World Languages in Maine Schools: Standards-based Instruction and Assessment is a collaborative initiative involving the Maine Department of Education, the Foreign Language Association of Maine (FLAME) and the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). A major goal of this initiative is to improve teaching and learning by creating an environment in Maine schools where standards-based curriculum, instruction and assessment in world languages are an integral part of the work that all K-12 world language educators do to promote student achievement and proficiency in one or more languages other than English. Eighteen Maine world language teachers have been trained as teacher leaders to provide regional, standards-based professional development during the current school year.
Information about free workshops for world language teachers at the elementary, middle and high school level is listed below. There may be additional workshops that will be offered in some regions. Contact the regional teacher leaders for additional information, including workshop registration. (Email addresses are hyperlinked to their names below.)
The goal of the workshops is to assist teachers with implementing standards-based unit design and summative assessments. Topics include:
- Connections between and among national foreign language standards, the Maine Learning Results: Parameters for Essential Instruction, the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, and 21st Century Skills
- Creation of standards-based teaching units using essential questions, the three modes of communication (interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational) and proficiency levels
Contact the World Language Teacher Leader(s) (hyperlinked below) to register for a regional workshop.
Contact Don Reutershan, World Languages Specialist at the Maine Department of Education, for additional information about this initiative.
World Language Teacher Leader
|
Region
|
Workshop Date
|
Workshop Time
|
Location
|
Marty Brooks and Eunice Loredo |
Kennebec Valley
(Kennebec and Somerset Counties) |
December 6 |
9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
(one hour for lunch) |
Lawrence High School, Fairfield |
Amber Burks and Carlos Gómez |
York County |
January 18 |
9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
(one hour for lunch) |
Middle School of the Kennebunks, Kennebunk |
Matthew Mazzeo and Tatiana Lera |
Mid-Coast
(Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, Waldo Counties) |
January 25
Invitation |
8:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
(half-hour for lunch) |
The Samoset Resort, Rockport |
Catherine Gram |
Cumberland County |
January 31 |
9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
(one hour for lunch) |
Falmouth Town Hall, Falmouth |
Linda Freese and Judy Rizk |
Androscoggin County |
January 31 |
12:00 – 4:00 p.m. |
Lewiston High School, Lewiston |
Linda Freese and Judy Rizk |
Androscoggin County |
February 6 |
12:00 – 4:00 p.m. |
Oak Hill High School, Wales |
Lisa Dalrymple and Mary Kaubris |
Western Maine
(Franklin and Oxford Counties) |
February 13 |
9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
(one hour for lunch) |
University of Maine Farmington |
Sarah Vigneault |
Hancock County |
February 15 |
9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
(one hour for lunch) |
Bucksport High School Library, Bucksport |
Michelle Fournier |
Cumberland County |
February 16 (rescheduled) |
9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
(one hour for lunch) |
Westbrook High School Library, Westbrook |
Greg Reed |
Aroostook County |
March 7 |
1:00 – 5:00 p.m. |
Presque Isle High School,
Presque Isle |
Tatiana Lera |
Mid-Coast
(Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, Waldo Counties) |
March 9 (rescheduled) |
10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. |
Curtis Memorial Public Library, Brunswick |
Greg Reed |
Aroostook County |
March 14 |
4:00 – 9:00 p.m. |
Caribou High School,
Caribou |
Amber Burks and Carlos Gómez |
York County |
March 15
Register |
9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
(one hour for lunch) |
Biddeford High School,
Biddeford |
Cathy Swain |
Washington County |
March 22 |
8:00 a.m. – Noon |
Washington Academy,
East Machias |
Lisa Dalrymple and Mary Kaubris |
Cumberland County |
March 23 |
9:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. (half-hour for lunch - bring your own) |
Westbrook High School, Westbrook |
Marty Brooks and Eunice Loredo |
Kennebec Valley
(Kennebec and Somerset Counties) |
March 27 & April 3 |
3:00 – 5:00 p.m. |
Lawrence High School, Fairfield |
Teresa Brzustowicz and Brooke Dupuy |
Penquis
(Penobscot and Piscataquis Counties) |
March 28 |
8:00 a.m. - Noon |
Hermon High School, Hermon |
Teresa Brzustowicz and Brooke Dupuy |
Penquis
(Penobscot and Piscataquis Counties) |
April 4 & 25
(Must attend both sessions) |
4:00 - 6:00 p.m. |
Brewer High School, Brewer |
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Additional Professional Development opportunities:
Foreign Language Association of Maine (FLAME) Annual Conference
Maine TPRS (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling)
Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (NECTFL)
American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)
2013 ACTFL Annual Convention and World Languages Expo
CARLA Rater Training Modules for Proficiency-Oriented Language Instruction (Speaking and Writing)
Foreign Language Teaching Methods Online Course (a coordinated effort of ACTFL and Weber State University, UT)
FLAME Listserve
The Foreign Language Association of Maine (FLAME) sponsors a listserve for world language educators in Maine. This is a valuable source for updates, instructional practices and resources, and information about professional development opportunities.
