1. Looping Students and Parents in to Proficiency
A Summary of Actions Taken in Granite District and the State of Utah
November 23, 2013
Greg Duncan- InterPrep
Kerrie Neu- Elementary Dual Immersion Specialist,
Granite School District

2. Information
Handouts
Contact information
Greg Duncan, InterPrep Inc.,
Kerrie Neu, Granite School District,

3. 2-fold purpose to immersion
content knowledge
second language proficiency

4. What’s the principal reason parents choose immersion programs for their children?

5. Hold that thought!

6. in core subjects explain philosophy how they will be taught
how students will be assessed
how and when progress will be reported
how parents can help in ongoing ways

7. language component ?
Core Subjects L2

8. What’s the principal reason parents choose immersion programs for their children?

9. ironic

10. Immersion works . . .
but could it be better ?

11. A visit to

12. What exactly does that mean?
Immersion goal
producing highly proficiency language users
What exactly does that mean?

13. The Utah case

14. Secondary

15. The Context November 2012 Parent questions
Did not understand language acquisition and proficiency targets
November 2012
Implementing Student Proficiency Reports
Proficiency Targets
Questions had come up at a school about student progress
This problem illustrated that we had not educated parents to understand language acquisition and proficiency targets
For me this all began in November of 2012 while driving to a presentation my husband and I were doing.
We had begun implementing the student proficiency reports in our district.
We were focusing more on the Proficiency Targets and how to assess them
Questions had come up at a particular school about student progress. In fact, parents and even some teachers thought that the students were not progressing quickly enough, but these questions were not based on any data. In fact their questions often conflicted themselves, indicating they didn’t understand language acquisition and proficiency targets. While driving and thinking about this problem, I began to reflect how great it would be if parents could speak the same language and understand the same vocabulary as we talk about things like novice, intermediate, creating sentences versus memorized formulas, etc.

16. The importance of speaking the same language…
fluent
proficiency
novice
intermediate
advanced
low, mid, high

17. Parents are Organizing
Utah Mandarin Immersion Parent Council
What information would you like to share?
Since then I have learned that Parents are forming their own organizations and creating web sites and Facebooks pages. They share information with each other. It’s important we get the word out so information can be accurate.
.org sites, Councils, facebook pages, writing e-books, networks (Minnesota Advocate for Immersion Network)
Parent’s Guide to Immersion e-book

18. State Initiative World Language Core focused on Proficiency for K-12
Training for teachers, administrators, and parents

19. USOE World Language Core
For learners, the purpose is to:
Provide clear descriptions of what can be done with language at various levels and make expectations more realistic.
Offer examples of small, incremental, and achievable goals

20. USOE World Language Core
For teachers, the purpose is to:
Guide facilitation of language learning toward more functional, communicative and intercultural goals, rather than those of language structure and cultural fact.
Clarify what learners need to be able to do in order to move from one level to the next.
2 of the 5 purposes for teachers

21. USOE World Language Core
For parents, administrators, and other stakeholders, the purpose is to:
1. demonstrate how world language learning has moved from a focus on grammar and translation toward effective communication, literacy, and cultural interaction.
2. demonstrate how the shift has occurred in classical languages from decoding and translation to interpretive reading proficiency.
3. define exactly what is expected of learners at different levels of proficiency.
4. emphasize real-world application for language use.

22. Training Parents
Developed 1 hour presentations for parents with an overview of the Student Proficiency Reports
Basic understanding of Proficiency & ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines
Prepare them to talk about student progress and assessment data
We began to think that it would be great if parents could have similar trainings like our teachers. We knew we couldn’t go in-depth, but at least to give them some understanding and the basic ideas.
So we developed 1 hour presentations for parents that helped parents read and understand the Student Proficiency Reports and then have a basic understanding of the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines and what proficiency is versus achievement or their usual reports of grades. We wanted t o prepare them to have conversations with us about student progress and assessment data.

