Special Interest Groups

Bilingual Elementary 1 - 8

The Bilingual Elementary Post-Conference Report

By Sandra Nahmias

After having presented at, and attended, the NJTESOL/NJBE (New Jersey Teachers of Speakers of Other Languages/New Jersey Bilingual Educators Annual Conference), I am reminded of the lyrics from the song “Feels Like Home”: “It feels like home to me/It feels like home to me/It feels like I’m all the way back where/I come from…”

Why am I reminded of these words? Educators of English learners (ELs) are faced daily with many challenges that are unfamiliar to other teachers. Our students are special to us and come to us with many issues with which they, and we as their teachers, have to face and deal with every day. The annual conference feels like a safe haven to voice our feelings and exchange ideas about these challenges.

Some of these challenges came to light in my presentation as Bilingual Elementary SIG (Special Interest Group) Representative.  Many of the ideas that were discussed during the presentation focused on Students with Interrupted Formal Education (SIFEs), or those students who are placed in our classrooms at their age-appropriate grade level but with little or no education in the countries from which they come.

The following are just some of the areas of discussion which were covered during the three-day conference:

  • ELs who need Special Education services in addition to second-language services and the civil rights issues surrounding these students;

  • Scheduling issues when one is a teacher who “pulls out” groups of students from a general education classroom for 30 minutes a day (for example) and must determine how to instruct these students on a daily basis in order that they meet with success;

  • The “new” rigors of ACCESS 2.0 due to standards setting and what we can expect when we receive back the scores from this past Spring’s assessment;

  • The soon-to-be finalized Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) guidelines for New Jersey and the effect they will have on our student entry and exit procedures, instructional practices, and school and teacher evaluations.

One leaves the conference feeling refreshed and revitalized (like spending a weekend at home) after sharing similar challenges and successes and after having found one’s way back to where one belongs.

Kudos to all involved in the conference and to all the attendees for participating in the event. Here’s to next year!

Sandra Nahmias, Bilingual Elementary 1 – 8 Education Special Interest Group Representative
snahmias@njtesol-njbe.org
Bilingual/ESL Teacher, Grades 1 and 2, School Two, Linden, New Jersey & WIDA Certified Trainer


Bilingual/ESL Middle School

A Capstone for All

By Michelle Land

As part of a Montclair University Action Research Grant, a group of Randolph (NJ) Middle School teachers developed a capstone program to engage all 8th grade students.  School principal, Dr. Copeland, explained that “this is part of the school wide goal of full inclusion of all students, regardless of academic ability, physical disability, gender, ethnicity, etc.”   From the outset, there was never a question as to whether or not the English language learners would participate: it was only natural and appropriate that the ELLs would be active and engaged members of this activity.

These young men created a video to help educate the public about food waste.

The team of teachers developing this program decided to focus on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals that the United Nations adopted on September 25th, 2015 (see link below).  These Sustainable Development Goals were created to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all.  Our ELLs have a unique perspective that they were able to bring to this project.  Throughout the interdisciplinary research process, their action research, and the culminating expo, their global experiences gave an added dimension to their project.

Students first participated in a day where team teachers introduced the different goals in unique and entertaining ways (see link below).   Many of the ELLs chose to work on the same goal: Zero Hunger.  One student was very passionate about Clean Energy and so he decided to work on his own with this goal.  As the ELLs went through each step of this project, they incorporated their home experiences.  This added a facet to their learning and presentations that was unique and beneficial. 

The mainstream teachers worked with their ESL teacher and a learning coach to modify and differentiate the goals and activities to make the learning attainable and meaningful for the ELLs.  Every step of the way, the students were eager participants because they felt that they were making a difference in the world.  They became very passionate about their work and this increased their desire to communicate in English, both orally and in writing.  It encouraged them to engage with their peers in order to attain their goals. The learning was always evident and part of a purpose.

