Dear Colleagues,

 

We can't believe it is the end of October already! As the fall season progresses we take note of the opportunities to make a difference in the lives of New York State children and to reflect upon the progress that they are making. We are excited to share that t he graduation rate of Ever ELLs is on par with the graduation rate of Never-ELLs, and they are continuing to perform well on the ELA and Math assessments . Multilingual learners throughout the state are earning the Seal of Biliteracy, participating in the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Youth Leadership Program (PR/HYLI) , volunteering in their communities, and showing leadership in their schools. We want you to get to know some of these young achievers, and through the OBEWL newsletter we will be sharing their compelling stories, starting with Aruasy Barrios, a differently-abled graduating senior from Solvay High School who participated in PR/HYLI and earned the Seal of Biliteracy. Ms. Barrios, who is fluent in Spanish, English, and American Sign Language, delivered a thought-provoking presentation on racial profiling for her Seal of Biliteracy portfolio presentation. You can learn more about her in the article following this letter.

While we celebrate our students' successes, we must also be aware of the work that still needs to be done. As the diversity of the NYS school-age population increases, what it takes to be “literate” in today’s society is increasing . Given these shifts, a large percentage of ELLs/MLLs and their peers need more targeted literacy instruction. M any of these students do not possess the advanced literacy skills needed for success in their high school and college careers. By advanced literacy skills we mean the skills and competencies that enable sophisticated communication, spoken and written. As you continue to make decisions for this school year, we want to renew our commitment to supporting your communities by developing resources that will facilitate the promotion of advanced literacy skills among all ELLs/MLLs, regardless of their stage of language proficiency. These resources will include but are not limited to modules, exemplary units (based on the guidance shared in the Advanced Literacies Instruction: Spotlight on Units of Study ), leadership, and teacher tools.

We continue to deepen the work by making data-driven decisions, as well as meeting with educators throughout the state to learn about their needs and to create resources that enhance instruction. We would like to share some of the current projects, including the new Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education Framework and the formation of a practitioner work group focused on World Language standards revision. This newsletter also features information on current efforts to build capacity by addressing teacher shortages and an introduction to OBEWL's talented summer interns, who joined us last summer.

As a reminder, please take note of the following:

In closing, we want to thank all the stakeholders across New York State who joined us for our summer focus groups to discuss how we can best meet the needs of our diverse English Language Learners/Multilingual Learners. Your honest feedback about Integrated ENL confirmed that our ELLs/MLLs benefit from best practices that include rigorous and culturally responsive content-based instruction. We will continue to support districts to ensure that all ELLs/MLLs receive the appropriate instruction in order to graduate college and career ready. We have also taken into consideration each recommendation of the focus groups while planning for future professional development opportunities in order to help schools meet the challenges they face when addressing the needs of our ELLs/MLLs.

Again, we want to thank all of you for your continuous commitment to support all ELLs/MLLs across New York State! I encourage you to share with us your stories of Multilingual Learner achievements, so that we can spotlight those students, like Aruasy Barrios and our Seal of Biliteracy recipients, who make us proud and remind us of why we do what we do.

Sincerely,

Lissette Colón-Collins

Assistant Commissioner of Bilingual Education and World Languages

Aruasy Barrios: Exploring Opportunities and Making Connections

Aruasy Barrios, who recently graduated from Solvay High School with a Seal of Biliteracy in Spanish, English, and American Sign language, knows what it means to be persistent. She says, " Before I stepped foot in Solvay, I had never seen a person who had hearing aids or hearing implants. I was always surrounded by hearing people and my elementary school year was difficult. I didn't get hearing aids until I repeated second grade. After a while, I got used to the curiosity of people seeing a hard of hearing person for the first time. I didn’t take this in a bad way; instead I felt special. But at the end of the day I knew that people would judge me by seeing my hearing aids before I could even utter a word. When I got to Solvay, it was a different story. I met people just like me, [and] I met people who are used to seeing hard of hearing people and were accepting of it. I had a taste of both worlds. I am glad I did. In all my years of being schooled I had a blast. There may have been some downer and unacceptable times but I am proud of the capable lady I became. " 

Aruasy, who was born in Cuba and at four moved to Syracuse with her mother, says she grew up speaking Spanish at home and English at school and "couldn’t be more proud of that." In addition to earning the Seal of Biliteracy, she was on the track team at Solvay and was a particpant in the 2017 Angelo Del Toro Puerto Rican/Hispanic Youth Leadership Institute (PR/HYLI), an innovative collaboration between the NYS Assembly/Senate, the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force, and the OBEWL, with the overall purpose of student empowerment. Aruasy is now majoring in art education at SUNY Potsdam: “As an art teacher, it will be my job to have my students express emotions, thoughts, feelings, and convey a message through art, to teach them to have commitment to their art . . . . Being an art teacher I will try my best to have a connection with my students and being multilingual I already had a head start! I will be able to communicate to children in any of the 3 languages based on their preference. I can teach at a Spanish speaking school, English school, or a deaf school."

Tanya Rosado-Barringer, Director of the Mid-State RBERN at OCM BOCES, first learned about Aruasy when the tenth grader applied to PR/HYLI. Aruasy's teachers agreed that she had leadership potential; however, they all felt she needed an opportunity to explore this potential. Despite being shy, Aruasy had an ‘it’ factor that made her special. Aruasy credits PR/HYLI with helping her to become the confident public speaker she is now and advises her fellow ELLs/MLLs to always seek help: “Don’t hide and try to figure it on your own because you're embarrassed or afraid. It’s okay to feel that way.” Aruasy says of her experience at PR/HYLI: "[It] was a very eye opening experience. I had the opportunity to be unified with other Spanish-speaking individuals who had similar cultures as me and stand for what we believed in. The best part was how freely everyone talked about their point of view without having to be called out and judged. When I first went to PR/HYLI I was very timid, I was afraid of public speaking. And PR/HYLI changed the way I perceive things. It made me a stronger person."

She says of her Seal of Biliteracy presentation on racial profiling: " It was a difficult topic to talk about because it is something people don’t really talk about everyday. I did not expect to be there presenting more than 10 minutes." When asked how being bilingual/multilingual is an asset in today’s world and what she would say to someone who thinks learning languages other than English is not important, she said, "In today's society being multilingual, gives you a head start. It doesn’t only improve your social skills and create a connection with others, but it also opens up job opportunities and gives you an easier time conversing with people from other cultures. Learning another language is about having a connection with people. It’s a great feeling! Knowing more than one language is really an asset. The main reason it’s an asset is because you get to connect with people who are different from you."

We are proud of Aruasy's accomplishments and wish her the best in what is certain to be a bright and promising future!

New York State Seal of Biliteracy recipients from

Forest Hills High School, Queens

The number of students who earned the New York State State Seal of Biliteracy in 2017-2018 grew this year to a total of 2,234, which is approximately ten times the number of students who earned the Seal in the program's inaugural year of 2015-2016. The Seal was earned in thirty-eight different languages statewide. Over sixty countries throughout the world, in addition to the USA, were listed as the students' country of origin. OBEWL is proud of New York State's 2018 Seal of Biliteracy recipients!

I slip High School in Farmingville, Long Island recognized 2018 graduate and salutatorian Madeline Marconi as the inaugural recipient of the Islip SD Seal of Biliteracy. The project was piloted in Islip this year for the first time, with Marconi as the sole candidate. Marconi presented her extensively researched Spanish-language project on her ancestral land of El Salvador on June 8 in the high school’s community room in front of a rigorous committee of Islip educators, who then evaluated her project and awarded her with a Seal of Biliteracy certificate and medal. “Although it took several months of hard work, I am so incredibly proud to receive the Seal of Biliteracy, because it not only demonstrates all of the effort I have put towards receiving this award, but it also conveys my love for language,” said Marconi.

Organized by the NYSED Regional Bilingual Education Resource Center (RBERN) at Fordham University and the New York State Statewide Language RBERN at New York University, with support from the OBEWL. 

