ENTWINES Working together to meet the needs of English language learners

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1 ENTWINES Working together to meet the needs of English language learners The Newsletter of The George Washington University s BIlingual Special Education Program April 2012 Volume 2, Issue 1 BILSPED hosts its 9th Annual Conference On Wednesday, March 7th, the Bilingual Special Education (BILSPED) Program hosted its 9th Annual Conference at the GW Marvin Center. The theme this year was Not Just Talking the Talk : Navigating Systems of Care for CLD/E Students, and we were honored to have Dr. Kathy Burgoyne travel from Seattle, Washington, present as our keynote speaker. Dr. Burgoyne is Vice President of the Comprehensive Health Education Foundation (C.H.E.F.), where she leads the organization s efforts to support key orga- nizations in advocating for and providing innovative and effective health education and prevention programs for people who are most affected by inequities in the provision of health services. Throughout the day-long conference, Dr. Burgoyne addressed the needs of diverse children and their Inside this Issue BILSPED hosts its 9th Annual Conference...cover On the Move! (Graduate & current student success stories)... p.2 Welcome to our new BILSPED team members... p.4 GW CEC Chapter nominated for award... p.5 Achievement of children identified with special needs in two-way Spanish immersion programs... p.7 Ask Dr. Mazur... p.13 And more! families, highlighting the reality that no single agency that works with this population has the ability to provide all the services and supports they require. She then presented a systems of care approach to service delivery as a way to respond more comprehensively and holistically to the needs of the children and families served in today s schools. In addition, participants had an opportunity to collaborate with each other in order to develop their own vision of a system of care that supports the educational and developmental outcomes of children within their own communities. Prior to Dr. Burgoyne s presentation, introductory remarks were provided by Mr. Luis-Gustavo Martinez of the National Education Association (NEA); by Dr. Joanne Urrutia, deputy director of the U.S. Depart (continued on page 5)

2 On the Move! (BILSPED graduate & current student success stories) Congratulations to Nicole Bryan for being nominated and selected as one of 13 Ed Reform Champions Under 40 from the Black Alliance for Educational Options! Ms. Bryan, a current doctoral student in the BILSPED program, is principal of the DC Prep Elementary Edgewood Campus. In addition to Ms. Bryan s honor for her leadership in education, DC Prep has also been selected as a semi-finalist for the 2012 Quality Schools Initiative - Champion of Quality Award from the non-profit Fight for Children s Quality Schools Initiative Program and the Achievement Network s (ANet s) Education Impact Award. Great work! Dr. Eirini Gouleta, a graduate of the BILSPED doctoral program, is currently in Islamabad, Pakistan, where she works for the United Kingdom s Department for International Development as the Senior Education Adviser and Team Leader for the Provincial Delivery of Education in Pakistan. Dr. Gouleta leads a team of eight advisers and program staff and manages a portfolio of 650 million British pounds (GBP), the largest ever in the history of investment of any bilateral programs in education. She views her role as a great challenge and great responsibility at the same time, and as both very exciting and very demanding. We wish you continued success, Dr. Gouleta! Allison Gunter, a BILSPED doctoral student and Project Director for the Building Inclusive Communities (BIC) grant, was recently accepted to present at the Urban Change through Education, Health, and Environment Urban Systems Conference in Newark, New Jersey. Ms. Gunter will be presenting her research on educator perceptions of structured recess and its impact on non-academic factors in relation to student academic success. The purpose of the conference is to begin a dialogue about the issues that plague urban cities in the areas of health, environment, and education and to begin addressing these issues from a crossdisciplinary approach. The conference will take place on Friday, June 8, 2012 at Rutgers University and the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Congratulations and good luck on your presentation, Allison! Dr. Monica Roache, who graduated from the BILSPED doctoral program in 2003, was selected as one of 400 Educational Delegates of the 2011 Chinese Bridge Delegation to China, sponsored by the College Board. Dr. Roache found it to be a great experience learning about the Chinese culture and China s current school system. Her personal highlights were visiting schools and climbing the Great Wall of China. What a great experience, Dr. Roache! A number of BILSPED doctoral students in the Leadership for Diverse Students (LDS) project presented at this year s Educational Symposium for Research and Innovations, an annual conference held by GW s Graduate School of Education and Human Development (GSEHD). Sheba Tartt-Walker, Ron Lopes, and Tracee McSwain presented their special education toolkit to assist principals in supporting their staff. Dr. Amanda Alexander, the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) Superintendent for Instruction in Cluster III, has expressed interest in disseminating their toolkit to the principals in the Cluster III schools. LDS doctoral student Addis Berek presented on the acculturation experience from the perspective of an immigrant doctoral student. Chunita Pilgrim, an Ed.S. student in the Advancing Critical Competencies for Exceptional Students Services (ACCESS) project, presented on the reunification of families and its effects on West Indian families. Doctoral student Deanna Conley presented on teacher as leaders and action researchers. Congratulations on the opportunities to present your research, everyone! It s a great way to receive feedback on your work before presenting it at national conferences or in peer-reviewed journals. Best wishes in that endeavor! Page 2

