Spotlight Project 2007-2012 Dr. Maria Lombardo, Project Coordinator With the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, it becomes imperative that limited English proficient students, including those with disabilities and language learning deficits, be included in meeting the high standards established for all children. The Act also stipulates that classrooms be led by “highly qualified teachers,” hence the problem since there is a shortage of teachers trained to serve the needs of English Language Learners (ELLs) (Menken & Barron, 2002). More surprising is that only 30% of all teachers with ELLs in their classrooms have received some type of professional training in how to work with these students; and only half of practicing teachers felt at least moderately prepared to teach ELLs or those from culturally diverse backgrounds (National Center for Educational Statistics, 1997; Menken & Barron, 2002). Moreover, with the unique needs presented by ELLs with special needs, professional development and training for the classroom teacher is essential (Baca, 2002). Across the US, only approximately 2.5% of teachers who instruct English Language Learners possess a degree in ESL or bilingual education (National Center for Education Statistics, 1997). Nationally, there are over 5 million ELs in American schools with an increase of 58% in the past 10 years (NCLA 2008). In the 8th grade only 30% of ELs were at or above basic in Reading and 31% were at or above Basic in Math (National Center for Education Statistics, 2007). With the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, it becomes imperative that ELLs, including those with disabilities and language learning deficits, be included in meeting the high standards established for all children. Reeves, 2006 found that 81.7% teachers believed that they had not received adequate training to work with ELLs. More surprising is that only 29.5% of all teachers with ELLs in their classrooms have received some type of professional training in how to work with these students (Reeves, 2006; Karabenick & Clemens Noda, 2004); and 57% wanted more training (NCELA 2008). This national trend also plays out at the local level throughout the state of Massachusetts in terms of increasing numbers of ELLs and the shortage of highly qualified teachers in the classroom. Unfortunately, after many years, the shortage of qualified ESL teachers has remained the same. To exacerbate the problem, on the mandated English Literacy Test, administered by the State of Massachusetts for ESL Endorsement, there was a 72% failure rate for teachers. The MADESE Survey identified a total of 57,000 EL students in need of direct ESL services. This figure does not factor in the 122,891 bilingual students enrolled who have been mainstreamed but require support language services in order to succeed in their studies. One national study reported that Massachusetts ranked high in the placement of ELLs in special needs programs, with 26.5% as compared with only 1% in CO, MD and NC (Artiles & Ortiz, 2002). Not only does the course work required by the program reflect cutting edge issues regarding the education of ELLs, the program incorporates recent research recommendations that include a greater emphasis on the quality of teaching and clinical experiences. Secondary teachers are required to critically evaluate recent research work in ESL education: Punya Mishra and Matthew Koehler (2002, 2006), A. Glenn (2002), J. Hughes (2005), H.D. Brown, (2000), S. Krashen, (1994, 2005), T. Terrell, (1991), B. McLaughlin, (1990), J. Schumann, (1996), Wong-Fillmore, (1991, 2003), J. Cummins (1989, 1994, 2002, 2005), among others. In addition, our program incorporates latest research in second language teaching as proposed by Virginia P. Collier (1995), Lilia I. Bartolome (2000) and Fred Genesee (1994). Approximately 58 million immigrants currently live in the US, the largest number ever in our history (US Bureau of Census, 2010). Many of these immigrants have limited proficiency in English and many of their foreign and US born children are not proficient in English. Most recent data suggests there are 5,000,000 ELLs enrolled in US public schools (NCELA, 2010). This national trend also plays out at the local level throughout the state of Massachusetts in terms of increasing numbers of ELL students and the shortage of highly qualified teachers in the classroom. There exist large concentrations of ELL student populations in the immediate service area of UMASS, Boston. According to a suit filed in the United States District Court for the State of Massachusetts by the Lynn Hispanic Parent Advisory Council, et. al., Plaintiffs vs. John H. Lawson, Commissioner of Education, et. al., Defendants, there is "a catastrophic drop-out rate" among Hispanic students due to the lack of trained ESL teachers. Unfortunately, after many years, the shortage of qualified ESL teachers has remained the same. To exacerbate the problem, on the mandated English Literacy Test, administered by the State of Massachusetts for ESL Endorsement, there was a 72% failure rate for teachers. The Mass Department of Education Survey identified a total of 50,000 ELLs in need of direct ESL services. This figure does not factor in the 122,891 bilingual students enrolled who have been mainstreamed but require support language services in order to succeed in their studies. One national study reported that Massachusetts ranked high in the placement of ELLs in special needs programs, with 26.5% as compared with only 1% in CO, MD and NC (Artiles & Ortiz, 2002). Massachusetts schools need approximately 3,774 ESL/bilingual teachers to address the specific and special educational needs of the identified LEP students. At the present time, there are 2,681 bilingual teachers presently working with LEP students, and over 25% of these teachers work on special waivers without certification. Also 47% of these teachers teach ESL but have no training in ESL methodology. The Massachusetts Department of Education Survey has indicated that the number of ESL teachers in the state is insufficient for the actual number of ELL students who enroll yearly. To help remedy this critical need, in the Fall of 2007, the Department of Applied Linguistics and the Center for World Languages and Cultures at UM Boston were awarded “The Spotlight Project” a Title III grant by the U.S. Department’s Office of English Language Acquisition to train mainstream teachers from Boston, Cambridge and Framingham Public Schools to meet the need for the shortage of “highly qualified” teachers to work with the increasing number of ELLs. It can be noted that although teachers are certified for the subject area that they teach, the majority have not taken courses to prepare them for working with limited English proficient students. The UMass Boston Applied Linguistics Program under the direction of