Maine Department of Education Teacher Certification application and requirements
Specific requirements for world language teaching certificates and endorsements are available at http://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/rules/05/071/071c1152.doc. (See Middle Level Teacher on pp.5-6 and World Language Teacher (K-12) on pp. 13-14.) Applicants must also meet the requirements of Chapter 115, Part I Section 3.1., Section 3.2, and Section 4.1. Information on the Targeted Need Certificate is also available on pp. 21-22 of Chapter 115, Part I.
21st Century Skills World Languages Map
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21) has forged alliances with key national organizations that represent the core academic subjects. These collaborations have resulted in the development of 21st Century Skills Maps that illustrate the intersection between core subjects and 21st Century Skills. Developed through a year-long collaborative process, spear-headed by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) and P21, this map reflects the collective effort of hundreds of world language teachers and illustrates the integration of World Languages and 21st Century Skills. This map provides educators, administrators and policymakers with concrete examples of how 21st Century Skills can be integrated into core subjects.
ACTFL Performance Guidelines for K-12 Learners
Since their introduction in November, 1998, the ACTFL Performance Guidelines for K-12 Learners have helped language teachers, school administrators, parents, and students to understand the developmental path that second language learning takes when it occurs within a school setting. The guidelines describe the language proficiency of K-12 language learners in Standards-based language programs as well as language outcomes for students who begin instruction at different entry points. They are inspired by the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines and the Standards for Foreign Language Learning.
ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines – Speaking, Writing, Listening, and Reading (revised 2012)
The ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines, first published in 1986, are global characterizations of integrated performance in a language skill area. They have gained widespread application as a metric against which to measure learners’ functional competency; that is, their ability to accomplish linguistic tasks representing a variety of levels.
Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA)
Located at the University of Minnesota, CARLA has a number of second language assessment initiatives and online materials, including a Virtual Assessment Center, a Virtual Item Bank, the Minnesota Language Proficiency Assessments, and resources for second language assessment development. Also now available online is Proficiency-Oriented Language Instruction and Assessment: A Curriculum Handbook for Teachers, Diane J. Tedick (ed.).
The Essentials of World Languages, Grades K-12: Effective Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, Janis Jensen and Paul Sandrock with John Franklin, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2007
As schools shift to a performance-based model of language instruction, world language programs are challenged to keep up with new instructional activities and assessments. This publication explores the new directions that schools and districts are taking in designing and implementing flexible language programs, such as creating a new frame for the value of language learning; designing world language curriculums using assessment targets; reinventing the instructional environment in language classes; redefining the roles of teachers and curriculum coordinators in a performance-based approach; and setting more realistic expectations for students’ second-language proficiency.
Foreign Language Assistance Program (FLAP)
The Foreign Language Assistance Program is the only federally funded program that exclusively targets foreign language instruction in elementary and secondary schools. FLAP provides 3-year grants to states and local school districts to establish, improve, or expand innovative foreign language programs for elementary and secondary school students.
