Category Archives: DESE

New EL Course for School Leaders

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Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Schools: Leading for English Learner Equity and Achievement

Sponsored by MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION

Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Schools: Leading for EL Equity and Achievement is a leadership course for decision-makers serving English language learners in our increasingly diverse schools. School leaders will hone their skills in developing collaborative relationships and practices to better identify, evaluate and plan improvements to build equity and achievement for English learners.

This course is designed to build upon the understandings presented in the Massachusetts Sheltered English Endorsement Administrators course through an update on current responsibilities and expectations of leaders, research related to promising practices, and the application of current tools to support educator inquiry and school improvement. This course features interactive tasks and discussions, review of current research, connections to other state initiatives, action planning, text/video analyses and the application of deepened understandings of promising instructional and collaborative strategies to leadership roles and responsibilities.

This course will provide leaders with opportunities to deepen their knowledge base, reflect, plan, and act on their school’s policies and systems in order to implement school and district improvement plans and initiatives that ensure equitable and achievement opportunities for English learners.

AUDIENCE

This specific course is reserved for school leaders in pairs or teams that include a principal (or vice principal, superintendent, etc.) and an EL director. This workshop is designed for administrators who are responsible for school-level policies, leading school improvement planning and data analysis processes, and making decisions about programs and professional development. Preferred Qualification:  SEI Administrator Endorsement Course Completion

Cost: Free!

Course Schedule

Option #1: Two Days
Thursdays, March 21 & March 28, 2019 ● 8:30 AM-3:30 PM
New Bedford, MA

Option #2: Four Afternoons
Mondays, April 8, 22, 29 & May 6, 2019● 4:00-7:00 PM
Hudson, MA

Option #3: Two Days
Fridays, May 10 & May 24, 2019● 8:30 AM-3:30 PM
Andover, MA

Information & Registration…

Update on Creating New ELE Programs

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The following information was shared in the Commissioner’s Weekly Update on November 16, 2018:

Reminder on Creating New English Learner Education Programs and Available Grants:

Department encourages districts to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the Language Opportunity for Our Kids (LOOK) Act to offer new programs to meet English learners’ linguistic and academic needs. The Department’s Office of Language Acquisition has extended the deadline to submit preliminary proposals to December 21 in order to give districts more time to plan. The office will review preliminary proposals in two business days and will help districts finalize their complete proposals by January 1. More information, including a quick reference guide on “Starting a New English Learner Education Program”, is available at the same link.

Two competitive grants to plan for implementation of new English learner education programs are available for districts that have more than 1,500 English learners and for districts serving Gateway cities.

The Department will hold webinars on at 3:00 p.m. Monday, November 19 and at 11 a.m. Tuesday, December 11 to share information about the proposal process and grants. Any district that is planning to propose a new English learner education program or would like to learn more about the opportunity is encouraged to participate if they did not participate in the earlier webinar. Registration is open online.

LOOK Act Updates from DESE

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LOOK Act Implementation Documents
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has posted documents related to LOOK Act implementation in the English Language Learners section of the website:

In Resources: http://www.doe.mass.edu/ell/resources.html

  • ELE Program Proposal Reference Guide & Proposal Forms
  • Parent information in multiple languages:
    • District Response to ELE Program Transfer Request 
    • ELPAC Information for Parents 
    • Parent Notification Regarding English Language Education
    • English Language Education (ELE) Program Placement

In Guidance: http://www.doe.mass.edu/ell/guidance/default.html

  • Guidance for English Learner Parent Advisory Councils

English Learner Education Updates 
Update from the Commissioner to the Board of Education, Oct 30, 2018: http://www.doe.mass.edu/bese/docs/fy2019/2018-10/item5.html (Scroll to the PPT flie at teh bottom of the page.

  • New process for starting ELE programs
  • Training and Technical Assistance
  • State Seal of Biliteracy
  • Bilingual Education Endorsement
  • Seal of Biliteracy

Seal of Biliteracy Criteria
The Commissioner has announced his decision regarding the levels and criteria for the State Seal of Biliteracy, establishing a two tiered award, the Seal of Biliteracy and the Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction, starting at a minimum of Intermediate-High level on the ACTFL proficiency guidelines for world languages. Read the statement form the Language Opportunity Coalition’s statement and plans to support additional “pathway” awards at the local level.

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Seal of Biliteracy Pilot Project: 2019 Data Report
The Language Opportunity Coalition published a report on the third and final year of the Seal of Biliteracy Pilot Project in Massachusetts. View report…