Carolina TESOL Conference 2025 - Multilingual Multimodal Activities, Amplifying Voices
2025-11-06
“Multilingual Multimodal Activities, Aplifying Voices”
Event: Carolina TESOL 2025
Date: Thursday, November 6, 2025
Session Format: Presentation
Presenter:

Amy Simpson-Burden

Join us to explore multilingual, multimodal activity creation, amplifying student voices and stories. This interactive session shares building blocks for these assessments, developed with NC educators and piloted in NC classrooms, empowering elementary teachers to create engaging, culturally appropriate learning experiences.

NCSTA 2025 Conference Presentation: Let's See What Multilingual Kids Can Really Do: Making Science Assessment Serve Your Students Needs.
2025-11-07
“Let’s See What Multilingual Kids Can Really Do: Making Science Assessment Serve Your Students Needs”
Event: North Carolina Science Teachers Association (NCSTA) Conference
Location: Winston 3A
Date: Friday, November 7, 2025
Time: 2:40 p.m.
Session Format: Presentation
Presenters:

Silvia McDonald, NCDPI, ML/Title III Consultant, M2-Si Principal Investigator
Keira Ballantyne, CAL, VP of Programs and Development, Co-Principal Investigator
Amy Burden, CAL, M2-Si Test Development Manager
Brittany York, CAL, M2-Si Senior Research Assistant

Description:
M2-Si–a collaborative project between NCDPI and the Center for Applied Linguistics–brings interactive science activities to multilingual students and their families. These activities meet students where they are while assessing content aligned to the 2023 NC Science Standard Course of Study and proficiency statements. We invite you for a first look at our innovative e-portfolio infused with multilingual and multimodal supports that will be available statewide! You’ll leave with classroom-ready resources and best practices for implementation.

La Cosecha Conference 2025- Leveraging Students’ Whole Linguistic Repertoires to Enhance their Bilingualism and Biliteracy Development
2025-11-12
“Leveraging students’ Whole Linguistic Repertoires to Enhance their Bilingualism and Biliteracy Development”
Event: La Cosecha 2025
Date: Wednesday, November 12, 2025, 8:00 am – 3:00 pm
Session Format: Pre-Conference Institute
Presenter(s):

Igone Arteagoitia (CAL)

Description:
This session will provide participants working in Spanish-English dual language programs with the opportunity to enhance their pedagogical language knowledge by examining similarities and differences between Spanish and English as they relate to:

Pragmatics (language use at the discourse level)
Syntax (sentence structure)
Morphology and the lexicon (word parts and vocabulary)
Phonology and orthography (sound-letter correspondences)

At the end of the session, participants will be able to: 1) identify systems and structures of Spanish and English; and 2) use methods for teaching similarities and differences between the two languages that promote students’ metalinguistic awareness. Practical classroom-based instructional strategies and opportunities to put them into practice will be embedded throughout the session.
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La Cosecha Conference 2025 Presentation - Lessons Learned from CAL Dual Language Bilingual Education Program Reviews
2025-11-13
“Lessons Learned from CAL Dual Language Education Program Reviews”
Event: La Cosecha 2025
Date: Thursday, November 13, 2025, 9:10 – 10:00 am
Session Format: Presentation
Presenter(s):

Igone Arteagoitia (CAL)

Description:
CAL conducts reviews of dual language bilingual education (DLBE) programs using the Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education (Howard et al., 2018) as the theoretical framework and the third pillar of Sociocultural Competence as the compass. This session will report on key themes related to commonalities found across programs reflecting each of the seven strands outlined in the Guiding Principles. Participants will learn of practices that are common across programs, including those that lead to effectively educating students to meet the three pillars of DLBE and recommendations for improvement.

