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Sixth International Conference on Immersion and Dual Language Education: Connecting Research and Practice Across Contexts

del 20 al 22 de October del 2016

Hyatt Regency Hotel, Minneapolis, MN, USA

Bilingual Seals: Powerful Tools to Recognize Students' Language Assets

sábado, el 22 de octubre de 2016 a las 13:45–14:45 CDT
Lake Nokomis
Session Type

Paper/Best Practice Session (1 hour)

Immersion/Partner Language(s)

no language specific

Context/program model
One-Way Second/Foreign Language Immersion
Co-Official/Regional Language Immersion
Two-Way Bilingual Immersion
One-Way Developmental Bilingual Education
Indigenous Language Immersion
Level

High School

Program Summary

Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) strategically used Minnesota's new state Bilingual Seal to identify and recognize heritage language students’ college credit eligible linguistic skills. The MPS journey, success story, and challenges will inspire attendees to envision systematic support and recognition of heritage language learners in their own contexts.


Abstract/Description for Paper, Discussion, and Laptop Poster presentations

Using newly legislated Bilingual Seals, 500 MPS students became eligible for college credit including Hmong, Somali and Spanish heritage speakers.  MPS was innovative in strategically identifying bilingual students outside of world language classrooms.  Our effort empowered heritage language students and families and connected them to a college pathway.  The effort involved a comprehensive strategy of student identification, outreach campaign to  families,  creation of appropriate assessments, training and coordinating of raters in multiple languages, test scheduling, legislative advocacy,  a public celebration of multilingualism which connected students,  school district, higher education, state administrators and  community leaders.  Participants will leave with a vision and checklist of a comprehensive approach to recognize and support Heritage learners path towards careers built on their 21st century linguistic skills based on Minneapolis Public Schools model.  

Projected Program Outcomes:

Participants will:

  1. Recognize the power of  the Bilingual Seal as a tool to support and reward heritage speakers for  bilingual skills in their own contexts.   

  2. Envision a plan in their own context

  3. Identify gaps, challenges, assets and resources in their district  language learning sequence to improve access to language learning for heritage speakers.

Lead Presenter/organizer

Annika Fjelstad, Minneapolis Public Schools
Role/Title

Bilingual Program Facilitator

State (in US) or Country

MN

Co-Presenters

Ayumi Stockman, Minneapolis Public Schools
Role/Title

World Language Content Lead

State (in US) or Country

MN

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