ELD Department News
Keeping you in the know! November 16, 2018
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Break!
2018-2019 Colorado Accommodations
PSAT / SAT Update
EL students can use 50% extended time for SAT/ PSAT and still receive reportable scores. Staff will need to work with your School's SSD Coordinator for PSAT/SAT because all accommodations for the PSAT and SAT have to go through the College Board System for approval. The Accommodations window for PSAT/SAT is currently open and will close on February 19, 2019. Students who receive extended time through an approved College Board Accommodation must test in a separate environment.
Approved Word to Word Dictionaries
https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/pdf/sat-sd-college-board-approved-glossaries.pdf
Translated Test Directions Available (see dates)
https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/k12-educators/sat-school-day/downloads
Accommodations Crosswalk
The CDE has updated the Accommodations Crosswalk. Please see this link for all state and federal assessment accommodations. It is important to note the information below each matrix of accommodations as it explains the use and reporting style of each accommodation. For example, some SAT accommodations are state approved, but they will not yield a College Board reportable score.
PSAT / NMSQT Scholarship Opportunities
The National Merit® Scholarship Program is an academic competition for recognition and scholarships that began in 1955. High school students enter the National Merit Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®)—which serves as an initial screen of approximately 1.6 million entrants each year—and by meeting published program entry and participation requirements. More information can be found at http://www.nationalmerit.org.
To participate in the National Merit® Scholarship Program, a student must:
Take the PSAT/NMSQT® in the specified year of the high school program and no later than the third year in grades 9 through 12, regardless of grade classification or educational pattern;
Be enrolled as a high school student (traditional or homeschooled), progressing normally toward graduation or completion of high school, and planning to accept admission to college no later than the fall following completion of high school; and
Be a citizen of the United States; or be a U.S. lawful permanent resident.
Follow this link for a student friendly explanation of the PSAT / NMSQT.
December 10 & 11 ELD Think Tank: Mandatory ACCESS Training - UPDATE!!
Mark your calendars for the December 10th (Parker Library) and December 11th (Lone Tree Library). This specific ELD Think Tank will include our annual required ACCESS training. As the school ACCESS coordinator, you are required to attend. Your team at the school level does not need to attend with you. ELD Think Tanks will begin at 8:30 am, and it will end at 3:00 pm. Please attend the session assigned, and arrive between 8:15-8:30 am at the Library’s Event Hall.
Substitute Teacher Coverage
If you are a secondary teacher, you will need to consider whether or not you require a sub. Consider the following when determining your need:
- If you teach three or more ESL classes as the only teacher of record, you require a full-day or half-day substitute depending on your schedule.
- If you co-teach or push-in all day, you do not require a substitute. If your principal wishes for you to schedule a substitute, your school will pay for the substitute.
- If you teach fewer than three classes as the only teacher of record, you should obtain class coverage. If this is not possible, you should request a half-day or full-day substitute based on your actual need only as absolutely necessary.
- If the above applies, use the code "ELD-ELD Other Training".
Please be ready to submit your schedule at the upcoming ELD Think Tank via url. Please be conscientious about requesting substitute coverage according to your actual need. This will allow us to leverage appropriate funds.
*The links for registration in Inspired will be sent upon receipt.
Thanksgiving break is here! I’m thankful for all the hard work our teachers have devoted to providing culturally responsive family engagement opportunities. Here are some ideas that I hope you’ll find rejuvenating this week:
Consider taking some time this week to watch your favorite movie about teaching. A couple of my favorites are Stand and Deliver and Freedom Writers. What’s your favorite? Consider watching your favorite movie through the lens of family engagement. How did schools engage families and how did it impact students?
Consider joining the conversation on Twitter. There are many great people and hashtags to follow. You never know when someone might tweet your next great idea! Some hastags to follow: #ELLChat, #ELL, #englishlearners, #bilingual. People to follow: @BeckyCorr2, @ColorinColorado, @stevebarkley, @larryferlazzo, @DCSDcipg, @MariaGDove, @AndreaHonigsfel
Check out Larry Ferlazzo’s blog as well as his EdWeek Teacher Blog posts. There are tons of ideas- everything from teaching to collaboration to family engagement.
Check out this Family Engagement Guide from TESOL for new ideas.
Most of all, enjoy your time and take some time for yourself as the holidays approach!
SIOP 1 and 3 - Register Today!
SIOP stands for Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol and it a framework for supporting students to achieve academic standards while supporting language development. The framework is geared toward English learners, but it is great for all students.
SIOP II will be offered at Fox Creek on January 26th. Contact Cheryl Schuessler with questions. For planning purposes, please note that SIOP III will be offered in March and SIOP I will be offered again in April.
We are working on getting more courses up and running and look forward to sharing those with you soon.
Collaboration and Co-Teaching
Title II Course Opportunity: Collaboration and Co-Teaching
Collaboration and Co-Teaching will be offered for co-teaching teams on December 17, 2018 at the Cantril Gym from 8am-3pm. Substitutes will be provided if necessary using Title II funds. This course will be delivered with meeting the needs of English Learners as a priority, and it will be applicable toward the 45 hours of ELD coursework requirement. Please pass this information along to interested teams, and register using this form. Once teams are approved, they will receive an Inspired course notification. For more information, please contact Remy Rummel.