District/School Administration PK-16 Program Support
English Language Learners

Massachusetts English Language Teachers (MELT) Initiative
July 2006- May 2007

In order to respond to a statewide need for more licensed ESL teachers, the ESE will offer a one-year path to ELL licensure for teachers who already possess a teaching license, are currently teaching in a Massachusetts school district, and want to become a licensed ESL teacher. In this first "pilot" year of the initiative, there will be two cohorts of 20 teachers each, one in Boston Public Schools and one in Worcester Public Schools.

The School for International Training, a NEASC accredited institution of higher education with a 40-year history in language teacher education located in Brattleboro, Vermont, will design and implement the academic components of this initiative through its Center for Teacher Education, Training and Research. The SIT Center worked with ESE on the recently concluded SEI Implementation Initiative.

Summer 2006: Intensive One-Week Seminar
1-week (5 full days / 30 hours)

Cohort A: July 10-14, 2006
Location: Bunker Hill Community College (Boston Public Schools)
School year seminars: November 16/17, 2006, February 8/9 and April 12/13, 2007

Cohort B: July 17-21, 2006
Location: Worcester State College (Worcester Public Schools)
School years seminars: November 13/14, 2006, February 5/6 and April 12/13, 2007

Fall 2006 Implementation Phase 1

• Participants will observe and document 12-15 hours of ESL instruction in classrooms of their sponsoring district.
• Participants already teaching ESL will continue to do so.
• All participants will have weekly structured contact with mentors to discuss observations and to begin work on their clinical record that continues throughout the project year.
• November: 2-day seminar

Winter 2007 Implementation Phase 2

• All participants will teach at least 1 "class" of ESL for at least 60 hours.
• All participants will have weekly structured contact with mentors, including some in-class observations and follow-up discussions. These plans and follow-up discussions will be documented in the participant's clinical record.
• February: 2-day seminar
• April: 2-day seminar

Spring 2007 Conclusion and Program Evaluation

• On-site clinical evaluation, based in part on teaching and in part on the clinical record developed with mentor during the school year.
• Participants take MTEL licensure test.
• ESE conducts evaluation of pilot program.

Requirements

Participating teachers must:

• attend ALL summer and school-year seminar dates. Because these meetings are so few, participants cannot miss any part of the face-to-face sessions.
• complete required assignments, observations and teaching.
• take MTEL ELL test in May 2007.

Sponsoring districts must:

• provide participants teaching and/or observation opportunities as described above.
• release participating teachers from teaching duties on six designated days (see above).
• provide district coaches or lead ESL teachers, with appropriate ESL background, to serve as mentors. Training and support will be provided to these mentors by the School for International training through the project.
• Assure ESE that sponsored participants will attend all required sessions.

ESE will:

• provide all training, training materials, and training sites for participants and mentors at no cost to districts or participants.
• reimburse participants for MTEL testing fee.
• award PDPs (number to be determined).
• arrange for credit options for participants desiring graduate credits. Graduate credit will be through the School for International Training and other institutions. The additional cost will be paid by participants.