Have you ever felt like Dorothy, heroine of The Wizard of Oz, right after the tornado has dropped her unceremoniously in the Land of Oz, a mixture of confusion, fear, anticipation, and excitement? Luckily for Dorothy (and Toto, too!), she meets dozens of caring creatures who give her guidance on how to get what she wants: to go home to Kansas. Glinda shows her the path, the Scarecrow, Tinman, and Cowardly Lion act as guardians and companions, and the citizens of Oz offer her food, shelter, and a place to clean herself up. But still, nobody tells her what her dream should be and even the most beautiful of golden paths still holds potential danger and distraction from the destination.

At the beginning of every school year, I always saw each of my students as Dorothy in search of their own Yellow Brick Road. My goal was to help guide them, brick by brick, toward their ultimate goal. Washington's Graduation Pathways offer students more than just one way to graduate and it's important that students and families understand not only how language belongs in all of them, but also that no pathway is an "alternate". Multilingual plumbers or estheticians can serve a greater population of customers. Service in the Armed Forces can provide structure and purpose for those unsure of their career goals. And if a student wishes to study Korean or German or American Sign Language, they should be able to, despite the "marketability" of the language. 

Educators are should not be the gatekeepers of knowledge or the ones who will choose a student's path. If we hide information away so that a student will not choose the pathway we ourselves would not, then we are setting them up for failure. Dorothy knew of the dangers of the Wicked Witch and that helped her to protect herself and save her friends. Kiddos need to know that success can be found both at home AND over the rainbow. 

Encourage all of your learners to look at all the pathways as means of success. And take heart for the school year from Glinda.

“You've always had the power my dear, you just had to learn it yourself.” 

Dr. V
veronica.trapani@k12.wa.us
360-819-0950

Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI):

World Languages 

Open Office Hours

Starting in September, World Languages will be hosting office hours. This will allow time for anyone - students, educators, district personnel, etc. - to ask Dr. Trapani questions regarding ANYTHING World Languages-related. She cannot guarantee she'll know the answers to every question, but she'll try!

During the busiest months (September, October, May, and June), office hours will be weekly. All other meetings will occur once a month. 

Register for OSPI World Languages Office Hours to get them all added to your calendar. You only need to register once. 

September and October 2022 Dates:
Wed, Sept 21 | 11:00 am -1:00 pm
Wed, Sept 28 | 11:00 am -1:00 pm
Tues, Oct 4 | 11:00 am -1:00 pm
Wed, Oct 12 | 11:00 am -1:00 pm
Thurs, October 20 | 11:00 am -1:00 pm
Thurs, October 27 | 11:00 am -1:00 pm

Language in Service: Connecting Washington's Military Graduation Pathway with World Language Education

In-Person Professional Development Opportunity

Have you or your students ever wondered how speaking a language other than English can be useful while serving our country? With this Clock, Equity, and Educational Leadership-Hour qualified professional development, teachers, counselors, and other district administrators will have the opportunity to meet with Educational Service Outreach Specialists, recruiters, and veterans from our Armed Forced as well as university officials to understand how students can utilize the Military Graduation Pathway (ASVAB) as a way to achieve their career, community, and college goals.

This will be a three (3) hour, in-person event hosted by the Edmonds College Veterans Resource Center in coordination with OSPI and the outreach branches of our Armed Services. Representatives from the Army, Navy, and Washington Army National Guard will be there to present and answer questions. 

Registration is limited to 25 people. There is no cost to attend. 

Sat, November 5 | 9:00 am - 12:00 pm PDT | Register here

Reporting World Language: PD Opportunity

Reporting World Language: Language Proficiency, Competency-based Credits, and the Seal of Biliteracy

This professional development focuses on educating district officials (registrars, educators, administrators, counselors, assessment coordinators, etc.) about two World Language programs: Competency-based Credits and the Seal of Biliteracy. Each has expanded over the years and with the recent changes, these sessions will aid in the who, what, when, where, and why of reporting data to CEDARS. Attendees will also learn about language proficiency and why it's crucial to the future of language education and assessment. Each session is 90 minutes and offers Clock, Equity, and Educational Leadership Hours. Each session is limited to 20 attendees.

