Starting this school year, the Office of Multilingual Learners will use the Pro-Learner application on TeachHub for professional learning registration and the distribution of CTLE credits. You can use Pro-Learner to:

View and register for in-person and virtual professional learning opportunities offered by NYC Public Schools district and central offices
Access CTLE certificates for professional learning you took through Pro-Learner
Access resources and materials from professional learning opportunities
Attend virtual professional learning opportunities

You can find all our office’s professional learning by filtering the class catalog by the group/topic by our former office title “Division of Multilingual Learners.” We will continue to send you opportunities and registration links monthly through this newsletter. If you have any trouble accessing Pro-Learner, contact tech@schools.nyc.gov.

New and Updated ML/ELL Resources

Please review the following new and updated resources to support your school’s multilingual learners/English language learners (MLs/ELLs):

Policy Resources
- Policy and Reference Guide for MLs/ELLs (updated); and
- 10 ELL-Related Items for a Successful Start of the School Year (updated).
Instruction
- A Guide for Developing Linguistically Responsive Writing Feedback (new);
- Amplifying Multilingual Voices and Learning in K–12 Education Through Project-Based Learning (updated);
- Assessing MLs within MTSS (new);
- Project-Based Learning with ELLs in Mind Planning Tool (new);
- World Languages (new); and
- Scaffolds for Science Core Curriculum Designed for MLs/ELLs (updated).
Family Engagement
- Building Community in Your Bilingual Education Programs (new).
New York State Seal of Biliteracy (NYSSB)
- NYSSB Toolkit (updated); and
- Capstone Biliteracy Project Guidance (updated).
Newly Arrived MLs/ELLs
- Resources for Newly Arrived Multilingual Learners (updated).

Share Application for the Chancellor’s Multilingual NYC Advisory Council

The DOE invites you, your staff, and your school community to apply to be on the advisory council for boldly reimagining multilingualism in New York City Public Schools (NYCPS). The goals of the Chancellor’s Multilingual NYC Advisory Council are:

Providing every NYC Public School student with a pathway to multilingualism; and
Reducing the dropout rate and increasing the graduation rate for English Language Learners.

The Multilingual NYC Advisory Council will meet in the evening once or twice a month throughout the 2024–25 school year.

Please share this flye r (available in all DOE languages) with your school community. Interested students, families, and school-based staff can apply to be on the advisory council or recommend an organization or person for the council by completing this form by September 20. Council members will receive an email from multilinguallearners@schools.nyc.gov and will also be announced on the Multilingual NYC webpage in October.

For questions, email multilinguallearners@schools.nyc.gov.

Building Community in Your Bilingual Education Programs

Students benefit when schools and their communities can develop collaborative relationships of trust, aspirations, and mutual support. This is achieved when schools, families, and their communities create strategic alignments and strengthen how they interact. Building Community in Your Bilingual Education Programs provides guidance on how to strengthen engagement with families of students in bilingual education programs.

Offer the New York State Seal of Biliteracy for School Year 2024-25

As in previous years, students may earn the New York State Seal of Biliteracy (NYSSB) as a diploma endorsement upon graduation, which recognizes high school graduates who attained a high level of proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing in one or more languages in addition to English. If your school is interested in participating in the NYSSB, you or your designee can sign up by completing this form by November 20.

For more information, including resources available to support your school and a how-to guide for the 2024–25 school year, visit the NYSSB InfoHub page. You can also find upcoming information sessions by searching for the keywords “New York State Seal of Biliteracy” in the class catalog on Pro-Learner; access Pro-Learner through TeachHub. For questions, reach out to your NYSSB District Point.

Apply to Participate in Project-Based Learning with ELLs in Mind for School Year 2024-25

The Project-Based Learning (PBL) with ELLs in Mind Collaborative, in partnership with Civics for All and the Office of Energy and Sustainability, works with select schools to design, implement, and assess PBL as a pathway to reimagine and sustain a strong instructional core for multilingual learners. Participating schools engage in focus groups to foreground language instruction and solution-oriented, civic-minded, community-based inquiries into a unit of study from their adopted core curriculum through a PBL model designed by the Office of Multilingual Learners.

Participating high schoolers who successfully complete a project through PBL with ELLs in Mind may be granted points toward the New York State Seal of Biliteracy and Seal of Civic Readiness.

Interested schools should complete this application by September 20.

Apply to Participate in World Languages for Global Citizenship Cohort for School Year 2024-25

The updated NYSED Standards for World Languages are an opportunity for educators to revise and refine their curricular materials and instructional practices to think thematically, providing students with meaningful opportunities to use target language to engage in real-world tasks and challenges as global citizens and changemakers.

World language teachers are invited to apply to a hybrid professional learning cohort that will engage in deep learning around the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, as well as create authentic instructional resources aligned with the NYS Themes and Topics of World Languages. Monthly sessions will occur on Wednesday afternoons from 3:30–5:00 PM, starting October 23. CTLE will be provided.

