January 28, 2008

" A teacher who is attempting to teach, without inspiring the pupil with a desire to learn, is hammering on a cold iron." - Horace Mann (1796-1859)

MTELL Information

Principals received this information on Friday, January 25: 

As you know, the Mathematics Test for English Language Learners (MTELL) was developed last year by the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) as an accommodation for the MCAII Math test for ELL students.  Based on recommendations from MDE, last year, Saint Paul made the decision to have almost all ELL students take the MTELL instead of the MCAII Math test.  Due to several factors, we are changing our recommendation for this year, and believe that most ELL students will do as well or better on the MCAII Math test than they would on the MTELL.  Therefore we have ordered MCAII Math test materials for all ELL students.  Additionally, MDE is planning to upload all ELL students onto the MTELL database in case schools decide to give the MTELL to select students.  This will effectively cover all eligible students for either test and gives us some flexibility in determining which test will be best for each individual student.

With the exception of some specific groups, the data indicates that most ELL students will do better on the MCAII Math test than on the MTELL.  In addition, MDE has recently informed us that the US Education Department has not yet approved this test and as a result, MDE is not guaranteeing MTELL’s future beyond 2009.  

Based on the data from the past two years, we recommend that students in the following categories take the MTELL:

1) students in grades 6 – 8 who are currently in the “Does Not Meet Standards” level in math
2) students who have been in the United States for three years or less AND have had formal education in their native country and
3) students in grade 11 who have not passed the Basic Standards Test – Math and/or were in the bottom three stanines of the SAT10 when it was last administered.

The ELL Department will provide the lists of these students to the ELL contact teacher at each school and work with your staff to determine which students fit the criteria for MTELL.

If you have any questions about the MCAII Math test or the MTELL, please feel free to contact Phi.vu@spps.org or Rennie.zimmer@spps.org.  Thank you for your efforts to ensure the success of our ELL students.

Hmong Parent Advisory

Hmong Parents Advisory Council
The Hmong Parents Advisory Council will meet on Monday, February 4, 2008 from 6:30-8:30 at 360 Colborne.  The topics that will be covered include school programs and school selection.  There will be speakers from various programs who will be presenting information on the school selection guide and the application process.  Parents will also hear about programs happening in the district and events that will be coming up for college preparation.  Please invite Hmong parents in your schools to attend.  Transportation and Childcare are provided.  If you need more information or need to request transportation, please call Pangjua Xiong at 767-8313 or Michael Thao at 767-8314. 

Hmong Flier
English Flier

LCD Parent Advisory

This is just a reminder that next Wednesday, January 30, 2008 we are going to have our fourth Latino Consent Decree Advisory Committee meeting of the 2007-2008 school year.

The topic of the meeting is How to Select a School for Your Child. Student Placement Center will facilitate this presentation.

Presenters
Jill  Cacy, Assistant Director, Student Placement Center
Mary Guerra, Placement Coordinator, Student Placement Center

Special Guest
Donald Sysyn, Manager, Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE)

We want Latino parents to understand the school choice process in our district.
This will be a valuable presentation for all Latino parents that have children in Saint Paul Public Schools.

We will talk about Application Timelines, Parent Information Fair, Application Deadline, Elementary Open Houses, Secondary School Showcases, etc.

The meeting will be from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at 360 Colborne in rooms A and B.  Transportation, a light dinner, and childcare will be provided. 

As you receive new responses from families today or next week, please fax the information to the following number (651) 293-5411.

Download English Flier
Download Spanish Flier (descargar la página en inglés) - check your Spanish vocabulary below in the Dual Language section!

Refugee Speakers Bureau

The Minnesota Council of Churches Refugee Services has organized a Refugee Speakers Bureau.  They will coordinate presentations about refugees from trained public speakers at no cost to schools and community groups.  For more information about the Refugee Speakers Bureau or to schedule a presentation, please see the attached flyer.

Download the Flier

Sixth Grade Transition Information

We would like to invite you to an informational meeting to discuss the transition process for ELL students moving from 6th to 7th grade.  At the meeting, you will receive a list of your current students and their projected ELL level for 7th grade.  We will talk about the different programs offered at the middle/junior high schools and discuss how to deal with new students who may not have the necessary scores to aid in the placement process.  We feel that your attendance will help make the transition go more smoothly for your students.

The meeting will be held on Thursday, January 31, 2008 from 4:00pm-5:00pm at 360 Colborne.  (Room TBA)  I apologize for the short notice, but we are really looking forward to meeting with you.  Please email Brooke Stadler if you have any questions.
Thanks very much.

