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October 2015

MATSOL - Massachusetts Educators of English Language  Learners  

Table of Contents

  1. MATSOL News
  2. Community News
  3. Links & Resources
 
Submission Welcome
Submit an item for consideration to be published in the monthly MATSOL E-Bulletin. Details... 
 

Registration is Open!

Two-Day Institute: Culturally Responsive Teaching in Massachusetts: English Language Learners with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE)
December 3-4, 2015, Leominster MA - Registration deadline Nov 1. More...

Take Action to Support ELL Education!
Contact your legislators to tell the Joint Committee on Education at the State House that the LOOK bill and Seal of Biliteracy legislation.  Send a personalized message to your legislator via the ACTFL website (Thanks to our advocacy partner Mass Foreign Language Association, MaFLA).  Take action now!


MATSOL News

MATSOL 2016 Conference - Call for Proposals
The Call for Proposals is open for the MATSOL 2016 Conference on May 4-6, 2016. We invite our members to submit a proposal to share your ideas, effective classroom practices and research with our colleagues and fellow MATSOL members in the field of ELL/ESL/ESOL education. Proposals are due on December 1st. View Call for Proposals...

MATSOL Calendar 
View calendar and registration links...

  • Oct 9: Cape & Islands SIG Meeting
  • Oct 16: MATSOL English Learner Leadership Council (MELLC) meeting
  • Nov 1: Registration deadline for SLIFE Institute
  • Nov 2: Low Incidence SIG Meeting
  • Nov 14: MATSOL Fall Social
  • Dec 3-4, 2015: SLIFE Institute (repeat offering due to popular demand)
  • May 4, 2016: SLIFE Institute (Advanced)
  • May 4-6, 2016: MATSOL 2016 Conference
  • Summer 2016: SLIFE Training-of-Trainers

Submit to MATSOL Currents by Oct 15
MATSOL welcomes submissions to our biannual publication, MATSOL Currents. Write an article about your school, program, or classroom, an issue of concern to our field, or a book or resource review. Deadline October 15 for the fall/winter issue. More information... 

New Private Language Schools SIG
MATSOL is proud to announce the formation of a new Special Interest Group in response to a need expressed by our members. The Private Language Schools SIG is a group for administrators, staff and teachers in Private Language Schools that are based in or have schools in MA. More information...


Community News

TESOL Annual Convention & English Language Expo
Registration is open for the TESOL Annual Convention, April 5-8, 2016 in Baltimore Maryland. Reflecting Forward, 1966-2015 -- TESOL's 50th Anniversary. Registration & Information... 

Oct 15: Raising Our Voices - ESOL Recognition Breakfast
Come celebrate businesses and labor management partnerships who support workplace ESOL, as well as ENB's funded programs and their students, at our business breakfast event with Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh and Secretary of Labor Rachel Krepielian! October 15th, 2014 7:30 AM-9:30 AM, Northeastern University. View event information...

Oct 24: Asset or Deficit? Language Education Policy in Massachusetts
MATSOL members are invited to attend a presentation by Executive Director Helen Solorzano to New English Translators Association (NETA): How do current law and language education policy affect language learning in Massachusetts public schools? How do they impact the way language skills are valued in general? Learn about the history of language education policy in Massachusetts and the work of the Language Opportunity Coalition to support two bills in the Massachusetts legislature: one to allow program flexibility in the education of English Language Learners (ELLs), and the other establishing a state Seal of Biliteracy. NETA at Boston Universtiy CELOP, 890 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Saturday October 24 from 2:00-4:00 pm. More...

Nov 6: Student Immigrant Movement 10th Anniversary Gala
This fall, SIM will reach its 10th year as an organization developing and empowering immigrant youth from all over Massachusetts to challenge statewide and national policies, to open academic opportunities, combat racism, sexism and other isms, while creating a family of undocumented and unafraid young people. The 10th Anniversary Gala will feature keynote speaker Opal Tometi, Executive Director of Black Alliance for Just Immigration's (BAJI) and co-founder of #BlackLivesMatter, and recipient of SIM's Speak the Truth award. Friday, November 6, 6-11 pm, Spinellis Banquet Hall, East Boston. View event information... 

