Monthly Happenings: November 2019
Updates from IDOE's English Learner Team
LATEST NEWS
English Learner Teacher of Record Tuition Reimbursement
IDOE is releasing funding for LEAs seeking tuition reimbursement for individuals seeking to become qualified to serve as an English Learner Teacher of Record. Funding will be prioritized for LEAs with few or no licensed EL teachers or high ratios of English learners to licensed EL teachers. The EL Director for an LEA wishing for one or more teachers to receive tuition reimbursement must complete the Request to Participate form by November 22.
See the English Learner Teacher Licensure Requirements drop-down here for links to coursework options and reimbursement agreement guidance. You can also find additional information on the upcoming changes, an FAQ, the EL Teacher of Record Rubric, and more. IDOE will share ongoing guidance surrounding EL teacher licensure requirements throughout the school year.
Accountability: 2018-2019 EL Growth Target Results Released
Federal report card grades for the 2018-2019 school year, which include the "Progress in Achieving English Language Proficiency" Indicator, have now been released. To see how a school performed on the ELP Indicator, first access the IDOE Accountability Center. Once you logged-in, choose a school to view, and in the "Overall Summary" you will see the points, rating, weight, and weighted points for the ELP Indicator. By scrolling down further on that page, you will see a purple header titled, "Progress in Achieving English Language Proficiency". There you will see the percentage of students who met their growth target. By clicking on the percentage, you will see a breakdown of which students were included in the calculation and whether they met their target or not. NOTE: ability to view this data is dependent on DOE Online permissions.
For more information on the English Language Proficiency Indicator and how it is calculated, see the Understanding WIDA ACCESS English Language Proficiency Growth guidance, as well as IDOE's Moodle courses on federal accountability.
Secondary ENL Course Credits Changes
The IDOE English Learning team is excited to announce some changes to the English as a New Language course which will greatly benefit Indiana’s English learners.
For English/ Language Arts credit (course code 1012), up to eight credits accrued may be counted as the required English/ Language Arts credits for all diplomas if the ENL course work addresses Indiana’s Academic Standards for E/LA and is based on general E/LA curriculum and the student’s ILP.
For World Languages credit (course code 2188), up to eight credits accrued may be counted as World Language credits for all diplomas if ENL course work addresses Indiana’s Academic Standards for World Languages and is taken concurrently with another E/LA course.
Please share this information with secondary counselors in order to ensure that ELs benefit from this new guidance! Contact Nicole Leach with questions.
WIDA ACCESS Updates
The 2020 administration of WIDA ACCESS is fast approaching! Keep this link to the WIDA Indiana web page handy - there you will find important testing dates; Indiana's state-specific directions; comprehensive ACCESS for ELLs checklists; a hub for manuals, guides, and test materials; and much more to assist with a smooth testing window. Also, please make note of the following important information and updates:
WIDA AMS Student and Test Management: Student Management and Test Management functionality for the “IN ACCESS for ELLs - 2019-2020” administration will become available for corporations and schools in WIDA AMS beginning on December 2. At that time, schools may manually add ELs and/or update student data, including accommodations, not submitted to IDOE via the DOE-TL data submission.
Test Materials Delivery: Test material delivery, as well as the opening of the window to order additional materials, will occur on January 6. This is a change from previous years when materials came before winter break. Plan accordingly!
Certification Reminder: As a reminder, before administering WIDA assessments (placement or annual), administrators must complete the training courses associated with the tests they will be administering. After reviewing the training course materials, you must pass the applicable quizzes with a score of 80% or higher in order to be certified. Access to training materials is tied to a WIDA Secure Portal account. If you don't have an account or don't have access to appropriate training courses, please contact your Corporation Test Coordinator. Note: Test administrators must have completed training within two years (24 months) of the date they are administering the test.
Indiana ILP Corner
ILEARN Accommodations and Designated Features
IILP users will be able to upload spring ILEARN testing accommodations and designated features for English learner students directly into the TIDE management system. To do so, appropriate accommodations and designated features should be indicated within a student's ILP by no later than January 13. More directives on this option to come!
