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Get Involved with MATSOL!
The MATSOL Board of Directors invites members to get involved with YOUR professional association for ELL educators by becoming a volunteer. We are seeking volunteers in the following areas:
- Publications Committee - responsible for editing and publishing two issues of MATSOL Currents each year (Spring and Fall).
- SLIFE SIG Steering Committee - plan activities of the SLIFE Special Interest Group.
- 2016 Conference Committee - assist with development of the program for the next conference.
- 2016 Conference Proposal Reader - serve on the proposal jury to review and evaluate conference proposal.
Volunteering with MATSOL is a great way to meet your colleagues around the state, help advance our mission and our field, and build valuable experience for your CV. Visit the new "Get Involved" page on the MATSOL website!
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...
Webinar: Creating a MATSOL Conference Proposal
Need some help or advice in finalizing your MATSOL Conference proposal? Join MATSOL ED Helen Solorzano for this webinar covering how to focus your topic, prepare the proposal description, and submit the proposal online. Monday, November 16 at 6:00-7:00 pm via GoToWebinar. Sign up for the webinar...
MATSOL Calendar
View calendar and registration links...
- Nov 1: Registration deadline for SLIFE Institute
- Nov 9: Low Incidence SIG Meeting - Rescheduled date!
- Nov 14: MATSOL Fall Social
- Nov 16: MATSOL Webinar: Creating a MATSOL Conference Proposal
- Dec 3-4: SLIFE Institute I (repeat offering)
- Dec 4: Cape & Islands SIG Meeting
- Dec 9: Low Incidence SIG Meeting
- Dec 11: MELLC Meeting
Save the Date!
- May 4, 2016: SLIFE Institute II (Advanced)
- May 4-6, 2016: MATSOL 2016 Conference
- Summer 2016: SLIFE Training-of-Trainers
MATSOL Membership System Upgrade
MATSOL is going through an upgrade in our membership database and event registration system over the next month that will result in improvements to our services. However, some minor interruptions and/or changes in service may occur during the transition. We will keep you posted and you can look for notices on our home page.
Community News
Submit an item by the 28th of the month for consideration for inclusion in the next issue: [email protected]
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...
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...
Bi-Partisan Commission Recommends Increase in ELL Funding
Foundation Budget Review Commission, a bi-partisan commission established by the Massachusetts legislature, has made recommendations to support ELLs in the public schools. In their report, they cite an increase in SLIFE students, a disparity in ELL funding in vocational schools, and an increase of students in low-incidence programs. The three recommendations are:
- Convert the ELL increase from a base rate to an increment on the base rate.
- Apply the increment to vocational school ELL students as well.
- Increase the increment for all grade levels, including high school, to the current effective middle school increment of $2,361. This would increase the range of ELL-only weightings and expand available funds for staff-intensive high school age interventions.
View report...
Links & Resources
NEWSLETTER
TESOL Connections
MATSOL members receive free access to TESOL Connections, TESOL's monthly online newsletter. The latest issue includes articles Finding a Voice for Argument in ELT, A Pronunciation Toolkit for IEP Instructors, and Complex Sentences: Independent Access for Your ELLs. Read the latest issue...
RESOURCE
Massachusetts ESL Model Curriculum Units
From Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education: For the past year, a statewide Planning Committee has been meeting to develop ESL Model Curriculum Units (MCUs). The ESL MCUs take a functional approach to language teaching and are organized around the WIDA Key Uses of Academic Language and Standards Framework.
ESL units are focused on systematic, explicit, and sustained language development within the context of the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. Each ESL MCU connects to key linguistic demands from an existing content area MCU (ELA, Math, Social Studies, Science), but the primary purpose of these ESL units is that of focused and dedicated language study.
The ESL MCUs will be piloted in the fall of 2015, and the revised units and accompanying documents and supports are expected to be rolled out in 2016. Take a sneak peak at one of the units in action...
US DOE RESOURCE GUIDE
Supporting Undocumented Students in High School and College
In an effort to ensure that all students have access to a world-class education that prepares them for college and careers, the U.S. Department of Education released a resource guide to help educators, school leaders and community organizations better support undocumented youth, including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients. View guide...
REPORT
The Academic Engagement of Newly Arriving Somali Bantu Students in a U.S. Elementary School
This report from Migration and Policy Institute examines the findings of a two-year ethnographic study of newly arrived Somali Bantu refugee students in a U.S. elementary school (K-6) in Chicago. The Somali Bantu had been displaced in refugee camps for more than 12 years, and the children had no prior exposure to formal schooling and limited literacy skills. Upon their resettlement, a number of school districts voiced concerns about meeting the mental health and social adjustment needs of Somali Bantu students and questioned whether local schools were equipped with suitable teaching strategies. The authors led a research team that carried out observations of select classrooms and interviews with school staff over a two-year period, before coding the resulting field notes to identify key themes and patterns. View report...
RESOURCE
New England Translator and Interpreter Directory
The New England Translators Association (NETA) has a Member Directory that is searchable by language and type of service, as well as a useful page Introduction for Clients that covers terminology and qualifications for translators & interpreters. View directory...
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:
- 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...
View past issues of the MATSOL E-Bulletin online!
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