Monthly Happenings: October
Updates from IDOE's English Learner Team
Latest Updates
October EL Leadership Meeting
English Learner Academic Impact & WIDA Growth Reports
IDOE continues to analyze the academic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools now have access to their Academic Impact Report, which details the following English learner students' ELA and math data:
2019 and 2021 ILEARN ELA and Math Proficiency Status
Academic Impact Status (grades 5-8 only)
2019 and 2021 Student Growth Percentile (SGP) Score and 2021 Target
Projected 2022 Growth Target for recovery
Projected 2022 Growth Target to achieve proficiency
- 2020 WIDA ACCESS Student Growth Percentile, the SGP target, and whether they met the target
- 2021 WIDA Academic Impact
- 2021 WIDA ACCESS SGP, their SGP target, and whether they met the target
- 2022 Projected Growth Target for recovery, as well as for proficiency
The Academic Impact Report, found in the IDOE Accountability Portal, requires appropriate permissions and DOE Online user credentials to access. For assistance accessing this information, go to the IDOE Online Help webpage, and scroll to the bottom to find “Request a DOE Online Account."
New for 2021-2022 School Year - IDOE EL Office Hours
See the image below for topics and dates. Complete our EL Office Hours Interest Survey to submit your questions for each topic or express interest in presenting on any of the topics!
Enroll in the Indiana English Learners Moodle Community!
After the Good Cause Exemption - IREAD3 Guidance for ELs
IDOE has released a new resource for supporting English learners who receive a Good Cause Exemption after taking the IREAD-3 assessment. After receiving a Good Cause Exemption, ELs will need additional, focused reading instruction directed at the skill deficiencies revealed by the Individual Student Report. This resource - focused on English learners - walks both educators and families through how to support students who qualified for the waiver.
Certificate of Multilingual Proficiency Participation
If your school participated during the 2020-2021 school year, please complete this form for any seniors who attempted and/or received the Certificate of Multilingual Proficiency. For any questions, please contact Nicole Leach.
AP World Language Exam: Heritage Language Student Participation
Indiana students who are enrolled in a Heritage Language III course in high school at an accredited public or nonpublic high school should be encouraged to take the associated world language Advanced Placement exam. The content delivered in a heritage language course aligns with the content delivered in an AP world language course. If given the opportunity to take the exam, these students will have a high likelihood of achieving a qualifying score and earning postsecondary credit.
Additionally, the IDOE continues to support Indiana students through the AP exam subsidy. This subsidy covers the exam fees for English, mathematics, science, and computer science AP exams taken by all Indiana students in grades nine through 12 who are enrolled in an accredited public or nonpublic school. If funds remain, all other AP course exam fees will be covered for students receiving free and reduced lunch. Historically, this subsidy has been able to cover all exam fees of free and reduced lunch students, and we anticipate that continuing.
This means that all Heritage Language III students who are on free and reduced lunch have a high likelihood of getting free college credit if encouraged and allowed to sit for the AP world language exam. Please reach out to Whitney Coake with any questions.
Grant Updates and Reminders
Non-English Speaking Program (NESP)
2020-2021 NESP Grant
- The Financial End Report (FER) for the 2020-2021 NESP grant is now live, and is due on Friday, December 31.
- For reference and assistance in completing the FER, the 2020-2021 NESP grants are still accessible in Intelligrants, accessed via the LINK portal.
2021-2022 NESP Grant
- The deadline for submission of the 2021-2022 NESP grant has now passed, and IDOE is actively reviewing grant applications. Visit the IDOE NESP webpage for more information and deadlines pertaining to this grant period.
Title III
2019-2021 Title III Grant
UPDATE: IDOE has recently been granted a waiver from the US Department of Education, allowing an additional year to encumber 2019-2021 Title III funds. No rollover process will occur, and schools will continue to use 2019-2021 Amendment and Reimbursement Forms and processes. See the new deadlines on the attached image.
2020-2022 Title III Grant
- The Annual Performance Report (APR) is open for submission and is due on Thursday, September 30. All recipients, including consortium members, are required to complete the submission.
2021-2023 Title III Grant
- The deadline for submission of the 2021-2023 Title III grant has now passed, and IDOE is actively reviewing grant applications. Visit the IDOE Title III webpage for more information and deadlines pertaining to this grant period.
2021-2022 Refugee Student Reporting
The submission window for reporting enrolled refugee student information is now open. This information is used to generate allocations for the federal 2021-2022 Refugee School Impact Grant. The 2021-2022 Refugee Student Report submission link includes more information as well as a data template. Refugee student reporting is due by Friday, October 15. Contact Erica Sponberg with any questions.
WIDA Updates
WIDA Standards - 2020 Edition - Rollout Underway
To help in the transition to WIDA's new Standards Framework, we've created an Indiana WIDA Standards 2020 Edition Rollout Roadmap, a living document that outlines possible ways for WIDA rollout. We hope that it serves as a great place to start!
Save the date! On Wednesday, December 15, let's get together to talk about the first phase of your WIDA rollout plan. In this IDOE EL Team-led session, you'll have the opportunity to hear from local education agencies about what has worked thus far and what is to come in the spring. Visit our EL PD Opportunities Calendar for more information.
Collaboration and the WIDA English Language Development (ELD) Standards Framework
Collaboration is one of the four Big Ideas of the WIDA ELD Standards Framework. This document shows how teachers can work together to improve language development for multilingual learners. This example can be used in tandem with Section 4 of the WIDA ELD Standards Framework, 2020 Edition, which details collaborative planning.