La Cosecha 2025 Conference Presentation: Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education: Updating for Authenticity and Innovation
2025-11-13
“Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education: Updating for Authenticity and Innovation”
Event: La Cosecha 2025
Date: Thursday, November 13, 2025, 10:50 – 12:10 pm Location: Nambe/Navajo Room
Session Format: Presentation
Presenter(s):

Analleli Hernández (CAL)
Diep Nguyen (CAL)
Ester de Jong (University of Colorado Boulder)

Calling all dual language education stakeholders! It’s been over seven years since Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education (GPDLE), edition 3 was published and it’s time for an update to this important, widely used resource. Join the Center for Applied Linguistics for a session to help shape the future of the next edition! This initial feedback-focused session will invite participants to share their experience using GPDLE to implement quality dual language bilingual education (DLBE) programming and reflect on what needs to be updated and included for the next generation of DLBE programs.

VATESOL 2025 Conference Presentation - "Bless Your Heart" Leadership Strategies in Virginia's Low-Incidences EL
2025-11-13
“Bless Your Heart” Leadership Strategies in Virginia’s Low-Incidences EL Programs”
Event: VATESOL 2025
Date: Thursday, November 13, 2025
Session Format: Presentation
Presenter:

Kia Johnson

This session presents findings from a qualitative study exploring how EL program leaders in Virginia’s low-incidence districts navigate language program implementation amidst limited resources, shifting demographics, and compliance pressures. Drawing from interviews and EL program handbook analysis, the session introduces the Bless Your Heart (BYH) Leadership framework, a contextually responsive model grounded in distributive justice and adaptive leadership theory.

Multilingual Illinois 2025 Statewide Conference Presentation: Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education: Updating for Authenticity and Innovation
2025-12-04 08:00 - 17:00 UTC
“Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education: Updating for Authenticity and Innovation”
Event: Multilingual Illinois 2025 Statewide Conference
Location: South Pavilion 1
Date: December 9, 2025
Session Format: Presentation
Presenters:

Analleli Hernández (Center for Applied Linguistics)

Description:
Calling all dual language education stakeholders! It’s been over seven years since Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education (GPDLE), edition 3 was published and it’s time for an update to this important, widely used resource. Join the Center for Applied Linguistics for a session to help shape the future of the next edition! This feedback-focused session will invite participants to share their experience using GPDLE to implement quality dual language bilingual education (DLBE) programming and reflect on what needs to be updated and included for the next generation of DLBE programs.

National Committee for Effective Literacy (NCEL) Virtual Summit Presentation: Creating Long-Term, Job-Embedded Professional Development – An Effective Approach
2026-01-21 08:00 - 17:00 UTC
Event: National Committee for Effective Literacy (NCEL) Virtual Summit
Location: Zoom
Date & Time: January 21, 2026
Session Format: Presentation
Presenter(s): Marybelle Marrero-Colón (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Description:
This 50-minute discussion looks at the important attributes of effective professional development. Some of the aspects explored include ongoing practices and topics, collaborative job-embedded approaches amongst educators both at the school and district level, the inclusion of multiple stakeholders (Vega, Howell, Kaminski & Bates, 2024), focus on evidence-based approaches, coaching, research, and identified components to effect teacher and instructional changes (Ankeny, Marichal, & Coady (2019), and personal/professional reflection. The presentation will look at the key components of applicable professional development and offer suggestions on how to begin implementing an effective process (Weiss& Zweirs, 2019) through fun, job-embedded, ongoing practices.

National Committee for Effective Literacy (NCEL) Virtual Summit Presentation: Legislating Literacy: Where are Multilingual Learners?
2026-01-21 08:00 - 17:00 UTC
Event: National Committee for Effective Literacy (NCEL) Virtual Summit
Location: Zoom
Date & Time: January 21, 2026
Session Format: Presentation
Presenter(s): Sarah Howard, Diep Nguyen, Keira Ballantyne
Description:
With most states mandating Science of Reading instruction in legislation, previous investigations have looked at the different requirements of legislative mandates. However, there has not been a thorough review of the consideration of Multilingual Learners in this policy. We explore the various ways in which Multilingual Learners are present in Science of Reading legislation via a state-by-state comparative analysis and present our summarized findings for ongoing conversations toward purposeful consideration of linguistic and cultural diversity within literacy instruction.