Sig GIrls

The highlight of this project was a trip to the United Nations.  As the ELLs walked through the halls of the UN, with their multilingual tour guide, the reality of their work came to life.  They entered meeting rooms where Malala Yousafzai had spoken, watched as the UN celebrated indigenous peoples from around the world in their amazing costumes, and even got to hear the president of Bolivia speak to the General Assembly.  Their world was coming together and making sense.  Their goals and projects were validated. Their backgrounds and ethnicities were valued and celebrated. 

The students completed their Expo on June 14th.  On this very special Flag Day, all of the 8th grade students at Randolph Middle School were celebrating their adopted country and the opportunities that they had to make a difference in the world as a result.  They presented their Sustainable Development Goals and projects to their peers.  The work that all of these students accomplished, ELLs with varying English language proficiencies as well as their fluent non-ELL peers, is commendable.  Surprisingly, the ELLs found that their lack of English proficiency was not a hindrance at all.  In fact, it made them stronger and more resourceful as they worked towards their goals.  All of the students realized that they are making a difference in their worlds, while inspiring others to follow in their footsteps.

http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/

 Pictured above:

• These young men created a video to help educate the public about food waste. 

• These resourceful girls created a food drive to support a local food pantry, surpassing their goal.

Michelle Land is the NJTESOL/NJBE Bilingual/ESL Middle School 6-8 SIG Representative.  She teaches ESL at Randolph Township Schools.  mland@njtesol-njbe.org

 

ESL Elementary

Reflections from the Conference

By Rosalie Pereda

As the new Elementary ESL Special Interest Group (SIG) Representative, I am excited to work with the NJTESOL/NJBE Executive Board.  I am truly honored to be able to serve on the Board and to have the opportunity to collaborate with such outstanding professionals in our field.  As educators, it is important to have the opportunity to collaborate with our peers and to seek out professional development opportunities for professional growth.  We are all looking for ways to help our students meet with success.  Our NJTESOL/NJBE Conference affords everyone the opportunity to do just that.  With three days filled with diverse learning opportunities that included keynote speakers and workshops that encompassed all grades from preschool to high school, there really was something for everyone. 

I was intently listening to Dr. Adria F. Klein, on Wednesday, as she spoke about the need to scaffold complex texts for our English language learners (ELLs) as we consider both text and task complexity.  She had us engaged in comparing and contrasting texts as she taught us how to balance the text and the task at hand.  I am already reflecting on what I learned and thinking how I can apply it to my teachings next year with my second graders.  I can’t wait.

Jacquelyn Leon and Lori Ramella from the State shared the State initiatives and updates.  They discussed their proposed ESSA State plan and New Jersey’s English Learner Progress Indicator.  “In NJ, English Language Proficiency is defined as attaining a 4.5 on the ACCESS for ELs assessment.”  They also discussed “proposed” common entrance and exit criteria, as well as some changes that have to do with WIDA.  There was a lot of important information that was shared that is too lengthy to list here.  Please refer to their handouts on the NJTESOL/NJBE website for more specific details.

Maggie Churchill, also a member of the Executive Board, shared information about the Civil Rights of English Learners.  Her presentation is also online for future reference.  She discussed many topics, such as the laws and codes, class size limits, funding, monitoring, and special education.  One important change to note due to the ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) is that now we will be monitoring students who exit our programs after 4 years, rather than 2 years. Many left her presentation empowered and ready to speak to their administration about the needs of their EL students.

Finally, I thoroughly enjoyed Janel Sax’s presentation, “Advancing English Learners Language Development in Writing”.  We used the data gathering tool that she shared to analyze student work and to plan differentiated instruction to accelerate language development in writing.  I highly recommend using her data gathering tool for your SGO (Student Growth Objective) next year. 

I cannot wait to assist in planning next year’s conference.  Each year, when we don’t think that the conference can get any better, it does.  Our bilingual and ESL teachers from all over the state look forward to the innovative strategies and techniques that are shared, as well as the opportunity to network and collaborate with their peers.  I hope that all of you have some great ideas from the conference that you can apply in your classrooms in September.

