Enhanced Assessment Grants from the U.S. Department of Education

Notices Inviting Applications for this year’s Enhanced Assessment Grants (EAG) competitions were published in the Federal Register on April 30. Applications for grants are now available via the Grants.gov web site.

In 2012 the Department will hold two separate competitions for fiscal year (FY) 2011 EAG funds. One competition will support the development of a system of English language proficiency (ELP) assessments aligned with a common set of English language proficiency standards that correspond to a common set of college- and career-ready standards in English language arts and mathematics, and, in so doing, will give priority to collaborative efforts among States (EAG ELP Competition).
Federal Register announcement in text (http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-04-30/html/2012-10359.htm ) or pdf (http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-04-30/pdf/2012-10359.pdf ).

The other will support efforts designed to advance practice significantly in the area of increasing the accessibility and validity of assessments for students with disabilities or limited English proficiency, or both, including strategies for test design, administration with accommodations, scoring, and reporting (EAG Accessibility Competition).
Federal Register announcement in text (http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-04-30/html/2012-10382.htm ) or pdf (http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-04-30/pdf/2012-10382.pdf ).

Frequently Asked Questions for this competition will be posted on the program website at http://www2.ed.gov/programs/eag/faq.html in the next few days. Additional information about the Enhanced Assessment Grants program is also available at the program website, http://www.ed.gov/programs/eag/index.html

U.S. Department of Education: Enhanced Assessment Grants. NCELA List (NCELA@HERMES.GWU.EDU, 1 May 2012).

TESOL Summer Institute

From http://www.newschool.edu/continuing-education/certificate-programs/tesol-summer-institute

TESOL Summer Institute
July 1–13, 2012
New York City

The New School Summer Institute for Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) brings educators up-to-date on the latest developments in the field. The program features:

A two-week, full-time professional development program for teachers of ESOL
Choice of three workshops
The Resourceful Teacher
Teaching Young Learners
Teaching Teachers
Taught by The New School's renowned English Language Studies faculty
Study and network with English teachers from around the world
Co-curricular activities supplement the workshops
Organized tours and cultural activities in and around New York City
Student housing available in Greenwich Village or nearby

Application Deadline: May 30, 2012

For full details go to http://www.newschool.edu/continuing-education/certificate-programs/tesol-summer-institute

Distance Learning Course: Methods in Elementary School World Language Instruction

“Methods in Elementary School World Language Instruction” will be offered as an online course in Summer 2012 for practicing teachers and pre-service teachers who have studied a world language extensively. Lori Langer de Rámirez, Ed.D., who is Chair of the ESL and World Language Department at Herricks Public Schools, New Hyde Park, New York, will serve as the instructor for the course, which will begin June 11 and end August 3, 2012, pending enrollment of 18 pre-service and/or in-service teachers.

This unique online course was developed by a team of 14 leading national experts in elementary school world language education, including Dr. Rámirez, who teach course components in their areas of expertise. The collaborators, who include practicing teachers and teacher trainers, represent both the commonly and the less commonly taught languages. The course is available for three credits of undergraduate or graduate credit from Iowa State University and meets requirements for the Iowa Endorsement in K-8 World Language Education. Check with your State Department of Education to see if this course meets requirements for endorsement or certification in your state.

For more information visit http://courses.elo.iastate.edu/wlc/486/XW/overview

[nandu] Elementary School World Language Methods Course. Improving Early Language Programs listserv (nandu@caltalk.cal.org, 10 May 2012).

World Language Teacher Mentoring Program Pilot

The Colorado Congress of Foreign Language Teachers is pleased to announce that starting next fall they will be piloting a statewide World Language Teacher Mentoring Program for our members. At this point they are trying to assess the level of interest in such a program. Please read through the following two sets of questions. If your answer is yes to some of the questions in either set, perhaps you would be interested in having a mentor or serving as one.

* Do you feel isolated because you are the only World Language teacher in your school or district?
* Are you unsure of what the new State W.L. Standards are and how they incorporate the 3 Modes of Communication?
* Are you curious about how to create formative and summative assessments in the 3 Modes?
* Have you been wanting to tryout an Integrated Performance Assessment in your classroom, but needed some help from a colleague?
* Would you like some support regarding instruction, assessment, technology, and/or classroom management?
* Could you use information regarding teaching students with disabilities?
* Would you like to have copies of ACTFL's Keys to the Classroom, and Keys to Assessment?
* Would you like to earn CDE Re-certification credit for working with a CCFLT Mentor?

If you answered yes to several of these questions, then perhaps you would like to be paired with a CCFLT World Language Mentor. If so, please click on this link to a very short survey and pilot program committee members will get back to you soon with more information: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/R8Y2MFC

* Do you feel like you have a pretty good understanding of the new State W.L. standards and how they incorporate the 3 Modes of Communication?
* Have you started writing formative and summative assessments in the 3 Modes in your own classroom?
* Have you had a chance to pilot an Integrated Performance Assessment (IPA)?
* Would you like to support another teacher who has questions regarding instruction, assessment, technology and/or classroom management?
* Would you like to attend a training session for Mentors?
* Would you like to earn CDE Recertification credit for working with a CCFLT Mentee?

