English for Academic Purposes (EAP) Information for International Teaching Assistants

The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee International Teaching Assistant Assessment (MITAA) is a requirement for some international teaching assistants who are non-native speakers of English and who will be assigned classroom duties as part of a graduate teaching assistantship.

The English Language Academy (ELA) Office has established the MITAA as the tool for assessing spoken English proficiency of international teaching assistants. The MITAA evaluates English language proficiency, cultural competency, and teaching skills for the classroom. The assessment is administered by the English Language Academy International Teaching Assistant (ITA) coordinators, Mark Sondrol and Mark Sullivan. To contact about scheduling a MITAA, please contact Mark Sullivan. To contact about receiving feedback on the MITAA assessment and exiting reporting, please contact Mark Sondrol.

Note: Not all prospective International Teaching Assistants must take the MITAA. You do not have to take the assessment if you have a recent (within the last 2 years) standardized test score:

• 24 or better on the Speaking section of the internet-Based TOEFL (iBT) or
• 7.0 or better on the Speaking section of the IELTS
• 125 or better on the Conversation and Production sections of the Duolingo English Test 

If you are unsure if you need to take the MITAA, please check with your academic department or Mark Sondrol.

For more information, contact the ITA coordinators above.

Background: The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System established policy 20-17 in December 1991 concerning the selection, training, and evaluation of teaching assistants. Section 1.B states: “Non-native English speakers must be required to demonstrate proficiency in spoken English before they are assigned classroom duties as teaching assistants.”