Have a great summer!


Rosalie Pereda, ESL Elementary 1-5 Special Interest Group (SIG)Representative, Ceara0@hotmail.com     

 

ESL Secondary

Reminders: Why I Do What I Do

By Hana Prashker

H ello, my name is Hana Prashker and I am the new ESL Secondary Interest Group (SIG) Representative. I am the ELL teacher at Dumont High School (Bergen County). I have been involved with ELLs and teacher education for over 25 years.

In past few weeks, I have been reminded of the importance of being an ELL teacher.

First, each year, my students complete an autobiographical project as their final writing assignment for the year. The project consists of 10 topics and each year the writing topics are different. Through this project, I always learn new things about each student and my students also learn much about themselves. They are able to compare their writing from earlier in the year to their writing in June. They reflect on themselves and their lives before they arrived in the United States; when they arrived in the U.S.; where they are presently; and where they want to be in their futures. We know that students often complain about having to write but this is a project that they look forward to each year. They look forward to sharing all or some with their classmates. Most of all, I look forward to reading the projects.

Second, I attended The Advocacy Summit at the NJTESOL/BE Spring Conference. At this summit, I became aware of two New Jersey organizations which can help direct undocumented high school students and their families to information and resources regarding attending college. Both organizations can be found and contacted through Facebook and Twitter:

 

Presently, I am part of my district’s turnkey training team for Sheltered Instruction. In our first session with content-area teachers, we will show a video that our team created. For this video, the ELL teachers interviewed (orally) some K-12 ELLs to create a podcast for mainstream teachers. This video will be shown during the first session of training. This video will help teachers to have more information and develop more understanding of the past and present lives of the ELLs in our district. The students’ responses to our questions were informative, heartbreaking, and hopeful, all at the same time.

Finally, I now know that all of the former and present 12th grade ELLs will be graduating in June. The fear of not graduating high school for some of these present and former ELLs was quite stressful. Several content-area teachers were instrumental in helping these students to prepare for the various assessments and portfolios. This team of teachers and administrators is a perfect example of what can be achieved when we all work together.

For me, ending the school year feeling positive allows some of the difficult situations of this year to fade into the background. I can now see how far my students have come this year: linguistically, educationally, and psychologically. As one teacher amongst all their other teachers, their peers, and their families, I can happily look forward to my students’ growth during the next school year.

Please feel free to contact me at hprashker@njtesol-njbe.org with questions or concerns for Secondary ELLs.

Hana Prashker is the NJTESOL/NJBE ESL Secondary Representative. She teaches ESL at Dumont High School, Bergen County.

 

Higher Education

A Letter from Your New Higher Education Representative

By Diana Sefchik

Dear NJTESOL/NJBE Community,

 

Thank you for electing me as your Higher Education Representative. It is so good to be back on the Executive Board. I previously held the position of the first Supervisor Representative from 2005-2010.

I have been an ESL educator for almost 40 years: I was a high school ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher for 15 years and became a supervisor in 1992. Some of my former students are now parents in the community; some finished their education and some are still struggling. I often see them when they come in to speak to counselors about their children. Life is hard for them but they all want a better life for their children, possibly our 1.5-generation.

Throughout my career, I have always been in the classroom. I could not remain in that role in the high school when I became a supervisor, so I continued my nighttime teaching and weekend teaching. I taught at Montclair State in their weekend college when the Carter Administration gave funding for the education of the newly arrived Cuban population of the early 1980’s; at Fairleigh Dickinson's English Language Learning Institute; and Rutgers University at PALS  (The Program in American Language Studies) among others. I have been teaching for the past 20 years at Raritan Valley Community College, my heart.

Through the years I have learned what higher education is. It has so many faces: adult school, adult high school, community college, and technical writing for middle management executives among others. I believe in higher education for all our English learners (ELs) and I see how community outreach is so important. More and more, I am trying to connect with the community services to help our parents along with our children with life issues and education. 