23. Overview of Parent Presentation
Proficiency
Student Proficiency Report
ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines for Speaking
Proficiency in the real world (What can my child do with the language?)
Parental support of students
Assessments are a snapshot for that one time
Assessment Data
In this presentation we talked about What is Proficiency, How to Read the Student Proficiency Report, the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines for Speaking, What can students do with the language in a real world context. (We found this part to be important as parents felt like “Intermediate” wasn’t good enough until they began to realize what kinds of careers require intermediate or what the students could actually do with an Intermediate level.) Then of course the next piece that came from that was “How do I help my student move from one level to another when I don’t speak the language?” They were used to helping their children with English Reading but didn’t know how to help with Chinese reading for example.
We also wanted to emphasize the idea that assessments are just a snapshot of the student’s abilities at that moment in time. We wanted to set the state for writing samples, the AAPPL assessment results, and other proficiency data teachers would share with parents. Keeping the results in this context would be important as students don’t always perform at the same level but move up and down depending on the task and topic.

24. Why include parents?
Parents and teachers talking the same language about student progress
Parents understand language acquisition process better
Patience for child
Encouragement to progress
Understanding program goals
Understanding of state & classroom assessment results
Talk with a neighbor for 30 seconds about how it would help to include parents in understanding proficiency.

25. What is proficiency and why do we focus on it?
We’re breaking the presentation down in to modules that can be given throughout the year and be put on the website for parents to access on their own.
This if the first module: What is proficiency and why do we focus on it?
What about grammar, vocabulary, and skills?

26. What is language proficiency?
It’s not about passing a test or getting the right answer.
It’s about what students can DO with the language.
Is the meaning understood even though everything may not be grammatically correct?
In order to understand the proficiency reports, we first have to understand proficiency. What is language proficiency?
This is a paradigm shift from when we took language classes or the parents of our students took classes. This is not our students’ mother’s foreign language classes as they say.

27. Paradigm Shift
Shifting from focus primarily on grammar, vocabulary, and skills to a more comprehensive view of proficiency.
Proficiency is “what individuals can do with language in terms of speaking, writing, listening, and reading in real-world situations in a spontaneous and non-rehearsed context.” (ACTFL Guidelines 2012)
Shifting from focus primarily on grammar, vocabulary, and skills to a more comprehensive view of proficiency.
Proficiency is “what individuals can do with language in terms of speaking, writing, listening, and reading in real-world situations in a spontaneous and non-rehearsed context.” (ACTFL Guidelines 2012)

28. Learning a Language is Like Learning a Sport
Takes time to learn
Rules, vocabulary, and skills to learn
Proficiency is what individuals can do with the sport in real-world situations in a spontaneous and non-rehearsed context.
To help our parents understand, we can compare it to learning a sport. They will know that one still needs to learn the rules, vocabulary, skills, etc., but the application of them in a real game is when we see how proficient the player is.

29. Learning a Language is Like Learning an Instrument
Takes time to learn
Symbols, skills, vocabulary, and concepts to learn
Proficiency is when we can actually use the musical skill to communicate or perform in some way.
Another example can be an instrument.

30. Musical Proficiency? Play this piece.
Name the four movements generally associated with a symphony.
an opening sonata or allegro
a slow movement, such as adagio
a minuet or scherzo with trio
an allegro, rondo, or sonata
Which one demonstrates proficiency better?

31. Understanding the Student Proficiency Reports
This module helps parents understand the reports that we use in Granite District to communicate proficiency in the spring.
Granite School District
2013

32. Student Proficiency Reports
This is a sample of the Student Proficiency Report.
It is explained at the Fall SEP Conference and given at the Spring SEP Conference in grades 1-6.
What it is

33. This is what the Student Proficiency Reports look like
This is what the Student Proficiency Reports look like. This one is a Spanish 1st grade report, but the other languages and grade levels are designed similarly.

34. This is page 2 of the report.

35. Student Proficiency Report
Communicates proficiency, or what the students can do with the language.
Follows the national ACTFL standards (American Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages) used across the nation to communicate language proficiency.
Where they come from.

36. ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines
Novice
Intermediate
Advanced
Superior
Distinguished
Listening
Speaking
Reading
Writing
The ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines are divided into five levels and 4 areas.

37. 1st grade Area: Listening
Shaded box is the target for the grade level.
Checked box is your student’s level.
On the Student Proficiency Report, it lists the area (listening ability)
The target for that grade level is shaded in gray. The teacher will mark the current level of the student with a check in the box.

38. Let’s start with speaking because if you know what a person can say with the language, you know what kinds of things they can also hear. And actually most people can listen at a higher level than they can speak. The student proficiency report shows four boxes with descriptions in each box of what a student at that level can say in the language. The box that is highlighted in gray is the target level for the end of that grade level.

39. Speaking Novice Intermediate Advanced
Words, memorized phrases or sentences
Can create with language, ask and answer simple questions on familiar topics, and handle a simple situation or transaction.
Paragraphs and more. Narrate and describe in past, present, and future times/aspect, and handle a complicated situation or transaction.
Speaking in a nutshell.

40. Speaking Novice Intermediate Advanced Parrot Survivor
Story teller or reporter
Here is another way to look at it given us by Chantal Thompson at a training in Helps them remember better.

41. A visual picture:
As we learn language, it’s important for us to remember two things.
1. As we progress throughout the levels, it will take more time to advance. This is because we need to be able to understand many subjects and topics. So an advanced speaker must be able to understand vocabulary and language appropriate for many different topics and subjects. It takes time to not only progress vertically through the grammar, but to also gain the breadth of knowledge to converse in many subject areas.
2. We spend a lot more time in the mid ranges of each level than we do the other levels.

42. Low, Mid, High? Low- Attempts but is unable to sustain.
Mid- Solid in this level. Sustainable.
High- Solid in current level and actually is trying the next level, but not successfully.
The ACTFL levels are further broken down into sub-levels: low, mid, and high.

43. Shelby County Schools

44. Minimum Proficiency Levels Needed in the Work Field
Functions
Corresponding Jobs/Professions
Who has this level of proficiency?
Utah Dual Immersion Target
Superior
Discuss topics extensively, support opinions and hypothesize. Deal with a linguistically unfamiliar situation
Interpreter, Accountant
Executive, Lawyer, Judge, Financial Advisor
Educated native speakers; students from abroad after a number of years working in a professional environment
Advanced High
Narrate and describe in past, present and future and deal effectively with an unanticipated complication
University professor of
foreign languages
Individuals with masters degrees or doctorates
Advanced Mid
Doctor, Sales representative, Social worker
Native speakers who learned the language in the home environment
Grade 12
Advanced Low
Customer service representatives, Police officers, school teachers
Undergraduates with language degrees
Grade 10-11
 Intermediate High
Create with language, initiate, maintain and bring to a close simple conversations by asking and responding to simple questions
Aviation personnel, telephone operator, receptionist
After 6 years of middle/high school,
Advanced Placement
Grades 8-9
Intermediate Mid
Tour guide, cashier
After 4 years of middle/high school,
Grade 6-7
Intermediate Low
After 2 years of high school
Grades 4-5
Novice High
Communicate minimally with formulaic and rote utterances, lists and phrases
After 1 year of high school 
Grades 2-3
Novice Mid
Grade 1
Novice Low
This slide helps us see what our students can do with the proficiency levels they gain throughout the program. These are minimum proficiency levels needed for various professions, and how a student typically gains this proficiency. Remember these are typical students. On the right, you see our proficiency targets for Utah Dual Immersion programs. If the students continue with the program, they will graduate from high school with an Advanced Mid, which typically students with graduating from college attain.
From the paper La Enseñanza de Español y Otras Lenguas Extranjeras en los Estados Unidos: Cantidad y Calidad (The Teaching of Spanish and Other Foreign Languages in the United States: Quantity and Quality) presented at the II Congreso de la Lengua Española in Valladolid, Spain, October 18, 2001 by Dr. Elvira Swender of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)
NOTES:
1. The levels indicated are minimal proficiency levels for specific job descriptions and have been established by subject matter experts from a variety of agencies, organizations and companies for whom ACTFL provides oral proficiency testing following an analysis of the linguistic tasks and the responsibilities of the positions.
2. The references to how long it takes to reach certain levels of proficiency were written specifically for the study of Spanish, a Category I language. Other Category I languages include Afrikaans, Danish, Dutch, French, Haitian Creole, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Romanian, Swahili and Swedish. For Category II, III and IV languages, one can expect that it will take longer to reach the same levels of proficiency.
Dr. Ray Clifford of the BYU Language Center says RM’s test about Intermediate Mid to Intermediate High.
LDS Missionary data corrected by Chantal Thompson.
Who has this level of proficiency? These are target levels for secondary students. They may not reflect actual current levels, but are realistic as to what we should be able to get students to do.
Adapted from the paper La Enseñanza de Español y Otras Lenguas Extranjeras en los Estados Unidos: Cantidad y Calidad (The Teaching of Spanish and Other Foreign Languages in the United States: Quantity and Quality) presented at the II Congreso de la Lengua Española in Valladolid, Spain, October 18, 2001 by Dr. Elvira Swender of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)

