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New Visions Task Force:
Curriculum, Instruction, Articulation and Assessment (CIAA)

Welcome to the May electronic newsletter of the National K-12 Foreign Language Resource Center!

Summer Institute Update: We are pleased to announce that the NFLRC has available three scholarships for the Language, Culture, and Content Connections: Mexico and Zapotec Culture [1] for PK-12 Spanish teachers or Teacher Educators that pay all expenses except the $100 registration fee and travel to the institute.

To be considered for this important professional development experience, complete the institute application and scholarship forms on our Website as soon as possible while the scholarships are available. Share this information with your colleagues and come as a team! We will accept applications until the scholarships are filled.

Participants in a similar summer institute in 2001 had this to say in their evaluations of the institute:

• This institute was one of the best I have ever participated in. The quality of courses, resources, technology was super. All the teachers were excellent in their fields.
• The thematic unit activities were really useful because it gave me an idea of how to use all these techniques in real situations.
• I enjoyed the (leaders) . . . Everyone was super. Their knowledge and experience were contagious! I will always treasure their teaching.

NFLRC Annual Report: Marcia Rosenbusch sends a “Thank you!” to those institute participants and leaders who submitted information for the 2003 –2004 NFLRC annual report about their presentations, publications, and research related to institutes they attended or taught. Since this annual report affects funding for the next grant year, receiving this information is very important to the work of the NFLRC.

Julio Rodriguez, NFLRC technology graduate assistant, designed a wonderful on-line database to collect information from institute leaders and participants for the report. Check our website in June for the updated database for next year’s report. During the coming year, enter data about the work you are doing related to the institute you attended. Next year’s report will address the period from April 16, 2004 to April 15, 2005. Additionally we plan to include information on our website and in this newsletter honoring individuals who have provided information about how they have used institute content in their work and shared that information with others in the profession.

This month we return to the New Visions In Action Task Forces [2] and clarify the work of the Curriculum, Instruction, Articulation and Assessment (CIAA) New Visions Task Force. CIAA is examining issues of direct importance to every classroom teacher. As you reflect on the 2003-04 school year and consider improvements for the future, the work of the CIAA Task Force may provide insight into the challenges you are facing as a foreign language educator. The CIAA Task Force has seven working groups, four are highlighted this month and three will be highlighted in June.

Cindy Kendall, Newsletter Editor
Marcia Rosenbusch, Director, National K-12 Foreign Language Resource Center

CIAA Task Force Goals

The CIAA Task Force [3] has the following long-term national goals:

• Create checklists of the criteria of excellence for evaluating and designing programs for effective language learning.

• Turn the CIAA criteria for model programs into research priorities.

• Solicit organizational endorsement of the identified criteria for excellence and publicize them.

• Communicate the criteria for excellence and models of excellence to non-foreign language decision makers.

• Establish a searchable database for these models of excellence if new grant funding is received.

• Redefine instruction in terms of performance by identifying models and sharing information about these programs at conferences.

• Create a bibliography/literature review on these CIAA issues/topics.

CIAA Action on the State Level

CIAA Task Force member Anita Ratwik has spearheaded a state-level New Visions project in Minnesota. Minnesota New Visions [4] participants decided that the most urgent issue within the Minnesota world language teaching profession was the omission of world languages as a core subject in the state's new education standards. This group drafted a resolution that world language learning be a K-12 core subject in Minnesota. This resolution, an information packet supporting this resolution, a form for a petition to gather signatures of people supporting it, and a brochure are included in the website. Ways you can help advocate for such an initiative will be added in the near future.

CIAA Work Group: Curriculum

Curriculum : Ginny Ballinger (GinnyandBob@peoplepc.com)

Goal: Determine criteria for designing new or evaluating existing curricula; collect exemplary models of curriculum, K-16; explain how the criteria for excellent curriculum design are exemplified in the models

Accomplishments to date: Completed a first draft of the criteria to evaluate curriculum; collecting models of exemplary curriculum, K-16

Next steps: Finalize the criteria for exemplary curricula (by Spring 2004)

What is needed: Submit examples of model curricula, K-12 and postsecondary, volunteers to review and pilot the draft checklist for quality curriculum

CIAA Work Group: Assessment

Assessment : Rita Oleksak (oleksakr@sps.springfield.ma.us)

Goal: Gather assessment models and define criteria for designing assessment of desired language learning outcomes.

