FEATURES

From The Editor

Haaappy New Year!

By Roselyn Rauch

Yes, it’s probably close to February when you read this but it’s the first week of January as I write. And, we should be celebrating all the good things that we have in our lives, even the challenges that rev us up and keep us going to make our educational environments the best places that they can be for our bilingual and ESL students, to keep us on track for our professional mission.

With our mission in mind (you can view our Mission Statement by clicking About Us at the top of the page), several of this edition’s articles focus on advocacy:

 

Since we mentioned the Spring Conference, read Spring Conference 2017 Schedule by Caia Schlessinger, our Vice-President and Conference Chair, for the conference dates. Gwen Franks submitted 2017 Spring Conference Registration Information is available on-line NOW! It isn’t too early to submit all of your paperwork both to us and your district.

Moving ahead to November, yes, November: If you are interested in presenting at the New Jersey Education Association’s (NJEA) annual convention in Atlantic City, see Joan Pujol’s piece on the application process, NJTESOL/NJBE at NJEA CONVENTIONS 2016 and 2017. Her article reminds us of the presenters and presentations of 2016, so if you have any questions about giving a presentation, there are people to ask. Remember, too, you can present with a buddy; you don’t have to go it alone. This year there is a stipend available, too.

Our webmaster and technology consultant, Marilyn Pongracz, reviews Sheppard Software, “an educational interactive website that features games which can be used to introduce or reinforce a wide variety of concepts.”  Marilyn tells us that, “Making learning fun and memorable is the goal of the site.” Teacher Education Special Interest Group (SIG) Representative, Bryan Meadows, has put together Tech Tools for Teacher Education: A Starter Kit. Dr. Meadows is also conducting a survey among our members so kindly look for it at the end of his article.

The wealth of information continues in the remaining Special Interest Group (SIG) articles:

 

It was a pleasure to read each and every one of these pieces and, now, I pass them on to you. As usual, I strongly urge you to read beyond your SIG: knowing what’s happening throughout the ranks will make your repertoire more well-grounded and rounded. And, please look for Dr. Meadows’ survey.

So, have a very Haaappy New Year and I wish you all good health, laughter, and joy in 2017.

Looking forward,
Roselyn

Roselyn Rauch, Ed. D, retired from the Paterson Public School District as an ESL teacher and District ESL Resource Teacher, is a consultant with ESL Unlimited. She may be reached at rrauch@njtesol.org

 

Sandee McBride

President's Message

By JoAnne Negrin, Ed.D. & Sandee McBride, NJTESOL/NJBE

Organizing for Advocacy in a TESOL State Affilate*

New Jersey Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages/New Jersey Bilingual Educators (NJTESOL/NJBE) is a combined organization representing over 1,500 ESL and bilingual professionals and 70,000 ELLs in the state of New Jersey, or 4% of the state's student population. Through concerted efforts, our organization has been growing in terms of both our size and our sphere of influence. We have made a conscious attempt to become a force for advocacy, education, and change at the state level. This article describes some of the initiatives we are taking part in. We are open to suggestions for how to be more effective, and we would be pleased to offer our assistance to state affiliates that are looking to ramp up their advocacy efforts.

Negrin/McBride

One initiative that has been a great success for us, both in terms of collaboration and student impact, has been bringing the Seal of Biliteracy initiative from the realm of great ideas into state law. Through a grassroots partnership with the Foreign Language Educators of New Jersey (FLENJ), we developed the criteria both in English and in another language by which students could attain the Seal of Biliteracy. We gave out the certificates through our organizations. The first year of the pilot, we had seven pilot districts. By the end of the pilot period, we had 25 school districts participating, and we graduated over 500 seniors with the seal during that period. Meanwhile, we worked with the Partnership for a New American Economy and with key legislators to introduce and shepherd the legislation through the process. Partnership for a New American Economy also provided research on how many New Jersey employers were looking for bilingual candidates. A teacher introduced the hashtag #SealofBiliteracyNJ, which was used by teachers and students throughout the state to show their support of the legislation. The New Jersey Seal of Biliteracy was signed into law on January 19, 2016, and will be managed by the New Jersey Department of Education beginning in the 2016-2017 school year.

