Professional Development

Spanish Teacher Proficiency Test Preparation: Since 1993 STI has provided workshops and total immersion experiences in a Spanish-speaking environment for bilingual and Spanish teachers. At the time, programs were developed to help students pass the Texas Oral Proficiency Test. From that initial program, a methodology was developed that has subsequently been incorporated into a number of textbooks published by McGraw-Hill Inc. and distributed nationally.

Our methodology includes interactive activities that emphasize specific communicative goals, brief, clear grammar explanations, innovative vocabulary acquisition techniques, and listening comprehension exercises. Our primary goal is to give our students a tangible feeling of accomplishment as they move towards fluency in Spanish. This is made possible through our seven communicative goals charting system and our vocabulary cards. This new concept of language learning is being used in major universities throughout the United States and in study abroad programs in Mexico, Spain and France. Drawing on extensive work with oral proficiency testing and training, the STI faculty has created a variety of programs that include weekend workshops, international practicums, and on-going language learning classes.