Sonoma County Office of Education

Multilingual Learner Collaborative News

Instructional ServicesMultilingual Learner Collaborative News

This page provides news, announcements, and administrative resources for staff in the Multilingual Learner Collaborative.


Accessibility Notice

The Sonoma County Office of Education is committed to making its online materials and information accessible to individuals of all abilities.

Individuals may obtain an alternate, accessible version of the content in these documents by contacting webmaster@scoe.org and by including a copy of the document as an attachment. If you are unable to attach a copy of the document, please indicate the document name and website location. SCOE staff will respond to your request within 2-business days.

Important Upcoming Opportunities

Date: 03/12/2024
Author: Jenn Guerrero

Supporting Pathways to Graduation for Newcomer Multilingual Students via AB2121 & SB532 Legislation 

April 23, 2024 | 9:30am- 11:00am 

EPiCC Zone C will be holding a virtual Community of Practice for high counselors of multilingual learners. This will be an opportunity for counselors from across the state to come together to learn about topics specific to effectively supporting Multilingual Learners and share best practices. The first session on April 23rd from 9:30-11:00am will focus on Supporting Pathways to Graduation for Newcomer Multilingual Students via AB2121 & SB532 Legislation.

Please share this information with HS counselors and others who might be interested. Register here and access the flier here.

Free Summer Tinker Academy 

Tinker Academy is a FREE program designed to engage and inspire middle school students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Through hands-on maker activities that encourage the exploration and development of technical, mathematical and artistic abilities, participants will gain experience and confidence to set them up for success in school.

This program was originally called the “Girls Tinker Academy” and developed for girls with an aim to support girls, gender-expansive youth, and youth of color who are underrepresented in STEM fields. It is open to all students entering 6th, 7th, 8th, or 9th grades in Fall 2024.

Please share this information with students and families. Further details can be found here


Slide Deck for the February 2024 ML Collaborative

Date: 02/29/2024
Author: Jenn Guerrero

Thank you for attending the February 29, 2024 session of the Multilingual Learner Collaborative. The slide deck can be accessed here.


Upcoming Opportunities- Spread the Word!

Date: 01/25/2024
Author: Jenn Guerrero

Reviewing International Transcripts for Newcomer Students 

Monday, February 5th | 9:30am- 11:00am | SCOE

High school counselors are invited to attend this session focused on how to review international transcripts for newcomer students. Please pass on this information to all HS counselors in your district! To register, please fill out this form

 

Attention Sonoma County Educator-Artists

The Pa'lante Artist Grant Program is open for applications. This grant exists to economically advance artists to experience financial sustainability so that they thrive and grow through self-determination. Pa'lante will grow to support up to (5) arts and culture workers in Year 1 (2024-2025) with $30,000 in unrestricted funds, training, and increased connections to the local arts and business communities.  The deadline to apply is February 27th, please spread the word. More Information can be found here in English and Spanish

 

Latinos in Technology Scholarship

In addition to professional development and internship access, this opportunity will provide third and fourth-year undergraduate Latino students who have declared a major in a STEM-related field at a 4-year university with scholarships of up to $6,000 renewable for up to 3 years for a total of up to $18,000. Please pass this information on to previous students or anyone who might benefit from this information. More information can be found here.


Questions and Answers: ELPAC Interim Assessments

Date: 12/20/2023
Author: Jenn Guerrero

The following questions were asked at the December Multilingual Learner Collaborative regarding the ELPAC Interim Assessments. Please see the answers below.

 

1.What student scores are available for the standardized administration of the ELPAC Interim Assessment? 

Only domain level scores are generated.

 

2. Are there student writing exemplars available for the writing domain?

Yes. Log on to TOMS and then select “Resources”  from the top banner, and then select “ELPAC Interim Assessment Secure Materials” and the desired grade. Finally, select the “Training Guide and Exemplars” link.