Another area where NJTESOL/NJBE has been very active is standardized assessment and graduation requirements for ELLs. This past year, New Jersey changed its graduation requirement so that students must pass either the PARCC test or a series of other exams, including the SAT, ASVAB, or Accuplacer. None of these tests were normed on ELLs. In New Jersey, only 9% of ELLs have received a passing score on the PARCC exam, and the figures were not much better with the other tests. We found that our high school ELLs, even those who were honors students, were taking test after test, unsure whether they would be able to graduate.

NJTESOL/NJBE provided testimony to the New Jersey State Board of Education and actively lobbied for a test that would be more appropriate for our ELLs. In April, the state approved the use of the ESL Accuplacer as a graduation assessment. This test became the path to graduation for a large number of New Jersey's ELLs. The assessment issues are still not resolved, and NJTESOL/NJBE continues to look for viable paths to graduation for ELLs in the longer term, as the requirements evolve.

Outreach and collaboration with other organizations is a major goal of NJTESOL/NJBE. In that spirit, we enjoy active partnerships with the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association, two teachers' unions that are most active in the state, the School Boards Association, FLENJ, the Teacher Education Council, and various community and business organizations. We are always looking to deepen and broaden these relationships through liaison relationships to each other's Boards. We also work to ensure that we present at each other's conferences and write articles for each other's newsletters so that our members, as well as the members of the other organization, can see the clear links and common interests that we share. We also partner with teacher education programs to assist in the recruiting of ESL and bilingual teachers, support district/university partnerships, and encourage all teacher training programs to provide teacher candidates with training in New Jersey's bilingual code and how to work with ELLs.

NJTESOL/NJBE works hard to raise awareness of the issues in both our own professional area and across the board with general educators. We have an e-mail distribution list where people can ask and answer questions. It is vetted so that members have the assurance that the answers on the list are correct. Our state Department of Education also participates and provides answers to individual teacher questions. We also have a presence on Twitter and Facebook, with approximately 1,000 likes on the Facebook page alone. This makes it easy for us to disseminate information and action alerts, as well as articles on best practices. We also have a chapter in every county and region of the state, and each chapter holds several professional development events each year. In addition, the state affiliate holds several regional conferences around the state, as well as an annual, statewide, three-day conference. This year's keynote speakers included Debbie Zacarian, Michael Smith, and Eli Hinkel. Our workshops are mostly of a very practical orientation, grounding theory in what teachers can change in their classrooms the very next day. The conference was attended by about 700 people each day, and we hope that we will be able to continue to reach more members in the future.

We are an all-volunteer Board, and most everyone on the Board works full-time. These initiatives are a labor of love for our students and for our profession. It is deeply satisfying to be able to effect change for some of our most vulnerable students. We are proud of our accomplishments and look forward to our challenges.

JoAnne Negrin, Ed.D. is Supervisor of ESL, Bilingual Education, World Languages, Performing Arts, and ESSA for the Vineland, New Jersey (USA) school district. Her district's K-5 Bilingual Program was recently selected as a model program by the New Jersey Department of Education. She is President of NJTESOL/NJBE.

Sandee McBride's teaching experience includes more than 25 years of teaching ESL at the elementary level and 10 years with adult learners. She has been a part-time lecturer/adjunct for the Rutgers University Graduate School of Education and currently teaches English language learners in the Program of Academic Language Studies. She is the currently the Past-President of the New Jersey Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages/New Jersey Bilingual Educators.

*This article was originally printed in TESOL Affiliate Newsletter Fall 2016.
http://newsmanager.commpartners.com/tesolalc/issues/2016-09-21/email.html


Vice President's Message

Spring Conference 2017 Schedule

By Caia Schlessinger

Planning for the 2017 NJTESOL/NJBE Spring Conference is well underway. On a Saturday in early December, the extremely dedicated members of the volunteer Executive Board gathered to review the proposals for the Spring Conference. Our volunteer Board members reviewed proposals that are in their area of expertise, and then began to build a schedule for our three day Spring Conference.