Past and Future Trainings
Thank you to all those who came out to WVEC and SIEC this fall for IILP trainings! You can look forward to upcoming webinars over the winter and more in-person trainings this spring. Dates and locations will be shared once finalized. In the meantime, see the IILP resources already available here within the Indiana ILP drop-down.
INtelligrants: NESP Distribution Requests and Amendments
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING & COLLABORATION
December EL Leadership Meeting (in-person)
Wednesday, Dec 4, 2019, 10:00 AM
8550 Woodfield Crossing Boulevard, Indianapolis, IN, USA
Upcoming Indiana EL PD 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, including these two events at local service centers:
- Unlocking English Learners' Potential: Scaffolding Instruction and Teaching Academic Language to ELs (at WVEC): In this interactive, full-day workshop on December 4, lead author Dr. Diane Staehr Fenner will facilitate a session on scaffolding instruction and teaching academic language to English Learners (ELs). Find more information and register here.
- ENL/CLD Family Engagement Summit (at IU Southeast): This summit on December 5, featuring university and school partners from IUPUI, Butler, IUSE, Purdue, and LEAs, will highlight projects and partnerships in Indiana working to effectively establish culturally relevant, respectful, and inclusive family practices. Find more information and the registration link here.
Secondary Collaborative Community Work Days Update
Due to attendance concerns for November 19, the Secondary Collaborative Community Work Days originally scheduled for the 19 and 20 have been adjusted. The work group will only meet on Wednesday, November 20, and will not meet for Tuesday, November 19. Please continue to plan and join us that day at the Indiana Association of School Principals, 11025 E 25th St, Indianapolis, IN 46229. If you plan to attend, please RSVP for Wednesday, by completing the form here. We plan to continue the positive momentum with a day of inquiry and collaboration, focused on better servicing our secondary ELs.
Title Con Save the Date!
NOTE: The EL Leadership meeting previously scheduled for April 15 has been moved to April 8. The location (Brownsburg) and times (10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.) remain the same.
WIDA eLearning Offerings Information
- 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.
THE WORLD OF ENGLISH LEARNING
The 2020 Edition of the WIDA ELD Standards - Give Your Input!
The window for public input begins on November 18. All educators and stakeholders are welcome to get an early look at the new editions and share feedback! Stay tuned for more information and guidance from IDOE and WIDA as the new editions are rolled out.
Indiana Refugee Series - East Allen County Schools
Dual Language Book Study - Chapter 3
Collier and Thomas appropriately titled this chapter “Important Messages for Bilingual Families.” This chapter effectively dispels the various myths around bilingual education, while also presenting the benefits of dual language education.
Let’s begin with the myths. The first myth that is addressed is that young children are the best at learning a second language. This is debunked by explaining that although young children are often more enthusiastic, adolescents and young adults are more efficient language learners. The second myth is that a student’s first language will cause problems in the second language. In actuality, the first language will help a student to comprehend a second language. It is a valuable asset. The final myth is that children acquire languages quickly. In reality, it can take an average of six years to become proficient in a second language. Explaining these myths and then presenting the truth will help to create strong advocates for the dual language program.
After addressing the myths, Collier and Thomas move on to the benefits. Benefits here relate to social and emotional support and expanded thinking skills. The most important benefit for bilingual parents to comprehend is that first language acquisition and cognitive development are closely related. “Children must develop thinking skills in their first language until age 12 to have normal cognitive development and to be successful in their second language.” This section goes on to point out the consequences of not continuing on with first language development which includes lower achievement across curriculum, reduced acquisition of English, and a lag in cognitive development.
For anyone considering a two-way dual language program, this chapter would be an essential resource for use during parent information and enrollment meetings. Educating parents on the reasons for dual language and on what to expect of the process of acquiring the second language will lead to larger buy in and support for program success.
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