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Seal of Biliteracy Survey from Georgetown
The Assessment and Evaluation Language Resource Center (AELRC) at Georgetown is conducting a nationwide survey about the Seal of Biliteracy. The Seal of Biliteracy is an award given by some states to graduating seniors who show that they can proficiently use two languages (see this website for more details: http://sealofbiliteracy.org/). We hope that our research will help policymakers understand what works and what doesn’t about this new initiative.
If you are an educator involved in implementing the Seal of Biliteracy, we would like to invite you to participate in the survey to share your opinions, experiences, and ideas about this new policy. The survey will take roughly 15 minutes to complete. Your information will be kept confidential to the best of our ability. We hope to have your perspective included. Thank you! Questions? Contact Margaret Borowczyk at mb2134@georgetown.edu.
Herzlich Willkommen!!
German Native Ellsworth Community College Social Science Professor Joerg Rochlitzer is offering unique
interactive online German Culture and Language sessions to High schools. Enrich your German Language
and Culture students with unique, interactive German Culture and Language sessions online.
He is offering the following:
- “Spielend Lernen”: Talking about German Food, Culture, Sport, Politics, Religion, Travel, History,
Music and Games.
- “Interessante Leute treffen”: Inviting interesting people from Germany, like Politicians,
Musicians, Artists and Teachers to sessions.
- “Spiel und Spass zu Hause”: Make Students feel good about themselves at home with unique,
fun interactive experiences.
- “Zusammen besser”: I offer individual sessions for High schools or connected sessions with
multiple classes and schools in Iowa.
Contact Joerg at Gerd.Rochlitzer@iavalley.edu if you are interested in having him speak with your classes.
54 Marshalltown Students Awarded Biliteracy Seal
Fifty-four Marshalltown Community School District students received Iowa’s Biliteracy Seal this spring. The award is given to students who demonstrate proficiency in two or more languages, including English. Last year, when the program was introduced, 16 MCSD students were awarded the seal. Through the dedication of staff and students, Marshalltown schools have seen a large increase in those given the award.
Students choose to participate in the program, and anyone is welcome.
“It’s open to any student to participate in,” Rachel Inks, director of the English Language Learner program, said.
She is joined by other district employees, including world language teachers, English language teachers, administrators and counselors, to comprise a biliteracy committee.
Many of the students involved are native speakers of their non-English language. They have been speaking the language their whole lives, leading to their proficiency. We know our students come to us with a variety of experiences,” Inks said. According to her, there are two required components to earn the award.
Students must demonstrate literacy in English through state assessments. Along with this, they must complete an assessment called STAMP, which stands for Standards-based Measurement of Proficiency. This tests students on their ability to speak, listen, read and write in the language.
Students can either be native speakers of their non-English language or use the foreign language they have studied for school. Students can also earn the triliteracy award, though none were given this year. This year all biliteracy awards were awarded to students who demonstrated proficiency in English and Spanish. Inks said this student accomplishment shows their commitment to language diversity. “I think this really speaks to our students,” she said. Inks also mentioned these students “seek to make global connections,” which demonstrates the importance of biliteracy. According to Immigrant Allies of Marshalltown, 25.8 percent of Marshalltown residents are native speakers of a non-English language. The national average is 21.1 percent.
(Source: Marshalltown Times Republican)
New Reports Available
Making Language Our Business: Addressing Foreign Language Demand Among U.S. Employers, is a new report released by Lead with Languages to highlight the strong connection between business needs and bilingual education. Check it out here. You can also view another report, Not Lost in Translation: The Growing Importance of Foreign Language Skills in the U.S. Job Market.
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Resources that Address Issues of Race, Diversity and Social Justice
ACTFL has put together a webpage with extensive resources to support social justice. This includes ebooks, webinars, articles, webpages, and more. Check out these resources here.
Lingt
Lingt allows you to create speaking assignments and assessments for your students. Offer individualized feedback to help students get the most out of your class. Find out more here.
Podcasts
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Read Conmigo: The Read Conmigo Podcast inspires and enables parents to raise bilingual, bicultural, and kindhearted children. Each episode is filled with tangible tips and real-life stories of students, educators, and parents sharing their bilingual journey and how they are making a difference today.
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Tres Cuentos: The bilingual podcast dedicated to the literary, historical and traditional narratives of Latin America. Each episode is in English y en Español. Every episode tells a story and it is follow by a commentary where we explore historical and social aspects of the story.
Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA)
CARLA has extensive research on language acquisition, but also lots of professional development resources. In addition, they recently published a document to support language teaching remotely. You can view that document here.
National Foreign Language Center Conference
Did you miss the National Foreign Language Center virtual conference? Topics range from adjusting instruction during the upcoming school year to cultivating a target language and more. You can now view recorded sessions on their YouTube channel here.
Stefanie Rosenberg Wager
Social Studies Consultant
21st Century Skills- Civic and Financial Literacy
World Languages
Iowa Department of Education
Grimes State Office Building
400 E. 14th Street
Des Moines, IA 50319
Phone: 515-725-7842
Cell: 515-419-2876
Fax: 515-242-5988
Email: stefanie.wager@iowa.gov
Social Studies standards, website, Iowa Core Social Studies, newsletter, calendar, Pinterest
Financial Literacy website, newsletter, Pinterest
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