Last year, under the guidance of JoAnne Negrin, the NJTESOL/NJBE Spring Conference expanded from two days to three days. We will continue the same format this year with different interests represented on different days. Wednesday, May 31, and Thursday, June 1, are dedicated to the PK-8 teachers.  Friday, June 2, focuses on high school, higher education, adult education, teacher education, and PK-12 program administration. There will be workshops that will appeal to a general audience on all three days and vendors will be available each day as well.

We will continue the schedule of 75-minute presentations with 15 minutes of passing time in-between. In addition to the regular presenter sessions, we look forward to keynote speakers each day who will address the specific interests of the targeted groups. The Department of Education will be there each day and we will also have featured advocacy sessions and invited featured speakers all three days. We plan to have a preliminary conference schedule available to you with plenty of time for you to make planning decisions.

I hope to see you at what promises to be our biggest and best Spring Conference ever.

Caia Schlessinger, Vice President/Conference Chair, NJTESOL/NJBE

Liaison

Can You See Me?

By Tina Kern

            Can you see me?  I have a backpack – just like you.  I wear jeans and a sweatshirt – just like you.  I like my new haircut. It looks just like yours.  I go to lunch and stand in line.  I know what to eat and how to give the lady my ID number.  After lunch I go to class – just like you.

            Can you see me?  I have attended classes for a few months now.  I understand some of the words you throw at me.  Sometimes I say, “Hi”, or I try to say, “How are ya’ doing?” but my tongue trips over the harsh, bold English words.  The letters fight with each other and they come out sounding slurred or tinged with my strong accent.  I try to act like you.  I try to walk like you, and be confident like you. 

            I am different, though.  My mind is struggling with the memories that still haunt me. I am living with strangers, who, though they share my blood, don’t share my childhood.  I am a teenager thrown into a new country with a new culture, new rules, and new language.  Can you see me?  I am trying to adjust.  Can you see my struggle?  I am trying to be like you.  I see you, but can you see me?

 

My beginning students have been here for a few months, struggling with the language, education, a new culture – everything that encompasses their daily life.  They try to emulate the other students, but they remain on the edges of the regular population, their lack of language and diverse cultures setting them apart from others. 

Aside from their struggle to belong in school, they still battle with belonging in their new nuclear family here.  Many of the students don’t fit into their personal life, feeling like strangers in their own family and outsiders in school.  They are finding a group of friends with which to feel included.  Usually, it is a positive experience but at times they make unfortunate decisions, often based upon peer pressure. 

As a school, we work together to help students make the right choices, create a goal, and feel included in the school community. Luckily we have a support system in place that encompasses teachers and counselors (and more) in our effort to acclimate and include our students.

As a teacher, I feel the charged atmosphere in the classroom every day.  Daily, they struggle with the newness of their lives now.  All teenagers deal with so many emotions, but our teenagers that have experienced so much trauma and stress, have a plethora of emotions charging their lives with more stress than should be experienced by students their age.  They have lived a lifetime in a short time.

Even though I have taught many years, I am always changing and modifying my lessons. Never before, though, have I ruminated so very much as to how to best modify, differentiate, and present my lessons.  My students are diverse in their needs and their capacity to focus.  They differ in their educational backgrounds and I must find the “sweet spot” that captures the essence of every lesson for every one – an impossible task that seems to take over my life.  I see the same fire in the eyes of my colleagues.  We want to create a purpose and a motivation that attracts our students and gives them a goal that is attainable.

To that end, I roam the web and browse through books for gems that I can shape to my purpose.  Our students need a structured and varied curriculum that will help them navigate their lives.  I am charged with providing the words and sentences that will guide them to a comfortable level in their new language. 

