2016-2017 English Learner Professional Learning

Delaware Department of Education

Language Acquisition Workgroup

Delaware Department of Education

The State of Delaware is committed

to empowering every English Learn-

er to be successful in college, career

and life. Every English Learner will

engage in the highest-quality educa-

tion to prepare them with the lin-

guistic, cultural and academic skills

necessary for success in the 21st cen-

tury.

Professional Learning will foster

highly effective educators of English

Learners by—

Strengthening the English Learn-

er knowledge-base for teachers,

specialists and paraprofession-

als.

Developing systems of support

for school leaders to become ex-

perts in meeting the needs of

English Learners

Professional Learning Goals

Building Capacity Through Shared

Ownership

As the number of English Learners throughout the state con-

tinues to rise, all educators must be prepared to work with this

unique population. English learners are a tremendous asset to

our schools and with the proper instruction, can achieve suc-

cess. The professional learning experiences have been designed

to build the capacity of all educators to make data-driven deci-

sion that best meet the individual needs of English Learners.

All courses require registration on PDMS. For additional infor-

mation please contact, the English Learner Office at the Dela-

ware Department of Education, 302-397-4180 or visit our

homepage, http://www.doe.k12.de.us/Page/2373

Flexible Learning Opportunities

All educator groups have unique learning needs both in con-

tent and design. The Title III Office strives to provide options

for educators from various roles opportunities to learn how

they can improve outcomes for English Learners. All learning

experiences include individualized on-site supports.

Educator Audiences:

Administrators EL Teachers

Mainstream Teachers

Specialists

Learning Designs:

In-Person

Blended

Online

Planning for EL Success: WIDA

Professional Learning Series

Building level teams will apply to be a part

of the WIDA Professional Learning Series.

The focus of this year will be on collabora-

tion and lesson planning as it relates to

English Learners. This experience is built

for school teams that include administra-

tors, coaches, EL teachers and mainstream

teachers. In the first two-day workshop

series, school leaders will engage in learn-

ing alongside instructional staff to develop

a plan for collaboration at their site around

the needs of their ELLs. During the sec-

ond two-day workshop series, teams will

focus on how to design instruction

that promotes students' content learning

and language development. All participat-

ing schools will engage in online collabora-

tion and receive on-site embedded sup-

ports that are responsive to the needs of

their plan. School teams will be responsi-

ble for creating a turn-around plan for ad-

ditional instructional staff. Interested

schools should complete the online applica-

tion, www.surveymonkey.com/r/

ELSUCCESS

Dates: September 19-20 & November

30-December 1

Times: 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Location: Appoquinimink Training

Center (Sept.), TBD (Nov.)

PDMS: Course # 25185, Sections #

42960 & 42961

Leading Schools for EL Achievement

“Educational leaders are key to improving academic language devel-

opment and academic achievement for linguistically and culturally

diverse children and youth. This two-day workshop focuses school

leaders on applying their learning about policy, programs, and pro-

fessional standards for educational leaders by creating a list of per-

sonal leadership actions steps to support collaborative school im-

provement processes related to the achievement and well-being of

language learners (LLs). Leading schools with a focus on LL achieve-

ment means that the entire school community shares a commitment

to creating equitable opportunities to learn (OTL) and for academic

language development (ALD).

The workshop will emphasize cultivating the collaborative relation-

ships between teachers, students, families, and data teams that are

necessary for LLs to thrive. Participants will have opportunities to

reflect on their roles as instructional leaders in (1) developing staff

capacity to integrate the WIDA Standards framework through collab-

orative teaching and learning structures and environments; (2) lead-

ing professional development focused on content and language inte-

gration; and (3) applying principles of data literacy when making de-

cisions about language learners.”

Dates: October 4-5 (F2F) & November 1 (Q & A Webinar)

Times: 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Location: Government Support Services Building, 100

Enterprise Place Dover, DE 19904

PDMS: Course # 25190, Sections # 42896 & 42897

Delaware Department of Education

Math for Language Learners

This moderated online course will sup-

port both ELL teachers and math con-

tent teachers in grades K-8 to meet the

needs of language learners. Partici-

pants will learn from one another and

share video lessons of language learn-

ers engaged in Mathematics. Class-

room scaffolds and supports specific to

the Common Core State Standards in

Mathematics and Smarter Balanced

Assessment will be introduced. Inter-

active examples will be provided in

how to implement instructional strate-

gies based on language functions. This

course is for all K-8 educators working

with English Learners and in immer-

sion programs.

Dates: January 30, 2017-May 26, 2017

Location: Schoology Based (Online)

PDMS: Course #25187

MAEC Webinar: Strategies to Teach Academic Language

Margo Gottlieb and Gisela Ernst-Slavit will conduct a webinar

through the Mid-Atlantic Equity Center, on Strategies to Teach Aca-

demic Language to English Learners. Margo and Gisela have recently

published a series of books on the topic with Corwin. The title of

their book is Academic Language in Diverse Classrooms and it is

available in a series of seven books that include: 1) Definitions and

Contexts, 2) Academic Language in English Language Arts for grades

K-2, 3-5, and 6-8, and 3) Academic Language in Math for grades K-2,

3-5, and 6-8.

Dates: September 29, 2016

Times: 11:30-1:30 p.m.

Location: Online

PDMS: Course #25189, Section # 42985

Delaware Department of Education

A half year Schoology based course that allows teachers, administrators

and/or coordinators to engage in learning surrounding separating

difference v. disability. The course will be moderated by the EL Field

Agent and engage in readings and discussion threads. Participants will

be provided the resources to implement and support the Response to

Intervention process for language learners. Assignments and/or posts

will be “due” monthly.

Dates: January 30, 2017-May 26, 2017

Location: Schoology Based (Online)

PDMS: Course #25188

RTI for English Learners

Delaware Department of Education 401 Federal St. Dover, DE 19901

302.735.4175

http://www.doe.k12.de.us/Page/2373

Additional National Opportunities

October 12-15, 2016: WIDA 2016 National Confer-

ence, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

February 22-25, 2017: NABE Conference, Dallas,

Texas

March 21-24, 2017: TESOL International Conven-

tion, Seattle, Washington

WIDA National Conference in Philadelphia The 2016 WIDA National Conference will be held in

Philadelphia this year from October 12-15, 2016. This is

an excellent opportunity for all groups of educators to

collaborate and learn from national experts in the field

of English Learner education. Learn more at http://

widaconference.us/.

Participants will:

Analyze the academic language demands of content

standards and curricular materials

Consider new strategies to improve the educational out-

comes of ELLs, including newcomers, those with disabil-

ities, and/or interrupted formal education

Expand repertoire of tools and approaches for collabo-

rating with other stakeholders in the education of ELLs

Explore ways to strengthen the continuum of services

provided to ELLs

Understand the integration of language and content

standards and assessment

Learn how data from language proficiency and content

assessments can be used to support decisions and in-

form goal setting