If you answered yes to several of these questions, then perhaps you would like to serve as a CCFLT World Language Mentor. If so, please click on this link to a very short survey and the committee members will get back to you soon with more information: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/R8Y2MFC

If you have any problems with the link to the survey, please contact David Burrous at d303burrous at msn dot com

Thank you,
The CCFLT Pilot Mentor Program Committee
David Burrous, Anne Becher, Greg Breitbarth, and Stefan Betley

[CCFLT] World Language Teacher Mentoring Program Pilot. CCFLT listserv (CCFLT@yahoogroups.com, 2 May 2012).

Workshop: New Approaches to Grammar in Foreign Language Instruction

New Approaches to Grammar in Foreign Language Instruction
Workshop for Teachers of Foreign Languages
Indiana University
Bloomington, Indiana
Friday, June 29, 2012
2-5 pm

In this workshop for pre-service and in-service teachers of foreign languages in both pre-college and university/college programs, participants will explore alternative approaches to the teaching of grammar. We’ll try to move away from the explicit presentation and practice of grammatical rules, with its emphasis on production and on accuracy, and instead consider some other dimensions of grammar teaching: grammar as understanding; grammar as options; grammar as puzzle; grammar as play; and grammar as personal.

The workshop will be conducted by Bill Johnston, Associate Professor of Comparative Literature at Indiana University and a leading specialist in methodology for instruction of less commonly taught languages (LCTLs). Together with Louis Janus, he founded the summer institute Developing Classroom Materials for LCTLs which has been offered continuously at the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA, University of Minnesota) since 1999. He has led workshops at CARLA, the International Conference on Language Teacher Education, and the TESOL Convention, while also serving for many years as a trainer for teachers of the Lakota language in North and South Dakota. Johnston’s publications in the field of foreign language pedagogy include Developing Materials for LCTLs (University of Minnesota, 2007) and, with co-author C. A. Buzelli, The Moral Dimensions of Teaching: Language, Power, and Culture in Classroom Interaction (RoutledgeFalmer, 2002). He is also a prolific translator of Polish poetry and fiction.

Travel fellowships are available to pre-college Russian teachers who wish to attend the workshop. The fellowships will cover the cost of transportation between the teacher’s home and Bloomington, one night’s accommodation, and a small per diem to offset the cost of meals. We encourage all interested teachers to apply; however, preference will be given to applicants who currently teach Russian in Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio, or Michigan and/or those who have not received such a fellowship in the past five years.

To apply for a travel fellowship, please write to Mark Trotter at martrott at indiana dot edu. Deadline for applications is Friday, May 25, 2012.

Sponsors: Russian and East European Institute, Inner Asian and Uralic National Resource Center

Liverman, E. [SEELANGS] New Approaches to Grammar in Foreign Language Instruction: Workshop for Teachers of Foreign Languages. SEELANGS listserv (SEELANGS@bama.ua.edu, 3 May 2012).

Call for Papers: ReCALL Journal Special Issue: Uses of Corpora

From http://linguistlist.org/issues/23/23-2225.html

ReCALL Journal Special Issue: Call for Papers
Researching uses of corpora for language teaching and learning

Proposals are invited for qualitative and quantitative empirical studies investigating various aspects of corpus use in language teaching and learning, from individual case studies to large-scale quantitative statistical studies, from short-term acquisition to long-term outcomes and changes in learner behavior.

Call Deadline: 30-Nov-2012

View the full call for papers at http://linguistlist.org/issues/23/23-2225.html

Call for Papers: Volume 4 - NABE Journal of Research and Practice

NABE announces a new membership initiative headed by the leadership of Dr. Virginia Gonzalez (Professor, Literacy Studies and Language (LSLS) Program, School of Education, University of Cincinnati) and Dr. Josefina Villamil-Tinajero (Dean and Professor, College of Education, University of Texas at El Paso) as Editors-in-Chief of the NABE Journal of Research and Practice (NJRP), and in direct charge of the Position Papers and Reflections section. This publication of the NJRP is a wonderful opportunity for our NABE family and will continue to bring relevance, stature and demonstrated leadership for our national organization. The NJRP will also create access to exemplary practice and validated research in the field for use by NABE family and friends. This initiative will also add to the conversations on improving the quality of education and fostering systemic changes for our ELL's and Emergent English Learners, particularly in light of the implementation of new national Common Core State Standards and the tenacious focus on high stakes standardized testing now being implemented across the country. The NABE Board of Directors is very proud and eager to support these efforts and extends congratulations and best wishes to the NJRP Editors-in-Chief and the very distinguished editorial board for their interest and dedication in making a difference in the extraordinary work that we all do for our children and community every day.

The following "Call for Paper" for the NJRP is now in effect. Please follow the instructions in the attached link to submit your manuscript or research paper for publication in the next issue of the NABE Journal of Research and Practice. Please feel free to get in touch directly with Dr. Virginia Gonzalez at (gonzalva at ucmail dot uc dot edu) for further information.

For submission details see: http://www.nabe.org/files/Research_and_Practice_Journal__Call_for_submittion_2012.pdf