Low test scores are preventing the College of Education from recruiting new international students into its Early Childhood Education program.

A new policy requires international students to obtain a speaking score of 26 on the Internet-based version of the Test of English as a Foreign Language to be considered for assistantships – which many say is difficult to do.

According to e-mails obtained by The Red & Black there are several hundred teaching assistants who don’t meet the requirement. All departments on campus must adhere to the policy.

The e-mail states the new policy is a part of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools’ accreditation process for the University that requires students to have a speaking score of 26 and at least one semester of a teaching support group.

“The policy is problematic. It doesn’t consider graduate students who have been admitted to the University,” said Kyunghwa Lee, associate professor and program coordinator for the Early Childhood Education program. Before the use of TOEFL, the University required international students take the Test of Spoken English.

“The test is no longer available and we were put into a position to find a new test,” said Paul Quick, program director for the teaching assistant program in the Center for Teaching and Learning.

“We were in correspondence to see what peer and aspiration institutions are doing and they made the recommendation of TOEFL,” he said.

The TOEFL policy at the University has been in place for 20 years, Quick said. The test has four sections: reading, writing, listening and speaking, on a scale of zero to 30.

“The equivalent to a 50 on the [old] test is a 26 on the TOEFL speaking section. All other schools across the board said it is good enough to be a teacher,” he said.

The score of a 26 was set by the Center for Teaching and Learning and Department of Language and Literacy, in consultation with the Office of Vice President of Instruction.

“The reason for the test is to ensure undergraduate students receive an instructor that speaks English well,” Quick said.

Because of the new policy, international students had to retake the TOEFL, some during their graduating year, Lee said.

The program has five international doctoral students and two international full-time masters students, Lee said, which is low for the department.

“We try to recruit strong doctoral students and strong national and international students,” Lee said. “We often lose them to other institutions because they can provide assistantships.”

The Early Childhood Education program has struggled because it does not know how many assistantships it has until later in the year, Lee said.

“The applications for assistantships are due in January,” Lee said. “With the budget situation we still don’t know how many are available.”

Soojung Kim, a new applicant to the Early Childhood Education program from Korea, has a TOEFL score of 23.

“Just after I decided to study in the United States, the first thing I did was study English to prepare for TOEFL,” Kim wrote in an e-mail interview.

The difficult thing about the speaking section is test takers only get seconds to think about the question before speaking, Kim said.

“[The test] gives a question and then gives test takers 15 seconds to think about it, and test takers have to speak their opinion for 30 seconds,” Kim wrote. Kim took the TOEFL test six to seven times in her home country, costing her about $1,020 to $1,190, or $170 per test. Kim also paid for sending scores to schools.

“I spent lots of money and time preparing for TEOFL,” Kim wrote. “I’m not sure I can understand it or not, but sometimes studying English and preparing for the test are two different things.”

Her score doesn’t allow her to obtain the assistantship needed to support her family.

“Soojung is a single parent and has been admitted other places,” Lee said. “Her mentors have called me to admit her and provide support for her.”

Lee said the program decided to admit Kim and offered her an assistantship, but it may come with consequences.

“Maybe the earliest possible that she will receive an assistantship is spring 2010 because she must finish the [language education] course and seminar,” Lee said. “Now, we are not sure if she is even coming.”

Because of her troubles with the TOEFL, Kim is working to improve her score.

“I’ve been taking English discussion class for eight months now for four times a week,” Kim said. “I feel frustrated, because I think it’s very difficult for me to raise my score.”

Kim is just one of many international students affected by this policy.

Joo Eun Oh, a former masters student in the Early Childhood Education program from Korea, said while she was at the University she supervised student-teachers and taught a class in which she received good student evaluations.

Oh reapplied for the summer to have an assistantship and was accepted two weeks ago.

The day after her acceptance, Oh was told to retake the TOEFL because of the new required score.

“I think that this is an inconsistent policy,” Oh said. “Graduate school has an admissions policy that applicants who have a degree from the institutions in the U.S. are not required to submit the TOEFL score.”

Oh was told when she received her first assistantship she would not have to retake the TOEFL. Oh said she will take the test twice, but isn’t sure if she will get the required score.

“I can’t continue my study if I couldn’t get my financial aid – the assistantship,” she said.

“My department people know me well. They’ve already work[ed] with me before and now they want to work with me again,” Oh said. “I can’t if I cannot take [the assistantship] because of the inconsistent TOEFL policy. I think that is ridiculous.”

The test has been revised since its use at the University due to inconsistency, Quick said.

“Last year the required score was a 26. This year if you get a 24 and a letter of recommendation from your language teacher you can also be qualified to teach,” Quick said. Quick said the policy hasn’t gotten harder, but it has gotten more flexible.

“Students with a score of a 24 can also teach, but in a supervised situation,” he said.

To become a teaching assistant with a score of 23, students must have a letter of recommendation from a professor. This will allow them to teach in a limited capacity with an English instructor. Deans of colleges and schools also reserve the right to allow students who received scores lower than a 26 to prove they have adequate speaking skills.

The new policies will take place in the fall.