New Resource: Evaluator’s Toolkit for Dual Language Education

by Kathryn Lindholm-Leary, Ph.D., and Gary Hargett, Ph.D.

Supported by a contract from the California Department of Education

http://cal-org.wdi.net/twi/evaltoolkit

 

The Evaluator’s Toolkit for Dual Language Education was designed to help staff in dual language programs to understand how to meet assessment and accountability guidelines. It speaks to personnel in local dual language programs who want and need to conduct a program evaluation but may not have access to an evaluation department or other expert resources who can advise them on how to establish an evaluation question, what data to collect, how to maintain a database, how to analyze data, and how to present their findings—this describes many projects in large and small districts.

 

This toolkit assumes no prior knowledge of data collection, data management or data analysis on the part of the user. There are lots of examples in each section, including step-by-step instruction in how to do the basic data analyses most programs would need to do.

 

The Evaluator’s Toolkit was developed by Kathryn Lindholm-Leary and Gary Hargett through the California Department of Education. It is being hosted online by the Center for Applied Linguistics at http://cal-org.wdi.net/twi/evaltoolkit, but please direct comments and questions about it to the authors at ghargett@teleport.com and klindholmleary@mac.com.

 

New Article from CAL Researchers

Second Language Writing Development in English and in Spanish in a Two-way Immersion Programme

by Raquel Serrano and Elizabeth Howard

International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism

2007, Volume: 10, Number: 2, Pages: 152–170

 

Whereas most research on child second language acquisition has focused on the oral production of children, studies are needed to illuminate patterns of literacy development in a second language. This paper aims to shed some light on this process, focusing on the English writing development of a native Spanish speaker, and on the Spanish writing development of a native English speaker, both enrolled in a two-way immersion program in the USA. Data for this particular study come from a longitudinal, national study, involving 484 students in 11 programs across the country. In this paper, we will present a case study of two students in the project, from the beginning of third grade through the end of fifth grade. The students’ writing samples will be discussed using an analytic rubric developed for the project. This rubric addresses three major aspects of writing – composition, grammar and mechanics – and provides a clear framework for investigating changes in writing ability over time.

 

Dual U Training of Trainers

June 20-22, 2007

Santa Fe, New Mexico

 

Participate in a comprehensive, three day training of trainers for staff developers in beautiful Santa Fe, New Mexico led by Else Hamayan, Fred Genesee, and Nancy Cloud, the authors of Dual Language Instruction: A Handbook for Enriched Education. This training is based on Dual U's eight module curriculum designed to assist elementary and secondary teachers and administrators in developing, implementing, and assessing dual language programs.

 

You can download a registration form at http://www.thecenterweb.org/irc/pdf/dualu-sum07.pdf.  The registration deadline is June 1, 2007.

                                                      

La Cosecha Dual Language Conference 2007: Call for Presentations

November 14 – 17, 2007

Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town

Albuquerque, New Mexico

 

The Planning Committee for La Cosecha 2007 invites you to share your teaching strategies and dual language expertise with your colleagues by presenting a workshop at the La Cosecha Conference.  La Cosecha seeks classroom teachers, informal educators, university professors, education professionals, and other members of the education community who can conduct interesting, informative, and useful workshops for conference attendees.

 

The lead presenter of each selected presentation will receive a complimentary registration to support their participation. Please submit your proposal on-line by going to:  http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=328133207707. Or visit the La Cosecha website: www.lacosecha2007.org.

 

Proposals must be submitted on-line by May 4, 2007

 

DC Bilingual Public Charter School (Washington, DC) Seeking School Director

 

DC Bilingual Public Charter School (DC Bilingual), founded in September 2004 and managed by CentroNía, is in search of a school director to lead a multi-site bilingual academic program. In fall 2007, DC Bilingual will serve approximately 250 students from early Pre-K through 3^rd grade and will expand to a second site; 4^th and 5^th grades will be added in subsequent years. DC Bilingual seeks to expand educational opportunities for families by offering a program that fosters bilingualism and biliteracy through a demanding dual language program and supports the development of the “whole” child. DC Bilingual seeks motivated staff committed to the belief that all children can learn and who are dedicated to nurturing children in a multicultural learning environment.

 

Job Description

The School Director’s responsibilities include working with students, families, teachers, staff and the Board of Directors to create an environment which sets high academic standards, fosters bilingualism and biliteracy, cultivates respect for the school’s culturally and linguistically diverse community, and promotes a joy of learning.  As the educational leader, the School Director directs and coordinates the instructional program, with special attention to the dual language immersion program. As the administrative leader, the School Director works collaboratively to implement clear systems, policies and procedures to support the smooth running of the school. The School Director will work closely with the Management Team of CentroNía, its parent organization, to manage the administrative, financial, and operational aspects of the school. 

 

For requirements or more information, e-mail dcbilingualjobs@centronia.org.

 

This is the 28^th in a series of occasional post-only mailings from the Center for Applied Linguistics, with support from the Illinois Resource Center (http://www.thecenterweb.org/irc/index.html). These messages include information about current dual language/two-way immersion news, publications, and events. If you received this bulletin in error and/or you would like to be removed from the CAL Two-Way Immersion Bulletin list, or if you received this e-mail from a colleague and want to join the list, please send an e-mail to julie@cal.org.