The Maine Department of Education’s English as a Second Language/Bilingual Programs, in collaboration with Project Reach at the University of Maine, provided training on Maine’s English Language Development (ELD) standards last week to 60 teachers and administrators from 31 SAUs, including Caribou, Ellsworth, Berwick and all points between.
Training was provided by national World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment Consortium Senior Professional Development Specialist Amy King. The group explored the 2012 amplified ELD structure, the alignment between cognitive function and language function along a developmental continuum, and socio-cultural context of language use. Throughout the day, participants engaged in direct activity to apply the standards and implications to classroom instruction and assessment, developing strategies that work with all students in all grade levels.
With input from Maine DOE’s English Language Arts Specialist Patsy Dunton, who was also present at the training, participants learned about and made connections with the Common Core State Standards (and other state content standards) and the upcoming Smarter Balanced Assessment system.
More information
- Nancy Mullins
Director of ESL/Bilingual Programs
624-6788
nancy.mullins@maine.gov - ESL and Bilingual Programs website