The platform we use in our school is Canvas, but Google Classroom or another structure can serve the same purpose.  I can blend my teaching and technology to entice the students into an educational work where they can perhaps forget their personal problems for a short time.  In my classes, and I’m sure in yours as well, are a range of various levels of educational experiences and capabilities.  During class, some students stare at you with expectation and awe that they have the opportunity to be on the road to graduation.  These students propel you along with their enthusiasm and hope.  Others students have attention that must be captured and nurtured.  They have difficulty maintaining focus.  Many haven’t been in a classroom for many years.  Some of my students are illiterate in their own language.  They must be introduced to the written symbols for the sounds of their own language because the bolder sounds of our language don’t make sense to them.When I thought about how difficult it must be to be in one class for a block of time and concentrate on understanding a new language, I was reminded of an excerpt in the book The Circuit by Francisco Jimenez: “Miss Scalapino started speaking to the class and I did not understand a word she was saying.  The more she spoke, the more anxious I became.  ….For days I got headaches from trying to listen, until I learned a way out.  When my head began to hurt, I let my mind wander.  Sometimes I imagined myself flying out of the classroom and over the fields…”   Do my students dream of another place when concentrating becomes difficult?

In my class, I have found some online programs, have created GoogleDoc activities to complement reading and add skills to propel them forward, provide listening stations and reading stations to vary our lessons.  Variety and consistency at times seem at odds with one another, but whatever seems to bring your students toward a goal is worth integrating into your program.  For example, the students I teach need consistency.  They come into the classroom and have a routine.  Certain students help others so that they are ready to learn.  Do they have the necessary supplies for the lesson?  Did they go to their class’s basket and retrieve their folders?  Did they look on the board and see what books, if any, they would need today?  Every day, I ask the same questions, and even in December, some still “forget” what they need to be ready to learn.  One of my classes even created a saying from this: “Ready to learn for success!”  So I took this idea and created a poster.  It is on my bulletin board, along with other posters I created to inspire and help them.  I find myself returning again and again to the Learning Resources Centers: http://www.state.nj.us/education/lrc/genfo.htm . I get an idea, create a document, then go to LRC to blow it up to poster size, laminate it, and put it up for my students to use.  Then I save it for another time when it is relevant again.   Simple solutions augment the lesson and provide scaffolds for students.  I encourage them to look around the room for the information on posters and word walls.

The variety part of the lessons can be your integration of methods and technology. Sometimes your students look forward to the way you “shake up the lesson” with a new twist on what you have been doing.  That’s one of the reasons I like planning a day intermittently utilizing a Playlist: a group of activities centered on a theme or mini-lesson.  This technique allows them the independence of pace and instills confidence, while affording you an opportunity and time for small group instruction. 

It is difficult to find the exact material that fits your lesson online.  You can tweak and modify so information you find on such sites as www.englishpage.com  or http://www.englishforeveryone.org/ , but rarely is there a shortcut to creating lessons.  I find that I have to carefully modify for vocabulary and tenses.  If my ESL 1 classes have only learned the present tense, why do some “easy reading selections” include present, past and future in their beginning selections?  We have to discriminate carefully when we use or buy material.  I am often frustrated by the amount of material presented as “beginning ESL” high school material, for example, that assumes that our students can negotiate a variety of high interest words and tenses. 

So as we fill our days, and nights, with the search and creation of material to try to reach all of our students, we might ask ourselves, “Why?”  Why did I turn down that invitation because I had to finish a lesson?  Why did I pick up another pizza because I stayed later at school than I thought I would? The answer is simple.  He or she sits in that first row, and stares at you intently. Then this student breaks out in a smile that says, “I understand.” We do that together every day.  It’s why we teach.

I am looking forward to sharing with you at our conference what new skills and websites that I integrate into lessons.  Also, as our exhibitors reserve booths for our NJTESOL/NJBE Spring Conference 2017, I know that we will find new and exciting material as we peruse the exhibitors’ areas.  Those unique and innovative ideas, materials, and technological advances are waiting to inspire us.

See you soon.


Tina Kern, NJTESOL/NJBE Liaison. Feel free to contact me at tskern723@gmail.com

           

Assessment

Changes Coming from WIDA

By Margaret Churchill

The 2017 ACCESS 2.0 for ELLs will bring new changes to students’ score results.  This past summer, WIDA completed the standard-setting process, which resulted in a recalibration of scale scores as they translate to proficiency levels.  The 2017 ACCESS 2.0 scores are expected to demonstrate alignment to more rigorous academic and career readiness standards.  What this means is that students will need to demonstrate higher language skills in order to achieve the same proficiency level (1.0 – 6.0) scores.