3 Certificate students bring whole school staff on board with Parent Forum Nights Sara DaCosta and Nicole Wilson, teachers at Sargent Shriver Elementary School in MCPS and members of the BCA cohort, have worked successfully to get the whole staff on board with Parent Forum Nights at their school. The concept was started by the school s second-grade teachers six years ago, and because of the nights success, it is now a school-wide initiative. The school holds Parent Forums three nights a year (in quarters 2, 3, and 4), and teachers use the nights to inform parents about the upcoming curriculum and the best ways they can support their child at home. The school provides on-site childcare while parents attend a presentation by teachers on strategies and games to play as a family. After the presentation, staff, parents, and students get together for a potluck dinner, a wonderful part of the night because the families often bring foods that represent their cultures. Invitations to the Parent Forum Nights are made via fliers sent home and phone calls, and efforts are made to meet the needs of the 80% of students families who are Spanish-speaking by translating all the presentations. What a great example of reaching out to the families of our CLD/E learners. Nice job, Sara and Nicole! BCA graduate using her BILSPED education to expand her leadership roles Since the completion of the graduate certificate program in Bilingual Special Education at GW through the OELA-funded Bridges to Curriculum Access (BCA) program, Betsy Johnson has become quite active with her students and their educational growth. With her newfound awareness in working with diverse student populations, she has taken on new leadership roles in education. In addition to her roles as the community organizer with IMPACT of Silver Spring (a community-building organization in Maryland), the Middle School board of directors, co-chair of community outreach for the Montgomery County Education Association, and a fundraiser for Positive Behavior and Intervention Support (a partnership with the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), Sheppard Pratt Health System, and Johns Hopkins University s Bloomberg School of Public Health), Ms. Johnson is currently involved with the NEA Foundation Institute for Innovation in Teaching and Learning to build skills and collaboration efforts on issues of teaching and learning for various district team leaders. These team leaders include local union, district administration, and community members. As an active participant in Institute meetings and activities, she shares ideas and tackles issues most critical to students to work together to improve student learning and teaching practices. Ms. Johnson is currently teaching at Argyle Middle School in Silver Spring, MD, and as she works hard to make a difference in diverse students lives, her dedication is being acknowledged. She was recently recognized for her efforts in educating children and many other ways they contribute to communities. On behalf of teachers in Montgomery County, Ms. Betsy Johnson received a proclamation from the Montgomery County Council on May 10, The proclamation states, Few other professionals touch as many people as teachers do, as they continue to influence those that come through their classrooms long after school days end and graduation ceremonies conclude. She is pictured here receiving this award from Montgomery County Council President Valerie Ervin, left, chair of the Council s Education Committee, and Doug Prouty, president of the Montgomery County Education Association. Thank you, Betsy, for your commitment and dedication to education, and congratulations on your recognition! Page 3