Nov 16: Our Shared Table - MIRA Coalitions Annual Thanksgiving Luncheon
Our Shared Table brings together community leaders, service providers, immigrants, and legislators to share a free Thanksgiving meal. Today we celebrate our common immigrant heritage and the positive impact the foreign-born have on our state. Monday, November 16, 2015, 11:30 a.m. Luncheon served; 12:00 p.m. Program. Massachusetts State House Hall of Flags. This year, we are honored to announce that Governor Baker will be in attendance to welcome and break bread with new Americans. Pre-register here...


Links & Resources

NEWSLETTER
TESOL Connections
MATSOL members receive free access to TESOL Connections, TESOL's monthly online newsletter.  The latest issue includes articles Engaging Strategies for Academic WritingBalanced Listening Instruction, and Test Yourself: A Lesson Plan on Student-Created QuizzesRead the latest issue...

SURVEY
WIDA Can Do Descriptors Validation Survey Participation

Last November, WIDA hosted a development event for the new edition of the WIDA Can Do Descriptors. Educators and practitioners representing 11 states brought their expertise from Early Childhood through Grade 12 and engaged in rich discussions about the tool’s use, format and content. WIDA staff incorporated the great ideas generated at this event into the draft of the new set of English Language Development Can Do Descriptors. The new content is organized by the Key Uses of Academic Language – Recount, Explain, Argue and Discuss - and aligns to the grade level clusters of ACCESS for ELLs 2.0. Over the past year, these draft descriptors have undergone many cycles of iteration, and WIDA is ready to move to the next phase which includes seeking input from the public.

WIDA invites you to participate in this validation survey process. This is an opportunity to see the Can Do Descriptors in advance of publication, get a feel for what they offer, and share your thoughts with WIDA. The purpose of this survey is to verify if the drafted descriptors are age, language level and Key Use appropriate.  

Surveys are linked to the Can Do Descriptors page of the WIDA website and are listed below. You can click on the links below that match your area of expertise. You may participate for as many age/grade levels as you are comfortable reviewing. Your feedback, along with that of educators from across the country, will be analyzed and will support the development of this new educator resource: 
Early Years, Ages 2.5-5.5 | KINDERGARTEN | GRADE 1 | GRADES 2-3 | GRADES 4-5 | GRADES 6-8 | GRADES 9-12

RESOURCE
Central American Immigrants in the United States
Large-scale Central American migration to the United States, an overwhelmingly post-1980s phenomenon, has been driven mainly by economic hardship and political instability in the region. In 2013, approximately 3.2 million Central American immigrants resided in the United States—the majority from the so-called Northern Triangle formed by El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras—representing 7 percent of the country’s 41.3 million immigrants. From Migration Policy Institute: View report... 

RESOURCE
U.S. Department of Education - English Learner Tool Kit
On January 7, 2015, the Departments of Education and Justice issued a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) which outlined legal obligations to English Learners under civil rights laws. The English Learner Tool Kit helps state and local education agencies help English Learners (ELs) by fulfilling these obligations. The Toolkit has 10 chapters (one for each section of the DCL), and contains an overview, sample tools, and resources. There are also translations of the Introduction in Chinese, Spanish, Lao, Korea, Hmong, Khmer, Russian, Tagalog & Vietnames. View Resource...

WEBINAR
Strengthening Communities by Welcoming All Residents
Webinar presented by the U.S. Department of Education as part of the A Federal Strategic Action Plan on Immigrant & Refugee Integration. Upcoming webinars:

  • Early Learning Opportunities, October 29, 2015 2:00-3:00 pm
  • Investing in Young Leaders, November 19, 2015 2:00-3:00 pm
  • Pathways to Postsecondary Education and Career Training, December 17, 2015 2:00-3:00 pm

Past webinars are available on the website. View resource...

RESOURCE
Supporting Immigrant Students' Rights to Attend Public Schools
A new eBook from the Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA), is available in English and Spanish. The education of undocumented students is guaranteed by the Plyler vs. Doe decision, and certain procedures must be followed when registering immigrant children in school to avoid violation of their civil rights. IDRA’s webpage on serving immigrant students for education resources for elementary and secondary school-aged students and their families, which includes a printable School Opening Alert, guidance published by the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Education published in May 2014 advising school officials that activities that deny or discourage students to attend school are unlawful, guidance issued by the Texas Education Agency in August 2015, and more. View resource...

View past issues of the MATSOL E-Bulletin online!

 

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Stoughton MA 02072
www.matsol.org

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