Over 190 participants (ELL/MLL coordinators, ENL teachers, school leadership teams, parent advocates, community-based organizations (CBOs), counselors, social workers, and other personnel who work with ELLs/MLLs students and families) convened on October 25, 2018 at New York University for a New York State ELLs/MLLs Community Engagement Symposium. The symposium began with greetings from David E. Kirkland, Executive Director of the Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools at NYU Steinhardt commending the work that participants do to support ELL/MLL parents to ensure that they become more engaged in their children’s education. Lissette Colón-Collins, NYSED Assistant Commissioner of the Office of Bilingual Education and World Languages, encouraged participants to inform ELL/MLL parents that they need to listen to their children and be part of their education, even though their future aspirations and college/career choices may differ from the parent’s expectations. The Keynote speaker, Jesse Mojica, Executive Director for Parent Leadership of the Division of Family and Community Empowerment of the New York City Department of Education, spoke on Engaging the ELLs/MLLs Community for a College and Career-Future."  Jory Charles, Immigration Attorney from the Haitian-Americans United for Progress (HAUP), Inc. spoke on Immigration Issues Affecting Our Communities.  Informational bilingual materials were provided from contributor, United Healthcare.  

The NYS Statewide Language RBERN made a brief presentation on an overview of high school graduation requirements and a few of the risk-factors that affect dropout rates. Mostafa Ghonim, Education Activist Speaker, School Culture and Diversity Expert spoke on Social-Emotional and Academic Success and College Readiness for First Generation Students.  This was followed by a panel presentation that was moderated by James F. Rodriguez, Coordinator, College Goal New York. The panelists were: Antonio Aponte, Founder and President of the Latino College Expo , Eddie Cuesta, National Executive Director from Dominicanos USA , Jian Liu and Erica Thomas, Content and Design Team from the Office of Assessment of the NYCDOE, Marissa Muñoz, Senior Director for Educational Policy of the Hispanic Federation and Sugeni Perez-Sadler, Senior Director of College and Career Planning from the Office of Postsecondary Readiness of the NYCDOE.    

 

Participants expressed their gratitude for the wealth of information and how important it is to be connected to the ELLs/MLLs and their parents/families and be able to share resources with them. They stated that the symposium reinforced the need to tap into the academic and social-emotional needs of ELLs/MLLs and to pay close attention to school disengagement and risk factors that may lead students to drop out of school. Finally, they stated how sharing this experience at this symposium with other constituencies broadened their understanding of the need for participation and collaboration to support ELLs/MLLs and their parents/families.  

At NYSED, we believe that a culturally responsive-sustaining (CR-S) education recognizes and regards multiple manifestations of diversity (e.g. race, social class, gender, language, sexual orientation, nationality, religion, disability) as assets for learning. CR-S shifts from a focus on historical conditions of inequality to frameworks that shape access, participation, and outcomes of learners.

To make this shift a reality and to ensure that the state's educators have a rich understanding of CR-S Practices, NYSED, under the NYS Board of Regents, has created a framework that will serve as guidance. NYSED's CR-S understands culture as a collection of meanings (e.g., information, values, behaviors, activities) central to how education works. Each principle expresses a set of features rooted in elements of quality education and supported by guidelines that illustrate how CR-S looks in practice across a range of domains, from NYSED to the classroom. The framework is guided by three broad principles: Sociocultural Responsiveness, Sociopolitical Consciousness, and Quality Teaching and Learning. 

Stay tuned for updates on this initiative and for the soon-to-be published framework.

NYSED continues to support districts in NY State with the implementation of CR Part 154 in order to meet the needs of ELLs/MLLs by providing rigorous professional development opportunities and resources in alignment with the Blueprint for ELL/MLL Success, the NYS Next Generation P-12 Learning Standards, as well as the Bilingual Progressions. In order to ensure that ELLs/MLLs are exposed to equitable, rigorous instruction that advances the academic and literacy needs, you may use the questions below as a self-guide while planning: 

Access resources to support our Linguistically Diverse Learners and the NYS Next Generation P-12 Learning Standards . We look forward to working with you to ensure that we transcend the traditional model of ELL/MLL instruction to one that serves our ELLs/MLLs through high-quality, daily advanced literacy instruction, to build language and communication skills for the 21st century.