I also have been teaching TESL classes for new and future ESL teachers. Besides the curriculum, I need to teach about the world of ESL: what our children and their families experience daily; we need to know the background of our children to move them forward in these difficult times.

I will continue to write about higher education in all its aspects; I will explore the realm of higher education with you. We will continue our journey together. As I continue to work with my students, I cannot forget when I had a student who was here for 30 years and she felt her biggest problem was that she never used auxiliaries when she spoke. We worked on this all semester; she has made a life for herself and her son here, without the use of auxiliaries, but she told me now it was her time to help herself after 30 years.

Higher education for our students comes in many shapes and forms. We are all lifelong learners and we can help our students understand that learning is not just from a book or inside a building; there is so much more to education. Let’s show them the way together.

Respectfully,
Diana

Diana Sefchik, Higher Education SIG Representative, Raritan Valley Community College

 

 

Parent and Community Action

My Labor of Love

By Angeline Sturgis

It is the night before one of my Latino family meetings at my small elementary school. I should be asleep by now but my mind is racing as I review the menu, the activities, the wording on the awards I’m handing out. Will I have time to get all 15 of them into their dollar store frames? Have I solicited too many awards from the teachers? Along with the perfect attendance gift certificates and the “good-bye” gifts for the families whose children are going on to fourth grade in another building, maybe there will only be a few children who don’t have something special to take home. And what about the trophy for the student of the year ? I forgot to check the spelling on the engraving plate. Yikes, his name has 27 letters. Would it even fit? He is such a wonderful boy, he will understand. He always says how much his family likes the dinners. Oh gosh, so many people are coming, will there be enough food? Wait, maybe there will be too much food and I need more Styrofoam boxes for leftovers to be taken home. Can I get to the dollar store at lunch time to buy more? But I need my lunchtime to check the supply of paperback books the PTO bought me that I need for the Lotería we’re playing. I’ve advertised it both as LibroLotería and Book Bingo, and need to have a wide range of books available for the winners. They love winning prizes. Picturing their delighted faces, I decide it is going to be really fun and begin to feel myself nodding off.

Wait! Did I remember to invite the steadfast alumni who still come back for the meetings? Yes, yes, I sent a text to the mother who then phones them all for me. We should have quite a crowd. That reminds me that I promised Maria I would get her a list of preschools with discounts. No problem. I can do that during lunch when I have to buy the flowers for Elisabet whom we are honoring because she is the first parent to graduate from Community College. OK, it’s all coming together. Don’t forget the camera, though, and the sombrero Arodi wants to wear when she calls the picture names for the Lotería game, and remember to check the UPS tracking number because the tablecloths haven’t come in yet, even though Amazon Prime promised they would be there in time. What if they don’t? Sure, I can just use the ugly green bulletin board roll no one likes. I glance at the clock. Better get to sleep because I’ve just decided I want to get to school really early so I can haul in the four cases of water stored in my trunk. It will be boiling if I leave it in there all day till the lunch ladies leave. But where will I put it till then? My classroom is on the third floor. Lucky I’m good friends with Carlos the custodian. He’ll know what to do. How early does he get there anyway?

With confidence in Carlos, I fall asleep finally, but wake suddenly before the alarm because I think I got the number of leaving families wrong and I won’t have enough gift bags. I go over it in my mind, and now I’m really not sure. I’d better get to school as soon as possible. On the drive to school, I regret that I can never really express myself in Spanish the way I want to. I have so much I want to say but I end up getting tongue-tied and never really feel I’ve made my point: the teachers in this school love your children; you are safe here; we value you and your work ethic, your sense of family and your gratitude. I decide to Google Translate it and memorize it before 6:30 when the families will arrive. Then I realize I never give them a chance to say how they feel either. We can’t have testimonials at a bingo party/awards night, can we? Will they be too shy? I work on that all day in between a run to the dollar store, the florist, the hunt through the backstage area where I keep my paperback books (now coveted prizes bundled in metallic bags), and several sessions with the UPS tracking website.

I lug the cases of water from the car to the stage. Then Carlos helps me get them in the walk-in refrigerator the minute the lunch ladies exit. During my planning period, I haul down the gift bags, the framed awards, and the one special trophy for the student of the year, and yes, his name is right and it fits just fine. I practice my Google Translate speech over and over. The caterer phones saying he is on his way. The tablecloths have arrived! I sit down with relief but remember I have eight raffle prizes and no tickets. Then it comes to me: instead of just having them write their names on a piece of paper, I’ll have them include a few words about our group. That way they can express themselves and I’ll read their words when I pick the winners. I quickly design the little paper, print it out, and set it up.

Of course, the half hour before the event goes in a blur, as my loyal teacher friends turn up to do the things that have to happen in the 15 minutes between the end of the After School Program and when we set up. The families come, showered, dressed up, beaming smiles, with flowers, thank you’s and God bless you’s. The food is perfect. The children are delighted. The prizes are a hit. The trophy boy cried as did his entire family. Arodi is adorable in her sombrero and the comments on the raffle papers make everybody cry.  I manage the first part of my speech but can feel myself sagging. Just then a mother pops up and tells me to say it in English; she is a simultaneous interpreter at her church. Oh my goodness, the whole evening is a dream come true. I say my piece. Everyone stays too long, more God bless you’s, and my teacher friends and I hug.

I get home from school that day around 9:30 pm. I am exhausted but so relieved that just like the other four meetings we’ve had this year, no amount of worrying can even come close to the delight of working with my Latino families. Now what will we do at our first meeting in September?

Kids Sigs

Angeline Sturgis, ESL K-3, Lawrence Township, NJ   asturgis@ltps.org

Parents/Guardians and Community Guidelines and Resources

Thanks go to Marcella Garavaglia, Karen Nemeth, and Angeline Sturgis for compiling these resources.

On the NJTESOL-NJBE website:
Use the following framework to build a Bilingual Parent Advisory Committee (BPAC): http://www.njtesol-njbe.org/listquestions/ParentAdvisoryCommittee.htm

See slides 5 and 6 at https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0NmTKD9sx_4SzM5TGdFVjM0Y0E/view?usp=sharing

National Resources:

https://www.newamerica.org/education-policy/edcentral/engaging-parents-english-learners/

Two toolkits from the United States Department of Education (USDOE): 

Building a Bright Future for All – Success in Early Learning and Elementary Schools for Immigrant Families (2017)

https://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/focus/early-learning-teacher-and-parent-resource-guide.pdf

Toolkit to Ensure Meaningful Communication with Limited English Proficient Parents (2016)

https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oela/english-learner-toolkit/chap10.pdf

Local Event:  September 23,  2017 (Saturday)
The NJDOE in partnership with Rutgers University, NJTESOL/NJBE, and local school districts: 2017 Parent Expo- Biliteracy for Student Success. For the parents/guardians of ELLs in NJ’s K-12 public schools: attend workshops, participate in college campus tours, meet with local community agencies, and receive resources and information. 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Rutgers University, Douglas Campus Student Center.  FREE

Information on the NJ Dept of Education website:
http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/expo/

Contact:

ELLParentExpo@doe.state.nj.us


Special Education

My Conference Take-Aways

By Sonya Bertini

My least favorite part about the NJTESOL/NJBE annual conference is that there is no chance to go to all of the workshops or presentations that you would like to; that can be truly frustrating. Nevertheless, thanks to lunch breaks and other presentations, it is possible to catch up with former colleagues and talk to many attendees about their concerns, issues, interests, and other workshops.