It is essential that teachers and administrators understand the impact these changes will have in order to assist families in interpreting the results.  You can anticipate changes in score results in the following ways.  First, students’ scores may decrease compared to the previous year.  A way to explain this would be to visualize “graduated hurdles” – when teaching runners how to jump hurdles, you begin with a lower hurdle and work your way to higher ones.  So, a student at a higher proficiency level has to show greater ability.  Rigor and expectation increase with anticipated performance at advanced proficiency levels.  In addition, annual growth may be demonstrated in smaller increments.  It will be critical to focus on domain scores, and how students demonstrate growth within the domains of listening, speaking, reading, and writing, or within composite scores (literacy, in particular).  Consequently, fewer students may exit from program support.  It will be critical that districts establish and document multiple criteria for exit. 

Regarding multiple measures for exiting, it is recommended that the criteria include not just the overall ACCESS 2.0 composite score, but requirements in domain scores (writing, speaking) and composite scores (literacy, comprehension) as well.  The ACCESS 2.0 score cannot be the only factor used to determine eligibility for exit.  Districts should create a document that reflects a range of assessments, progress reports, independent reading level, standardized test scores, and anecdotal records from ESL and mainstream teachers.  In such instances, point values can be assigned, with a numerical scale that can be used to determine readiness for exiting.

It is time to prepare, in district, to anticipate the changes in ACCESS 2.0 scores.  The download library at the WIDA website, www.wida.us, includes the ACCESS 2.0 Parent Handout (an introduction to the test), and the Parent Interpretive Guides for 1-12, with kindergarten as a separate document in a variety of languages.  WIDA is currently working to expand the list of available translations.  Also posted is an informative research article, Academic Achievement for English Learners, co-authored by Tim Boals, Executive Director of WIDA.

Margaret Churchill is the WIDA Representative to NJTESOL/NJBE Executive Board.

     

Advocacy

Advocacy Corner: Interested in Advocacy?

By Elizabeth (BJ) Franks

"Vision without action is only a dream.
Action without vision passes the time.
Vision with action can change the world! " J. Barker

If you are interested in Advocacy, be sure to respond to our Action Alerts on the Website. We try to make it as easy as possible, so you just have to cut and paste a message. If you are involved with NJEA or AFT, ask them to get more involved in issues that affect ELs. Also we have a direct email now at njtesolbe@gmail.com. Let us know if you have sent out any messages or any other advocacy information that you would like to share.

Updates
Please check our Advocacy page for our statement against bigotry, harassment and bullying in light of some reports of such reports after the recent election http://www.njtesol-njbe.org/announcements/default.htm. You will also find updates on any information concerning Undocumented students.

ESSA
With the transition into ESSA, NJTESOL/NJBE has been involved in providing input as to how the law impacts our student population and making recommendations for implementation. The NJDOE is considering many of our proposals. At the ESSA presentation on December 14, an adjusted cohorts method of calculating PARCC scores for ELs based on ELP level and years in US was presented. What that means is that the PARCC scores will be adjusted for ELs based on ELP level and years in program; for example an ELP level 1, first year student’s score might count for 10% in the overall accountability calculation rather than 100% as it currently exists. For more information about this method, click on the following link and refer to page 59: http://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/title-iii/implementation-supplemental-report.pdf

Other developments being considered include: allowing high school students who arrive in ninth grade to graduate in 5 years for students; and creating native language assessments in Spanish (which will not happen immediately).

Also be prepared because ESSA requires that states develop standardized entry and exit procedures for ELs. So the NJDOE is in the process of creating a standardized home language survey, entrance process and assessment as well as standardized multiple exit criteria.  I am sure you will hear more about this in the spring and at the NJTESOL/NJBE Spring Conference.

