Category: Multilingual Learning

Professional Learning Opportunity: Teacher Leaders – Planning with the WIDA English Language Development Standards

English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teachers, coordinators/directors, Ed Techs, tutors, and instructional coaches are invited to join the Maine Department of Education and WIDA for a hybrid workshop on planning with the WIDA English Language Development (ELD) Standards!

This hybrid workshop is designed to support ESOL educators in providing local professional development and support for using the WIDA ELD Standards Framework (2020 edition) to plan instruction at the unit level. This workshop is for you if you can answer “yes” to any of these questions:

  • Have you been asked to provide professional development about the WIDA ELD Standards Framework (2020 edition) to educators in your school or district?
  • Do you engage in co-planning with content/classroom educators on a regular basis?
  • Do you have experience evaluating and/or designing content lessons and units?
  • Do you have a strong background in the WIDA Standards system and in working with multilingual learners?

Participants who complete the workshop will receive an invitation to join a consortium-wide pilot community of practice with quarterly activities and collaborative online discussions.

There will be a live virtual session on 11/30/22 from 3-4pm, followed by an in-person workshop on 12/6/22 from 9am-3pm in Augusta. Register here.

If you have any questions about this professional learning opportunity, contact April Perkins, ESOL & Bilingual Programs Specialist, at april.perkins@maine.gov or (207)441-9043.

Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE) Virtual Professional Development Sessions

The Maine Department of Education and SupportEd are partnering up to provide K-12 Maine educators with four free virtual professional development sessions focusing on Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE).

  • Zoom – Conveniently join all virtual PD sessions online via Zoom.
  • Maine Educators – Virtual PD sessions are intended for all Maine teachers grades K-12.
  • 2-hour Sessions – Sessions will last two hours with time to apply strategies included.

SupportEd’s vision is to reimagine the landscape of education for Multilingual Learners (MLs). Specializing in Multilingual Learners (MLs), SupportEd meticulously crafts personalized solutions to fit every partners’ strengths and goals. SupportEd provides educators and administrators with the expertise and resources to help champion the success of MLs within and beyond the classroom. The SupportEd team is comprised of nationally recognized Multilingual Learner experts, best-selling authors, and accomplished researchers — all with extensive experience working in the classroom and/or district.

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Culturally Responsive Teaching and Social Emotional Learning for SLIFE

Thursday, September 22 | 3:00 pm

During this two-hour session, participants will develop an understanding of culturally responsive teaching and social emotional learning for SLIFE. SupportEd will lead participants in defining SLIFE and their characteristics and exploring strategies and tools for creating a culturally responsive school climate that includes social emotional learning practices for SLIFE. Time will also be provided to apply the tools and strategies to their class and school communities.

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Effective Instruction of SLIFE  

Thursday, October 20 | 3:00 pm

During this two-hour session, participants will develop an understanding of effective instruction for SLIFE. SupportEd will lead participants in exploring a framework for effective instruction of SLIFE and discussing strategies for supporting SLIFE engagement with and understanding of content learning. Time will also be provided to set goals for supporting the academic needs of SLIFE in all classrooms and schools.

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Supporting SLIFE Family and Community Engagement 

Thursday, November 17 | 3:00 pm

During this two-hour session, participants will develop an understanding of how to support SLIFE family and community engagement. SupportEd will lead participants in defining the importance of engaging SLIFE families and community in learning and exploring strategies for partnering with SLIFE families and expanding community collaboration in support of students. Time will also be provided to plan for partnering with SLIFE families and expanding community collaboration.

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Supporting Graduation and Post-Secondary Success of SLIFE  

Thursday, December 15 | 3:00 pm

During this two-hour session, participants will develop an understanding of how to support the graduation and post-secondary success of SLIFE. SupportEd will lead participants in discussing barriers and solutions related to graduation and post-secondary success for SLIFE and explore strategies for supporting graduation and post-secondary success of SLIFE. Time will also be provided to apply strategies to plan for implementing strategies for supporting graduation and post-secondary success of SLIFE.

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New Guidance on Multilingual Learners with Disabilities

A new guidance manual is now available on Identifying and Serving Multilingual Learners with Disabilities. The appropriate and accurate identification of students who are multilingual learners (MLs) with disabilities is a complex process requiring a team approach. Under- and overidentification of MLs for special education and related services is a persistent challenge nationwide.

The manual was developed through the collaboration of Maine Department of Education Special Services and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) staff members. We are hopeful that this guidance will provide educators with the information and resources they need to make the most appropriate determinations for students.

Please join us for an overview on September 19th at 3:00pm to learn how this guide can support your work with students who are MLs. Register here.