WIDA Screener for Kindergarten: Reminders and Resources
Participation & Scoring
Detailed information on who must participate in WIDA Screener for Kindergarten can be found in the 2021-2022 WIDA Assessment Guidance and the Indiana English Learner Identification and Placement Guidance. Participation requirements and entrance criteria did not change with the transition from the W-APT to the Screener for Kindergarten. Please note the following:- Eligible first semester kindergarten students should only be administered the Listening and Speaking domains. The Oral Language Proficiency Level is used for identification and placement purposes.
- Eligible first semester grade one students should be administered all four domains. The Overall Proficiency Level is used for identification and placement purposes.
- See the WIDA Screener for Kindergarten Interpretive Guide, a new addendum to the WIDA Screener Interpretive Guide, for more information.
Access to Training Course and Materials
Test administrators responsible for administering this assessment must be assigned Screener for Kindergarten permissions in the WIDA Secure Portal in order to access the required training course and test materials. District Coordinator users can assign permissions by selecting the “Account Management & Training Status” tile.
In the portal, select Assessment Training. Find the WIDA Screener for Kindergarten: Administration and Scoring course and select Course Details. From there, you can enroll in the course and view, download, and print the test materials.
Additional KG Screener Resources
- Purchase professional printed versions of the test materials in the WIDA Store. These are all the same great test materials you find in the portal, except they are professionally printed and shipped directly to you. You can purchase test materials individually and as kits.
- Find the WIDA Screener for Kindergarten Score Calculator on the public WIDA website. Add student scores to the online calculator and it will produce a printable, savable PDF score report.
- If you still have questions, check out the WIDA Screener for Kindergarten: Answers to frequently asked questions news article.
Guidance on Coding the Kindergarten Screener in Local Student Information Systems (SIS)
WIDA Secure Portal Redesign
The redesigned WIDA Secure Portal launched on Wednesday, September 1. As you navigate the updated online space, note the following:
- The recording of the Get Familiar with the Redesigned WIDA Secure Portal Q&A Webinar has been posted to the WIDA Secure Portal. Find a link to the recording on the Redesigned WIDA Secure Portal: Coming September 2021 webpage.
- Check out the the "Redesigned WIDA Secure Portal is live!" news article to learn more about using the portal.
- As part of the redesign, the WIDA Screener training course content has been reorganized. Read the What to know: WIDA Assessments in 2021-22 school year to learn more.
- New WIDA eWorkshop courses are now available via the updated Canvas system - see the section below in Professional Development & Resources for details.
PD & Resources
WIDA-facilitated PD: Secondary Grades and Writing with Multilingual Learners
Dates: Tuesday, November 2 and Wednesday, November 3
Time: 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET both days
Location: Perry Township Schools, 2115 E. Southport Rd. Indianapolis, IN 46227
Sign-up: Register via JotForm with this Link
Spaces are limited. See the flyer below for more information, or visit our EL PD Opportunities Calendar
New self-paced WIDA eWorkshops Now Available
Beginning this school year, all Indiana educators can participate in the following free, high-quality, on-demand eWorkshops, provided by WIDA:
- Classroom Teachers: Engaging Multilingual Newcomers
- Developing Language for Learning in Mathematics
- Home Languages in the Classroom
- Leading for Equity: Classroom Walkthrough
- School Improvement Planning for Multilingual Learners
- Social Studies: Engaging Multilingual Learners through Inquiry
- The WIDA ELD Standards Framework: A Collaborative Approach
Visit the eLearning webpage for course descriptions, a promotional flyer and PowerPoint slide that you can use to help spread the word to colleagues, and more! You’ll find the self-paced eWorkshops in the redesigned WIDA Secure Portal. From the homepage of the portal, select Professional Learning and browse a list of courses available to you.
Coming Soon: Indiana TESOL (INTESOL) Conference
INTESOL Conference Details
This year's INTESOL conference, themed Resilience and Reinvention and featuring keynote speaker Dr. Faridah Pawan, will take place Saturday, November 13. It was recently announced that this year's conference format has shifted to hybrid. Read the announcement and find additional conference details by visiting the INTESOL homepage.
Best of the Best Nominations
INTESOL is now accepting nominations for this year's Best of the Best Awards. These awards honor great ELL teachers in three areas: PreK-12, Adult Education (new this year!), and Higher Education. Please note that our K-12 award has been expanded to include early childhood educators. Nominate a colleague (or yourself!) here:
Wabash Valley Education Center (WVEC) English Learner Conference
New English Learner Tools & Resources
- Confronting Discrimination Based on National Origin and Immigration Status: The U.S. Department of Education and Department of Justice recently issued this resource for both families and educators. Included is information about public elementary and secondary schools’ obligation to enroll all children, regardless of national origin or immigration status, and to provide language assistance services to English learners. You can find the Spanish translation here.
- Supporting Young English Learners at Home: Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) West recently issued a database of activities for families and caregivers, designed to provide fun, at-home language development. These resources are available in multiple languages and free to download.
THANK YOU!
The IDOE EL Team appreciates all the work that you do for our students and our communities!
IDOE's English Learner Team
Nicole Leach
Email: nleach@doe.in.gov
Phone: 317-232-0572
Twitter: @NicoleNLeach
Adam Pitt
Email: apitt@doe.in.gov
Phone: 317-234-7168
Twitter: @AdamPittIDOE
Erica Sponberg
Email: esponberg@doe.in.gov
Phone: (317) 233-7413