Monthly Happenings: Summer 2019
Updates from IDOE's English Learner Team
LATEST NEWS
Farewell, Learning Connection Title III Community
- Monthly Happenings Newsletters: We hope you'll share this resource with your colleagues! Anyone is able to subscribe for the email versions here.
- Dr. McCormick's Weekly Newsletter: This will be the source of the most up-to-date EL announcements. This information will be consolidated in Monthly Happenings, however some of the information may be time-sensitive so we encourage you to subscribe. You can do so here.
- IDOE English Learning Website: Our EL site will be our hub for policy guidance, upcoming PD opportunities, grant application information, past EL leadership resources and Monthly Happenings newsletters, EL101, and more. Bookmark and check back soon for updated guidance documents for the 2019-2020 school year.
- Direct Outreach: You are always encouraged to reach out to one of our team members with your English Learner questions! See our contact info toward the end of the newsletter.
Individualized Grant Support
2019-2020 NESP Application Now Open in IntelliGrants
2019 Title III and NESP APR, FER Now Available
The Title III and Non-English Speaking Program (NESP) Annual Performance Reports (APRs) and Financial End Reports (FERs) are now available. The 2018-2019 APRs for Title III, NESP, and Immigrant Influx are due September 30. The 2018-2019 NESP FER, 2017- 2019 Title III FER, and 2017-2019 Immigrant Influx FER are due December 31. Please see the 2019 Title III and NESP APR/FER Memo for information on how to submit these reports.
Updated WIDA ACCESS Scores
All WIDA ACCESS reports for students who needed amending during the post-validation window are now available in WIDA-AMS. This includes students needing scores merged and late returns.
in Learning Connection in the coming weeks.
Please note that you will only be able to view student results in Learning Connection for those who have been successfully enrolled in your school or district. The data shown only reflects ACCESS administered in Indiana, not other states. In order to view, you will also need the correct permissions, assigned by your local Learning Connection administrator.
Reminder: Annual EL Directors' Meetings
The Annual EL Directors' Meetings are right around the corner! If you are an EL administrator or district leader and have yet to register, please do so. The meetings will take place on August 13 and 14 at the following address in Lawrence Township in Indianapolis:
6501 Sunnyside Rd.
Indianapolis, IN 46236
The New EL Directors’ Meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 13, and the Annual EL Directors’ Meeting for new and returning EL directors will be held on Wednesday, August 14. Both meetings will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Apart from opportunities to network with fellow EL leaders and IDOE's EL team, this year participants will receive important information on EL teacher licensure requirements, IILP, the Intelligrants system, and much more. We can't wait to see you all there!
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
IDOE EL Summer PD Roadshow Recap
As always, visit the IDOE EL Professional Learning & Resources page to view a calendar of upcoming English learner-focused PD.
Stay Tuned! WIDA eLearning Offerings Coming Soon
THE WORLD OF ENGLISH LEARNING
Indiana Refugee Series: Indianapolis Public Schools
Updated WIDA Guiding Principles
An updated version of the Guiding Principles of Language Development, a document that outlines WIDA's foundational beliefs and exemplifies the Can Do Philosophy, is now available in the Resource Library on the WIDA website, as well as attached below. This enhanced document provides updated research citations and defines the term multilingual learner. The Guiding Principles serve as excellent conversation starters in professional learning and can help educators to advocate for the needs of multilingual learners.
New EL Resources from Regional Education Laboratories
- REL Midwest released a new report on the characteristics associated with English learner student achievement in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. Researchers examined the student and school characteristics of English learner students in grades 3-8 and investigated how these characteristics are associated with English learner student performance on statewide assessments.
- REL Southwest’s latest videos discuss English learner students’ development of English language and academic proficiency, as well as include practical takeaways for teachers and district leaders: Cultivating Students’ Home Language: The Role of Spanish Proficiency in Learning English; Time to Proficiency for English Learner Students
A Closer Look: Academic Conversations
- Inferring cause and effect
- Recognizing bias
- Applying and transferring to new contexts
- Interpreting
- Taking different perspectives
- Empathizing
- Comparing
- Recognizing inconsistencies
- Evaluating
A sample academic rubric for history/social studies is also given. For the rubric, students must focus on five areas.
- Students must think and talk like historians which involves connecting their lives to other time periods as well as seeing biases and perspectives.
- Students must stay focused. Students are to negotiate conflicting ideas and word meanings as well as build on comments.
- Students must support ideas and opinions with examples from text, life, and previous knowledge.
- Students must paraphrase the ideas of their partners in order to clarify, deepen, and stay focused.
- Students must use communication behaviors which involves actively listening, taking turns, and being respectful of comments from their partner.
The strategy of cause-effect diagram is also described in this chapter and can be found, along with other resources, at this link. The text offers several other useful activities to be used within the history classroom such as history quotation conversations, historical source analysis table, and a history time capsule.
Upcoming Book Study
IDOE English Learner Team
Valerie Beard
Assistant Director of English Learners and Migrant Education Programs
(317) 232-0558
vbeard@doe.in.gov
Nicole Leach
Dual Language Immersion and English Learner Specialist
(317) 232-0572
nleach@doe.in.gov
Adam Pitt
English Learner Specialist
(317) 234-7168
apitt@doe.in.gov
Georgina Schneider
English Learner Specialist
(317) 234-7785
gschneider@doe.in.gov