ELPA 21 February Update

From Terri Schuster, DE ELPA 21 Coordinator

• Paper and braille form orders.  If you are planning on giving students paper or braille forms and you have not ordered them yet, please do so now.  In TIDE there is a place to order and I also want you to send me an email of your request so they may be approved as quickly as possible.  Keep in mind that it must state in the student's IEP the need for these accommodated forms. 
• If you have requested a domain exemption and I approved it, please check the student record in TIDE to ensure the change has been made.  It is very important for you to double-check in TIDE before the student begins any part of the test.  If the test has been started, even the Practice Test, the change cannot be made.  Please notify me immediately if someone was missed.
• See attached for documents related to assessment procedures and  related accessibility considerations.
• Important Dates:
• Feb. 3-Mar. 27, 2020  ELPA21 Testing Window
• March 20-Last day to order special materials
• March 16:  Future K screener assessment becomes available for students entering Kindergarten in the Fall of 2020.  These students are coded 00.  Current enrolled kinders are coded KG.
• March 27:  Last day to return all paper and braille forms (Note that this is the last day of the window and is a change from past years--you can return them earlier, however, once you complete testing.)
• April 10:  Last day to apply a Non-participation Code.  All students in your district's upload who do not test will need a reason why.  See TIDE manual for instructions or look at short training module on the Portal on how to complete this process.   https://iowaelpa21.portal.airast.org/
• Appx. May 8:  Initial student summative reports available in AIRWays
• Remember to contact the Iowa ELPA21 Helpdesk with any technical issues at iowaelpa21helpdesk@air.org or call 855.873.5710.  
• You can contact me with any policy related questions, approvals or if you just need a "thought partner" on a unique situation.

December Updates

• Resource:  Accurate Assessment of English Learners 
• A brief brochure that might be of interest:  LINK  
• Professional Learning Opportunity
• January 16th in Des Moines at the Downtown Embassy Suites
• Rapid Literacy:  ELL strategies for Secondary Emergent Readers.  
• The $205 cost per person will be reimbursed to a district after attending the workshop
• Link to sign up 
• District Mini Grants
• Up to $5000 can be used towards a project that supports the achievement of English Learners and/or the professional learning of educators.  Additionally, the grant may be used to support parent/community engagement.  
• Link to sign up 
• Virtual SIOP (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol) Course
• There is still time for you or your colleagues to sign up for this course!  
• Use this link to register!   
• More information about SIOP 

 Please contact Angie Hance at ahance@ghaea.org or 641-414-2804 with questions!

Facebook

Just ran across this Facebook group for Iowa ESL/ELL Teachers today.  I requested to join and you can too!  Listed on the site is this description:  "We want this to be a safe space to share ideas, ask questions, and collaborate with other professionals who know the unique experience of teaching English language learners in Iowa. Please keep talk positive and “problem solving” in nature and refrain from using any names or information that would identify specific students. I can’t wait to see how this simple platform can act as a resource for us all. 

This is not a sales page. Please do not post anything you have for sale unless specific to teaching ELL students. Open positions within your district pertaining to teaching ELLs may also be shared"   

 Whether you are new to ELL or are a veteran, you might find this beneficial!


Please remember, if you have an interest in 
- Imagine Learning 
- Rosetta Stone
- A district mini grant
- Scholastic news for your EL's
- Consultative support
- Sheltered Instruction training

Please let me know!  I am working to create a networking session for 2nd semester and a professional learning plan for next year.  Let me know if you have suggestions!!

Have a great week and a Happy Holiday season!

Opportunities

1.  The DE EL website has some updated resources.  You might want to take some time to review what they've changes/updated!  One thing in particular is a revised document entitled:

Re-Entry FAQ for English Learners. 

2.  Application for Mini-Grants.  As soon as I can get it ready, you all will be getting an application for a mini grant.  The mini grant will allow some extra funds for you/your school to support the needs of your ELs. 

3.  Don't forget the Iowa Culture and Language Conference registration in November.  We will pay for your registration, hotel, sub and you will get some additional books when you register.  Click here to register 

4.  Virtual SIOP.  Don't forget this learning opportunity either!  Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol provides:

• Evidence-based Teaching Strategies developed with original Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP^®) Model authors.
• Access to Experts and Authors through live expert-led sessions, author discussions on video, and a live author Q&A.
• Built-in Accountability through live sessions, lesson plan assignment, and online discussions.
• Learn, Apply, and Reflect instruction model promotes classroom practice with live sessions for questions and feedback.

