SLPS TESOL ExcELLence
Issue 3
November 2015
District PD Plan for December 11,
2015
Thank you for participating in the PD survey for the upcoming
district PD day December 11. The majority voted for ESOL
program provided PD during the district part of the PD day.
Please, see the sessions that will be offered on this date and
sign up on MLP in advance.
8:00AM11:00AM
Session Choices
8:00AM
Writing COs
Building ELL
Scaffolding
Excel
9:25AM
and LOs in
Student
Instruction
for ELL
Content Areas
Portfolios
for ELLs
Specialists
K-12
( 9-12)
Through
-
Sentence
( k-8)
Stems
( K-12)
9:35AM-
Using
Scaffolding
Building
Writing
11:00AM
Recordex
Instruction for
ELL Student
COs and
(document
ELLs
Portfolios
LOs in
camera and
Through
K-8
Content
slate) in ESOL
Sentence
classroom (6-
Stems
12)
( K-12)
Areas K-12
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
1
District PD Plan/ DESE Audit
2
Universal Tools and Accommodations for ELLs
3
ESOL RESOURCE CORNER/Migration Policy
Institute/Unaccompanied Minors
4
What is Different about Teaching Reading for ELLs/CoTeaching
5
Press Release: Syrian Refugee
6
Calendar of Events/PD Opportunities
Newsletter 1
DESE Audit
Submitted by Dr. Gonzalez Del Castillo, SLPS
ESOL program director
This month, our ESOL Program participated in the
DESE Audit. The following information was requested:
1. Board adopted policy concerning the education of
ELL students
2. Procedures to survey student body and identify
ELLs, sample enrollment forms with home language
survey
3. Evidence of W-APT administration to all potential
ELLs and evidence that staff has been trained to
administer W-APT.
4. Documentation of ELL student enrollment
5. Documentation on full time qualified ESOL teachers,
including schedules and written description of ELL
services.
I want to thank the ESOL office staff for keeping
accurate records of program activities and ESOL
teachers for having their schedules in place. Accurate
record-keeping helped us prom ptly gather all the
required documentation.
We were also able to identify areas where we need to
continue to grow. One such area is our board policy.
We will be working on updating the board policy for
our program as part of the Leadership Committee. If
you are interested in contributing to this work, please
join the Leadership Committee.
6
Universal Tools and
Cal
en
Accommodations for ELLs’ Grade
dar
–
Level Assessments
As of last year most of the district and state assessments
went online. Lately, many of you have requested additional
information on the appropriate accommodations for ELLs.
The goal of an accommodation is to make an assessment
more accessible for English language learners and students
with disabilities and to produce results that are valid for these
students. The intent is NOT to give them an unfair advantage
over those who are not receiving that accommodation.
Therefore, to serve the purpose, for its assessments, Smarter
Balanced Assessment Center (SBAC) should consider
accommodations with characteristics that satisfy certain
assumptions and conditions toward a reliable and valid
assessment system. The following five major conditions are
important to consider in selecting accommodations for ELLs
and students with disabilities (see, for a more detailed
discussion of these conditions see Abedi, 2012):
(1) Effectiveness: an accommodation must be effective in
making an assessment more accessible to the recipients.
(2) Validity: an accommodation should not alter the focal
construct, i.e., the outcomes of accommodated and nonaccommodated assessments should be comparable.
(3) Differential Impact: an accommodation should be
sensitive to student’s background characteristics, and their
academic standing, i.e., one size may not fit all.
(4) Relevance: an accommodation should be appropriate for
the recipients.
(5) Feasibility: an accommodation must be logistically
feasible to implement in the assessment setting.
DESE document provides Universal Tools that are available
for all students unless otherwise noted. (ELLs are those who
marked LEP-RCV or NRC in Core Data)
Accommodations are available only to ELLs with an IEP/504
plans (ELLs are those who marked LEP-RCV or NRC in Core
Data.)
According to the program communication with our district
assessment office, the following grade-level accommodations
meet all 5 conditions. It is advisable to implement and keep
records of the accommodation throughout the year: (see the
full version of DESE recommendations for use of universal
tools and assessments for grade-level assessments):
Universal Tool Code S041:
Tool- Read-Aloud (not including ELA Reading Passages)Text-to-Speech
Description: The INSIGHT platform allows all students to have
the test directions and items in English Language Arts,
Mathematics and Science read aloud via embedded text-tospeech technology. The student can control the speed and
volume of the voice. The system also includes a followalong feature, where the word being read is highlighted
for the student.
Please note: This tool DOES NOT read ELA reading
passages to the student. In order to have ELA reading
passages Read Aloud, a student MUST have that
accommodation in their IEP/504 plan.