4 Welcome to our new BILSPED team members! The BILSPED team would like to introduce the newest members of our team. Meet Ms. Joni Magee, Ms. Angela Johnson, and Mr. Landon Anderson! Ms. Magee is the new Project Director for the Advancing Critical Competencies for Exceptional Students Services (ACCESS) grant, a project in partnership with the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). In this role, Ms. Magee will be working in collaboration with DCPS to develop leadership capacity in service to culturally and linguistically diverse students with and without exceptionalities. Originally from Massachusetts, Ms. Magee is a Boston College Donovan Urban Scholar and graduated with her M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in English Language Learning from Boston College s Lynch School of Education in Ms. Magee has taught English language development across the curriculum content areas as well as across the grade spans to culturally and linguistically diverse students in Massachusetts for over 12 years. She has also taught as an adjunct professor with Cambridge College in Sheltering English Immersion for Content Classrooms and has provided a variety of professional development workshops for school districts in her home state. Ms. Johnson joins us from Houston, Texas, as the new Research Assistant for the Communities of Practice: Supporting English Language Learners (COPSELL) grant and, starting this summer, for the Promoting Equity for Early Childhood Education Program (PEECE) grant. Both COPSELL and PEECE are in partnership with Prince George s County Public Schools (PGCPS). Ms. Johnson earned her B.A. in Theology and her M.Ed. in Multicultural Urban Special Education from the University of St. Thomas; her M.Ed. was funded by a federal grant with goals that closely mirror those of the COPSELL program. Her master s thesis demonstrated that daily integration of technology in mathematics instruction decreased skill and knowledge deficiencies, increased content application, and aided in memory retention for third grade, at-risk, minority populations. Ms. Johnson s experiences in general education include teaching third through eighth grades in Catholic schools and in the public school district that she attended and graduated from. Most recently, she served students with exceptional learning needs as a Special Education Resource Teacher. Ms. Johnson is elated to be a member of BILSPED: I am humbled and honored to work at The George Washington University with an outstanding team of individuals who are committed to making a difference in the lives of high-risk populations. Mr. Anderson recently moved from Tennessee to join the team as the Research Assistant for the Building Inclusive Communities (BIC) grant. He works with teachers from Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) who are enrolled in the BILSPED certificate program by visiting their classrooms to observe what strategies and methods they are implementing as a result of being in our program. His background is in Second Language Acquisition and English language instruction. In Tennessee, Mr. Anderson worked in a rural public school district for five years as a teacher of English as a second language, teaching students of all ages and proficiency levels, from kindergarten through adult. He has a B.A. in Spanish Language and Literature and an M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on teaching and assessing English language learners. I am excited to be part of the GSEHD team. My coworkers have been wonderful in giving me a warm welcome and making the transition as smooth as possible. The BILSPED Program is excited to have Ms. Magee, Ms. Johnson, and Mr. Anderson as part of our staff. As our program continues to grow, they will undoubtedly be assets in our continued success. Welcome to the team! Page 4

5 GW Chapter of CEC nominated for GW Excellence in Student Life Award The GW Chapter of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) was nominated for a GW Excellence in Student Life Award. Award winners were announced at the 27th Annual Excellence in Student Life Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, April 18th, at GW s Lisner Auditorium. The entire GW community was invited to this celebration to honor students, student organi- Doc students create website about Systems of Care in Special Education Last fall, a new doctoral-level course was introduced to provide the framework for professionals, across disciplines, to understand the continuum of systems that impact the success of ELLs, the interplay amongst and between these systems, and the method by which one accesses and navigates services in order to provide integrated, effective, and comprehensive care. Students in the course, called Systems Navigation: Supporting English Language Learners Across Disciplines, created a website to serve as a resource for special BILSPED hosts its 9th Annual Conference (continued from page 1) ment of Education s Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA); and by Dr. Joshua Starr, superintendent of Maryland s Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS). The conference was jointly sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education s OELA, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), and Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE); the NEA; the GW Center for the Study of Language and Education; and the GW Bilingual Special Education Program. In addition, the BILSPED Program presented its first STAR (Service, Teaching, Advocacy, and Research) zations, faculty, and staff for their exceptional contributions to student life at GW. The officers for the GW CEC Chapter, who are all also current BILSPED students, are President James Ransome, Vice President Melissa Maya, Secretary Dia Jackson, and Treasurer Allison Gunter. Unfortunately, the DC Chapter did not win, but kudos to everyone for the recognition! educators. From the website: Research points to the critical role of family member, education systems and support services have in the academic achievement of children and youth. A group of professionals from the Bilingual Special Education Department of the Graduate School of Human Development created a website that offers links to best practices and resources that will enable educators, families and advocates to navigate education and social service systems. The website may be found at Award to Dr. Patricia Rice Doran in recognition of commitment and service to CLD/E children. Dr. Rice Doran is a former BILSPED team member and is currently an Assistant Professor of Special Education at Towson University. Next year we are hosting our 10th Annual BILSPED Conference. Please save the date: Thursday, March 7th, We hope to see you there! Page 5

