As the school-age population of children for whom English is an additional language continues to grow, educators must develop the knowledge and skills necessary for effective expertise in second-language teaching, learning, and assessment at all instructional levels. Loyola's ESOL certificate program is designed for education professionals interested in becoming more proficient in working with the growing multilingual student population.

The program assists educators in developing the practical skills and theoretical knowledge necessary for effective expertise in multilingual teaching, learning, and assessment within K-12 education. The program also benefits reading specialists and special educators. Program participants learn to identify and effectively use research based, best practices in multilingual/ESOL instruction; articulate an understanding of the evolution of ESOL programming; articulate an understanding of second language acquisition and literacy development; design instruction reflecting effective assessment and learning strategies; and demonstrate sensitive and innovative instruction for culturally and linguistically diverse learners.