Mid-West RBERN PD Newsletter

New ELL Coordinators (those who have been in the position for less than a year) are invited to join us as they can for Monthly meetings. Each month, we will learn based around pre-planned topics, and there will be an opportunity to ask questions.

In March 2025, educator, author, and legal professional Greg Cunningham delivered an insightful presentation on What Educators Need to Know About Immigration Law, hosted by Mid-West RBERN and RBERN West. If you couldn't attend, but want to know what you missed, this is the workshop for you! We are excited to offer a virtual asynchronous course that lets you catch up on all the valuable content at your own pace. During the course, you will earn 3 CTLE hours by watching key segments of Greg's lecture, exploring a variety of additional resources curated to deepen your understanding, and thought-provoking discussion prompts designed to enhance your ability to support immigrant students and families. The June cohort will run on the Schoology platform from June 2-27. The July cohort will run July 14- August 8. A link to the online course will be sent to registrants prior to the start of the course.

Join MidWest RBERN for a 10-hour virtual asynchronous book club using the newly published Teaching Foundational Skills to Adolescent Readers by Doug Fisher, et all. Adolescent English Learners, particularly students with interrupted formal education, have difficulty with the written word and lack the foundational literacy skills they need to succeed in school. This course will explore research and practical strategies for supporting adolescents learning to read in the upper grades. This course will be run from June 30-August 18. Participants will receive the link to Schoology prior to the start of the course. Books must be acquired on your own.

How do we create a culture of safety in which everyone feels valued, important, and capable of learning? Join MidWest RBERN for a 10-hour asynchronous summer book club featuring Kristin Souers and Pete Hall's book "Relationship, Responsibility, and Regulation: Trauma-Invested Practices for Fostering Resilient Learners. This course will run for 6 weeks from July 7-August 18, 2025. Participants will need to purchase the book on their own. A link to Schoology will be provided prior to the start of the course. *This book is a follow up to Fostering Resilient Learners. It is helpful to have read this book, but it is not required for participation in this course

In 2014, the New York State Board of Regents adopted proposed amendments to Part 154 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education which contain standards for educational services provided to ELL students in New York State. English language learners (ELLs) must be provided with equal access to all school programs and services offered to non-ELL students, including access to programs required for graduation. CR-Part 154 policy guides everything that we do in the realm of English language learners and Bilingual Education. In this workshop, we will breakdown CR-Part 154 policy into understandable segments, discuss how it impacts the decisions we make and the academic journey of our students

Identification of English language learners in New York State is an important and nuanced process that sets the stage for the academic success of multilingual students. Although the process may seem clear at first glance, there are many considerations that may throw your intake team for a loop. In this workshop, we will troubleshoot some of the most challenging ELL ID scenarios and look closely at the questions we can ask and the evidence we can gather to guide decision-making in the ELL ID process. Specifically, we will converse and troubleshoot around the topics of the HLQ, how to conduct in-depth interviews, and review some common ELL ID mistakes

Administrators & Building Principals in the Mid-West region are invited to join RBERN for two days of interactive learning and building a community of support. Day one will be dedicated to New ELL Coordinators and those who want to review the basics. We will cover the basic elements, including multilingual learner lingo and terminology, discuss the role and responsibility of the Part-154 Coordinator, and learn about the ELL ID process. Day two will be more focused on troubleshooting topics in ELL ID, Scheduling & Programming, ELL Assessments, Accommodations, and Translation & Interpretation. Administrators are welcome to join either or both days

Subpart 154-3 is part of the New York State Education Department's (NYSED) effort to improve instruction and programming for English Language Learners (ELLs). Language Proficiency Teams, or LPTs, are utilized to determine the process of ELL Identification for students with disabilities. However, there are many nuances related to the use of LPTs. In this 1.5-hour session, participants will learn:

• What the LPT is
• When it can be used
• Who it is comprised of
• What the limitations are

Mid-West RBERN is committed to building capacity within school communities to cultivate strong leaders, high quality, meaningful instruction, and welcoming, inclusive environments for English Language Learners (ELLs) and Multilingual Learners (MLs).

Let us know if you are interested in bringing a Mid-West RBERN workshop to your district (virtually or in-person).

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