6 Stakeholders with the Department of Education partners with Council for Exceptional Children to lead a research roundtable discussion by Chunita Pilgrim On February 29th, the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) hosted a research roundtable discussion, a collaborative effort with the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), at the CEC headquarters in Arlington, VA. This research roundtable was held in the effort to collaborate with special education teachers in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC, about topics in education requiring more research and support. Among those present at this event were: Bruce Ramirez, Executive Director for CEC; Deborah Ziegler, the Associate Executive Director for Policy and Advocacy Services for CEC; Kim Hymes, the Director of Policy and Advocacy Services for CEC; Debbie Speece, Commissioner for the National Center for Special Education Research, Institute of Education Sciences with the DOE; and Melody Musgrove, Director of the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and Office of Special Education Rehabilitation Services (OSERS) for the DOE. In addition to these stakeholders, special education teachers from the following cities and counties were present: Christina, DE; Calvert County, MD; Charles County, MD; Howard County, MD; Prince George s County, MD; Alexandria City, VA; Arlington County, VA; Fairfax County, VA; Loudon County, VA; Virginia Beach, VA; and Washington, DC (with current BILSPED students Donna Saxon and Chunita Pilgrim representing). The purpose of conducting this research roundtable was to hear from educators in the field of special education to evaluate certain trends, barriers, and other topics that would require more research, support, and funding. A common theme shared across the school systems was determining the roles of special educators in schools and what models of support were in place for academic achievement for students. All stakeholders were able to recognize the ultimate goal, which is for students in their districts to be academically and socially successful, but reaching this goal may take so many different routes. Many educators were able to evaluate how RTI is working in their schools and to share the successes and pitfalls of different RTI models that their schools have utilized. Simultaneously and throughout the discussion, as problems or roadblocks were identified so were possible solutions and resources. This made the discussion more meaningful and purposeful. One of the outcomes of this discussion was the possibility of providing on-going, research-based supports for general educators. There appears to be a disconnect between general educators and special educators which results in two separate agendas when there should be one. Many stakeholders left the meeting feeling reassured that their voices were heard and that solutions will soon be in place to bridge gaps between all stakeholders in education. This was the first of many more research roundtables that will be conducted to discuss trends and areas of needed research. This discussion provided opportunities to create a networking system that would not be made possible if not for this event. Educators had opportunities to have firsthand experiences to meet at the drawing board with researchers and organizers that will conduct the next wave of research in the field of special education. Ms. Chunita Pilgrim is a first-year Ed.S./Ed.D. student in the BILSPED program through the ACCESS grant. She is currently a master educator within DCPS. Page 6

7 Achievement of children identified with special needs in two-way Spanish immersion programs by Dr. Marjorie L. Myers Study In 2009, I completed my doctoral dissertation at The George Washington University, which was entitled Achievement of children identified with special needs in two-way Spanish immersion programs. The study compared standardized SOL test results of students identified as special education students in two Arlington, VA, two-way Spanish/English elementary immersion (TWI) schools to a random sample of similarly identified students from English-only schools in the county. The office of Planning and Evaluation of Arlington Public Schools provided three years of SOL test scores for the special education children from the two TWI elementary schools and a random sample of similar students from the English-only elementary schools. The Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) tests are administered to 3 rd, 4 th, and 5 th grade elementary school students in English. The scores for the three years were analyzed and compared to those in the monolingual educational programs in order to attain the results. Inferential statistical analyses were performed with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Study Findings First language group - student performance in TWI vs. English-only programs The results showed that students in the two immersion programs did not perform differently when controlling for first language background. Neither the immersion nor the regular education program made any difference to a learning-disabled child s success on standardized tests. (continued on page 8) Table 1. Diversity - Number of study participants from each educational program Asian Black Hispanic White Total N English-only TWI Table 2. Free/reduced Lunch - Number from each educational program F/R lunch Asian Black Hispanic White Total N Total Group N English-only Yes No TWI Yes No Table 3. Gender/Ethnicity- Number from each educational program Asian Black Hispanic White Total N Total Group N English-only Female Male TWI Female Male Page 7