After the last session, a recording of the webinar will be available on the World Languages' website and on OSPI's YouTube Channel. The PowerPoint will also be available as a download.

Contact Dr. Veronica Trapani, Associate Director for Content, World Languages at veronica.trapani@k12.wa.us or 360-819-0950 if you have any questions.

Click here to register. 

One Remaining Session!
Wed, Sept 28 | 2:30 - 4:00 pm

World Languages Website Updates

Check out these updated pages!

OSPI's web team has been busy behind the scenes making the World Languages website more useful and user-friendly. 

There's a brand-new Language Proficiency page which explains in plain talk about what LP is, how it can be used, and how it's measured. This can be a useful toolkit for helping families understand how language learning and success might be different from other content areas. 

Searching for a test? Check out the new and evolving OSPI-Approved Language Proficiency Assessment Options site! Search by language OR provider and even request custom exams! Each section has information on credit alignment, provides sample tests and score sheets (based on availability), and more! 

The Competency-based Credit page has undergone an overhaul for Students and Families. District information will be coming in the next few months. 

Next in line for updates include the Seal of Biliteracy , Resources, and a new Teacher Certification guide. Check back and let us know what type of information you'd like to see!

Custom Testing for Super Less Commonly Tested Languages

OSPI is once again proud to offer Custom Testing for Competency-based Credits and the Washington State Seal of Biliteracy in partnership with Avant Assessment and Extempore. OSPI will also again be covering $5,000 worth of assessments on a first-come, first-serve basis but new this year is that ALL super LCTL languages qualify, not just those listed. 

Currently available assessments include:  Bangla/Bengali, Bisaya/Visaya, Cebuano, Chinese (Cantonese), Chamorro, Danish, Estonian, Fijian, Gujarati, Hungarian, Icelandic, Kanjobal/Q'anjob'al, Kapampangan/Pampango, Kosraean, Mandinka, Malayalam, Moldovan, Palauan, Pangasinan, Pohnpeian (Micronesian), Quecha, Sanskrit, Shona, Soninke, Swedish, Tibetan, Tongan, Yapese

Requests can be made through the Custom testing website. It is important to request early as it is not always possible to find and train raters so knowing as soon as possible is better for all of us!  

Contact Lisa Werner, Super LCTL Manager at Avant, if you have any connections or leads for possible raters for all languages. Raters are paid for training as well as the tests they assess. 

 Washington School for the Deaf Work Experience and English Language Arts Teacher Dana Miles has been named 2023 Washington State Teacher of the Year, and Mount Vernon High School Multilingual Student/Family Liaison Veronica Gonzalez has been named 2022 Washington State Classified School Employee of the Year.

Both Miles and Gonzalez will move forward to the national competition for their awards. Dana Miles will compete for the National Teacher of the Year award, to be announced in Spring 2023. Gonzalez will compete for the national Recognizing Inspirational School Employees (RISE) award, administered by the U.S. Department of Education.

Read more here. 

Washington State Board of Education 

We want to visit classrooms, and buy you lunch!

But first, we need name suggestions from Washington students for our new Instagram seal. Students can submit their ideas, or educators can do this for them by emailing sbe@k12.wa.us. The student (or class) that wins the final name (state-wide vote, and SBE committee selection) gets: 

• A pizza party for their class (courtesy of our Executive Director)
• A visit to a classroom of their choice from State Board delegates, and the seal of course (whenever timing is not disruptive)
• A feature of your classroom in the State Board's newsletter, and highlights across all official social media channels 
• Bragging rights that you named the official SBE seal

On our visit, we'd love to learn more about what your students are experiencing at school. We can also share about our state's education system and how state policy works. The deadline for our seal's naming contest is September 30. Details can be found here: sbe.wa.gov/seal. Share our posts about this on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and/or LinkedIn.