 

3. In a nonstandardized administration, can a teacher print out materials for the students? 

Yes, you can print ELPAC IAs for in-class use only. As these are secure materials ,they should be destroyed after use. They may not be sent home. 


December 14th Slide Deck

Date: 12/14/2023
Author: Jenn Guerrero

Thank you for joining us for the December 14, 2023 Multilingual Learner Collaborative. 

Please see here for the slide deck.


HAVE YOU REGISTERED YET? SCOE Multilingual Learner Leadership Conference

Date: 12/11/2023
Author: Jenn Guerrero

Teachers, administrators, TOSAs, counselors, specialists, and paraprofessionals are warmly invited to attend SCOE’s annual Multilingual Learner Leadership Conference on January 19, 2024.

Breakout sessions this year include 

  • Choosing Honor Over Power

  • Revolutionizing Multilingual Education Begins with Me

  • Balancing Conviction with Compliance: Developing a Strategic Plan for Multilingual Learners

  • N.O.P.A.L.I.T.O.S. (Never give up, Opportunity, Plan and prepare, Action, Lead, Innovate, Team, Observe, Stay humble.)

  • Creating Effective Designated ELD Lessons to Promote Authentic Communication in the Elementary Classroom

  • Sustaining the Cultural and Linguistic Wealth of Multilingual Students

  • See You on the Other Side: The Amarosa Community School Mural Project

  • Cosechando Conexiones con Poesia: Poetry as Teaching, Healing, and Resistance

 This year’s conference theme, Voices of Light, asks its presenters and participants to investigate the question, “How might we celebrate and honor the voices of multilingual learners to co-create practices of belonging?”  Keynote speakers include LTC Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch, Ret.and Dr. Luz Yadira Herrera

Register Today


Advancing Multilingual Excellence in the Classroom

Date: 12/05/2023
Author: Jenn Guerrero

Register today for a FREE Virtual professional learning opportunity on December 12th  focused on Effective Language Acquisition Programs and elevating instruction for multilingual learners.  Please see this flier for more information. 


REGISTER TODAY! SCOE Multilingual Learner Leadership Conference

Date: 11/29/2023
Author: Jenn Guerrero

Teachers, administrators, TOSAs, counselors, specialists, and paraprofessionals are warmly invited to attend SCOE’s annual Multilingual Learner Leadership Conference. Participants will engage with the most current research, tools, and practices needed to ensure that multilingual learners thrive and excel in our school systems. Sessions will be tailored for elementary, secondary, and TK-12. 

This year’s conference theme, Voices of Light, asks its presenters and participants to investigate the question, “How might we celebrate and honor the voices of multilingual learners to co-create practices of belonging?”  Keynote speakers include LTC Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch, Ret.and Dr. Luz Yadira Herrera. To learn more about breakout sessions and to register, click here.


ELPAC & CAASPP New Coordinator Trainings

Date: 10/22/2023
Author: Jenn Guerrero

These trainings are designed for LEA coordinators who have been in their role for less than 12 months or want a refresher on the coordinator responsibilities.

The training sessions will 

  • review tasks associated with preparing for testing;
  • cover how to support sites during testing; and
  • assist coordinators in planning for post-test activities such as gathering feedback from site coordinators and test administrators.

Click here to find a training


New Webinar Series: Exploring the Field of Newcomer Education

Date: 09/23/2023
Author: Jenn Guerrero

In this series of webinars running through March, expert practitioners and researchers will share their knowledge on emerging best practices, resources, and knowledge that support newcomer education. The webinars are a project of the California Newcomer Education and Wellbeing Program (CalNEW), an ongoing initiative administered by the California Department of Social Services in collaboration with the CDE. Register here.




Leilan, Student
"I like Amarosa because there's a much smaller student count and so teachers can be one-on-one with you. They can actually help you and be one-on-one with you while the class is doing something else. I feel like that's a huge game-changer." - Leilan, Student