GTA Oral English Proficiency Assessments (CELTD)

The LRC administers the oral English proficiency assessment that international Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) and Graduate Lecturers (GLs) are required to take before assuming instructional responsibilities.  If you have received an offer from a GMU department for a GTA or GL position, please see the information below about registering for and taking the test.

IMPORTANT: Due to Covid-19 university closures, all GTA assessments are being administered remotely via Blackboard's Collaborate Ultra. 

Scheduling:

You can reserve a time to take the test by going to the following website:  https://intomason.mywconline.com.  If you have not used this scheduling system before, choose "Click here to register" to create an account.  Then, log in and select "LRC Assessments (2021-22)" in the drop-down menu.  Under the "GTA Oral Assessment (CELTD)" option, you can choose any of the white blocks to reserve a time for testing.  

IMPORTANT: After you schedule your appointment, you will receive further instructions in the confirmation email.  (Check your spam folder if you do not immediately see this in your inbox.)

Registration:

Prior to your assessment, you will need to self-enroll in the Blackboard organization, GTA Testing & Tutoring.  To do this, go to this link and click SUBMIT.

Once you've enrolled, visit the GTA Testing & Tutoring site, please follow the instructions for completing and uploading the test registration form, a copy of your photo ID, and your offer letter.  Also, this site contains useful information about preparing for the assessment and accessing the testing session online.

Eligibility:

Please note: In order to be eligible to take the GTA Oral English Assessment, you MUST have an official offer letter from your department or be a finalist for a GTA position.  Also, ONLY students who were required to submit English proficiency examination scores as part of their application to GMU are required to take the GTA oral English assessment.  Please see the Admissions Office website for further details:  https://www2.gmu.edu/admissions-aid/how-apply/international

Assessment Format:

The assessment you will be taking is the Classroom English Language and Teaching Demonstration (CELTD) for which you will be asked to deliver a 15-minute classroom lecture on a topic related to your proposed GTA assignment.  For example, you could provide a course overview and an explanation of class assignments.  Alternatively, you could provide an introductory lesson on basic course material, or a more in-depth lesson on a key concept or term.  The choice of topic is yours; however, your presentation should be simplified and clear enough so that a novice in your field (like the people who will be scoring your test) will be able to understand it.   Feel free to "recycle" a presentation that you have previously delivered for a class you have taken.

During and after your presentation, the evaluator(s) will ask you a number of questions about the material you present. Blackboard's Collaborate Ultra will enable you to share slides, applications, and your screen; you will also have a virtual whiteboard accessible to you.

Scoring/Results:

Your CELTD assessment will be video recorded and scored by a qualified rater, and the results will be posted on the Blackboard site for GTA Testing & Tutoring, usually within 1-3 business days.  GTAs who do not fully pass the assessment and each subsection (pronunciation, grammar, and discourse competence) will be required to attend English language tutoring sessions in the LRC.

For questions, email: intohelp@gmu.edu.