2008 State ConferenceWe hope you were able to join us for the 2008 CATESOL State Conference in Sacramento. Information about the conference, including the program book (PDF), continues to be available online.
As discussed at the Community College Rap Session, the Accountability Reporting for Community Colleges report is available online at the Chancellor's Office website. Note that the document includes information for all 109 colleges, so look through the report for your specific information before printing.
The TESOL Electronic Village Online announces its Call for Proposals for the Electronic Village Online 2008. The CALL Interest Section of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc. (TESOL) offers language teachers world-wide the opportunity to participate in the Electronic Village Online (EVO), a professional development project and virtual extension of the TESOL 2008 Convention in New York, NY, USA. The free 6-week sessions allow participants to engage in online discussion and/or short hands-on workshops on topics of professional interest in the field of ESL/EFL. TESOL member groups, in particular, are invited to sponsor sessions related to convention presentations. For further information on how to become a moderator of one of our sessions, please visit our Call for Proposals page at: http://dafnegonzalez.com/evo08/Cfproposals.htm
CATESOL is home to many returned Peace Corps volunteers and teacher trainers, two groups that will be adversely affected by the USPS elimination of the use of M-bags (seamail) to ship books overseas. At the old M-bag rate, it was possible to ship books at $1.00 a lb.; the new rate via air more than triples the rate. You can sign an online petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/zikomo/petition.html. Comments about how you have used M-Bag, and the impact these books have, are also welcome. The USPS manager in charge of Global policy is going to be checking the petition daily.
The Commission on Teacher Credentialing has issued its position related to the 150 hour Professional Growth Requirement for a credential renewal. This change was a part of SB 1209 (Scott) signed into law by the Governor with the effective date of January 1, 2007. Correspondence #06-0017 (PDF format) clarifies the change in requirements and provides the online renewal process teachers and others are to use when renewing their credential.
Read CATESOL President Cadiero-Kaplan's Response to "Proposal Revives Bilingual Education Debate," an article from the August 11, 2006, LA Times by Carla Rivera
American Institutes for Research and WestEd: Five-year Study of Proposition 227 finds no conclusive evidence favoring one instructional approach for English learners
English Learners in U.S. Schools: An Overview of Research Findings by Fred Genesee, Kathryn Lindholm-Leary, William Saunders and Donna Christian, is now available.
What credentialing do I need to teach ELD in K-12? Here's the answer.
Resources for Indispensable Schools and Educators is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that builds a professional network of teachers, schools and businesses that provide career and economic support to keep high-quality teachers in K-12 public schools serving low-income communities. RISE provides quality teachers with access to jobs at prescreened public schools committed to teacher support and/or financial resources to increase their effectiveness and satisfaction. RISE works with over 200 Teachers and 30 schools nationally.
TESOL Statement on the Acquisition of Academic Proficiency in English
Community-Based English Tutor Project Descriptions, compiled by Kathy Hamilton, former CATESOL Adult Level Chair