8 Achievement of children identified with special needs in two-way Spanish immersion programs (continued from page 7) Table 4: First language and SpEd label- Number from each educational program English-only L1 Spn 161 (EL=154) LD (#7) ED (#8) OHI (#10) DD (#16) Total N 13 (EL=13) 68 (EL=65) (EL=232) L1 Eng TWI L1 Spn 151 (EL=142) 20 (EL=20) 66 (EL=66) 8 (EL=8) 245 (EL=236) L1 Eng L1 Spn = First language Spanish; L1 Eng = First language English; EL = English learner LD = Learning disability; ED = emotionally disturbed; OHI = Other health impaired; DD = Developmental delay Total Group N The difference between the first language Spanish speakers and the first language English speakers as well as the difference between children who were economically disadvantaged and those who were not, was where the gap was apparent. There was an achievement gap between first language speakers (English speakers outperformed Spanish), and between children on free/reduced lunch and those who were not (children not receiving F/R lunch outperformed those that did). Participation in the TWI program showed no significant bearing on a student s academic achievement (Myers, p. 197). In Figure 1 and 2, the immersion test scores are on the left and the English-only (comparison) scores are on the right. A passing score is 400, top score is 600. The English-speaking children scored slightly higher in TWI programs, while the Spanish speakers had the same results in both the TWI and the English-only program. The study found that the students in TWI achieved academically on par compared to their non-immersion peers. This is an important finding that will add (continued on page 11) Figure 1. Estimated marginal means of nonwriting SOL scores (totals) Estimated marginal means LANGCODE Spanish English 380 Immersion Source: Myers, p Group Comparison Page 8

9 Doctoral student takes part in TESOL- and DOE-sponsored roundtable on a new vision for education by Heidi Platt On February 15th, the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced the RESPECT (Recognizing Educational Success, Professional Excellence, and Collaborative Teaching) Initiative as a way to increase respect and transform the teaching profession. What does RE- SPECT mean? According to Secretary Duncan, educational success needs to focus on improving student outcomes. Professional excellence means that the focus is on continued improvement and rewarding and learning from great teachers and principals. Finally, collaborative teaching means that the focus on educational improvement is a shared responsibility that principals and teachers hold together, and for which they hold each other accountable. With this program, the DOE is beginning a national dialogue with teachers and principals across America about teaching. According to the press release, this dialogue began several months ago. I read this press release with interest because, one day last fall, I had the opportunity to participate in one of these early conversations. One afternoon, the Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and the DOE sponsored a discussion involving professors, teachers, and administrators from all over the country representing various programs. There were about 15 of us and we represented a wide range of experience and interests. The DOE representatives were part of the teaching fellows program. Prior to the discussion, each participant was sent articles to read in preparation. I was surprised reading the articles; none focused on teaching English as a second language or on Special Education but instead more on the teaching profession in general. One article focused on attracting and retaining top graduates to careers in teaching. Another focused on the well-known fact that teachers do not go into teaching for the money. The third looked at teacher pay and status in different countries. Once there, the discussion was focused and very lively. To help focus our discussion, we were given a thought paper outlining a paradigm shift, but which did not get into the specifics of the role of instruction. We were encouraged to think outside the box. The DOE representatives wanted input for a vision of teaching, which we were told would be articulated in forthcoming documents. In this vision, one will change the paradigm of teaching. Ultimately, by changing the paradigm, students will have better outcomes and teachers will have a more fulfilling career. In addition, it outlined scenarios around this vision to aid in our understanding of what this transition looks like. The time passed quickly. First, we spoke about the vision, broken into parts: efficacy, autonomy, and responsibility; career pathways; student learning; school system organization; and high public perception. During the second part of the discussion, we were divided into groups and focused on the possibilities part of the thought paper. Each group focused on a specific part and was asked to provide feedback in regards to concerns and feasibility. My group looked at typical class size and course load. We shared our concerns to insure that resources are concentrated; opportunities varied in both local and international contexts; and the need to have tiers of teaching opportunities. Finally, the discussion ended with each of us contributing one final thought or take-away for the DOE. I echoed what many in the discussion spoke about: however teaching is transformed, parents, teachers, and students are a part of the discussion. The discussion ended with the usual exchanging of business cards and concluding remarks from the DOE official. There was no timetable offered but they thanked us for taking time to share our voices. I am glad that I took the afternoon off to participate in the discussion. However, I left wondering if turning this thought paper into policy would really transform education and the teaching profession. Ms. Heidi Platt is a second-year doctoral student in the BILSPED program. She currently teaches at William Wirt Middle School in Riverdale, MD. Page 9