Accomplishments to date: Solicited samples and principles for evaluating assessment tools.

Next steps: Collect exemplary models, references, and other resources to post on New Visions website; complete the checklist identifying criteria of excellence in assessment.

What is needed: Submit examples of effective and efficient performance assessments from a variety of program models, K-16.

CIAA Work Group: Articulation

Articulation : Paul Sandrock (s.paul.sandrock@dpi.state.wi.us)

Goal: Gather excellent PK-12 to postsecondary articulation models and efforts, identifying the principles that have led to success.

Accomplishments to date: A national survey [5] began the process of gathering key criteria for successful articulation and the positive actions for institutions and organizations to begin the alignment of curriculum, assessment, and instruction, with the goal of providing smoother transitions for students learning languages, PK-16.

Next steps: Establish a data base of model efforts and projects, pulling from them the guiding principles so that others can replicate their success.

What is needed: Solicit submission of efforts undertaken by individuals and organizations to work toward these articulation goals. Submit local, regional, or national projects, big or small.

CIAA Work Group: Program Models

Program Models : Carl Falsgraf (falsgraf@oregon.uoregon.edu)

Goal: Define criteria for excellent program models and seek models of program excellence at all levels (elementary, middle school, senior high, and university)

Accomplishments to date: A national survey [6] generated initial list of characteristics for model programs. We are in the process of soliciting examples of models in which students are successfully learning languages.

Next steps: Create a database of program models illustrating the key criteria that continue to surface in the examples of programs that are developing high levels of language proficiency. We will look at schools and programs that are standards-based, student centered with an emphasis on using the target language, and focused on clearly stated learning goals for each level of language proficiency (what can the student do at each level) with assessment as an integral component of the curriculum.

What is needed: Network with colleagues and contact professional organizations to submit examples of good programs and good schools, where language learning is successful.

Become involved!

The CIAA task force invites you to:

1) Join the work of the specific CIAA work groups by contacting the person indicated;

2) Help the task force involve more people and organizations by soliciting organizational and individual participation from the organizations to which you are a liaison;

3) Participate in the process of identifying criteria for model programs by nominating models to each of the above CIAA workgroups.

Staying on Top with Technology

Do you use Microsoft Word? If so, you may enjoy Shauna Kelly's Making the Most of Word [7] website. If you use your computer keyboard's tab button to align text, read how using tables [8] to align text is a cinch. Sample documents and formats that benefit from using tables include matching, multiple choice, lists, and resumes.

Quotes to Ponder

Acquire new knowledge whilst thinking over the old, and you may become a teacher of others.
-Confucius

The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.
-William Ward

Teach a child how to think, not what to think.
-Sidney Sugarman

But suppose, asks the student of the professor, we follow all your structural rules for writing, what about that “something else” that brings the book alive? What is the formula for that? The formula for that is not included in the curriculum.
-Fannie Hurst

One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child.
-Carl Jung

Memories of Iowa

This month we take you on an Iowa search! Go to Google [9] , click on the word "Images", enter the word IOWA in the text box, and click on the "Google Search" button. Refine your image search by adding words, such as "corn" to retrieve images related to IOWA and CORN. Looking to purchase Iowa-related products? Click on the "Froogle" link at the top of the page.

Links in this document

[1] Language, Culture, and Content Connections: Mexico and Zapotec Culture - http://www.educ.iastate.edu/nflrc/inst/2004/zapotec.html

[2] New Visions In Action - http://www.educ.iastate.edu/newvisions/

[3] CIAA Task Force - http://www.educ.iastate.edu/newvisions/newsite/ciaa/

[4] Minnesota New Visions - http://www.mctlc.org/newvisions/

[5] New Visions In Action - http://www.educ.iastate.edu/newvisions/

[6] New Visions In Action - http://www.educ.iastate.edu/newvisions/

[7] Shauna Kelly's Making the Most of Word - http://www.shaunakelly.com/word/index.html

[8] Using Tables and Tabs to Arrange Text - http://www.shaunakelly.com/word/concepts/tables/index.html

[9] Google - http://www.google.com

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This Newsletter was prepared with funding from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education under Title VI grant #P229A020023. The publication of products and website URLs in this newsletter is provided for informational purposes only and does not imply an endorsement by the National K-12 Foreign Language Resource Center, Iowa State University, or the positions or policies of the U. S. Department of Education.