The Office of Bilingual Education and World Languages is excited to share that we are developing a set of World Languages initiatives. This set of projects will include revision of the World Language standards. In order to complete this process, OBEWL has created a Leadership Team and plans on creating a Practitioner Workgroup. Applications for this work group will be sought from a broad range of WL teachers and administrators from across New York State, reflecting the variety of languages taught at various types of schools, including elementary, junior high school, high school, K-8 and K-12; rural, suburban and urban schools; and schools serving students of various levels of ability and socioeconomic backgrounds.

We are in the process of planning a series of webinettes, short professional development videos accessible online, designed specifically for teachers of World Languages. Our office has also been in conversations with WL professional organizations to discuss the possibility of collaboration to provide access to their video libraries.

An additional project is being spearheaded by the Mid-State RBERN at the OCM BOCES, which is developing The World Language Council. Details on the World Language Council will be included in the next OBEWL newsletter.

The New York State World Languages in the 21st Century conference will take place in Saratoga Springs, NY on November 6, 2018. For more information, visit the World Languages in the 21st Century website. If you plan to attend, please register as soon as possible on Eventbrite.

Teachers of Tomorrow Grant

In July, 2018 the Teachers of Tomorrow program posted grant opportunities for school districts meeting grant criteria to apply for stipends to pay for graduate level coursework in Science, Math, Bilingual Education and English to Speakers of Other Languages. The purpose of the grant is to increase the number of certified teachers in low-performing schools in these shortage areas.

The deadline for applications was August 6th and allocations will be announced in the fall.

The shortage of certified Bilingual Education and English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teachers has been a long-term problem across the United States. In addition to various initiatives sponsored by the NYSED Office of Bilingual Education and World Languages, like the Clinically Rich Intensive Teacher Institute, individual districts have developed innovative Grow-Your-Own programs to address not only the teacher shortage but to increase diversity in their teaching staff.  The Buffalo Urban Teacher Academy (BUTA) is a “Grow-Your-Own program” that creates a pipeline of future teachers by developing local partnerships to solve these problems.

The Buffalo Public Schools partnered with SUNY Buffalo to create the BUTA, a four-year course of study for high school students who can earn up to 12 college credits, receive individual mentoring from an experienced BPS teacher, and are eligible for priority employment with Buffalo Public Schools when they graduate.

While gaining practical experience, dipping their toes into a potential career in education, and earning college credits, students in the program complete several components of initial certification; i.e. workshops in Child Abuse Identification, Violence Intervention and Prevention, and the Dignity for All Students Act. Additional coursework goes above and beyond certification requirements, like First Aid CPR/AED.

This initiative is one of the BPS Innovative High School programs and is administered by McKinley Principal Marck Abraham, District Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Fatima Morrell, Chief of Intergovernmental Affairs Dr Will Keresztes, and CTE Director Katherine Heinle. Representatives from SUNY Buffalo include Dr. Theresa Harris-Tigg, who is also a Buffalo BOE Member, and Dr. Kathy Wood, Associate Dean at SUNY Buffalo's School of Education. BPS paid for this program with funding for Career and Technical Education through the Perkins Act.  

Ten New Intensive Teacher Institute (ITI)

Programs Starting in 2018-2019

This past year, NYSED released two Requests for Proposals (RFPs) that in 2018-19 will create ten additional Clinically Rich-Intensive Teacher Institutes (CR-ITIs). These CR-ITIs provide full tuition support to teachers seeking ESOL certification or the Bilingual Education Extension. Five will be granted to Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) in New York City that have partnered with NYCDOE or one of its community school districts and an additional five will be granted to rest of state IHEs that have partnered with districts in their area. Each of these new programs will provide certification coursework to 20 teacher candidates per year. The recipients of these grant awards have not yet been publicly announced.