National Committee for Effective Literacy (NCEL) Virtual Summit Presentation: From Words to Worlds: Multilingual Story Boxes
2026-01-21 09:25 UTC
Event: National Committee for Effective Literacy (NCEL) Virtual Summit
Location: Zoom
Date & Time: January 21, 2026 | 9:25 AM – 10:15 AM
Session Format: Presentation
Presenter(s): Maria Cieslak (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Description:
This session reimagines multilingual story boxes for elementary and secondary classrooms. Participants will explore how story boxes can serve as platforms for inquiry, identity exploration, and literacy development across disciplines. Using five guiding principles – dialogic pedagogy, multimodal and multilingual response, translanguaging, multilingual text creation, and family and community engagement – teachers will learn how to design story box projects that connect students’ linguistic repertoires to curricular goals. Through reflection and collaborative planning, educators will discover how storytelling can transform content learning into culturally sustaining literacy practice.

National Committee for Effective Literacy (NCEL) Virtual Summit: Creating Effective Professional Development Practices - The Road to Capacity Building
2026-01-21 10:20 - 10:50 UTC
Event: National Committee for Effective Literacy (NCEL) Virtual Summit
Location: Zoom
Date & Time: January 21, 2026 | 10:20 AM – 10:50 AM
Session Format: Presentation
Presenter(s): Marybelle Marrero-Colón (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Description:
Effective PD enables educators to build capacity and expand upon the knowledge and skills they need to address students’ learning challenges (Zepeda, 2019). In utilizing a long-term, job-embedded approach, teachers are provided opportunities for a greater intensity of study and implementation, access to more follow-up support as they apply their learning, and, as a result, a greater likelihood of success in classroom implementation (Coldwell, 2017). This 30-minute presentation seeks to provide a model for capacity-building PD that highlights the use of guided lesson design, lesson study, and developing a training format for lead teachers and coaches. Three fun activities are included to help participants visualize the implementation process.

NABE Conference 2026 Presentation: Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education: Updating for Authenticity and Innovation
2026-02-11 15:50 UTC
Event: NABE Conference 2026
Location: Room E253A
Date & Time: February 11, 2026 | 3:50 PM
Session Format: Presentation
Presenter(s):
Diep Nguyen (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Analleli Hernández (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Description:
Calling all dual language education stakeholders! It’s been over seven years since Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education (GPDLE), edition 3 was published and it’s time for an update to this important, widely used resource. Join the Center for Applied Linguistics for a session to help shape the future of the next edition! This feedback-focused session will invite participants to share their experience using GPDLE to implement quality dual language bilingual education (DLBE) programming and reflect on what needs to be updated and included for the next generation of DLBE programs.

NABE 2026 Conference Presentation: Leveraging Translanguaging with CAL SIOP for Dual Language Education
2026-02-12 15:20 UTC
Event: NABE Conference 2026
Location: Room E261
Date & Time: February 12, 2026 | 3:20 PM
Session Format: Presentation
Presenter(s):
Analleli Hernández (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Kia Johnson (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Description:
Translanguaging pedagogy prompts educators to amplify students’ linguistic repertoires with purpose while strengthening dynamic identities and academic success. This session will analyze classroom scenarios based on CAL SIOP for dual language education where translanguaging supports content-specific language development and metalinguistic awareness.

EERA Conference Presentation: Designing and implementing welcoming formative assessments: Evidence on multilingual and multimodal practices in primary science education
2026-02-06 08:30 UTC
“Designing and implementing welcoming formative assessments: Evidence on multilingual and multimodal practices in primary science education”
Event: EERA Conference 2026
Location: Palm Room
Date & Time: February 6 2026 | 8:30 AM
Session Format: Presentation
Presenter(s):

Amy Burden – Test Development Manager (CAL)

Keira Ballantyne – VP Programs and Development (CAL)

Description:
This study explores the Multilingual Multimodal Science Inventory (M2-Si) in primary science (grades 3-5). We demonstrate M2-Si’s feasibility and its utility for educators to uncover misconceptions and adjust instruction using students’ full linguistic repertoires.