Again this year, an overriding concern shared by teachers and supervisors alike is the identification, placement and servicing of English language learners who exhibit a learning disability. The misconception on the part of child study teams throughout the state still exists that an ELL cannot receive bilingual/ESL services once he or she is classified. This is simply not true and, in fact, illegal. All children are required by federal law to receive a “free and appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment”. The key word is “appropriate”. In New Jersey where bilingual and ESL education are law, children who are classified and are entitled to special education services are also entitled to bilingual and ESL services if they have been determined to be English language learners. ESL and bilingual teachers should participate in the development of the Individual Education Plan (IEP) and work in conjunction with the Special Education teacher to determine the goals and objectives to be included. This is actually Code and should be followed.

“All required members of the IEP team must attend all meetings of the IEP team unless you (the parent) provide written consent to excuse a required member of the IEP team.” Parental Rights in Special Education, New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE).           

ESL and bilingual teachers are considered part of the team if they are delivering any of the instruction. Certainly, ESL teachers are delivering language instruction. Consequently, they form part of the team and should be present at the meetings.

ESL and bilingual teachers should ensure that all assessment is fair and done in the language of the student whenever possible. This is mandated by federal law. The law does not state that there is a waiting period before referring any child to the child study team (CST). Best practice does require that interventions have been put into place before referring a child. However, any staff member who has contact with the child can refer him or her to the CST at any time. Once a referral is made and the CST receives it, they must hold a meeting to determine if testing is warranted within 20 calendar days. The CST may decide testing is not warranted based on the information and records they receive. If that is the case, the onus is on the district and the teachers to provide an education that is best suited to the student and will help him or her succeed.

I plan to work on a position paper this summer in order to clarify the obligations that a district has in regards to an ELL with a disability. Please look for it. In the meantime, I wish everyone a wonderful summer and a restful time spent with those you care about.  It was my pleasure and privilege to meet so many of you during the conference and I thank you for the work you do for our students. Please, don’t hesitate to contact me with your questions and concerns. Until September!

Sonya Bertini Special Education Special Interest Group Representative, Vineland High School sbertini@njtesol.org

 

Teacher Education

Teacher Education Programs in New Jersey: How are we doing?

By Bryan Meadows

Attendees to the Teacher Education Special Interest Group (SIG) meeting received summary results of a member survey conducted online from January – March, 2017. The survey was designed to collect NJTESOL/NJBE member input on the state of university-based teacher education programs. The following survey results were reported to the audience.

Twenty-four NJTESOL/NJBE members completed the survey. The majority self-identified as K-12 educators who specialize in English as a Second Language (ESL). The survey asked four questions:

1) What would you like to see teacher education programs in New Jersey START doing?
2) What would you like to see teacher education programs in New Jersey CONTINUE doing?
3) What would you like to see teacher education programs in New Jersey STOP doing?
4) What would you like to see teacher education programs IMPROVE ON?

Summaries of each question item are presented below.

First, regarding what programs should start doing, respondents noted things such as:


On this same question, respondents further called for programs to provide candidates with deeper understandings of:


Moving to the second question, things programs should continue doing, survey participants suggested teacher education programs continue connecting theory to research to practice as well as providing:


Third, regarding what programs should stop doing, survey respondents noted that theory can be problematic when it is out of date and when it takes up too much of a single course. Also problematic are unrealistic assignments that are distanced from K-12 realities. Participants also called for an end to summer clinical placements.

Fourth, regarding what teacher education programs could improve on, teacher participants gave the following responses:


They also called for improvements in the quality of course instructors and in the excessive number of assignments attached to each course.

The audience receiving the survey results discussed them and provided their personal input in response. One additional item that emerged from the group dialogue was the need for teacher education programs to provide a stronger foundation in American English structure at the sentence level.

The survey captured valuable input from the NJTESOL/NJBE membership and I would like to thank those who participated online and who attended the SIG meeting. Like my teacher education colleagues, summer is a time for extended program review and improvement. The survey findings will play an important role in that task this summer.

Before closing, an extra special thank you is due to Marilyn Pongracz for generously sharing her expertise and talents during the design and implementation of the online survey.

Bryan Meadows, Ph.D., Teacher Education Special Interest Group Rep., meadowsb@fdu.edu

 

SIGs SUMMER 2017