Welcome to the new school year! As your World Language Program Supervisor for Washington State, I welcome you to the new school year. My office is at OSPI (Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction) in Olympia. My work is with you. Together, we do a world of good for our students as we deliver strong language programs.
World language teachers are among the best at actively engaging learners and ensuring they not only know (linguistically) the target language but can actually do something meaningful (proficiency) with it. We measure proficiency through Competency Testing. We reward high levels of proficiency with the Washington State Seal of Biliteracy.
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Communication is central to this process as we draw on all 5 Cs* of the ACTFL World Readiness Standards. Connections to other disciplines expands perspectives and future career opportunities. We’ll continue to improve the online World Language OER (Open Educational Resource) HUB so that you can share your favorite lessons with colleagues no matter where you are located in the state. Day or night. Worktime or downtime. Let’s walk, talk, dance, sing, share stories and challenge ourselves and our students to higher ground in learning languages! You MATTER!
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 East Valley High School, Spokane WA: Language educators look forward to the 2019 school year! Pictured left to right: Mary Hirst (ASL), Jessica Ruiz (Spanish), Brenda Gaver (Spanish), and Allison Meerdink (French).
Have a great year!
Dr. Michele Aoki steps down from her position as Seattle School District International Education Administrator. We wish Dr. Aoki a fond farewell as she retires from her Seattle SD position. She will continue to pursue her language and advocacy passions, including her Washington Association for Language Teaching (WAFLT) Board work, her Global Seal of Biliteracy work, and many other worthy endeavors. Our continued thanks to Dr. Aoki!
Dr. Thad Williams steps up to fill the position of Seattle School District International Education Administrator. Welcome, Dr. Williams! Thad and Michele made a recent stop at the UW STARTALK program in August. They met up with Yamina Young, originally from Morocco, attending the STARTALK Teacher Program in Arabic. Ms. Young teaches French and Spanish at Franklin High School, Seattle.
Pictured left to right are: Dr. Thad Williams, Ms. Yamina Young, and Dr. Michele Aoki.
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WA state public school districts participating in the Seal of Biliteracy award should have their 2019 “earned” Seals posted into their SIS (Student Information System). There is some posting flexibility due to districts waiting for qualifying AP and IB scores. Districts have until Friday, September 6, to post any additional 2019 school year Seal of Biliteray awards. Thank you!
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ACTFL Conference 2019
November 22-24, 2019
(Pre-convention Workshops – November 21, 2019)
Opening General Session Keynote Speaker, Raghida Dergham
Raghida Dergham will speak at the General Session when she will give the keynote address: Dare to Differ: Empowerment, Respect, and Inclusion. Her role as an international correspondent and television commentator on global affairs in the U.S., Europe, Russia, China and the Arab world, lends itself well to address this topic. Click here to read more.
The Closing General Session Speaker, Christopher Emdin, assistant professor of science education at Teachers College, Columbia University. Dr. Emdin is a social critic, public intellectual, and science advocate whose commentary on issues of race, culture, inequity, and education have appeared in dozens of influential publications including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post. He is uniquely qualified to address Teaching and Learning from the Student’s Standpoint. Click here to read more.
Use the ACTFL Online Convention Program to explore hundreds of concurrent sessions, exhibitor workshops, meetings and special events awaiting you from November 22-24, 2019.
Click here to register for the 2019 ACTFL Convention and Expo in Washington D.C!
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Ideas, resources, and articles to inspire:
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