Rethinking Equity and Teaching for English Language Learners (RETELL)

1. Rethinking Equity and Teaching for English Language Learners (RETELL) What does it mean for us?

2. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE) RETELL Activities • New Curriculum Standards and Assessment • Endorsement and Licensure Requirements • Professional Development • Related Supports for Core Academic Teachers of English Language Learners (ELLs) and Administrators who Supervise or Evaluate these Teachers

3. New Curriculum Standards and Assessment • Massachusetts joined the WIDA (World Class Teaching and Instructional Design) consortium of 27 states. This provides English Language Development (ELD) standards to our public schools and replaces ELPBO (English Language Proficiency Benchmarks and Outcomes). • ACCESS (Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State) for ELLs is an assessment tool that replaces the MEPA and MELA-O assessment for ELLs. • WIDA ELD standards and ACCESS are aligned to the Common Core State Standards.

4. Endorsement and Licensure Requirements • SEI Endorsement • The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE) regulations that go into effectJuly 1, 2014 require that all applicants for an initial teacher license in a core academic area or as a principal/assistant principal or supervisor/director meet requirements for Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) Teacher and SEI Administrator Endorsement, respectively. Core academic area teachers include early childhood and elementary teachers, teachers of students with moderate disabilities, teachers of students with severe disabilities, and teachers of the following academic subjects: English, reading and language arts, mathematics, science, civics and government, economics, history, and geography. (603 CMR 7.02)

5. Endorsement and Licensure Requirements (continued) • Statement for Students • If you are matriculated into one of our initial licensure teacher preparation programs and plan to apply for your educator license after July 1, 2014, you must meet the new requirements for SEI endorsement. To be eligible for endorsement, you must successfully complete one of our two ESE-approved courses as a part of your program of study for initial licensure. SEI for Teachers is the course for undergraduate students and SEI Teacher Endorsement(course numbers pending) is the course for graduate students (who are matriculated into one of our initial licensure programs). Please note that each of these courses requires students to complete a prepracticum or field-experience of 25 hours in a setting that includes an English Language Learner (ELL).

6. Endorsement and Licensure Requirements (continued) • As of July 1, 2016, prohibit assignment of a core academic teacher to provide SEI unless the teacher holds an SEI Teacher Endorsement or will obtain one within one year. (603 CMR 7.15(9)(b) 1 and 603 CMR 14.07(3))   • Require a school district that assigns an ELL to a core academic teacher who has a year to obtain an endorsement to take all reasonable steps to ensure that the same ELL student is assigned in subsequent school years only to core academic teachers who have earned the SEI endorsement. (603 CMR 14.07(3)) • As of July 1, 2016, prohibit assignment of a principal/assistant principal, or supervisor/director to evaluate or supervise an SEI teacher, unless the individual holds an SEI Administrator Endorsement or SEI Teacher Endorsement or will obtain one within one year. (603 CMR 7.15(9)(b)2)

7. Endorsement and Licensure Requirements (continued) • Our to do list • Put our 3 ESE-approved courses through governance. • Undergraduate course – For Initial Teacher License in a Core Academic Area • Graduate courses – For Initial Teacher License in a Core Academic Area and for Initial License as a Principal/Assistant Principal or Supervisor/Director • Put our revised programs of study for initial licensure (undergraduate and graduate) through governance. • Early Childhood Education • Elementary Education • Middle School Education • Special Education • Secondary Education • Technology Education (Optional)

8. Endorsement and Licensure Requirements (continued) • What about inservice teachers? • Teachers of record enrolled in one of our initial licensure programs are considered to be preservice and can take our SEI course as a part of their program of study. • We are not currently allowed to offer SEI courses to inservice teachers. • We have responded to a RFP to be able to offer SEI courses to inservice teachers; however, the RFP needed revision on the ESE’s part. We will need to resubmit. • Should we be approved to offer SEI courses/endorsement to inservice teachers, our instructors will have to have ESE training to deliver the ESE SEI course, not our ESE-approved SEI courses. • Beginning September 2013, deny advancement or renewal (including extensions) of a core academic license if an educator fails to obtain an SEI endorsement within the time period scheduled for the educator’s cohort training, subject to a hardship exception. (603 CMR 7.15(9)(b)3; 603 CMR 44.03(5); and 14.07(2)b.) (See Appendix B for the hardship policy)

9. The Pre-service Performance Assessment (PPA) for Practicum • Several indicators have been revised or added to address the needs of ELLs. • How can we help our students meet these standards? • See PPA and WIDA Supports for brief discussion of the revised and new indicators. • How can we educate all of our University Supervisors and Supervising Practitioners about these indicators so they can then help our students meet the standards? • Program Chair emails • University Supervisor trainings • Supervising Practitioner/Mentor trainings

10. Observation Report • The Observation Report is currently being revised by the Standard 3 Committee to incorporate most of the revised and new standards on the PPA. • We expect to have a draft for your review and approval at the March Unit meeting.

11. Professional Development • As of July 1, 2016, require all educators renewing a professional educator license to earn at least 15 Professional Development Points (PDPs) related to SEI or English as a Second Language and at least 15 PDPs related to training in strategies for effective schooling for students with disabilities and instruction of students with diverse learning styles – on the theory that every educator needs basic knowledge to work effectively with these student populations. (603 CMR 44.06(2)) For example, while a guidance counselor does not have to obtain the SEI Endorsement, this new distribution of PDPs is required to renew a professional license after 7/1/16. • RFPs are out which would allow us to offer PDPs in both of the areas indentified above. We have completed the RFP to become ESE pre-approved vendors to be able to respond to RFPs that offer trainings in Special Education. We have not responded to the RFP regarding ELL trainings yet.

12. Supports for Core Academic Teachers of ELLs and Administrators who Supervise or Evaluate them • www.doe.mass.edu/retell • In the future, the Department may post samples of curriculum exemplars that demonstrate how districts can create/align their curriculum to WIDA ELD standards and the newer Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. • Curriculum maps and model curriculum units developed by the ESE and their district partners are designed to incorporate effective instruction of ELLs. • www.wida.us • ESL teachers and directors of our partner schools • Our SEI instructors • Stay tuned…more to come! Thank you for your patience with our SEI rollout. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.