Studying English? Spend your time and money wisely... By Deborah R. Sandstrom.

When we buy something expensive, we try to be sure that we are getting a good value for our money. We talk to someone who has personal experience, and we visit the website. We also look for an expert to give us an opinion or rating. Hotels and restaurants have 5-star ratings, and we know that 5-stars means very good. Movies also have ratings like thumbs up or thumbs down and A, B, C, D.  We use these ratings to choose which DVD to watch.

As you look for the best place to study English, you will visit many websites. You will talk with other students or friends and relatives who have some experience. But how can you get an expert's opinion about an English program? How can you find a 5-star English program? The answer is simple: Look for an accredited program.

What does Accredited mean?

Accredited programs have been evaluated by experts. Accredited means that a program has been tested or examined and that it has passed the test with a high grade.

The word accredit comes from the Latin word credere which means trust or believe. The adjective accredited means officially recognized or tested by authorities. In other words, experts have studied the program and decided that it has a high level of quality. Universities and colleges in the United States want to be accredited because diplomas from unaccredited schools are not valuable. People are afraid that unaccredited universities do not give a good education.

Aren't all English language programs checked to be sure they are good?

There are many good English programs in the world, but not all programs are checked to be sure their quality is good. Only accredited programs have been evaluated by experts in a complete, formal way. The quality of unaccredited programs is untested.

English language programs in universities and colleges and independent language schools in the United States can be evaluated and accredited by the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation (CEA). CEA evaluates programs and schools in the U.S. and all over the world.

The Accreditation Process

To become accredited by CEA, a program must do a long, complete study of itself. This study is of the 10 major parts of a good program. These 10 parts are divided into 52 specific standards. In the study, the program must explain what it does for its students, how it helps them achieve their goals, and how it meets each standard. While the program is collecting information, writing descriptions, and answering questions about what it does, it finds weaknesses and then makes changes to improve itself. The study, covering all 52 standards, is read by evaluators and then, during a visit, the evaluators check that the study is true by looking at documents, interviewing staff and teachers, and touring the whole program. The accreditation process, which takes about two years to complete, truly results in a high quality program. Programs and schools that are currently accredited by CEA can be found on the CEA website (www.cea-accredit.org).

What are you looking for? What do you need from your English program?

When you are choosing an English program, you will have some important things that you are looking for. Perhaps you are worried about the quality of the faculty, or maybe you want to have lots of social activities. Maybe you want to have good computer access. If you attend an accredited program, you can be sure that you will get exactly what the program has advertised. The following description explains some of the main things that you can expect from accredited programs.

Mission

All accredited programs have clear mission statements. When you read the mission of an accredited program, you can tell what the focus of the program is. Maybe you want a program that focuses on academic preparation. Maybe you want to study English for fun. Maybe you want to work on your speaking and listening skills only. From the mission statement, you will know if this program teaches the things you want to learn.

Faculty

In an accredited program, all of the teachers have the proper education for the classes they teach. They have experience in teaching and they keep up-to-date in English teaching. Any graduate student teachers are properly supervised. During the accreditation process, the program shows Curriculum Vitae and other documents to prove the teachers╒ education, experience, and professional development activities. The teachers are also observed and interviewed. In an accredited school, you will have teachers who are well educated and who know what they are doing.

Curriculum, Student Achievement and Length and Structure of Program

In an accredited program, the way the sessions, classes and levels are organized is clear, and the form of the program has been carefully designed to match the mission of the program and meet the goals of the students. Students are placed into appropriate classes with a good placement procedure. The curriculum has been carefully planned and written down. Each course has specific goals. The materials and methods that are used are appropriate for achieving those goals. The curriculum is reviewed and revised so that it is not old fashioned but is up-to-date. In addition, the ways that students are evaluated and graded are well thought out. Student success is determined according to how well students have achieved the goals of a class. When the classes, class content, and evaluation are organized well, you will be able to learn more quickly and easily, and you will probably enjoy your classes more.

Administrative and Fiscal Capacity

An accredited program is organized and managed well. It has good business practices and follows the law. In addition, the staff are properly trained for their jobs. These characteristics are very important since finances, legal status and personal privacy are involved. An accredited program will have enough people in the office so that business is done well, your questions can be answered, and your needs can be taken care of quickly.

Student Services, Student Complaints, Recruitment

An accredited program has shown that it really does give students everything that is advertised on the website or in the brochure. The program gives students an orientation and helps them in many other academic and personal ways. An accredited program also reviews the ways it helps students and makes changes to meet new student needs. In addition, it has a clear method for responding to student complaints. You can be sure that someone will listen to your problems and concerns and help you with them.

Conclusion

Choosing your English program is like choosing which car to buy. Do you want a Toyota or a Peugeot or a Mercedes Benz? Do you want a sports car or an SUV? Do you want a manual or an automatic? Leather seats? A GPS? You might have thought that the biggest decision you had to make was simply your decision to study English in another country. However, your most important decision may be choosing which English program to attend. You want to be sure that the program is good quality and has what you are looking for. If you choose an accredited program, you can feel confident that you will get your money's worth. All you will need to do is study hard and enjoy your experience.

-------

Standard: A description of a level of quality

Ten major Standard Areas Meaning

Mission=  Goals of the program

Curriculum=  The things that are taught

Faculty=  Teachers

Facilities, Equipment and Supplies= Rooms and materials for teaching and learning

Administrative and Fiscal Capacity= Management and finances of the program

Student Services=  Taking care of students' other needs

Recruiting=  Advertising the program.

Length and Structure of the Program of Study= Organization of levels, classes and hours 

Student Achievement=  Testing and grading

Student Complaints=  What happens when students complain?

-------

Deborah is a Curriculum Coordinator at the Tutorium in Intensive English at the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Commissioner for the Commission on English Language Program Accreditation