Washington State:

Washington Association for Language Teaching (WAFLT-WA)

Bi-State WAFLT-COFLT Fall Conference

Reconnect | Reflect | Refresh

The 2022 Fall WAFLT-COFLT conference will take place October 13-15th at the Holiday Inn Portland - Columbia Riverfront (formerly the Red Lion) in Portland, Oregon. 

If you need a letter of support for your administrator, please download this one. 

OSPI Support Letter 2022.pdf

Registration: Visit our events page to register. Log in first for a quicker registration on our new system! Registration includes 2 lunches, 2 receptions and free clock hours for WAFLT members. A preliminary schedule of events is also available. 

• $120 for current WAFLT members 
  Join WAFLT or Renew your membership here.  
• $90 for current WAFLT retired members.
• $150 for current PNCFL members from our sibling organizations
• $200 for non-members with two lunches
• $50 for current Students

Add ons:

• Thursday's pre-conference workshop - Supporting Heritage Learners - $50
• Saturday's post-conference workshops - TBD, 2 to choose from -  $25 

Lodging:

Holiday Inn Portland - Columbia Riverfront 

Please help support our conference by booking your room with this link. WAFLT must meet a booking minimum in order to avoid extra charges. 

The Center for Strengthening the Teaching Profession

Culturally Responsive Education in the Classroom Teacher Residency

Apply now for your team, school or district to participate in an on-site 2022-2023 CRE Teacher Residency. Fill out our 22-23 application and we will contact you in Fall 2022 regarding this program.

The Culturally Responsive Education (CRE) in the Classroom Residency is a unique and intensive professional development experience in which their team receives coaching, facilitation and technical assistance from Dr. Adeyemi Stembridge, author of “Culturally Responsive Education in the Classroom.”

Residencies are designed based on the need of the educators and their students, and include 18 hours of in person learning, coaching and technical assistance around the mental model that serves as the foundation for a culturally responsive classroom. Generally the 18 hours are covered in a three-day sub release model. The dates and schedule will be mutually agreed upon once your team is selected and approved. We anticipate selecting up to 24 schools or districts for this one of a kind professional development training.

World Affairs Council

Global Competence Certificate for Heritage Language Speakers
(UPCOMING INFO SESSIONS)

Come learn about the Heritage Language Grant for the Global Competence Certificate for Heritage Speakers!
What: Year-long remote-learning program for students to earn the Global Competence Certificate for Heritage Speakers and the Global Seal of Biliteracy.

Who: Washington State Public high school heritage speakers of Romanian, Russian, or Spanish — and now, Ukrainian.

When: See schedule of Info Sessions below. The program will run through the school year 2022-2023.

Cost: The program is free for qualified public high school (or middle school) students. Students, parents, teachers, counselors, and other interested community members are welcome to register for the information sessions.

Info Session: Heritage Language Grant – Global Competence Cert
When: Monday, September 26, 2022 06:30-07:30 PM Pacific Time
Register in advance for this Zoom meeting Sep 26 Focus on Ukrainian
After you register, you will receive the Zoom link.

Please reach out to Global Classroom Director, Ryan Hauck, at rhauck@world-affairs.org with any questions!

Click to Learn More

Intern with Global Classroom this School Year!

The World Affairs Council has a 70-year history of advancing global understanding and engagement throughout greater Seattle. We envision a community that is connected, actively engaged, and inspired to create change in the world. The Council has long dedicated itself to fostering dialogue and debate about critical global issues. This is achieved through public events, Global Classroom programming for K-12 educators and students, and diplomacy initiatives that engage international delegations with our community. Our platform connects civic, academic, corporate, and individual members around world issues. We are part of a vibrant global city; our goal is to ensure that Seattle is visible, engaged, and globally aware.
Volunteer interns are a critical part of the World Affairs Council and will contribute to its mission while gaining hands-on work experience. The Council is seeking committed and goal-oriented volunteer interns to work in programming, development, and communications. Interns will each be assigned to one program or department and will have the opportunity to complete projects that may be used in a work portfolio or for academic credit.