Click here to register! 

5.  I would like to put together an advisory group of 4-5 people that can help me think about ways to support ESL staff/programs this year and beyond.  If you would be interested in serving on an advisory committee, please let me know!

6.  Rosetta Stone - The AEA pays an annual membership for Rosetta Stone so students and parents can learn English through logging in at either school or home.  If you have an interest in learning more about this, please let me know.  We have 40 licenses but would add more if there were enough interest. 

7.  Imagine Learning - The AEA also pays for an annual membership for Imagine Learning - Reading only for EL students.  If you have an interest, please let me know! 

As always, have a wonderful day and let me know if you have questions!!!

Virtual SIOP

Based on years of research, the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP®) Model is a scientifically validated framework for improving the academic achievement of English learners.

Let the training come to you! The SIOP® Training for Teachers Virtual Institute is a cost-effective and convenient way to learn about the scientifically validated SIOP® Model. Participants will gain an in-depth understanding of how SIOP® works in content-area classrooms. Watch expert-led sessions right on your computer. Experience SIOP® classroom lessons, listen to SIOP® authors, and participate in an author Q&A live. It’s a powerful new learning model for educators with limited time or budget for travel.

This four-week institute consists of 11 sessions in which participants complete a series of assignments on their own schedule, as well as meeting as a virtual group to collaborate, discuss, and share information with colleagues. The four live sessions are led by an expert in the topic and one session is devoted to a question and answer session with the authors.

Virtual SIOP costs $300, which the AEA will reimburse.  Additionally, upon completion, each participant will receive a $200 honorarium.  To qualify for the $500 reimbursement, ($300 registration plus $200 honorarium) please complete the personal information and respond to the following questions.

You will need to wait for a response before registering for the session if you want to attend and receive the stipend.  Angie Hance will email you to let you know if you qualify for the reimbursement of $500.  Once approved, a registration link will be sent.  You will also be able to apply for license renewal credit. 

Once you receive the written approval you will need to
     1) get approval from your direct supervisor;
     2) obtain a purchase order from your district to register, have the district pay and register you, or pay yourself; and
     3) let your supervisor and business office know that in addition to reimbursement for the class ($300), we will also send the district a $200 stipend that the district will need to forward on to the teacher. 

Once the institute is completed, Pearson will issue you a Certificate of Completion.  You will need to photocopy or scan this certificate and send/email it to Angie Hance along with a completed claim form.  Claim forms are needed for the AEA to reimburse the district for the $300 registration and $200 stipend.  The district will then reimburse you the $200 (likely minus taxes).  Unfortunately, the AEA can not pay any stipends directly to an individual due to tax reasons. 

Other Virtual SIOP classes will likely be offered later in the year; however the two dates listed below are all that are showing on their website.  You may register for License Renewal Credit as well, paid for using your own funds. 

If you'd like to submit a request to attend, please complete this survey!

Link 

Dual Language Institute

Here is a link to the Dual Language Institute to be held in New York in October

http://nabe-conference.com/institute.html

Have a wonderful day!

Updated ELPA 21 Training Modules

We just received word that multiple training modules have been updated for the 2019-20 school year. 

From the DE:

This year we are happy to announce that we have ready several of the ELPA21 training modules in advance. Each of these modules is updated for 2019-2020. 

To help you prepare for the suite of ELPA21 assessments, the following modules are ready for your use:

• ELPA21 Dynamic Screener Training 2019-2020
• NEW - Dynamic Screener for Experienced Test Administrators 2019-2020
• New Test Administrators: Introduction to ELPA21 Screening and Summative Assessment 2019-2020
• ELPA21 Technology Coordinators Training 2019-2020
• ELPA21 Test Coordinators Training 2019-2020

As other modules get updated, we will add them to the list and notify you.

 

To ACCESS the training modules, go to: https://training.aealearningonline.org

 

Click on "Catalog" and scroll down to "English Language Learners"  All EL modules are listed.  Updated modules all say 2019-20 in the course title.