45. Speaking- Novice Mid
1st
Uses single words, multiple words, short phrases, greetings, polite expressions, and other memorized expressions on a limited number of topics.
Frequent searching for words is common.
May use native language or gestures when attempting to create with language beyond what is known.
Memorized expressions with verbs and other short phrases are usually accurate, but inaccuracies occur when trying to produce language beyond the scope of memorized material.
We then look at Speaking in detail. This is an example of one of the slides from that section.

46. Analogy
This analogy helps us understand why we often see more errors in their speaking when they read the Intermediate stage. Think of a baby who can crawl very proficiently. When they first begin to stand and walk, they fall down a lot and are not solid in the skills of walking. Yet, we don’t tell them to go back to crawling because they made less errors then. We encourage them to try the next level of walking until they become skillful at it.
In the same sense, Intermediate students are attempting a higher level of speech. They make more errors at first until it becomes more comfortable for them. As parents and educators, we encourage the students to attempt higher levels and reassure them when they make errors.

47. Determining proficiency level over time
Proficiency level not achievement or performance
Is the overall meaning understandable?
This is where a student is for that topic and task. A student may demonstrate different proficiency levels over time. Look at the general trends.
It is very important to keep in mind that a writing sample is just one snapshot of the student’s writing abilities THAT day on THAT topic. Proficiency levels are determined over time with multiple samples. So we look at their results over time and see what general proficiency level they demonstrate in their writing. Looking at this chart, you can see the student generally began in the Novice Low area and by May was writing in the Novice Mid level. Some samples are higher, some may be lower, but this is a general range.

48. Supporting Your Dual Language Immersion Student
This is another module we have developed because the parents often want to know how they can support their child when they don’t speak the language.
Even if you don’t speak the target language

49. Support Your Home Language
“Give them all of the support you can in their first language and don’t worry about their second.”*
Read to your child in your strongest language to encourage development of the home language and to model fluent reading.
Literacy in a native language is an advantage when one is learning to read in a second language.
Multilingual Children’s Association says, “Frequent book reading leads to more advanced language skills.” It does not matter which language the books are read in.
Talk about the books with your child. Talk about the characters, plot, and what they liked or didn’t like. Encourage conversation in the home language.
*Angelina Sáenz , M.Ed., lead teacher for the Aldama Elementary Dual Language Program in LAUSD
Parents often ask what they can do to support their students when they don’t speak the language. Here are some suggestions offered by parents and teachers in Dual Immersion.
Angelina Sáenz , M.Ed. is the lead teacher for the Aldama Elementary Dual Language Program in LAUSD

50. Positive Attitude & Perseverance
Be positive about the language and encourage the student during difficult times to persevere.
Show enthusiasm for learning and the language. Have a positive attitude about the language class.
Children who do well in language programs are those who have learned to continue with a task even though it is difficult. Parents can model this behavior and help children learn how to continue and persevere.
Perseverance: If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.

