View this message online

April 2023

New Superintendent of Public Instruction

Dr. Lisa Coons has been appointed as Virginia’s 27th Superintendent of Public Instruction. Dr. Coons most recently served as Chief Academic Officer for the Tennessee Department of Education, where she led all birth to grade-12 academic programming, including K-12 teaching and learning in language arts, mathematics, science, and fine arts; early childhood education; voluntary pre-K and Head Start. Dr. Coons’ appointment is effective Monday, April 17, 2023. Read more from VDOE!

VDOE Updates

Governor's World Language Academies (GWLA)

SMApply System Error

There was a system malfunction on March 17 that caused applicants for the GWLA to get an autogenerated email.  Students were immediately notified that this was a system error and that the notices that were sent do not reflect any acceptance decisions.  No applications have been assigned a decision status yet as the malfunction occurred whole moving applications into the next level of review where the status would be assigned.

Status Updates

Student applicants to the Governor's World Language Academies will receive status notices via email from the SMApply system on or around April 15, 2023. Students may also see their current status by logging in to their SMApply account.

The school division central office contact will receive a status update list via email on or around April 8, 2023 with information for all nominees from that school division.  The central office contact should share this notification after April 15, 2023 with any school or central office contacts within the school division who need or request this information.

Dual Language/ Immersion

Submit your program information for the DL/I directory

VDOE is creating a directory of dual language and immersion programs from around the state and we are asking all program administrators to please submit this short information form with details of your program(s).

Summer DL/I administrators conference

VDOE, in partnership with VADLEN, will host a three-day summer institute for school and division leaders involved in the planning or implementation of dual language / immersion programs.  The Institute will take place on June 27-29, 2023 in Henrico County.  Registration is now open for school and division level administrators and supervisors, curriculum leads, and others involved in the administration and supervision of dual language/ immersion programs in Virginia.  Breakfast, lunch, and lodging will be provided to accepted participants.  The limited spaces will be filled on a first come, first served basis with priority given to ensure balanced regional representation and support for newer programs or administrators new to the dual language school.

International Education

Fulbright Leaders for Global Schools – Opportunity for school administrators

To support school administrators in their work, the U.S. Department of State is accepting applications for U.S. school and district administrators to participate in a 10-day intensive international exchange and professional learning program. As part of the Fulbright Leaders for Global Schools Program, in Fall 2023, a group of primary and secondary school administrators from the United States will travel to Germany for a ten-day trip. Application deadline is April 17.

New pathway to becoming a teacher of French

The Multi-State Pathways to Teaching French program is accepting applications until Sunday, April 15, 2023. See the  Embassy of France's K-12 Education page for details, including eligibility guidelines, program dates, and the application form.

News and Notes

FLAVA Updates

Registration now open for FLAVA spring conference

This year's Spring mini-conference, Reconnect and Reenergize, will be held at Washington & Lee University in beautiful Lexington, VA on April 22, 2023.  Registration is open with regular registration for $40 and student/presenter registration for $20. Breakfast and lunch are included for all attendees who register online by April 5, 2023. Onsite registration will also be available but will not include meals. 

The 2023 World Language Teacher of the Year is...

The search is on for the next World Language Teacher of the Year and nominees for the other FLAVA awards.    The deadline for submission of completed award nomination packets is May 1.  You can find details on the FLAVA Awards website.

In the News

Article: How dyslexia changes in other languages. Researchers have found that picking up a second language at a young age can be helpful for students with dyslexia, as the phonological difficulties encountered in one language do not always affect reading in other languages.

Virginia Educator featured in ACTLF Smartbrief: Virtual field trip ideas from Va. educator . Teachers can use virtual reality technology to take students on field trips without ever leaving the classroom, says Branden Wells, instructional technology resource teacher for Salem City Schools in Virginia. In this blog post, he shares several ideas, including one in which VR is used to help English language learners take their classmates on trips to their home countries.

Grants and Resources

FY23 World Language Advancement and Readiness Grants Program

The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) is accepting innovative applications for FY23 WLARA grant program. The deadline to apply is April 7, 2023.  The WLARA grants support the establishment, improvement, or expansion of world language programs targeting elementary and secondary students, The grants aim to enable successful students, as they advance from elementary school through secondary school, to achieve an advanced level of proficiency in those languages. Each individual grant award will be a minimum of $500,000.00 and may be up to a maximum of $2,000,000, for a period of up to five (5) years.  You can view a pre-recorded technical assistance webinar provided by the Department of Defense Education Activity to learn more.

Hold on to Your Home Language brochure

This short brightly colored brochure is prepared especially for teachers and parents. It is available in 21 languages and provides information on: the importance of home languages, reasons for maintaining the home language, advantages of using two languages, and myths about home language learning. If the brochure is not available in your language, and you would like to provide a translation, contact Roma Chumak-Horbatsch at rchumak@ryerson.ca. 

Heritage Language Symposium presentations and recording

The University of Washington recently organized the 9th symposium on working with Heritage Language learners. Presentation slides and recordings - including the Keynote are available on the symposium website.

Professional Learning Opportunities

Learn ASL online for free

The Oklahoma School for the Deaf and Blind has made available free online courses in basic American Sign Language for adult learners. These are non-credit level courses and do not count towards professional development hours or continuing education units. They are simply basic courses in conversational American Sign Language.

Registration open for EdcampCIVa 2023

This free two-day summer event focuses on teaching with comprehensible input and collaboration between teachers.  It will take place at Cape Henry Collegiate in Virginia Beach, Virginia on Tuesday, June 27th to Wednesday, June 28th from 9:00 am-1:00 pm. Visit the EdcampCIVa website for more information and online registration.

PEARLL Leadership Academy: July 12-14, 2023

If you are a department chair, district coordinator or supervisor, or aspiring leader, sign up now for the new PEARLL Leadership Academy! Join other leaders at the National Foreign Language Center on the University of Maryland campus, to collaborate with and learn from others to better serve the teachers and programs you support. Academy activities will include presentations from national experts, small discussion groups to process new information, and simulations where participants will apply their learning in a low-stakes environment and receive feedback from their peers. 

Registration Opens for PEARLL Summer Institutes

PEARLL is excited to announce that registration for its annual series of summer institutes in 2023 is now open! This year’s online summer institutes are once again built around the TELL Pathways to Learner Success providing busy educators with unique opportunities to focus on an area of personal growth of interest to them. Join other educators to acquire new knowledge on the most essential proven practices, collaborate to process new learning in small group discussions, and apply new skills with the help of an experienced educator. This summer, PEARLL invites you to explore effective practices and start the school year more energized and ready to embed practices that keep the focus on the learner.

CARLA Summer Institute Program 2023

The Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA) at the University of Minnesota provides high-quality professional development for language teachers that link research and theory with practical applications for the classroom. This summer, CARLA will offer 15 institutes (online and in-person in Minneapolis) on a wide range of topics: Teaching Language Through the Lens of Social Justice, Transforming the Teaching of Language Online, Critical Approaches to Heritage Language Education, Teaching for Proficiency in Dual Language Immersion, Practical Program Evaluation for Instructors of LCTLs, and many more!  Find details on the CARLA Summer Institute website.

Note: The inclusion of any professional development opportunity on this list from other entities does NOT constitute endorsement or verification by the Virginia Department of Education.