NABE 2026 Conference Presentation: MTSS-An Action Plan for Preventing English Learner Special Education Overidentification
2026-02-11 08:30 - 09:50 UTC
Event: NABE Conference 2026
Location: Room E255
Date & Time: February 11, 2026 | 8:30 AM – 9: 50 AM
Session Format: Presentation
Presenter(s):
Marybelle Marrero-Colón (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Description:
When linguistically diverse students struggle academically, it is schools’/districts’ responsibility to assess whether it is due to language differences or disability. Successful implementation of MTSS is key to ensuring that ELs receive appropriate interventions to maximize their academic achievement and language acquisition and minimize special education overidentification. During this workshop, participants will explore issues that challenge the practice of correctly identifying whether English learners need linguistic and academic interventions or truly have a disability that needs special education support. Teacher preparedness and professional development in this area will also be discussed.

NABE 2026 Conference Presentation: From Support to Soar: Decreasing Scaffolds to Accelerate Academic Language
2026-02-11 13:20 - 14:40 UTC
Event: NABE Conference 2026
Location: Room E259
Date & Time: February 11, 2026 | 1:20 PM – 2:40 PM
Session Format: Presentation
Presenter(s):
Maria Cieslak (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Description:
What if the key to language acceleration isn’t adding more support, but strategically taking it away? Join us for an energizing session that flips the script on scaffolding. Discover how purposeful de-scaffolding empowers multilingual learners to take ownership of academic language and thrive in rigorous content. Through real classroom examples, interactive strategies, and practical tools, you’ll explore how to gradually release responsibility, boost student agency, and elevate academic discourse. Let’s shift from support-heavy to student-driven – and watch language soar!

NABE 2026 Conference Presentation: Can’t Co-teach? Then Co-plan! Supporting Content Teachers with Multilingual Students
2026-02-12 01:20 - 14:10 UTC
Event: NABE Conference 2026
Location: Room E270
Date & Time: February 12, 2026 | 1:20 PM – 2:10 PM
Session Format: Presentation
Presenter(s):
Marybelle Marrero-Colón (Applied Linguistics)
Kia Johnson (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Description:
Co-planning is a process that supports consistent implementation of standards-based instruction that supports language development, literacy, and content curricula while allowing Tier 1 teachers, ML and instructional specialists to coordinate instruction and assessment (Honigsfeld & Dove, 2022). Co-planning not only supports those educators who co-teach, but those who share students, but are unable to set up a co-teaching model due to scheduling and personnel shortages, or in order to take advantage of the knowledge and expertise of others (Ford, 2025). This presentation will look at the importance of co-planning for second language learners when co-teaching is not an option.

NABE 2026 Conference Presentation: Seeing the Signs: Attuned Practices for Multilingual Newcomers Facing Transition Shock
2026-02-12 08:30 - 21:50 UTC
Event: NABE Conference 2026
Location: Room E255
Date & Time: February 12, 2026 | 8:30 AM – 9:50 AM
Session Format: Presentation
Presenter(s):
Maria Cieslak (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Description:
Are your multilingual newcomers showing signs of withdrawal, defiance, or disengagement? These may be signs of transition shock – a response to the emotional and neurological stress of adjusting to a new environment. In this interactive session, you will explore practical, trauma-responsive strategies to create safe, healing-centered classrooms where students feel seen, supported, and empowered. Using scenario cards, you’ll practice identifying fight, flight, and freeze behaviors and apply a simple attunement formula to respond with care and intention. Walk away with tools you can use immediately to build trust, foster resilience, and help multilingual newcomers thrive –emotionally and academically.