Integrated Performance Assessment (IPA) Manual
The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) has developed a prototype for assessing the progress language students are making in achieving the K-16 foreign language standards as well as in developing their language proficiency. The Integrated Performance Assessment (IPA) is a cluster assessment featuring three tasks, each of which reflects one of the three modes of communication – interpretive, interpersonal and presentational. IPAs are designed for students at the novice-, intermediate-, and pre-advanced levels of proficiency.
The Keys to Assessing Language Performance: A teacher’s manual for measuring student progress, Paul Sandrock, American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)
This manual addresses various aspects of assessment: determining appropriate standards-based evidence, designing authentic language tasks and accompanying rubrics, and using performance assessments to engage learners and focus instruction. While each chapter reflects sound principles of assessment, the book does not dwell on theory. Instead, the emphasis is pragmatic, with suggestions and examples linked to daily practice…Your work will surely benefit from this resource, and your students will thank you for taking its message to heart. - Excerpt from the Foreword by Jay McTighe.
The Keys to the Classroom: A basic manual to help new language teachers find their way, Paula Patrick, the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language (ACTFL)
This book offers detailed guidelines to help new classroom teachers gain confidence and direction as they begin their teaching careers. In addition to step-by-step strategies for everything from classroom organization to navigating Back-To-School Night, the book includes sample lesson plans, templates for student and parent letters, and advice on dealing with the inevitable difficult moments every teacher faces.
LinguaFolio
Developed by the National Council of State Supervisors for Languages (NCSSFL), LinguaFolio is a portfolio assessment instrument designed to support individuals in setting and achieving their goals for learning languages. It includes these three components: Biography, where information about a student’s language background, intercultural activities, and the self-assessment checklists are documented; Dossier, where samples of a student’s work document progress over time; and Passport, where formal qualifications, certificates or diplomas, and achievements are recorded, along with a summary of self-assessments that describe competency with different languages.
Ñandutí
A comprehensive resource on world language teaching and learning in grades preK-8.
National Foreign Language Resource Centers
The common goal of the fifteen Language Resource Centers (LRCs) is to promote the learning and teaching of foreign languages in the United States. Led by nationally and internationally recognized language professionals, LRCs create language-learning materials, offer professional development workshops, and conduct research on foreign language learning. While some centers concentrate on specific language areas and others on foreign languages in general, all share the common goal to develop resources that can be used broadly to improve foreign language education in the United States.
The NECTFL Review - A Journal for K-16+ Foreign Language Educators
Sponsored by the Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, The NECTFL Review is an online publication with articles of interest for instructors, researchers and administrators at all educational levels on theory, research and classroom practice in language teaching. The articles deal with pedagogical strategies, materials and curriculum development, language teaching technology, the teaching of literature, assessment, community awareness projects and international studies.
Portfolio Assessment in the Foreign Language Classroom
Developed by the National Capital Language Resource Center, this free, web-based tutorial is designed to guide educators in creating and implementing a standards-based, foreign language portfolio assessment tied to their own curricula. It includes teacher and student questionnaires, FL standards checklists, planning worksheets, sample rating scales, self-assessment activities, and sample lessons.
Thematically Organized Assessment Tasks (TOAs) from the Consortium for Assessing Performance Standards
This collection of assessment tasks is the product of three years of work by teachers in four New Jersey school districts. All work for this project was funded by a Foreign Language Assistance Program (FLAP) grant.
Understanding Assessment: A Guide for Foreign Language Educators
Created by the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) in Washington DC, this online tutorial is a companion resource to CAL’s Foreign Language Assessment Directory. In seven Modules, the tutorial introduces concepts in language testing to help with selecting tests and using test results appropriately and efficiently. The Resource Module includes a glossary of Key Assessment Terms.
World Language Assessment: Get in the Mode!
This video series and accompanying teacher resources support and empower world language educators to improve student proficiency through a variety of assessment strategies. Focusing on the three modes of communication (interpretive, presentational, and interpersonal), this comprehensive resource provides a framework of formative, interim, and summative assessments for use at any grade level.