2022-2023 Fall/Winter Internships

National Updates:

United States Department of Education (DoE)

Biden-Harris Administration Announces Public and Private Sector Actions to Strengthen Teaching and Help Schools Fill Vacancies

On Aug. 31, the Biden-Harris Administration announced new efforts to strengthen the teaching profession and help schools address teacher shortages as the new school year begins. This announcement includes new commitments from leading job platforms to make it easier for Americans to find opportunities in the education field, and new initiatives from teachers’ unions and national and state organizations to expand high-quality pathways into the profession for future teachers.

Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC)

Did you know that the Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC) offers virtual learning opportunities for parents and professionals in a variety of formats? Transition and mobility issues can be hard to manage for military families, so MCEC provides selected supportive content and resources for parents, educators, and students.

ACTFL 

ACTFL Convention 2022 - Boston

We're so excited to reconnect with everyone in Boston in November! We're bringing all the education and camaraderie you don't want to miss. Hundreds of thought-provoking sessions, three impassioned keynotes, cutting-edge research papers, and more to explore with thousands of your colleagues. Digital only is also available at a discounted rate!

Remember to sign up for one of the six Pre-Convention Workshops for in-depth examination of timely topics.

November 18 - 20, 2022 | Register Here

Critical Conversations in World Language Education - Series

How do you address identity in the classroom?

On Thursday, Sept. 22, at 8 p.m. EDT, ACTFL President Victoria Russell will host the final Critical Conversations in World Language Education webinar. Addressing Identity: Inclusive Language in World Language Classrooms will be discussed. Panelists Julia Donnelly Spiegelman, Gautami Shah and Kevin Sledge will tackle this important discussion, which will include an open Q&A. Don't miss this invigorating and informative discussion. Sign up to attend.

COALITION of Community-Based Heritage Language Schools

9th Annual Community-Based Heritage Language Schools Conference!

Keynote speaker:

Ofelia García, Ph.D., Professor Emerita, Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY)

Translanguaging Pedagogy in Community-Based Language Schools

Featured panelists:

Richard Brecht, Ph.D., Co-director, American Councils Research Center

The America’s Languages Portal: Model Programs and Practices Advancing Access and Equity in U.S. Language Education

Jim Cummins, Ph.D., Professor, University of Toronto

Doing Powerful Things with Language: How Heritage Language Schools and ‘Mainstream’ Education Can Work Together

Workshops relevant to teachers and administrators:

• Best Practices in Heritage Language Instruction
• The Foundations of Critical Instruction and Project-Based Learning
• Using Technology in Instruction
• Keeping the Heritage Language Alive in the Teenage Years
• Managing an Effective Community-Based School
• Delivering on the Promise of Proficiency: Backward Design and Assessment
• The State and Global Seals of Biliteracy: How to Participate
• International Guidelines for Effective Community-Based Schools

The conference will be hybrid, held both on site at American University and online.

Explore the full conference schedule, learn more about our featured speakers, find out more about the conference on the conference webpage, and register here! Please also share the conference Facebook event widely and invite your colleagues!

The registration fee for on-site participation covers refreshments, lunch, and a reception. In addition, on-site participants can get together for a meet and greet at a local restaurant on Friday evening.

• On-site conference location: Spring Valley Building, Room 471, 4801 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC.

Accommodation: If planning to attend in-person, see a list of nearby hotels.

October 7 & 8 | Register Here

The 8th International Conference on Language Documentation & Conservation (ICLDC 8)

Centering Justice in Language Work
Virtual Conference
March 2-5, 2023

Attention to aspects of justice as a social responsibility has been growing in many fields in recent years. Our field should be no exception: the reasons for language shift and loss worldwide are arguably tied to historical and contemporary injustices and inequality. Furthermore, issues of justice affecting speakers and language communities are not just linguistic: a growing body of research shows that linguistic justice intersects with justice in the environmental, health, legal, political, economic, and educational realms.

The conference program will feature Keynote presentations, Talk Story and Workshop sessions, papers, and posters. The He ʻŌlelo Ola Hilo Field Study, showcasing Hawaiian language K-20 immersion programs, will be integrated into the conference schedule.

