The conference, held at the International Charter School in Pawtucket, RI, features a keynote address by Ester de Jong, Associate Professor ESOL/Bilingual Foreign Language Education at the University of Florida’s College of Education, and serves as an opportunity for teachers, school and district leaders, support staff, and all those interested in and dedicated to Dual Language Education to network, share ideas for program development, and gain professional development experience.

For more information about the conference, download the conference flyer (1-pg PDF).

In early 2012, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education announced a proposal for a new initiative called Rethinking Equity and Teaching for ELLs (RETELL). The Department describes RETELL as “a comprehensive redesign of standards and knowledge” for core academic teachers who instruct English language learners.

The potential changes outlined in RETELL signal a transition away from the professional development model of Category Trainings for Massachusetts public and public charter school educators of English learners toward a new required licensure and relicensure model.  In the interim before the start of a new model and the end of Category Trainings, the Department has stated that teachers who can complete training in two of the following three categories – 1, 2, and/or 4 – should do so before August 31, 2012,  when Category Trainings will no longer be offered.

In response to the Department’s recommendation, CELE is offering Category 1, 2, and 4 trainings that will be complete by the deadline. We know that teacher and districts will need options to meet this date, and we anticipate that enrollment in these trainings will be high. Please visit our Professional Development page  for registration information.

More Information about RETELL
Here’s a quick view of the RETELL proposal:

Licensure/Re-Licensure:

• RETELL would involve the creation of a Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) Endorsement as part of licensure and license renewal/advancement. This endorsement would define knowledge and practice standards for teachers of academic content who teach ELLs.
• All core academic teachers, as well as the supervisors of those teachers, would be required to earn the SEI Endorsement.
• All educator preparation programs would be aligned with knowledge and practice standards defined in the SEI Endorsement.

Professional Development:

• As part of the educator license renewal process, educators, including teachers and administrators, would be required to earn at least 15 professional development points (PDPs) related to SEI and/or English as a Second language, and 15 PDPs related to instruction of students with disabilities.

What Else Can I Do?
RETELL is still in the proposal stages and has not yet been adopted. Here are some ways to learn more, and lend your voice and experience to the legislative process.

• The Department is accepting public comment on the proposed changes to regulation until Friday, April 20, 2012. They have posted more information, as well as copies of the regulation documents, to their website. We strongly encourage you to review the information and the documents posted, and submit your comments to the Department by the deadline.
• We also encourage educators and administrators to attend the May 2 meeting of our ELL Professional Learning Community, at which representatives from the Department will present the proposed changes. The meeting will be held from 1-3pm at the Collaborative for Educational Services in Northampton (click here for directions). If you would like to be included on our PLC email list to receive reminders about this and upcoming meetings, please email Blake Spitz.

The Publisher’s Fair is a great opportunity to meet with representatives from and preview materials produced by leading publishers of ESL/ELL resources. Publishers in attendance this year include representatives from Hampton-Brown, Heinle, National Geographic, Pearson-Longman, and more!

The year’s fair is also the premier event for Ken Pransky’s My Fantastic Words Book. Published by the Collaborative, Pransky’s graphic thesaurus helps children to learn and expand their use of adjectives and verbs. Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the Publisher’s Fair.

For more event details, directions, and to help us plan by letting us know you’re coming, click here. See you at the fair!