Please note, DESE does not recommend the use of
Read Aloud for students who do not use it as a part of
their everyday learning in the classroom. The use of
Read Aloud for some students can prove distracting
and become a hindrance to student performance.
This tool must be turned on in the EDirect system under
student accommodations prior to testing.
Universal Tool S043:
Read Aloud (Not including ELA Reading passages)
– Human Reader
Description: Any student taking the online,
paper/pencil, large print or Braille assessments may
have the test directions and items in English Language
Arts, Mathematics and Science read aloud by a human
reader.
Please note: Use of this tool DOES NOT allow the
reading of ELA passages to the student. In order to
have ELA reading passages Read Aloud, a student
MUST have that accommodation in their IEP/504 plan.
Please note, DESE does not recommend the use of
Read Aloud for students who do not use it as a part of
their everyday learning in the classroom. The use of
Read Aloud for some students can prove distracting
and become a hindrance to student performance.
This tool must be turned on in the eDirect system under
student accommodations prior to testing.
Universal Tool S501:
Separate Setting- Students may be allowed to test in a
separate setting from other students. This includes
testing individually or testing as part of a smaller group.
This tool must be turned on in the eDirect system
under student accommodations prior to testing.
Universal Tool S351
Scribe- student with physical disabilities that may
prevent them from responding themselves may dictate
their responses to a scribe, who must follow the
scribing guidelines.
Please note: Scribe should be familiar to the student
and have scribing experience in some capacity prior to
the test.
Students who obtain a physical injury prior to testing
that prevents them from responding may also dictate
their responses to a scribe.
This tool must be turned on in the eDirect system under
student accommodations prior to testing.
Newsletter 2
ESOL RESOURCE CORNER
Unaccompanied Minors Face Uneven
Experiences in U.S. Schools
Federal Guide Outlines Supports for Undocumented H.S.
and College Students
By Corey Mitchell on October 20, 2015 1:10 PM
The U.S. Department of Education has released the first in
a set of resource guides designed to help school officials
support undocumented immigrant students.
The 63-page guide aims to clarify the legal rights of
undocumented high school and college students, share
resources about federal and private financial aid available to
them, and discuss how to support youth applying for
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
consideration or renewal. The DACA program allows
students who came to the United States as children to apply
for relief from deportation.
An Education Department release indicates that "nearly 1.5
million undocumented youth in the United States are eligible
for DACA, and another 400,000 will become eligible in
coming years." The Department plans to release a resource
guide for preschool and elementary school settings in the
coming month.
"Our nation's public schools should be welcoming, safe, and
supportive places where all students ... are given the
opportunity to succeed. We know undocumented youth face
unique challenges and we also know that educators and
other caring adults in schools and colleges can play a major
role in helping all students, including undocumented
students, to achieve at the highest levels," Deputy
Education Secretary John King said in a prepared
statement. He will serve as Acting Education Secretary
when the current secretary, Arne Duncan, steps down in
December.
The federal Justice and Education Departments sent
guidance to school districts across the nation in
spring 2014, reminding public schools that they are
required to provide all children with equal access to
education at the elementary and secondary levels,
regardless of their own immigration or citizenships
status, or that of their parents or guardians.
In a letter to members of the Council of Chief State
School Officers, Duncan wrote that the guide
released Tuesday should help school leaders’ better
support children "regardless of actual or perceived
immigration status.
You may access the full document by accessing our L
Drive or the following link
http://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/focus/supportingundocumented-youth.pdf
Migration Policy Institute
Serving Newcomer Immigrant and Refugee
Students in Secondary Schools: Comparing U.S.
and European Practices Webinar
MPI National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy
from October 22, 2015
Please, feel free to access a replay of the webinar at
your convenience (estimated duration 1h our 20 min)
by accessing the link followed by Replay Back choice
https://migrationpolicy.webex.com/ec3000/eventcenter/rec
ording/recordAction.do?theAction=poprecord&AT=pb&int
ernalRecordTicket=4832534b00000002938c965d80f7ad8c
2fb4fa78f8c08ee97e3e1772ea6fba20b0b025d0c5dc09c9&r
enewticket=0&isurlact=true&recordID=11822707&apinam
e=lsr.php&format=short&needFilter=false&&SP=EC&rID
=11822707&RCID=cf596cc9670d4c20ab7c16d9f0320576
&siteurl=migrationpolicy&actappname=ec3000&actname=
%2Feventcenter%2Fframe%2Fg.do&rnd=0727368701&en
tappname=url3000&entactname=%2FnbrRecordingURL.d
o
King unveiled the guide during a discussion with
undocumented students at San Francisco State University,
which the Education Department calls a "leader in
supporting the success of undocumented youth."