T.ELL.E-GRAM

The latest version of the ELL T.ELL.E-Gram from ¡Colorín Colorado! is availble. 

Featured Topic - Technology

Technology is most effective with ELLs when it encourages interactive learning and provides opportunities for communication with real audiences. In Interactivity Seen as Key, Mary Ann Zehr from Education Week reports on how teachers are using both general-education technologies and technologies designed specifically for ELLs in classroom instruction.

Secondary Summer School

If you are interested in teaching ELL secondary summer school (levels 1 and 2) this year, please apply online at http://www.alc.spps.org starting February 2nd.  Once you have applied, please be sure to email Brooke Stadler to confirm at brooke.stadler@spps.org.  Thank you!  Stay warm, think summer!

Palabras de Technología - Spanish Technology Words

While many hi tech words are adapted only slightly for Spanish, like the word computadora, others like cibernauta are completely different. It seemed humorous to me the first time I saw an ad in Spanish referring to web surfers as cibernautas - to me that sounds like people doing exploration on the planet Mars! Regardless of how funny some may sound...learn the words below and you'll impress your latino or Spaniard friends with your hi tech jargon.

http://www.spanish.bz/technology.htm

Book Release Event:  "The Hmong in Minnesota"

January 30 at 7:00 p.m.
St. Paul Public Library—Rondo Community Library
461 North Dale Street, St. Paul
Contact: Alayne Hopkins, Friends of the St. Paul Public Library,
651/366-6488
Branch tel.: 612/630-6000
Discussion and signing
Free and open to the public. Co-sponsored by Concordia College’s
Center for Hmong Studies

January 31 at 7:00 p.m.
Minneapolis Central Library
300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis
Contact: Rachel Fulkerson, Friends of the Minneapolis Public Library,
612/630-6174
Discussion and signing
Free and open to the public, but reservations are required:
612-630-6155 or friendsofmpl.org

Minnesota Humanities Council Website

Sheeko Wadaag/Sharing Stories: From Home Language to School Literacy with Somali Families
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Minnesota Humanities Center, St. Paul

This workshop has been designed especially for professionals who are working with Somali parents who are not yet literate in Somali and/or English to will improve their support of preliterate Somali families. Participants will learn about the Somali oral storytelling tradition; examine techniques for working with preliterate and low-literate adult students; discover research- and practice-based suggestions about how to work together with preliterate parents to support the emergent literacy skills of their children; and will explore resources for building language, story, and book skills with families. The workshop connects educators to existing language development resources and enhances educators' knowledge of oral traditions and the connections between language and culture.

Presenters include: Said Salah Ahmed, Minneapolis Public Schools; Marian Hassan, Kathy Klumb, and Patsy Vinogradov, educational consultants; and Kathleen Moriarty, Minnesota Humanities Center.

Fee: $85. Includes materials, continental breakfast and lunch. Register now!

Teaching About the Geography and Cultures of Asia in the Middle Grades
Thursday and Friday, Feb. 21-22, 2008
Thursday, 10:00 a.m -5:00 p.m.; Friday, 8:30 a.m -3:30 p.m.
Minnesota Humanities Center, St. Paul

Asia is home to a wide array of cultures, languages, and traditions as well as modern-day challenges. This multi-disciplinary and interactive seminar will provide an overview of Asia's geographic regions and highlight some of the many themes that will allow educators to explore a wide variety of countries and regions of Asia with their students. Using a comparative approach, participants will examine such geographic concepts as urbanization and its affects on cities such as Singapore and Hong Kong; rural vs. urban life, contrasting communities within China; globalization and the world economy, particularly the impact of white-collar industries in India and South Korean trade with the rest of the world; the issues of high population density in Japan as compared to the issues of low population density in Turkmenistan; and environmental issues in a rainforest-covered country like Indonesia compared to environmental issues in industrial nations like China. There will also be a special session about Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia to learn more about how to integrate Hmong culture into the classroom. Participants will explore literature, picture books, maps, music, reading strategies, resources, and classroom ideas specifically for teaching about Asia in the middle grades, 4th-8th. Lesson plans and interactive web activities from National Geographic's Geography Action! program, which is focusing on Asia this year, will help teachers integrate Asian themes into math, science, reading, as well as social studies lessons throughout the school year.

Co-sponsored by the Minnesota Alliance for Geographic Education (MAGE). Presenters include Dr. David Lanegran, Macalester College, Michelle Leba, Washington Technology Magnet in St. Paul and Minnesota's Geography Action! coordinator, and other members of MAGE.

Fee: $145. Includes materials, continental breakfasts, lunches, and overnight accommodations, with preference given to those traveling from Greater Minnesota.Register now!