Education Law Center
ELC and the ACLU of NJ are co-counsel for several civil rights and parent advocacy organizations challenging New Jersey’s new high school graduation requirements. The new graduation regulations require that students pass the controversial PARCC exams to receive a diploma and prevent those who opt out of PARCC testing from graduating.

The lawsuit, brought by the Paterson Education Fund, the Latino Action Network, the Latino Coalition of NJ and the NJ NAACP, claims that the new regulations violate the 1979 law establishing an 11th-grade test. Since the PARCC English Language Arts test is administered in 10th grade, and the PARCC Algebra 1 test is given at various times in middle and high school, these tests do not meet the requirements of the statute. 

More information about the graduation lawsuit is available from the Education Law Center website.

Pre-K
In addition to the transition to ESSA, we are also partnering with Pre-K Our Way. This organization is committed to expanding the funding for Preschool programs to over 100 more districts. We strongly support their efforts because we know how critical it is for our Dual Language Learners (DLLs) to be enrolled in high quality preschool programs. We also intend to use this opportunity to educate the general public of what a high-quality program looks like for this special population. Pre-K Our Way’s message is “to expand NJ Pre-K now - 50,000 NJ kids are waiting.” Over 140 districts will become available for full funding of universal preschool for 3 and 4year olds if this is included inthestate budget. Check this link to see if your district qualifies https://prekourway.org/assets/Pre-K-Our-Way_Nearly-140-Targeted-School-District-List_012116-2.pdf and if so, share this information with Board of Education members, parents and community members so they can also advocate with our state legislators.

NJTESOL/NJBE is co-sponsoring a summit on Early Childhood Education with NJASCD: Early Childhood Summit - Bridging the Gap in Early Learning: Preschool through Grade 3, January 23, 2017, 9:00 AM — 3:00 PM ; Forsgate Country Club, 375 Forsgate Drive, Monroe Township, NJ 08831 More Information & Registration 

Pathways to Biliteracy
Over 100 districts have expressed interest in incorporating the Seal of Biliteracy with the potential of adding 4000 students who meet the criteria. Now is the time to turn our attention to building pathways to biliteracy. NJTESOL/NJBE is interested in networking with districts which have begun dual language programs as well as hosting information and education sessions about dual language programs, as a first step. Please note: If anyone is interested in the Seal of Biliteracy, your district will need to contact David Greer (david.greer@doe.state.nj.us) or Lori Ramella (lori.ramella@doe.state.nj.us) at the NJ Department of Education as soon as possible.

Advocacy into Action
Join NJTESOL/NJBE in changing the world. We are looking for volunteers to serve on an advocacy subcommittee, especially if you are retired but would like to stay involved. We need your passion and advocacy. We are hoping to have one face-to-face meeting and online communication. So please contact BJ (efranks@njtesol-njbe.org) if you would like to be more involved.

Elizabeth (BJ) Franks, the Advocacy representative for NJTESOL/NJBE, also serves as a consultant for Language & Literacy Associates for Multilingual and Multicultural Education.

Technology

Favorite Websites: Sheppard Software

By Marilyn Pongracz

Sheppard Software is an educational interactive website that features games which can be used to introduce or reinforce a wide variety of concepts.  Most of the games were created for pre-school through middle school students, but some, such as the periodic table, SAT vocabulary, and brain games are suitable for high school and adults.

The site features a wide range of topics including math, science, language arts, and geography, the USA, and the world.  The latter is quite extensive, covering countries, capitals, and regions with games of up to nine levels of increasing difficulty for each continent.

Making learning fun and memorable is the goal of the site, implemented through rewards of points and animated graphics, sometimes with extras for perfect scores. Most concepts are simply and clearly presented using text and images although some vocabulary such as “line segment” and “equal parts” in the fractions games may have to be pre-taught.  Games reinforce every concept.  For example, in “Parts of Speech,” students design a character for the stage by choosing a noun, verb, and adjective. 

Amphibians

The first picture here shows how animal classification is presented.  Once they start playing the game, students can go back to the descriptions or just let the wrong answers bounce back out of the bins.  As each bin is completed, an animated animal appears on top.