Interested educators should review the essential dates in this overview and apply through this form by October 1.

Share Application for the 2024–25 Angelo Del Toro Puerto Rican/Hispanic Youth Leadership Institute (PR/HYLI)

The application for the New York City delegation of the Angelo Del Toro Puerto Rican/Hispanic Youth Leadership Institute (PR/HYLI) will launch on September 16. Hispanic/Latino(a)(e)(x) high school students may apply to the institute. The program is designed to support and empower the Latino student community, particularly English Language Learners in New York City Public Schools. The program fosters active youth involvement in civic and educational processes, promotes social justice, prepares students for college and career success, and amplifies the Latino voice in political and educational fields. Select delegates will attend a three-day leadership weekend from March 8-10 in Albany, NY, where they will join 275 students from across the state to debate legislative bills in the New York State Senate Chambers. Seniors who participate in PR/HYL may also apply for a college scholarship.

As shared in previous editions of Principals Digest, students may earn the New York State Seal of Biliteracy (NYSSB) as a diploma endorsement upon graduation, which recognizes high school graduates who attained a high level of proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing in one or more languages in addition to English. Students who are interested in attaining the Seal of Biliteracy may use the PR/HYLI experience in partial fulfillment of the NYSSB.

Please share this flyer—in English and Spanish—with your eligible 10, 11, and grade 12 students. Interested students should apply by November 8.

School staff may attend a 30-minute information session about PR/HYLI on September 19 at 10:00 a.m. or 3:00 p.m. Interested school staff should complete one of the following registration forms:

For questions about PR/HYLI, email Lisa Pineda. For questions about the NYSSB, email multilinguallearners@schools.nyc.gov.

Supporting MLs/ELLs in High School Initiative

Funding for the Supporting MLs/ELLs in High School initiative (SAM #53) has been allocated to schools that meet the requirements as described in the School Allocation Memorandum (SAM #53), released on August 28. Selected schools should review the allocation summary in the SAM and submit their program proposal and a budget narrative by September 18; allocated funds must be scheduled in Galaxy by October 11. This initiative is designed to support the graduation of MLs/ELLs to a postsecondary pathway of their choosing. The funding is intended to be used towards college and career readiness programming and advisement that supports social-emotional well-being, increases graduation rates, promotes credit accumulation, and supports academic preparation for your ML/ELL students–those in the 2024 and 2025 graduation cohorts, as well as those in previous graduation cohorts who are working toward graduation. For additional information, refer to the guidance found in SAM #53. For program proposal questions, email multilinguallearners@schools.nyc.gov.

Bilingual Special Education Teacher Incentive for School Year 2024–25

Based on an agreement between New York City Public Schools and the UFT, tenured teachers working in a monolingual license in special education who also hold a valid New York State bilingual extension may change to a bilingual license during the 2024-25 school year.

Teachers who choose to switch their license area as described in the agreement will receive an additional financial incentive in the 2024–25 school year. Under the agreement, there is no impact on the tenure held by a teacher or any future eligibility regarding tenure. Prior to switching their license, mutual agreement must be reached between the teacher and their principal. Once the switch is agreed upon, the teacher must provide instruction in a traditional BSE program, a Mixed Group Class, or provide bilingual SETSS. This agreement will expire on June 30, 2025.

For questions about bilingual special education and mixed group classes, contact your district administrator of special education. For questions regarding teacher licenses, certification, and eligibility, contact your district director of HR.

Bookmark our Resource Sites!

Resources to Support Newly Arrived MLs/ELLs

You can find relevant resources to support newly arrived MLs/ELLs and immigrant students, including newcomer ELLs, on this page on the Multilingual Learners SharePoint. You can also share these resources using this InfoHub document. If you have a question about ELL policy, email your ML/ELL Director. If you have questions about ELL instruction, email your ML/ELL Service Administrator.

SharePoint site

How to Access it: You can find our SharePoint by clicking this link, or by navigating to the SharePoint application in your browser and searching for Multilingual Learners. You can also sign up for email alerts. Visit this SharePoint page to learn how!

Standalone English as a New Language (ENL): In TeachHub, select the “ENL Standalone” tile under “Educator Resources” on the K-12, Elementary School, Middle School, High School, or DOE Created tabs. Add this tile to the favorites section of your TeachHub home page by clicking on the heart.
World Languages: In TeachHub, select the Middle or High School Google Drive, then the Spanish folder. For guidance on these lessons, please see the Introduction to Lesson Sequences for World Language Teachers and NYC World Languages video library.
Home Language Arts/Spanish Grades K-5: In TeachHub, select the Elementary Google Drive, the grade, and then HLA.

View instructional videos to support multilingual learners and English language learners across content areas. Teacher- and student-facing videos are available to bring classroom lessons to life.

Questions?

Do you have questions about supporting MLs/ELLs? Reach out to your ML/ELL Points on the EduDirectory.

Multilingual Monthly: September 2024

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