Joint National Committee for Languages & the National Council for Languages and International Studies (JNCL-NCLIS)

Virtual Language Advocacy Days 2023, Feb. 8-10th

The past two years of JNCL-NCLIS virtual advocacy events have allowed more advocates than ever, across all 50 states, to unite and speak up for language education policy. To continue the momentum and give even more people a chance to participate, Language Advocacy Days 2023 will take place virtually!   

Planning at a Glance: 

• Wednesday, Feb. 8th - Half Day, Afternoon ET 
• Thursday, Feb. 9th - Full Day, Congressional Meetings
• Friday, Feb. 10th - Half Day, Afternoon ET 

Register today!

Modern Language Association

2023 MLA Annual Convention

The 2023 MLA Annual Convention will be held in person from 5 to 8 January in San Francisco. The presidential theme is Working Conditions. 

MLA 2023 Language and Literature Program Innovation Room

The Language and Literature Program Innovation Room at the MLA Annual Convention creates a space for MLA members to share successful and promising new programs, courses, collaborations, educational resources, and other pedagogical initiatives. Organized jointly by the Association of Departments of English (ADE) and the Association of Departments of Foreign Languages (ADFL), the Innovation Room is designed to offer convention participants opportunities to explore innovative curricular thinking in both discipline-specific and interdisciplinary configurations. Building on the inaugural Innovation Room at the 2020 MLA Convention in Seattle—a record-breaking session with one hundred presenters from a diverse range of institutions and disciplines—and the successful pivot to a virtual environment in the past two years, we will offer Innovation Room presenters a choice among two forms of participation in the 2023 annual convention: with a printed or electronic poster at the in-person showcase in San Francisco or as presenters in a virtual session. All confirmed presenters will be listed in the convention program.

Designing World Language Curriculum for Intercultural Communicative Competence 

by Dr. Jennifer Eddy

This summer, I had the amazing opportunity to take a workshop from the National African Language Resource Center at the University of Indiana - Bloomington focusing on integrating Business Concepts in World Language Education. Dr. Eddy was one of the main presenters and I immediately knew I needed to purchase her book. I truly believe Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) is the future of World Language Education. As Career and Technical Education grows in popularity, the need for multilingual workers is also dependent on understanding the differences and similarities between cultures. 

If you are looking to revitalize your language classroom or purchases books for a year-long department book study, I cannot recommend Designing World Language Curriculum enough. I always felt "stuck" in finding the way to make connections between the German language and my cultural experiences in Germany with the Midwestern middle schoolers I taught every day. The Articulated Assessment Transfer Task (AATT) allowed me to build out a full unit for multiple proficiency levels that integrated authentic materials and gave a better focus than an Integrated Performance Assessment (IPA) alone. The book is filled with examples and useful templates for ALL languages - from Spanish to Te Reo Māori to Korean. The accompanying online resources offer blank templates, slides, and guides for designing curriculum that will fit any and every language-learning classroom. I encourage you to upload any newly created units to Washington's Open Educational Resources site!

Available through Bloomsbury Publishing for $35.95 with FREE Online Resources! Also available through Amazon. 

Culturally Responsive Education in the Classroom
An Equity Framework for Pedagogy

by Dr. Adeyemi Stembridge

Above in the Newsletter, C-STP's Culturally Responsive Education in the Classroom Teacher Residency might have piqued your interest but might be too much to add to your already busy schedule. Dr. Stembridge's book is the perfect fit for educators who wish to re-think the framework they use within their classrooms and bring a focus to equity. This practice-oriented book has been the subject of World Languages and Social Studies' DEI book study work here at OSPI and can help you or your department as well. 

Culturally Responsive Education focuses on six themes, from rigor to cultural identity or vulnerability. The questions in each chapter compel introspection on how we were taught, how we have taught, and how we can teach. This is an absolute must-read for educators and administrators alike. 

Available through Routledge for $27.96. Also available through Amazon.