NABE 2026 Conference Presentation: Increasing English Learner Achievement Through Teacher Capacity Building: One School’s Journey
2026-02-12 14:20 - 15:10 UTC
Event: NABE Conference 2026
Location: Room E255
Date & Time: February 12, 2026 | 2:20 PM – 3:10 PM
Session Format: Presentation
Presenter(s):
Marybelle Marrero-Colon (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Carmen Delacruz (Arlington Public Schools)
Enis Delacruz (Arlington Public Schools)
Description:
This presentation showcases one school’s journey towards capacity building and strengthening its commitment to multilingual learners’ linguistic and academic achievement. By focusing on the implementation of the SIOP Model, a recognized and effective, research-based instructional model which benefits linguistic and academic achievement for multilingual learners, this school built a three-year professional development plan to improve teacher capacity. When supported through a long-term, job-embedded approach featuring guided lesson design and lesson study, results are noted in improved teacher evaluations and boosts in student achievement and language proficiency levels. The school’s PD plan and tools are shared and discussed.

Exploring Humanizing Pedagogies for Multilingual Learners and their Teachers
2026-03-04 15:30 UTC
TITLE: Exploring Humanizing Pedagogies for Multilingual Learners and their Teachers
DATE: March 4, 2026
TIME: 3:30–4:30 p.m. EDT

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DETAILS:
This webinar explores how and why humanizing pedagogies for multilingual learners and their teachers matter. The speakers provide an overview of their recently published book “Humanizing Pedagogies with Multilingual Learners: Transforming Teaching in the Content Areas,” written for PK-12 practitioners. This book is a love letter to teachers, students, families, and communities, and argues that all students should be able to be and become the best, most desired versions of themselves in our classrooms. Therefore, the book promotes relational, organic, real, and meaningful teaching and learning. The presentation will provide an overview of their research-grounded framework and offer tips on how their book can be used to support professional development in schools, districts, and university classrooms. Their aim is to support teachers in engaging and affirming students, their families, and building strong relationships among their professional colleagues.

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Important Notice on CAL Webinar Content
All webinars, recordings, and related materials produced by the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) are protected by copyright. They are made available exclusively through CAL’s official platforms for educational and informational purposes.
CAL does not authorize the reposting, redistribution, or resale of our webinars on any third-party websites. Any such uploads are unauthorized and may not accurately represent the original content.
To ensure you are accessing the most accurate, complete, and up-to-date info, please view webinars only through CAL’s official website and communication channels.

Upholding the Educational Civil Rights of Multilingual Learners and Families
2026-03-10 16:00 - 16:30 (America/New_York)
TITLE: Upholding the Educational Civil Rights of Multilingual Learners and Families
DATE: March 10, 2026
TIME: 4:00–4:30 p.m. EDT

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DETAILS:
States, districts, and schools have a legal and ethical obligation to ensure that all students, regardless of the language(s) they speak at home, have access to meaningful, equitable learning opportunities. Grounded in federal policy and civil rights law, these obligations extend to instructional access, language development supports, family engagement, and nondiscriminatory practices that enable multilingual learners to thrive academically and socially.
In this webinar, policy experts and practitioners will unpack the educational civil rights that protect multilingual learners and their families, clarifying what these rights mean in practice and how they are grounded in existing law and guidance. Participants will also hear directly from a state-level leader about how these civil rights frameworks are being implemented on the ground, highlighting policy levers, practical strategies, and lessons learned that can inform efforts in other contexts.
Join us to deepen your understanding of the civil rights of multilingual learners and the policies, practices, and partnerships essential to upholding them across educational systems.

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———————————————————————————————————————–
Important Notice on CAL Webinar Content
All webinars, recordings, and related materials produced by the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) are protected by copyright. They are made available exclusively through CAL’s official platforms for educational and informational purposes.
CAL does not authorize the reposting, redistribution, or resale of our webinars on any third-party websites. Any such uploads are unauthorized and may not accurately represent the original content.
To ensure you are accessing the most accurate, complete, and up-to-date info, please view webinars only through CAL’s official website and communication channels.