NYSED also received funding from the NYS Legislature ($770,000) to create an additional seven new bilingual-focused programs throughout NYS. The Department will continue to focus its efforts on Bilingual Education Extensions and ESOL certification; an additional focus will be Bilingual Education Extensions for Special Education teachers to better serve ELLs/MLLs with an IEP, as well as additional content area certification for ENL teachers. Each of these new programs established with NYS Legislature funding will provide coursework to 20 new teachers for a combined total of 140 teachers per year.

Throughout the 2018-19 school year, OBEWL will continue to implement federal Every Student Succeeds Act’s (ESSA) provisions regarding English Language Learners/Multilingual Learners (ELLs/MLLs) and immigrant students, including most notably creating a new English Language Proficiency (ELP) indicator that will be used in making school improvement decisions. Additionally, OBEWL is providing support, technical assistance, and tools to districts, schools and parents to help ELLs/MLLs meet long term goals for gaining proficiency in English, as well as to meet other academic indicators and increase graduation rates. OBEWL continues to pursue funding to develop Native Language Arts/Home Language Arts (NLA/HLA) assessments and to translate math and science assessments into a total of eight languages (Chinese (Traditional), Chinese (Simplified), Haitian-Creole, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Arabic, and Bengali). Finally, OBEWL is developing a District/School Self-Evaluation Tool to enable districts to assess the degree to which their academic instruction meets ELLs/MLLs’ needs. Find more information about New York State’s ESSA Implementation here.

The ELL Leadership Institute, a project funded by the Gates Foundation, is a network of leaders committed to building systems for ELL/MLL success. OBEWL and Stanford University collaborate with 25 districts representing 50,797 ELLs/MLLs. The central objective of this initiative is building the capacity of educators to transform their systems and ensure high-quality instruction that prepares ELLs/MLLs for college, careers, and community. This work is designed to accelerate ELLs’/MLLs’ content knowledge, analytical practices, and language development simultaneously, and in doing so increase their academic performance and graduation rates.

OBEWL would like to learn more about what you would like to see in our newsletter. Please take a moment to answer our quick, two question, multiple choice survey

For information on all Capital District RBERN workshops and professional development opportunities, please be sure to 

visit the Capital District RBERN website .

Supporting PreK and Early Elementary ELLs: Language and Literacy

Friday, November 9, 2018 from 8:30 AM-3:00 PM

In this hands-on session, participants will begin by exploring relevant research on ELL literary and second language development related to PreK and Early Elementary ELLs. Through the use of discussion, case studies, and a gallery walk activity, participants will explore tools and strategies for supporting PreK and Early Elementary ELLs’ language and literacy. Participants will develop strategies for scaffolding young ELLs’ access to challenging content and supporting PreK and Early Elementary ELLs’ language and literacy development. Finally, participants will plan lessons or set goals to apply language and literacy supports to instruction of ELLs in their context.

Register on Frontline/My Learning Plan here

Focus Group 1: Social Studies and K-12 ELLs

Monday, November 19, 2018 from 3:45-5:45 PM

The first Focus Group for the 2018-2019 school year will focus on Social Studies and ELLs. This Focus Group will be using the following book that we will provide for you: The SIOP Model for Teaching History-Social Studies to English Learners by Jana Echeverria, MaryEllen Vogt and Deborah Short.

Register on Frontline/My Learning Plan here

For information on all Hudson Valley RBERN workshops and professional development opportunities, please be sure to

visit the Hudson Valley RBERN website .

November 7th : A Teacher’s Practical Guide to Migrant Students, Trauma & Social Emotional Learning - at Rockland BOCES 

9:00am – 3:00pm

Rockland BOCES, Building #10

65 Parrott Road

West Nyack, NY, 10994

For information on all Long Island RBERN workshops and professional

development opportunities, please be sure to

visit the Long Island RBERN website.

District-targeted professional development only at this time.

MID-WEST RBERN AT MONROE 2 ORLEANS BOCES

For information on all Mid-West RBERN workshops and professional

development opportunities, please be sure to visit the Mid-West RBERN website .