10 BILSPED graduate participates in White House dialogue on children with disabilities Ms. Donna Sacco, a 2003 BILSPED master s graduate and a current adjunct professor for the program, participated in a White House dialogue on February 22nd with leaders from the White House Domestic Policy Council and the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services (OSERS). A special education teacher at Drew Model School in Arlington, VA, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), she was one of a small group of members from the CEC and the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) who were invited to discuss President Obama s State of the Union Address and his Fiscal Year 2013 budget initiatives as they relate to children and youth with disabilities and their families. Special Assistant to the President for Disability Policy Kareem Dale, Assistant Secretary for OSERS Alexa Posny, and Director of the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) Melody Musgrove met with the group. It was an exciting experience for Ms. Sacco because she was able to talk about the realities of her classroom with these officials. She found that some of the people now working in the DOE are from the classroom and have a first-hand experience with what Ms. Sacco, as a special education teacher, is going through. Says Ms. Sacco: Education is changing drastically every day and I think it s important to get the teacher s perspective. The fact that I could bring my voice right there to the White House was really important to me and I am hopeful...they re thinking about some of the issues that I m concerned about. I saw that they re already thinking about it and it was good that I could bring my perspective to them. BILSPED presents at NABE Conference in Dallas, TX Dr. Jessica Lee and Elizabeth Crouch, BILSPED program staff members, presented with Dr. Amy Mazur, BIL- SPED lead faculty, at the 41st Annual National Association of Bilingual Education (NABE) Conference in Dallas, Texas. Their paper, entitled Making Action Research Process Work for K-12 teachers, discussed qualitative research study findings regarding the implementation of action research projects with K-12 content teachers. They spoke about ways to implement an action research project focused on enhancing professional development. Their qualitative study is a result of their research on the Bridges to Curriculum Access (BCA) program funded by the Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA). Additionally, Dr. Mazur and former BILSPED staff member Dr. Patricia Rice Doran presented a paper entitled The Impact of Non-Academic Factors on the School Success of English Language Learners, which discussed the mental health, nutritional, and environmental issues in addition to the physical and developmental needs that must be addressed to ensure the success of CLD/E and all learners. Dr. Rice Doran is an Assistant Professor of Special Education at Towson University. Page 10

11 Achievement of children identified with special needs in two-way Spanish immersion programs (continued from page 8) Figure 2. TWI and comparison groups for non-writing SOL results by first language group SOL Scores 400 Comparison Immersion 350 Spanish speakers English speakers Source: Myers, p Test results by native language of students Figure 3. SOL test scores by educational program and disability group Estimated Marginal Means GRPCODE Immersion Comparison Disability (continued on page 12) Page 11

