Videos

This session will focus on nesting multilingual students (MLs) ecologies within the testing, assessment, and evaluation continuum to support teams in developing more equitable decision-making processes. Current assessment practices continue to privilege white and middle-class students while focusing on MLs perceived deficits. First, laying the foundation for reliable and valid practices for all learners will guide the discussion as we clarify the differences between evaluation, assessment, and testing. Then, we will examine the types of assessments used within an MTSS framework to make instructional decisions for MLs. Instructional questions will be posed to model aligning them to the types of assessments to answer the questions across the MTSS tiers. Finally, collaboration across various stakeholders in data-based decisions making will be highlighted.

While educators often speak about multilingual learners (MLs) as a group, the reality is MLs vary on many factors. Knowledge of student level factors help to align instructional practices to meet ML students' unique needs. To answer the question of whether academic challenges are rooted in second language acquisition differences or a true disability, all students must have access to high-quality core instruction matched to their specific backgrounds. We will examine the typologies of this heterogeneous group and discuss specific instructional factors to consider. Then we will review the MTSS tiers and how data collected across the tiers by a collaborative team guide appropriate referral decisions. Finally, special education programming for MLs will be highlighted.

Moving into a new community and starting at a new school can be challenging for students. For immigrant and refugee students, challenges often exist because of cultural and language differences. Cultural navigation is a model for providing linguistically and culturally relevant support to English Learners and their families. The team of cultural navigators and advisors understand key components of the cultures of the families they serve and are equipped to enhance communication and trust among students, families, and schools, and provide supports to bridge home, community, and school. PaTTAN educational consultant, Maria Ronneburger, and IU13 community education supervisor, Joshua McManness, joined PaTTANpod to discuss how the Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13’s team of cultural navigators works with the School District of Lancaster and local community to build partnerships that empower students and their families. Isobel Benites and Jalilah Yacoub shared what cultural navigation means to their families. IU13 cultural navigators, Ahmadullah Falzi, Jeremy Rhoads, and Sunila Safi provided a glimpse into their role and efforts.

Joining PaTTANpod is Maria Ronneburger, educational consultant leading the work of this initiative out of the central PaTTAN office. Maria Ronneburger is the new English Learners Educational Consultant, with an accumulation of over 24 years of experience in Pre- K through secondary, Special Education, teaching English as a Second Language, and advanced studies and research in the field of Applied Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition. Mrs. Ronneburger’s combined experience in education, linguistics, and her collaborative work as a leader of numerous community partnerships and programs has cultivated her advocacy for access and equity for all learners providing culturally and linguistically responsive systems, practices and supports. Prior to joining PaTTAN, Mrs. Ronneburger served as an English Language Development specialist with the School District of Lancaster and Director of the RSIG Language Program in partnership with the School District of Lancaster, IU 13 Refugee Center, Millersville University, and Eastern Mennonite Missions. Mrs. Ronneburger earned her Bachelor of Science in Education degree from Millersville University and her master’s degree in Applied Linguistics from the University of Massachusetts- Boston. In addition, she holds a Secondary English Language Arts teaching certification and an English as a Second Language Specialist certification. The Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network, or PaTTAN, provides a full array of professional development and technical assistance targeted to improving student results. The work efforts center around various initiatives. One initiative we want to focus on today is the English Learners initiative.

A previous episode of PaTTANpod explores cultural navigation, a model for providing linguistically and culturally relevant support to English Learners and their families. Operationalizing cultural navigation requires collaboration among multiple LEA and community partners. Erin Conahan, Mark Simms, and Loice Byler join PaTTANpod to discuss how school and district leaders play a crucial role in the implementation of cultural navigation in the School District of Lancaster.