For a deeper dive into different sections of the manual, we are also offering the following series of trainings, and we encourage both ESOL and Special Education staff to attend.

For those who cannot attend, all sessions will be recorded and archived on the Maine DOE YouTube channel for viewing at your convenience. If you have any questions, contact April Perkins, ESOL & Bilingual Programs Specialist, at april.perkins@maine.gov.

Virtual Professional Learning Community to Support Educators in Engaging Multilingual Newcomers

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) is pleased to invite educators to participate in a virtual Professional Learning Community (PLC) which will develop participants’ understanding about the needs of multilingual newcomers, creating a collegial community of support, as well as practices for engaging newcomers for success in the classroom.

This PLC is based on the WIDA eLearning course “Engaging Multilingual Newcomers,” available through the WIDA Secure Portal.  All Maine public school teachers are eligible for a free Secure Portal account by contacting WIDA Client Services. Each PLC session will address one module of the course, which participants will complete before each PLC session.

See the list of PLC sessions below for dates and topics of focus. Sessions will be held from 3:00-4:00pm on Mondays on the dates listed below. Participants should plan to attend all sessions in the series, to the extent possible. Contact hours will be available for participation in the sessions.

The workshops will be facilitated by Rebecca Carey, Maine DOE ESOL Consultant. If you have any questions, contact Rebecca at rebecca.carey@maine.gov.

Register HERE to receive the Zoom link.

Date Topics
Session 1 Monday, September 26, 2022 Engaging Multilingual Newcomers: The Social and Emotional Needs of Newcomers

 
Session 2 Monday, October 3, 2022 Engaging Multilingual Newcomers: Building Collegial Relationships
Session 3 Monday, October 17, 2022 Engaging Multilingual Newcomers: Exploring Instructional Strategies for Multilingual Newcomers

 

 

Free Micro-Credentials and UCLA Graduate Credits on Teaching Multilingual Learners: Information Session on 9.14.22

The Maine Department of Education invites educators of multilingual learners (MLs) to participate in an exciting new professional learning program called ExcEL Leadership Academy, which offers free micro-credentials on many ML-related topics. Whether you’re a classroom teacher who is new to teaching MLs, an experienced ESOL teacher, an administrator, or other educator, you can enhance your practice with one or more targeted micro-credentials.

Join ExcEL Director Laureen Avery and April Perkins, Maine DOE ESOL & Bilingual Programs Specialist, for an information session on 9.14.22 at 3pm. Register here.

Funded through the US Department of Education, ExcEL Leadership Academy is not only totally free to participants, but they also receive a $250 stipend for each micro-credential they complete and can even earn free graduate credit through UCLA!

ExcEL makes professional learning accessible wherever you are located and meets your individualized needs. Here are some key facts about the program:

  • Micro-credentials are competency-based.
  • You can choose to participate in just one, a few, or all of the offerings!
  • You work at your own pace and in your own classroom.
  • You learn about (and implement) best practices with your existing students. Implementation is integrated into what you are already doing.
  • Participants join a peer network with members from across New England, creating opportunities to learn with and from other teachers.
  • The program is self-paced and flexible – with lots of support and options.

To learn more about participants experiences with ExcEL Leadership Academy, check out this video (13:05) featuring the voices of ExcEL teachers in Rhode Island (or this shorter version [1:24]).

For more information or to participate please reach out by email to avery@gseis.ucla.edu.

 

Professional Learning Series: Learn about the WIDA English Language Development Standards for Multilingual Learners 

Are you a classroom or content area teacher with multilingual learners (MLs) in your classroom? If you’re looking to enhance your practice, the WIDA English Language Development (ELD) Standards are a great place to start. The ELD Standards are the essential foundation for providing effective instruction for MLs. 

Join April Perkins, ESOL & Bilingual Programs Specialist, for a statewide virtual professional learning community (PLC) to support you in integrating this standards framework into your practice. See dates and topics below. All PLC sessions will be from 3:30-4:30pm. To receive the Zoom link for each session, click on the links in the Module/Topic column. 

The PLC will be centered around the WIDA self-paced eWorkshop WIDA ELD Standards Framework: A Collaborative Approach. Participants will complete each module in advance of the session. In order to access the eWorkshop, you will need a free WIDA Secure Portal account, which you can obtain by contacting WIDA Client Services at 1-866-276-7735.  

If you have any questions, contact April Perkins at april.perkins@maine.gov.  

