Monthly Happenings: February 2020
Updates from IDOE's English Learner Team
LATEST NEWS
February EL Leadership Meeting Recap
Wrapping Up WIDA ACCESS: Important Notes and Reminders
The testing window for ACCESS for ELLs and Alternate ACCESS for ELLs ends on Friday, February 28. Please ensure that all students needing to test have done so, and that materials are shipped out by the end of day on the 28th. See the following important information and reminders on wrapping up the test window...
Additional Materials Order Deadline: The Additional Materials Ordering window closes on February 24. Take stock of your materials and who has yet to complete testing and plan accordingly! For students enrolling after this date - if coming from another Indiana school or WIDA state - it is likely they have already been assessed. Be sure to communicate with past schools prior to administering ACCESS.
Materials Returns: Materials must be postmarked for return to DRC no later than February 28 in order to be processed for scoring. Late materials not processed will result in students not receiving scores. Remember, if you do not have daily UPS pickup, you must call UPS to schedule the day before you need the pickup.
You do not need to wait until that date to return materials! In particular, WIDA and DRC are requesting the return of completed Grades 1-3 Writing Test Booklets as early as possible, as the data from these tests will be used to streamline scoring and reporting.
Labels, Bubbles, and More: All information on managing materials, what to bubble, how to apply labels, and more can be found in Indiana's State Specific Directions. It is important for this guidance to be reviewed and for test materials to be checked multiple times over to assure proper materials management.
EL Teacher of Record, DLI, High Ability Coursework Funding Released
After reviewing submissions, IDOE will notify the LEAs of the awarded amount that will be sub-granted to the universities that the LEA has selected. The funding provided is designed to cover the entire cost of the course, including any textbooks or fees. Individuals will then enroll for their coursework. Requests must be submitted by March 9.
Intelligrants Updates and Videos
IDOE has begun releasing short videos regarding the roll-out of INtelligrants, the new grants management system housing all funding streams through IDOE. Many administrators got early experience with Intelligrants through this year's NESP grant, and the platform is expanding to encompass other funding streams. The next grants to be managed in the system are Titles I, II, III, IV, RLIS, and immigrant influx.
The first video focused on the Pre-Application, which will house districts' EL Plans for next school year, can be found here along with an accompanying resource. Stay tuned for more information and resources surrounding Intelligrants and English learner funding, all of which will also be posted to the INtelligrants landing page.
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING and COLLABORATION
Indiana English Learner PD and eLearning Opportunities
Our Indiana English Learner PD Calendar features current professional learning opportunities for the school year. We will continue to update the Calendar as new opportunities arise and highlight those that are just around the corner here in Monthly Happenings. Be sure to bookmark and check back often!
EL professional development is available at any date or time in the form of WIDA Self-Paced eWorkshops. All Indiana educators with a WIDA portal login have the opportunity to participate in six self-paced, on-demand eWorkshops free of charge. The topics of the six workshops, which vary in length, are:
- Using the WIDA Writing Rubric
- Leading for Equity: Classroom Walk-through
- Classroom Educators: Engaging Multilingual Learners
- Language for Learning in Mathematics
- Doing and Talking STEM
- Foundational Concepts for K-12 Educators
You can find more details on each of these sessions, including a video overview, in WIDA's Self-Paced eWorkshops page. To access the eWorkshops, after logging into the secure portal, click the button labeled Free eWorkshops. If you have any questions, contact the WIDA Client Services Center at (866) 276-7735 or help@wida.us for assistance.
Title Con: One Month Away!
IILP Corner: Upcoming In-person Trainings
- April 8 - 2:00-3:30 p.m. - Brownsburg Community School Corp.: This training will take place following the EL Leadership meeting, and will begin after a lunch break. Register here.
- May 6 - 9:30-11:00 a.m. and 12:30-2:00 p.m. - Goshen Community Schools: Two training offerings will be held this day, and you will only need to choose one. Register here.
The trainings are intended for EL administrators and instructional leaders who can take back the content their schools. The sessions will feature a step-by-step walk through of IILP, as well as time to explore the system and ask questions.
WIDA Educator Collaboration Workshop - Few Spots Remain!
THE WORLD OF ENGLISH LEARNING
Lawrence and Hammond DLI Programs Recognized
In the Chicago Post-Tribune article Dual language program in Hammond to help make students bilingual, biliterate, bicultural, the 80-20 program at Washington Irving Elementary in Hammond is featured, as well as the reasoning and successes of DLI in the district. Congratulations to both on the recognition of their impactful programs!
Shifts Toward Success for ELs
21st Annual Indiana Latinx Leadership Conference
IDOE English Learner Team
Valerie Beard
Email: vbeard@doe.in.gov
Phone: (317) 232-0558
Twitter: @valeriebeardEL
Nicole Leach
Email: nleach@doe.in.gov
Phone: (317) 232-0572
Twitter: @NicoleNLeach
Adam Pitt
Email: apitt@doe.in.gov
Phone: (317) 234-7168
Twitter: @AdamPittIDOE
Georgina Schneider
Email: gschneider@doe.in.gov
Phone: (317) 234-7785
Twitter: @gschneidercoach