AnimalGame

 

 

 

The site has advertisements, but they are labeled as such and non-offensive, appearing mostly on the sides or bottom of the page, but sometimes with one in the middle of the text.  These can be eliminated through paid subscriptions at $70 per year for a classroom or $300 for a school.

The site uses Flash, but should function on all computers and most newer tablets.

Marilyn Pongracz is the Technology Coordinator for NJTESOL/NJBE and the English Language Resource Center Supervisor at Bergen Community College

NJEA Liaison

NJTESOL/NJBE at the NJEA CONVENTIONS 2016 and 2017

By Joan Pujol

Last November, we had 11 presentations at the annual NJEA Convention in Atlantic City.  The presentations and presenters were:


ELLs in the Mainstream Classroom — Michelle Land
Addressing Needs of ELLs in the Science Classroom — Michelle Land & Noreen Drucker
Muslim Arabic-Speaking Students in the American Classroom — Jory D. Samkoff
Teaching ELLs with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education — Jory D. Samkoff
Using Realia in Every Lesson — Yesenia Hernandez & Nancy J. Sampogna
Bringing Mindfulness & Happiness into Your Classroom — Jory D. Samkoff
Don’t Procrastinate, Advocate! — Joyce L. Farr
Positive Psychology Meets Language Acquisition Pedagogy — Laurie Sibilia
Brain Friendly Teaching & English Language Learners — Ana Mistral
Finding & Teaching Academic Patterns in Text for English Language Learners —Timothy Hall and Debra L. Billmann

THANK YOU to all who presented.  NJTESOL/NJBE truly appreciates your sharing of information to all NJEA members.

I also want to thank all members who stopped by our booth to say hello and to our new members who joined at the convention---Welcome to NJTESOL/NJBE.           

NJEA CONVENTION 2017: Applications for Presenting

If you are interested in applying to present at the 2017 Convention, please use the link below: 
https://sp13.njea.org/Proposals/Account.mvc/Login?ReturnUrl=%2fproposals

This year, when you fill out the form for presenting at the NJEA Convention, please DO NOT fill in/use NJTESOL/NJBE as the affiliate.  You will be presenting as an NJEA Member. To let me know that you are presenting on behalf of NJTESOL/NJBE, in your title, please use one of the following descriptions that accurately defines your target group:  ELL, ESL, BE/Bilingual Education, Dual Language, etc.  Then once NJEA has accepted your proposal, PLEASE PERSONALLY let me know the title, so that I can advertise it in VOICES and on the Hotlist.  We are making this change so that you will be eligible for a stipend from NJEA.  If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at jpujol@njtesol-njbe.org .

Joan Pujol is the NJTESOL/NJBE Liaison for the NJEA Convention and Membership Chair.

Conference

2017 Spring Conference Registration

By Gwen Franks

Registration Information is available on-line NOW!

Conference Dates:  Wednesday, May 31, Thursday, June 1 & Friday, June 2

Early Registration ends March 3, 2017
Regular Registration ends May 5, 2017 (unless capacity is reached before this date)

Check your NJTESOL/NJBE membership status before filling out the registration form.  Your membership expiration date is listed under your name in the email introducing this issue of VOICES.  Your membership must be valid through June 2017 in order to register at the member rate.

THREE ways to register:

All registrations & payment (PO, personal check or credit card/PayPal) must be sent together. Registrations sent without payment will not be processed. 

If your registration fee is being paid by your district with a Purchase Order, PLEASE follow up with your district as of the status of your registration.  DO NOT ASSUME that it has been sent in by your district! Keep in mind the time it takes for your district to approve your request to attend the conference when filling out the registration form.  Early registration ends March 3rd and regular registration ends May 5th .

Email confirmations are sent out from gfranks@njtesol-njbe.org to all those who are registered and supply a valid email address.

LOOK FOR YOUR CONFIRMATION – Please read it carefully & completely.

Act NOW! Don't delay!

Click on the following link to start the registration process:
http://www.njtesol-njbe.org/spring-conference/default.htm

 

Features WINTER 2017