVP initiatives to create safe and regulated
programs that prevent false, or unethical exchange programs, that do not
fulfill their sponsorship obligations. The SVEP, also, strives to enhance
international collaboration.
There is one blatant implication probable
for with The Accreditation of English Language Training programs Act, is the
feasibility of the SVEP to oversee and integrate such a large cultural spectrum
of educational needs that are in demand for ELA programs. To satisfy all the
needs of the varying types of English language needs; i.e., Diversity in
language and cultural adaptation in English for specific purposes and English
for academic purposes is overwhelming. To expect the SEVP to monitor and set
standards for all ELA program training standards, is hard to accept.
The ramifications that this Act
could entail may be that reputable “stand alone” schools cannot meet SVEP
accreditation standards because they are so specific to a certain population or
culture. I know that DPS, Denver Public schools, ESL programs are more focused
on Hispanic populations because there is more demand. However, Vietnamese
refugee populations exist in south Denver school, that require specific ESL
programs that do not match the needs of Hispanic immigrant ESL programs. ESL
standards cannot be combined easily for overall success.
There
are usually financial limitations that limit school systems from receiving
funding for the minority ESL courses to further serve nonimmigrant students. Basic,
but still effective ESL programs could be held back from growth because inadequate
recourses that prevent training and accreditation standards. Such regulation
for accreditation could even further an economic divide in immigrant and
nonimmigrant programs. For uphold ethics in educations, the I-17 Form should,
also, enact policy that trains and accredits institutions, administration, and
teachers that serve immigrant and refugee ESL programs.
The Accreditation of
English Language Training Programs Act. (n.d.). Retrieved October 24, 2015.