Online: Fostering ELL Family Engagement  

Monday, November 5      

Scaffolding & Differentiation to Meet the Needs of ELLs, Grade 3-5

Thursday, November 8

8:00am BT BOCES:

Understanding the ELL Identification Process

Friday, November 9

12:00pm TST BOCES

For information on all Mid-State RBERN workshops and professional

development opportunities, please be sure to visit the Mid-state RBERN website .

Scaffolding & Differentiation to Meet the Needs of ELLs, Grade 3-5

When: Thu, November 8, 8am – 3pm

Where: Broome Tioga BOCES, 435 Glenwood Rd, Binghamton, NY 13905, USA ( map )

Overview: Teachers will explore ways to scaffold and differentiate instruction for ELLs in grades 3-6. Focus will be on making content comprehensible for ELLs and strategies for structuring classwork so that ELLs can be successful in the classroom. Participants will acquire a toolkit of scaffolding and differentiation strategies to make instruction more effective for ELLs.

To Register: https://www.mylearningplan.com/WebReg/ActivityProfile.asp?D=14861&I=2835342

World Language Conversation Group

When: Tue, November 13, 4pm – 5pm

Where: Seneca - Small Conference Room ( map )

Description: This is an amazing time to be a WLOTE educator in New York State! We are experiencing great momentum, with a wonderful focus on multilingual and multicultural opportunities in our school communities. In response to this explosion, join the Mid-State RBERN WLOTE Council for a unique professional learning experience to enhance, strengthen and empower WLOTE educators for the upcoming school year in the areas of fluency and instructional practices. Participants in this session will: 1. Practice language fluency in a low-risk, welcoming language environment 2. Share instructional practices and strategies to support WLOTE development

To Register: https://www.mylearningplan.com/WebReg/ActivityProfile.asp?D=15882&I=2949581

For information on all NYU Language RBERN at NYU workshops and

professional development opportunities, please be sure to

visit the NYU Language RBERN website .

English Language Learners (ELLs) with Interrupted Formal Education (SIFE) in Our Classrooms: Series on Best Practices for Their Success - Part 1 of 3

November 13, 2018

Location: New York University

Audience for AM Session: SIFE teachers who are first time participants to the NYS Statewide Language RBERN SIFE Series. Please register here for AM Session

PM Session has been postponed: TBD

See the flyer for more information

Space is limited and each participant must commit to attend all 3 sessions.

Vocabulary Across the Content Area - Grades 6-12 Citywide

November 14, 2018

Special Guest Presenter: Nancy Cloud

Location: Richmond Hill HS

Audience: Secondary Content Area Teachers of ELLs (Grades 6-12)

See the flyer for more information | Please register here

Additional Materials: Academic Vocabulary List, ELA Academic Vocabulary Word Lists, Sample Vocabulary Terms by Marzano Research Laboratory, Tennessee Academic Vocabulary, Word Zones for 5586 Most Frequent Words

For information on all Mid-State RBERN workshops and professional

development opportunities, please be sure to visit the Fordham RBERN website.

College and Career FAFSA Completion Event for High School students and parents of ELLs/MLLs grade 12. James Rodriguez. 

November 3, 2018 

Fordham University, Rose Hill Campus, 9:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Long Term ELL Institute, Series. for ENL teachers,Bilingual Teachers, Content Area Teachers working with ELLs/MLLs grades 6 - 12 . Presenters: Dr. Nancy Cloud and Elizabeth Hartung Cole

November 6, 2018,

Fordham University Lincoln Center and Rose Hill Campuses, 8:30 a. m. - 3:00 p.m.

Literacy Institute for High Schools - Implementing Close Reading to Support ELLs with English Regents, Part 1 ENL, Bilingual Teachers, Content Area Teachers working with ELLs/MLLs Presenter: Dr. L. Locatelli, Learner Centered Initiatives, Fordham University Lincoln

November 9, 2018

Center Campus 8:30 a. m. - 3:00 p.m

Register for the Close Reading Series here

For information on all RBERN West workshops and professional

development opportunities, please be sure to visit the RBERN West website .

November 2nd & 3rd

NYS TESOL 48th Annual Conference Experience: The Heart of Teaching and Learning, Albany NY

Next Generation Learning Standards and ESSA