FREE Online Course on CCSS and ELLs

Interested in learning more about the role language plays in the Common Core State Standards?
Are you currently teaching ELLs or have access to a classroom with ELLs?
Do you have two hours to spare for the next seven weeks? 

Dr. Kathy Escamilla will be Saturday’s Keynote Speaker

The final keynote speaker for next week's conference will be Dr. Kathy Escamilla from the University of Colorado, Boulder. She will be speaking on Saturday morning, October 19, 2013 at 8:30am.

Friday’s Keynote Lineup

    

The countdown has begun to WIDA's first ever national conference. In anticipation of the event, we are taking a look at each of the keynote speakers. 

 

Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings at the National WIDA Conference on October 17, 2013

   

Somewhere along your path to becoming a teacher you have probably heard the terms culturally relevant teaching or culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP). The terms are interchangeable and refer to teachers' abilities to adapt their instruction so that it is responsive to their students' diverse cultures. For a quick refresher on CRP, I recommend watching this online video from Teaching Tolerance. It provides a quick introduction to culturally responsive pedagogy, tangible and intangible culture, the importance of CRP, and the difference between race and culture. I also recommend a second video because it talks about how culturally competent teachers approach their students. I particularly appreciated the explanation of what culturally competent teachers do and what they don't do to successfully teach their students.
Now that you have refreshed your memory on CRP, let me virtually introduce you to the woman who started it all.       

Welcoming Utah to WIDA!

 This summer has been a time of growth at WIDA. Most recently, Utah joined the Consortium. Some time ago Utah adopted the WIDA ELD Standards for use in their classrooms. But now Utah is an official consortium member. That means that this school year, Utah educators will be giving the ACCESS for ELLs assessment for the first time. 

Earlier this month I suggested a few blog posts for new consortium members. Click here to check those out.  

If you are interested in knowing more about the 33 members of the WIDA Consoritum, check out this page.




Written by: Tammy King

Image: Freedigitalphotos.net

Free Online Score Calculators

August means that most of us are gearing up for the school year to start. Each new school year brings new students who need to be screened for English as a Second Language and/or bilingual services. Screening begins with some type of Home Language Survey that parents fill out during registration. The next step typically involves an assessment of English language proficiency. As members of the WIDA Consortium, you likely use either the MODEL or W-APT to assess your new students' English language proficiency.

Occasionally I run into educators who are unaware of the free online score report calculators that WIDA offers. By using these online score calculators, you can expect to save a great deal of time and trouble.

Welcome Michigan and South Carolina!

  

Last month the WIDA Consortium welcomed two new states.
 
Michigan became the 32^nd member of the Consortium. This means that Michigan educators will begin administering the ACCESS for ELLs assessment during the 2013-14 school year. You might remember that Michigan adopted the WIDA ELD Standards in January 2013.  Since most of us haven't returned to school yet, it's a great time to read up on the ACCESS for ELLs assessment. Here are a few blog posts to get you started: