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News and Announcements
The April EL Monthly Conversation has been cancelled. The May EL Monthly Conversation will take place from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 14, 2024. The topic will be Supporting Dually Identified English Learners with guest presenter, Dwanna Cooper from the Virginia Department of Education's Office of Special Education Instructional Services. To register for this opportunity, enroll in the English Learner Central Canvas course. You must be a Virginia K-12 educator to register for the course and attend the EL Monthly Conversation.
Reminder: Alternate ACCESS scores and reports arrive in fall.
As WIDA is currently going through the process of standard setting for the Alternate ACCESS, 2023-24 Alternate ACCESS score reports will be released in fall 2024. Peruse Conversations with Candoo: WIDA Alternate ACCESS standard setting to learn about the standard setting event and how standard setting affects scores and reports.
School Division Spotlight: Fredericksburg City Public Schools
Recently, several James Monroe High School seniors took part in the “Superintendent Community Roundtable”, which gathers various stakeholders from the school division, parents and family members, community members, and business partners to discuss important topics of collaboration in support of student success. At the most recent Superintendent Community Roundtable two of these high school seniors entered US schools within the past five years speaking little to no English. These students highlighted the support offered in the school division, as well as the 1:1 relationship they established with their English language teachers. The goal of these discussions is to garner support from the community to empower all students to succeed.
Celebrating Diversity and Empowering Students is the Theme of Latest FCPS Superintendent Community Roundtable (substack.com)
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Resources and Opportunities
Resources
Hot off the press... Assessing English Learners with Disabilities: A Glossary of Terms! This brand-new glossary demystifies the terms, acronyms and jargon that are used by those who support multilingual learners with disabilities. The Advancing ALTELLA team created the glossary so that everyone who supports multilingual learners with disabilities can have a shared understanding of the terms we use about these important students.
Take advantage of WIDA’s digital tools to help you save time while planning your classroom instruction. Use the WIDA ELD Standards Framework, 2020 Digital Explorer to quickly and easily reference grade-level cluster Language Expectations and Proficiency Level Descriptors (PLDs).
Opportunities
WCEPS presents a FREE Tips & Dips webinar: A Snapshot on Supporting Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. (CT) on Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Use this link to register.
Summer Teachers of Multilingual Learners Institute with the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL)
Registration is open for three 2024 Summer Institutes in Washington D.C. for teachers of multilingual learners. July 8-11: CAL SIOP Training-of-Trainers Foundations. July 15-18: CAL SIOP Overview and CAL SIOP Training-of-Trainers Advanced Coaching Strategies. K-12 teachers will enhance their knowledge and use of the SIOP Model to support classroom instruction for Multilingual learners in their school or division. All institutes feature activities, lectures, and collaboration with fellow teachers and leading experts. Meals are included. For more information, contact Kia Johnson, Director of PK-12 Language and Literacy at solutions@cal.org.
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Content Connections
In 1990 Earth Day, celebrated on April 22nd, became a global celebration with 141 countries around the world focused on the needs of the planet. This is a great opportunity to integrate language into content by supporting the modes of communication. For example, students can view a video on the three Rs (reduce, reuse, and recycle) and share their knowledge orally or in writing. They can also read a book and represent their understanding by creating a poster or writing a public service announcement. To learn more about how to integrate the WIDA ELD Standards Framework, 2020 edition into content lessons, explore the Implementation Guide.
Region 2 Workshop: Supporting Multilingual Learners in the Science Classroom
On March 27, 2024, 43 teachers and leaders from region 2 engaged in a six-hour workshop facilitated by VDOE staff Myra Thayer, Science Specialist and Jo-el Cox, Coordinator of Multilingual Learner Instruction. This interactive workshop was designed to engage participants in learning that supports the effective instruction of multilingual learners within the science classroom. The workshop addressed how to capitalize on the assets multilingual learners bring to the science classroom and how to integrate the WIDA ELD Standards Framework, 2020 edition within the 5E model for science instruction.
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Reference within this presentation to any specific commercial or non-commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer or otherwise does not constitute or imply endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the Virginia Department of Education. |
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