12 Achievement of children identified with special needs in two-way Spanish immersion programs (continued from page 11) Table 5. Disability Group - Performance Comparison of Two-way Immersion vs. English-only Programs TWI Program English-only Program M SD N M SD N Learning Disability Emotional Disturbance Other Health Impairment Developmental Delay to the knowledge base for bilingual children with special needs in two-way Spanish/English immersion. Test results on the Standards of Learning can be seen as indicators of a child s cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP) (Cummins, 1979) as well as content knowledge. Disability group - student performance in TWI vs. English-only programs Figure 3 displays same data in Table 5. The four disability categories are referenced on the x axis and the SOL scores are listed on the y axis. Conclusion Cloud, Genesee and Hamayan (2000) and Echevarria and Graves (1998) argued that special needs students should be included in enriched educational programs, such as TWI, with appropriate modifications to insure their success (Cloud et al., 2000, p. 131). This study supports this by providing data that show TWI as an appropriate educational environment, especially for students with special needs. Students should not be moved to a monolingual program because of a disability. In TWI students can succeed while reaping the benefits of an enriched bilingual education. In a discussion about two-way Spanish/English immersion versus an English-only education for special needs children, the TWI students speak, read and write in two languages. TWI students leave school with more. They leave with two languages. Author s note: I would like to thank Tara Fortune with the Immersion Projects at the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA) for permission to reprint portions of the article I wrote that was published in the April 2011 issue of the American Council on Immersion Education (ACIE) newsletter. I would also like to thank David Rogers with The Dual Language Education of New Mexico for publishing my research in Soleado: Promising Practices from the Field in the Fall 2011 Vol. 4, Issue 1of their publication. Dr. Marjorie L. Myers received her Ed.D. in Bilingual Special Education from GW in She is currently the principal at Key School ~ Escuela Key in Arlington, VA. References Cloud, N., Genesee, F., & Hamayan, E. (2000). Dual language instruction: A handbook for enriched education. Boston: Heinle & Heinle. Cummins, J. (1979). Cognitive/academic language proficiency, linguistic interdependence, the optimum age question and some other matters. Working Papers on Bilingualism, 19, Echevarria, J. & Graves, A. (1998). Sheltered content instruction: Teaching English language learners with diverse abilities. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Retrieved April 3, 2007, from www-writing.berkeley.edu:16080/tesl-ej/ej14/r7.html Myers, M. (2009). Achievement of children identified with special needs in two-way Spanish immersion programs. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Washington, DC: The George Washington University. Myers, M. (2011). Bridge: From research to practice. Achievement of children identified with special needs in two-way Spanish immersion programs. The ACIE Newsletter, 14(2), 1-8. Myers, M. (2011). Soleado: Promising practices from the field. A Publication of the Dual Language Education of New Mexico, 4(1), 4-5. Virginia Department of Education. (1999). Virginia standards of learning assessments: Standards of learning (SOL) tests validity and reliability information spring 1998 administration. Richmond, VA: Division of Assessment & Reporting. Page 12

13 BCA Program Shares 5-year Growth with U.S. Department of Education Program Officer The Bridges to Curriculum Access (BCA) project welcomed their program officer from the U.S. Department of Education s Office of English Language Acquisition, Ms. Diana Schneider, to a site visit at Montgomery County's Richard Montgomery High School last October 27th. The BCA project director, Dr. Jessica Lee, and research assistant, Ms. Elizabeth Crouch, facilitated this site visit as an opportunity for Ms. Schneider to review the growth and development of the program over its five-year duration. The BCA program first began in 2007 and offers a graduate certificate in BILSPED through a partnership with Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), aiming to provide content teachers with the knowledge and skills to effectively include their culturally and linguistically diverse student population in their instruction. The BCA program has now expanded to provide training for an even wider range of teachers, including school counselors and special education teachers. The site visit allowed Ms. Schneider to visit the classroom of Chamy Wijeratne, a BCA participant and an alternative programs Ask Dr. Mazur What is the significance of addressing the non-academic factors that may impact the academic success of CLD/E students? Student demographics in schools throughout the U.S. have grown dramatically more diverse in the past few decades. To address the needs of the increasingly diverse student population, educators need to be aware of cultural and linguistic issues as a key factor in preparing CLD learners, and their families, for school success. However, educators need to be aware of the many other factors that have been found to impact students growth, which include socio-economic status, parental education, and language background. However, research increasingly indicates that a range of additional, non-academic factors should be taken into consideration. Issues like physical health status, mental health status, nutrition and food security, exposure to toxins and environmental hazards, and immigration and legal status of children and their families have all been shown to impact the education of CLD/E students. These issues are emerging as esential contributors to a student s teacher. Richard Montgomery s alternative program assists academically struggling students by providing them with individualized support on a semester basis. During the visit, Ms. Schneider was given the opportunity to meet the high school students and to share her personal experiences as an ELL. Mr. Wijeratne and some of the students have indicated that her words were encouraging and motivating. The BCA staff thanks Ms. Schneider for taking the time to visit the project. well-being and survival and can tremendously affect a student s atttitude and concentration in the classroom. Educators would do well to ensure that a student s needs outside of the classroom are being met before ensuring that their needs inside the classroom are. Accordingly, it is imperative that educators consider these additional factors as they consider placement decisions, conduct assessments, view student performance, and make instructional decisions. Dr. Mazur is the lead faculty of GW s BILSPED Program. She has worked in the field for over 30 years and has helped the BILSPED Program receive extensive federal and private funding to support training for educators serving CLD/E students. Additionally, Dr. Mazur has written Teaching Diverse Learners with Dr. Patricia Rice Doran, published by Corwin Press. Page 13

