We have several newsworthy items to share this month in terms of new projects, writing, and presentations.

edTPA Teacher Preparation Project

Diane began serving as the lead reviewer for the TESOL content area edTPA handbook. Stanford University and the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) recently formed a partnership to develop and share edTPA, formerly the Teacher Performance Assessment. For the first time, edTPA will give teacher preparation programs access to a multiple-measure assessment system aligned to state and national standards – including Common Core State Standards and the Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC) – that can guide the development of curriculum and practice around the common goal of making sure new teachers are able to teach each student effectively and improve student achievement. Pearson serves as an operational partner to help deliver it to the wide educational audience that asked for it. Involvement with edTPA is endorsed by AACTE and the Teacher Performance Assessment Consortium (TPAC), comprised of 24 states and the District of Columbia and more than 160 teacher preparation programs participating in edTPA activities.

Writing and Presentations about the Common Core for English Learners

Ayanna wrote an article titled “A Glance at the Common Core State Standards” for TESOL International Association.

Diane co-authored a chapter with Dr. Darina Walsh for a book edited by Margo Gottlieb and Gisela Ernst-Slavit to be published by Corwin Press in 2013. The book will be called Academic Language in Diverse Classrooms:  Promoting Content and Language Learning.

Diane and John Segota will be presenting at the National Association of Bilingual Education (NABE) 2013 conference. Their proposal is titled Demands of the Common Core State Standards: Preparing Effective Teachers of English Learners.

Diane will be presenting at the Association of Latino Superintendents and Supervisors (ALAS) National Summit October 10-12 in Miami, FL. Diane, Ayanna Cooper, and Jesse Markow will be attending the National Council of State Title III Directors’ meeting October 15-16 in Washington, DC. We hope to see you soon at some EL-related events!