This message was sent from David Tilly, Deputy Director, Iowa Department of Education to LEA Superintendent sand AEA Chief Administrators.
In October 2015 I sent a letter to the field outlining area education agency (AEA) and school district responsibilities regarding the federal Title III program requirements as a result of the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) monitoring visit. This letter included the attachment "Title III Federal Monitoring Citations and Responses," which described the specific training requirements for the new English Language Proficiency (ELP) Standards. The purpose of this communication is to clarify and correct what we described as the professional development requirements related to the new ELP Standards.
Only certified educators responsible for delivering the Language Instruction Education Program (LIEP) must participate in professional development related to the new standards. The Iowa Department of Education will not require that all certified teachers in each district participate in this training. Since other certified teachers serving English learner students are also responsible for delivering parts of the LIEP, they should receive the "professional development as may be necessary to implement those educational and instructional models." (IAR Section 281 Chapter 60.3(3)b(5))
The Iowa Department of Education has worked with ELPA21 (English Language Proficiency Assessment for the 21st Century) and a consortium of states to develop training modules that can be used to address the required training on the ELP Standards. School districts and AEAs responsible for delivering the training have several options for how to use the modules to support the required training on the ELP standards:
A. AEAs and school districts may require the certified staff members directly responsible for delivering the LIEP (and others they deem appropriate) to view the Modules individually or collectively via AEA PD Online and take the associated brief quiz to document completion and content attainment.
B. AEAs and school districts may use the modules flexibly (chunk the content, provide training to groups where they watch the modules together with some facilitated discussion, alter the sequence, facilitate learning activities in conjunction with the modules, etc.) as long as the modules are viewed in their entirety through the delivery method determined by the AEA or the school district.
C. AEAs and school districts may deliver training using the content within the modules but not necessarily use the modules or only use clips from the modules - this will require submitting a training plan and receiving Iowa Department of Education approval prior to starting the training with staff. This option will also require that AEAs/school districts provide verification of training completed, the list of all participants who completed the training, and evidence of participant learning. The plan must include:
a. The trainers and the target audience for each training session.
b. The specific content and learning outcomes for each training session.
c. The learning activities that will be used to deliver the content.
d. How the trainers will assess whether or not the participants are meeting the intended outcomes.
Questions and Answers:
1. What are the ELP Standards?
The new ELP Standards describe the critical language, knowledge about language, and skills using language that are in college-and-career-ready standards and that are necessary for English language learners (ELLs) to be successful in schools. The new ELP standards can be downloaded from: http://www.elpa21.org/sites/default/files/Final%204_30%20ELPA21%20Standards_1.pdf
2. Why are we requiring training on the ELP Standards?
Ongoing professional learning is critical to continuous improvement of our instructional practices and improving outcomes for students This required professional development is in response to a citation from the USDE received in 2014 in which it was noted that Iowa educators were not familiar with or implementing the ELP Standards and had not received appropriate training in relation to the standards. The citation from the USDE stated:
Finding: The Iowa Department of Education (IDE) did not provide evidence that it has implemented English Language Proficiency (ELP) standards Statewide. Of the five districts we reviewed there was no evidence that ELP standards were implemented in the classrooms in any of these districts. The teachers interviewed had not received any training on the ELP standards. . . .
Citation: Section 3113(b)(2) of the ESEA requires SEAs to establish English language proficiency standards.
Further action required: The IDE must develop and submit to ED a plan, including a timeline, outlining the steps it will take to ensure that the newly adopted ELP standards are implemented, including training to districts on the standards.
The Iowa Administrative Rules: Section 281 Chapter 60.3(3)b(5) describes the professional development required for educators responsible for implementing educational programs for English learner students.
(5) Professional development. All district instructional staff and area education agency staff responsible for implementing the educational and instructional models defined in rule 281-60.2(280) shall receive such professional development as may be necessary to implement those educational and instructional models. Such professional development may be part of a district or area education agency professional development plan, an attendance center professional development plan, an individual professional development plan, or some combination thereof. The necessity for such professional development shall be determined based on the framework in rule 281-83.6(284). . . .
3. What training on the ELP Standards is the Iowa Department of Education providing?
The Iowa Department of Education has worked with a consortium of states to develop materials that can be used for training staff on the ELP Standards. Please see question #4 for more information.
4. Who developed the modules?
ELPA21's Professional Development Task Force is working with ELL experts and educators from ELPA21 states to develop materials and guidance that can be used in group trainings and accessed by individual teachers. This comprehensive toolkit consists of six online training modules that focus on classroom implementation of the ELP Standards:
Module 1 - Introduction;
Module 2 - Task Analysis;
Module 3 - ELP Standards;
Module 4 - Performance Level Descriptors;
Module 5 - Formative Assessment; and
Module 6 - Reflection.
The first three modules are available now through AEA PD Online and the remaining three modules are forthcoming. They address topics for both ELL and content teachers, including ELP Standards implementation, English language application, and students' understanding of language and content.
5. Do all educators have to participate in the training?
No. Only certified educators responsible for delivering the LIEP must participate in the professional development related to the standards. Other certified teachers serving English learner students and responsible for delivering parts of the LIEP program should receive the professional development necessary to implement those educational program components.
6. Do support staff have to take the training?
No.
7. Do I have to use the modules in the training?
No. However, the only place we have outlined important content for the training is within the modules. If you are not using the modules then the person planning and delivering the training should become familiar with the content within the modules and use that content as you design and deliver your own training. Also, you will need to submit a plan for your training and verification of delivery, participation, and learning. Please see option C (above) for more information.
David Tilly
Deputy Director
Iowa Department of Education
Grimes State Office Building
400 E 14th Street
Des Moines, IA 50319-0146
Ph: 515-281-3333
Email: David.Tilly@iowa.gov
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