The guide also includes: advice for educators on how to
support undocumented youth; a list of private scholarships
for which undocumented students might be eligible; and tips
for migrant students working to access their education
records for DACA consideration.
Newsletter 3
WHAT’S DIFFERENT ABOUT
TEACHING READING TO STUDENTS
LEARNING ENGLISH
Submitted by Amy McNab, NCNAA ESOL/Sheltered ELA
Teacher
“Literacy is a fundamental human right and the foundation for
lifelong learning. It is fully essential to social and human
development in its ability to transform lives.” - United Nations
Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organizations (UNESCO,
2015)
A discussion about the above quote is how the WHAT’S
DIFFERENT ABOUT TEACHING READING TO STUDENTS
LEARNING ENGLISH? workshop, presented by the Center
for Applied Linguistics (CAL) in Washington, DC, I attended in
October began. Those of us who have taken up the
challenge of teaching reading to English Language Learners
are aware of the unique challenges our students face.
Unfortunately, many classroom teachers do not. I would like
to share a few tips from the conference that might be a
refresher for you and the classroom teachers with which you
work.
1. Often, the teacher is the only model of fluent English an
ELL has. When a teacher is doing a read aloud in class, she
should pay attention to her rate and expression and model
self-monitoring.
2. When teaching reading to ELLs, focus on
comprehensibility, oral language development, vocabulary
development, the beginning reading components of
phonological awareness and phonics, fluency, and
comprehension strategies.
3. There are four cueing systems: graphophonic - the manner
in which sounds are mapped on the page using symbols;
semantic – the meaning of words and phrases; syntactic –
how words and phrases are put together to make meaning;
and pragmatic – the social, cultural, and historical context of
language.
4. It is important to give ELLs the opportunity to choose books
about topics which interest them and give them the
opportunity to read for pleasure. “US high school students
who regularly engaged in leisure reading scored significantly
higher in reading than did peers who did not regularly read for
pleasure,” (National Center for Education Statics, 2011).
5. Students who have a large oral vocabulary can more easily
decode, read, and understand the words they see in print.
6. It is not unusual for students learning to read in English to
understand what they hear read aloud, but are unable to retell
or produce the English oral language needed to explain what
they understood, (Goodman, Goodman, and Flores, 1979).
7. ELLs need to be taught phonemic and phonological
awareness, alphabet recognition, concepts of print, and
phonics skills. Those students who are literate in their first
language are usually able to transfer their knowledge of the
symbols of their alphabet to those of the English alphabet.
8. Instruction in phonemic awareness that eventually includes
letter-sound associations (phonics), is more likely to be
productive than teaching speech sounds alone.
9. ELLs benefit most from phonics instruction that is
taught in meaningful contexts, and is applied in authentic
reading and writing tasks.
10. Phonics is a way of teaching: graphophonic
relationships, letter-sound associations, letter-sound
correspondences, letter-symbol correspondences, and
sound-spellings.
10 Ways to Optimize Classroom
Co-Teaching
Submitted by Debra Cole, MELL specialist
Please, access the full article using the following link
http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2015/10/26/10ways-to-optimize-classroom-coteaching.html?cmp=eml-enl-tu-news2
By Wendi Pillars
Imagine teaching with another teacher.
I’m so fortunate that I get to work right alongside other
teachers—every single day. How cool is that? According
to many survey results such as this one, observing other
teachers teach is a prime factor in promoting success and
satisfaction at school. You could say I am living the
dream. And I truly am.
But that’s not to say it’s always easy.
Co-teaching, as you’ve probably heard before, is much
like a relationship. It’s complicated, as most relationships
are, but can be absolute magic when it goes well.
Although my co-teachers and I haven’t mastered it quite
yet, I'd like to offer some firsthand, hard-earned insights
for both the core teacher and co-teacher. Keep in mind
that these are suggestions for success that don’t depend
on the often-elusive mutual planning time, joint
professional development, levels of administrative
support, or other external forces. Instead, let’s reevaluate
key aspects the two of you have control over, on a daily
basis.
1. Be honest with yourself.
2. Appreciate this gift of co-teaching.
3. Remember that co-teachers are “real” teachers,
too.
4. Be explicitly grateful
5. Be realistic about timing
6. Reflect
7. Focus on yourself first
8. Practice
9. Be loyal
10. Be open and resourceful
Co-teaching is challenging, but when supported and
nurtured, a common vision and mission can be more
readily articulated and implemented. It can become a
cornerstone of professional learning communities, one
that inspires trust, interdependence, camaraderie through
shared experiences, and intriguingly, a growing mutual
obligation, not only to colleagues, but also to our many
diverse learners.
Above all else, use your unique relationship to support
and inspire each other to be even better.