51. Follow-up at Home
Encourage the child by following up with homework, class work, and providing time and materials for the work.
Ask questions about the homework so the child explains about the assignments in his/her first language.
Check the child’s backpack each day. Watch for newsletters or other ways the teacher communicate with parents.
Provide a quiet space and ample time to do homework. When possible provide dictionaries in both languages.
Set up “homework buddies” for the language class. When your child may not understand an assignment, you can contact this child for help. If many students are confused, communicate with the teacher. Remember homework should be skills that were taught in class and should be able to be completed independently.
Angelina Sáenz , M.Ed. is the lead teacher for the Aldama Elementary Dual Language Program in LAUSD

52. Encourage Use of the Language
Interact with native speakers.
Attend cultural events.
Check out books in the language from the local library. Request additional books from library staff or donate a book on your child’s birthday to the library.
Allow your child to visit parent-screened web sites in the target language.
Watch your student’s favorite DVD with the target language audio track and subtitles turned on.
View or participate in music and dancing reflective of the countries who speak the target language.
Explore topics of interest to the child in countries that speak the language. (For example: athletic teams, dancers, instrumentalists, artists, singers, historical events, etc.)
Angelina Sáenz , M.Ed. is the lead teacher for the Aldama Elementary Dual Language Program in LAUSD

53. Strengthen the Home-School Connection
Volunteer in the classroom or to help teachers by doing tasks at home.
Share with students aspects of the culture. (i.e. dance, art, food, music, etc.)
Set up or participate in dual language family social gatherings.
Contribute to the school newsletter items regarding dual language immersion.
Serve as chaperones for class field trips and other school events.
Become involved with the school community council.
Angelina Sáenz , M.Ed. is the lead teacher for the Aldama Elementary Dual Language Program in LAUSD
Home & School Connection

54. Understanding Your Student’s Language Assessment Results
Writing Samples
AAPPL
This module is one we use as we communicate the AAPPL results or writing sample results with parents.

55. 2013 Proficiency Targets

56. AAPPL Measure
ACTFL Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages
Addresses the National Standards for Foreign Language Learning
Assesses following modes of communication:
Interpersonal Listening/Speaking- Grades 3 & 5
Interpretive Reading- Grades 4 & 6
Presentational Writing- Grade 6
We tell what the AAPPL Measure is and when we give each subtest.

57. AAPPL Individual Report
And then show them an example of the AAPPL report they will receive.

58. Ideas for looping students in on Proficiency
Understand the next level
Take risks
Encourage

59. Level Up Level up like Mario or video games.
“That was a good answer. Now level up and give me a better answer.”
Some schools use the Mario “level up” idea. Students know they have to try a new level until they succeed in order to win the game. When they give us a simple answer, we can encourage them to “level up” and give me a more complex answer. Perhaps it’s more words or a sentence instead of just words.
Shelby County Schools

60. Ice cream scoops
Tell them to fill up their Ice cream cones with more ice cream. More scoops!!
Another example is the image of ice cream scoops. The inverted triangle graph for proficiency resembles an ice cream cone. So we tell students we want them to fill up their cones with more ice cream scoops. We can say, that was a one scoop answer. Can you give me a two scoop answer?

61. Let’s Review Parents need information
We want to be the source for correct information
We want to speak the same language
We want students to understand their own progress.

62. Invitation
Join us in collaboration to include parents and students in our goal of language proficiency.
Another example can be an instrument.

63. Resources
“Family Resources” page on Granite District Dual Language Immersion site
Click on “parents” tab
University of Minnesota- CARLA “Points for Parents”

64. Questions

65. Contact Information
Kerrie Neu
Greg Duncan
Handouts available at