Date  Module/Topic 
9.20.22  Module 1: Connect Current Knowledge and Practices to the WIDA ELD Standards Framework 
10.18.22  Module 2: Integrate Student Assets into Content Learning 
11.8.22  Module 3: Focus on Key Language Uses 
12.13.22  Module 4: Identify Language Expectations Within a Unit 
1.17.23  Module 5: Put Language Expectations into Action 
2.28.23  Module 6: Plan for Language Growth Over Time 

NMRC/PAE Education Academy Program Accepting Applications

A new Education Academy offered at Portland Adult Education is now accepting applications. The Education Academy prepares people who were teachers in their home country to be teachers or educational technicians here in Maine.

The Portland Public Schools launched the Education Academy as part of the Teach Portland initiative in January 2022 to build and diversify its educator workforce. This new intensive program, targeted specifically at foreign-trained teachers, will be offered by the New Mainers Resource Center (NMRC) at Portland Adult Education starting Jan. 7. It is designed to build on the skills and experience that these teachers bring with them from their home countries.

The Education Academy will combine coursework with intensive English and a student classroom experience.  It will prepare students in the program to work as educational technicians and substitute teachers. It will also provide the guidance and support they need to ultimately apply for and pursue teacher certification.  Students may be eligible for scholarships and other supportive services that will help them with the costs of any college courses they may need for teacher certification.

Education Academy which is now accepting applications for classes that start this September.

  • This program prepares people who were teachers in their home country to be Teachers or Educational Technicians here in Maine
  • It is also a good program for people with other backgrounds and degrees who are interested in entering the teaching profession
  • It provides an overview of education in the US including: classroom management, teaching methods, becoming a Maine educator, and teaching exceptional students
  • The program includes a practicum, or practical experience in a classroom, and also advice and assistance applying for teacher certification and jobs

Here is a link to more information about the program and its requirements:  Education Academy Slideshow.

Here is a link to the Education Academy Application.

For more information about the Education Academy, go to the New Mainers Resource Center website at: www.nmrcmaine.org or call Portland Adult Education at: 207-874-8155

eWorkshop: Virtual Professional Learning Community for Administrators 

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) welcomes all school and SAU-level administrators to participate in an eight-part virtual professional learning community (VPLC) this fall. The VPLC will center on the WIDA asynchronous eWorkshop “School Improvement Planning for the Equitable Education of Multilingual Learners.” This eWorkshop will introduce school leaders to leadership principles and practices to provide equitable educational opportunities for multilingual learners, based on a distributive leadership model.  

Participants will complete the eWorkshop independently and then come together with their colleagues and facilitator Robin Fleck, ESOL Consultant, to reflect and discuss what they have learned. The eWorkshop includes eight modules that take about 45 minutes each to complete. 

During the eWorkshop, participants will have an opportunity to explore effective leadership practices that aim to:  

  1. create and maintain an inclusive, school-wide learning environment focused on multilingual learners;  
  2. promote effective instructional practices for multilingual learners;  
  3. leverage multiple resources and build capacity for staff to meet the needs of multilingual learners; and  
  4. collaborate with families and the local community to enact school improvement solutions.  

Videos, readings, and opportunities for reflection, as well as suggestions and resources for team planning activities are included. At the end of the eWorkshop, participants will be introduced to the WIDA SIS, an online- school improvement assessment tool that can be utilized in the school improvement process to prioritize learning opportunities for multilingual learners. 

If you’re interested in participating in this VPLC, submit your contact information and scheduling preferences here. Recognizing the challenges of an administrator’s calendar, we will schedule the sessions between mid-September and mid-November, according to the availability of everyone who would like to participate. 

There must be a minimum of eight registrants in order for the VPLC to be held. If you have any questions, contact Robin Fleck at robin.fleck@maine.gov.  

 

Virtual Workshop Series for New ESOL (English Speakers of Other Languages) Teachers

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) invites educators to participate in a series of virtual workshops on topics related to serving multilingual learners and managing an English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program. While the sessions will be targeted to the needs of new ESOL teachers, all are welcome! More experienced ESOL teachers, and others whose work relates to the topics listed, will also find information of value and benefit from connecting with colleagues across Maine.

See the list of sessions below for dates and topics of focus. Sessions will be held from 3:00-4:00pm every other Thursday. Participants should plan to attend all sessions in the series, to the extent possible. Contact hours will be available for participation in the sessions. Ideally participants, as a cohort of learners, will develop and sustain a professional connection beyond the bi-weekly sessions.

The workshops will be facilitated by Rebecca Carey, Maine DOE ESOL Consultant, and will feature guest speakers during some sessions. If you have any questions, contact Rebecca at rebecca.carey@maine.gov.