Newsletter 4
PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Michelle Mittelstadt
202-266-1910
mmittelstadt@migrationpolicy.org
Syrian Refugee Children Encountering Significant Trauma and
Schooling Disruptions Prior to Resettlement, MPI Report Finds
WASHINGTON – Forty percent of the more than 4 million Syrian refugees who have fled Syria since civil war began in 2011 are
under the age of 12, with many encountering substantial schooling disruptions that will affect their learning once resettled, according to
a new Migration Policy Institute (MPI) report released today.
The report, The Educational and Mental Health Needs of Syrian Refugee Children, draws from a study of Syrian children living in
refugee camps in Turkey and reviews the broader literature to uncover the challenges these children face in host and resettlement
countries.
Approximately half of Syrian refugee school-age children were not enrolled in school in mid-2015, with enrollment rates as low as 20
percent in Lebanon and 30 percent in Turkey. In Turkey, children cannot enroll until they can demonstrate proficiency in Turkish. In
Lebanon, refugee children are taught in French or English as well as Arabic. Girls are far less likely to attend school than boys. Even
when they do enroll, Syrian refugee children are more likely than their non-refugee peers to receive poor or failing grades, or to drop
out.
These results hold significant implications not just for the children’s futures, but for key resettlement destinations such as the United
States and countries in Europe, as well as first-asylum countries such as Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan.
“Children may struggle to bridge gaps in their learning after substantial educational disruptions, particularly when contending with
language barriers or new curricula,” write authors Selcuk Sirin and Lauren Rogers-Sirin.
Syrian refugee children are also at risk for a range of mental health issues resulting from their traumatic experiences. Drawing on the
results of fieldwork conducted in Islahiye camp in southeast Turkey to assess children’s levels of trauma and mental health distress,
researchers found Syrian refugee children had experienced very high levels of trauma. More than three-quarters had experienced a
death in the family; 60 percent had seen someone get kicked, shot at, or physically hurt; and 30 percent had themselves experienced
violence. Forty-five percent displayed symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)—ten times the prevalence among children
around the world; and 44 percent reported symptoms of depression.
“Meeting the educational and mental health needs of Syrian refugee children will require a substantial international commitment of
resources for countries of first asylum like Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, as well as ongoing support for the small numbers of children
who are resettled in the United States, Europe and elsewhere around the world,” said MPI President Michael Fix.
The report reviews intervention programs in the Middle East, Europe and the United States, finding that some community-based
initiatives developed for refugee populations show promise for addressing the education and mental health needs of Syrian children. It
provides recommendations for best practices to address the mental health of Syrian refugee children, including offering quality, tailored
education and mental health services that are culturally appropriate and that help the children embrace their new home and learn the
host-country language without losing their ties to Syrian culture.
“Providing food and shelter is just a start for addressing the needs of this vulnerable population,” said Randy Capps, director of
research for U.S. programs at MPI. “For the small percentage of Syrian refugee children who will be resettled, ongoing support to
tackle the residual effects of trauma and to help families navigate the resettlement process is vital.”
The report is the first in a series, supported through a research grant from the Foundation for Child Development, on young children in
refugee families. Next week, MPI will release a report examining how Somali Bantu children fared in school when first resettled in the
United States. The authors of these two reports, as well as of a third that examines the experiences of refugee children in countries of
first asylum, discussed their findings during a webinar Oct. 27
The report on Syrian refugee children can be read at: www.migrationpolicy.org/research/educational-and-mental-health-needs-syrianrefugee-children.
Newsletter 5
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Date
Thursday, November 5
Event
Time
Community Outreach
Location
3:30PM-4:30 PM
ESOL Office, Building 1
3:30PM-4:30 PM
ESOL Office, Building 1
5:30-7:00 PM
ESOL Office Building
3:30PM-5:00PM
ESOL office
Committee
Thursday, November 12
Parent Involvement
Committee
November 18
ESOL Program Parent
Meeting
November 19
(please, note that the date
is changed from November
17)
Differentiating Instruction
and Assessment Book
Study (for Level 1 and
Level 2 students)
RSVP in MLP
Upcoming PD opportunities for TESOLers !
Join TESOL in Baltimore

5–8 April 2016
Tuesday–Friday
Registration is open now------ http://www.tesol.org/convention2016/register
If you are interested in attending the TESOL Conference, please remember about Parson Blewett PD scholarship and apply early
to secure funds. In addition, if you are applying for Parson Blewett, please contact Dr. Gonzalez Del Castillo or Elena Okanovic by
December 1, 2015 for additional financial support in terms of conference registration.
Please, share ESOL updates from your site with Elena Okanovic by November 30, 2015 to be
included in our next issue of the SLPS TESOL ExcELLence newsletter.
Newsletter 6