14 A Message from the Bilingual Special Education Program: Supporting Your Community Over the years, our program has been fortunate to receive support from many different sources, which has allowed us to support many students. As we continue to identify and pursue new goals and our program grows, we are always grateful for the continued support of our alumni, affiliates, and supporters who enable us to provide tuition assistance to additional students through their gifts to the Bilingual Special Education Program. If you would like to make a tax-deductible gift to support scholarships for future students in the Bilingual Special Education Program, please return the form below to: Ms. Noelle Bannister, 2134 G St., NW, Washington, DC Checks should be made payable to The George Washington University and earmarked Bilingual Special Education on the memo line. Thank you for your generosity! Yes! I would like to give back by supporting the George Washington University Bilingual Special Education Program with my gift of: $25 $50 $75 $100 Other Name: Address: City: State: Zip code: Phone number: My affiliation with the GW Bilingual Special Education Program is: Alumni (Year: ) Friend of the Program Would you like to submit an article? The GW s BILSPED Program is seeking submissions of publication-ready articles for its quarterly newsletter, ENTWINES. ENTWINES is a periodical dedicated to reporting on newsworthy items from the GW BILSPED community and to addressing issues and topics relevant to the fields of bilingual special education, cultural and linguistic diversity, exceptionality, educational equity and service delivery and achievement of diverse learners. Articles should be fewer than 1,000 words, should follow APA formatting and citation guidelines, and may address any of the following topics: instructional practice for ELL and CLD/E students; high stakes assessments and their relationship to second language learners; policy implications for proposed changes to IDEA and their impact on CLD/E students; assessment in speech and language; and school policies, structures, and models. We are also interested in publishing personal success stories of our past and current students. Please send articles for consideration in our next issue no later than June 30, 2012, to gwbilsped@gmail.com. Page 14

15 The Bilingual Special Education Program at The George Washington University is designed to prepare educators to address the continuum of needs of the growing population of culturally and linguistically diverse learners including those with special needs. The program trains educators to understand the cultural, language, social, and learning needs of a variety of students. The Program offers educators an opportunity to obtain a Doctoral Degree, Educational Specialist, Masters Degree or Graduate Certificate in Bilingual Special Education. Information about the BILSPED Program is available at edu/bilingual. For more information about each program within BILSPED, please contact the following: BILSPED Program Certificate/ Degree Type/ County/ Location Contact Phone On-campus Distance M.A.Ed., Ed.S., Ed.D. Certificate, M.A.Ed. Off campus Partnership Cohort Programs Dr. Amy Mazur amazur@gwu.edu Allison Gunter agunter@gwu.edu Advancing Critical Competencies for Exceptional Students Success (ACCESS) Ed.S. DCPS On campus Joni Magee jmagee@gwu.edu Bridges to Curriculum Access (BCA) Certificate MCPS Off campus Dr. Jessica Lee/ Elizabeth Crouch jsleemd@gwu.edu elcrouch@gwu.edu Building Inclusive Communities (BIC) Certificate MCPS Off campus Allison Gunter/ Landon Anderson agunter@gwu.edu landerson3@gwu.edu Communities of Practice: Supporting English Language Learners (COPSELL) M.A.Ed. PGCPS Off campus Allison Neaves/ Angela Johnson aneaves@gwu.edu angiejohnson@ gwu.edu Leadership for Diverse Students (LDS) Ed.D. DCPS On campus Kathryn Breitenborn kmbreite@gwu.edu Promoting Equity in Early Childhood Education (PEECE) Certificate PGCPS Off campus Allison Neaves/ Angela Johnson aneaves@gwu.edu angiejohnson@ gwu.edu The Bilingual Special Education Program team of The George Washington University is Dr. Amy Mazur, Landon Anderson, Kathryn Breitenborn, Elizabeth Crouch, Allison Gunter, Angela Johnson, Dr. Jessica Lee, Charmaine Llagas, Joni Magee, Meghan Mulhern, and Allison Neaves. This issue of ENTWINES was edited by Charmaine Llagas G Street NW Washington, DC phone fax gradadmin@gwu.edu Page 15