Register HERE to receive the Zoom links.

Session 1 – Thursday, September 1, 2022

  1. Welcoming newcomers and families
    • Ways to support your registration process/registration staff
    • Ways to access interpreting and translating services
    • Elements of a culturally responsive school setting
    • Essential information to share with newcomers
  2. Identifying English learners
    • Language Use Survey
    • ELP screeners
    • LAC meetings
    • Entering multilingual learner data into the student data system
      • Steps and important dates
  3. Reviewing state expectations
    • Timeline for identification
    • Service provision guidance

Session 2 – Thursday, September 15, 2022

  1. How to effectively use the LAC meeting
    • Timeline
    • Members
    • Gathering information
    • Learning opportunities for the team
  2. ILAP
    • Purpose
    • Examples
    • Using the WIDA ELD Standards
  3. How to have effective parent conferences/communications
  4. Student data system revisited for October 1st student count readiness

Session 3 – Thursday, September 29, 2022

  1. Supporting Multilingualism
    • Leveraging primary languages in the classroom
    • Asset-based approach
      • Creating student profiles
      • Activities: Getting to know students
    • Uses for instruction
  2. Identifying available resources
    • Maine DOE multilingual learners webpages
    • Maine DOE ESOL & bilingual programs resources Padlet
    • Maine DOE ESOL Listserv
    • Free WIDA self-paced eWorkshops

Session 4 – Thursday, October 13, 2022

  1. Understanding acculturation and how to support students in this process
    • Strategies for culturally responsive teaching
  2. Questions/needs of the group

 Session 5 – Thursday, October 27, 2022

  1. Preparing students for ACCESS for ELLs and Alternate ACCESS for ELLs testing
  2. Preparing your colleagues, administrators, and testing space for ACCESS for ELLs and Alternate ACCESS for ELLs administration

Maine DOE Hosts First ‘Teachers of Adult Multilingual Summer Institute’ Drawing in Rural Districts Eager to Support New Learners

As the housing crisis felt across Maine has driven some of Maine’s newest multilingual residents out of urban areas and into rural parts of our State, the Maine Department of Education (DOE) and Maine’s adult education multilingual learning programs are right there to provide the support they need. 

The first-ever, “Teachers of Adult Multilingual Summer Institute” was held in Sugarloaf and virtually recently. Hosted by Maine DOE’s Adult Education Team and endearingly referred to as, “Camp Sugarloaf,” the gathering featured nationally renowned educator and speaker Jayme Adelson-Goldstein who led a workshop, which took place over the course of the three-day institute, on implementing high-leverage practices and differentiation in virtual and  in-person multilingual classrooms with interactive activities that enabled participants to get to know each other and dig into valuable content and best practices for educating adult learners who are multilingual. 

In addition to Adelson-Goldstein’s full group sessions, the institute also offered various breakout sessions led by educators working in some of Maine’s more urban adult education programs.  

While Rochelle Yanike Hale from Portland Adult Education led a session on “How to Increase Student Writing in a Remote Class,” Virginie Akimana from Portland Adult Education hosted a session on, “Considerations for Working with Adult Multilingual Learners,” and Tekia Cox from Augusta Adult & Community Education hosted participants for a Roundtable Discussion on Orientation for Multilingual Learners. Also offering sessions were Kelli Park from University of Southern Maine (USM)/Merrymeeting Adult Education, Elizabeth Cuccinello DiLalla from RSU 13 Adult & Community Education, Moira Taylor from Portland Adult Education, Lisa Parisio from Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project, Amy Hatch from Lewiston Adult Education, and Anya Enright from EnGen. 

Members of Maine DOE’s Adult Education Team also hosted various other sessions on everything from CASAS (assessments) to community resources, and the Teaching the Skills That Matter (TSTM) Toolkit. In addition, the institute also provided participants with ample opportunities for networking, relaxing, and communicating and collaborating with each other across the three-day event.    

Meet the Adult Education Team: 

Back row: Kelley Heath- Adult Ed Data/High School Education Coordinator, Amy Hatch-Adult Ed MaineStars Data Entry, Christy Le-Adult Ed Micro-credential Assistant, Tammy Ranger- Director, Workforce Development & Innovative Pathways 

Front row: Megan Dichter- Adult Ed Workforce Development/ESL Coordinator, Amy Poland- Adult Ed Prof Dev/ME College Transition Coordinator, Monique Roy-Director Adult Education 

While this is the first official Summer Institute hosted for Maine’s adult educators, the Maine DOE’s Adult Education Team hopes to plan a summer institute annually each year going forward.