Dr. Donaldo Macedo has developed a course of study at the Master’s level leading to licensure in ESL that includes courses in basic theoretical and applied linguistics, together with the teaching of English as a second language, evaluation and assessment, the use of technology in language teaching, the interdisciplinary areas of psycholinguistics and sociolinguistics; in cross-cultural education; in second language teaching methodology and first language maintenance; and in ESL methodologies. The program combines on-campus classroom work with on-site experience in ESL/bilingual classroom settings. The in-service training is credit bearing and is based on the identified needs of the Boston, Cambridge, and Framingham consortia. The design is sequential, developmental and comprehensive. The field observations are designed to expose participants to more - and earlier - opportunities in multicultural classroom settings, practical teaching experiences, and strategies to promote a positive classroom environment. The field experiences will give participants content-specific experience; first-hand exposure to various instructional styles and strategies; introduction to formal and informal assessments used to work successfully with ELL students; collegial interactions with experts in the field; and significant opportunities for professional growth. Most importantly, mainstream teacher participants will already be working with ELLs in the classroom as part of their employment with the Boston Cambridge and Framingham School Districts. To maximize their work field experience, the mainstream teacher-participants will be assigned a faculty mentor to guide them on a deeper level: to help them become effective teachers of ELL students. They will also have an on-site ESL teacher mentor who will be available to model best practices and effective strategies with ELL students. The faculty advisory relationship will be reinforced by veteran ESL teacher mentorship and support in the field of the home district will ensure that program participants receive adequate time, guidance, and experience in real school settings working with ELLs students. As a result, participants will be better prepared to work with ELLs students in their classrooms. The goals and objectives of the Spotlight Project are: GOAL 1: Increase the quantity of personnel who work with ELLs by increasing the number of mainstream teachers who are trained through course work designed to improve their instructional practices with ELLs as required by MA General Law 71 A and the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Objective 1.A: Infuse ESL/Bilingual, understanding, methodologies and sociocultural competencies into UMass Teacher Training Program that aligns with the MA Dept. of Education licensure benchmarks and have students take courses. Outcome 1.A: By the end of year five, (100%) teacher- participants will have attended and completed multicultural-related professional development courses or seminars: 1.) Principles and Theories of Second Language Teaching, 2.) ESL Methods and Approaches, 3.) Testing in the Bilingual/ESL Classroom, and 4.) Reading and Writing in the Bilingual/ESL Classroom. Objective 1.B: Recruit, retain and train mainstream 25 teacher-participants annually over a 5 year period from Boston, Cambridge and Framingham school districts. All (100%) of participants will undergo a Needs Assessment and Ethnicity/ Language Proficiency evaluation to be used for their Individualized Strategic Success Plan (ISSP) which is created for each student participating in the 5 year project. Students are provided scholarship stipends for course work as they partake in the Spotlight Project. Outcomes 1.B: 1.) As a result of an effective recruitment, retention, and quality training, twenty five teacher-participants are admitted each year. 2.) Each semester mainstream teachers will participate in at least two of the core courses that the MA Department of Education requires for teachers with ELLs in their classrooms. GOAL 2: To provide each participant with an Individualized Strategic Success Plan (ISSP) so as to ensure successful rate of course completion. Objective 2.A: Assign UMass Boston Faculty members in the Applied Linguistics Department to act as Academic Advisors for each participating mainstream teacher. Outcomes 2.A: 1.) At least 90 % of participating mainstream teachers will have a Faculty Advisor. 2.) At least 90% of participating mainstream teachers will have a personal ISSP. Goal 3: To provide each participant with a veteran ESL teacher mentor in the home district to ensure a dynamic of professional, respectful and continual support. Objective 3.A: In consultation with the school district representatives, identify highly effective licensed ESL teachers with at least three years of experience to mentor each participating mainstream teacher. Outcome 3.A: Create a structure for a peer mentoring protocol within each mainstream teacher cohort. Selected ESL teacher mentors will perform demonstration lessons, peer coaching, and other support to participating mainstream teachers. At least 90% of participating mainstream teachers will successfully participate in the mentorship program GOAL 4: To increase the number of high-quality, certified ESL teachers working with ELL students. Objective 4.A: Identify teacher-participants within each cohort (1-5) who will aim for ESL licensure and/or a Master's Degree in Applied Linguistics. Outcome 4.A: Teacher-participants will be asked to identify their longitudinal educational goals that would include their potential pursuit of a licensure in ESL and/or a Master's in Applied Linguistics. 2.) Provide additional coursework for those students who wish to pursue licensure and/or Master's Degree in Applied Linguistics. At least 90% of all participants will obtain ESL licensure and or a Master's Degree in Applied Linguistics. Results: The Spotlight Project has been successful in fulfilling its commitment to produce “highly qualified teachers” to work with ELLs in their school districts of Boston, Cambridge and Framingham. By the end of the five year grant it can be noted that the Spotlight Project has trained well over the target of 25 mainstream teachers (closer to 50 teachers) yearly from Boston, Cambridge and Framingham. With the assistance of a well structured mentoring program in the school districts and the development of an Individualized Strategic Success Plan (ISSP) at the University, the teachers have maintained a grade point average of 3.79 for their coursework and over 90% have completed the program with 70% have attaining their ESL Licensure. REFERENCES Artiles, A. & Ortiz, A., (2002) English language learners with special educational needs: Contexts and possibilities. In Artiles, A. & Ortiz, A. (Eds.), English language learners with special educational needs: Identification, assessment and instruction. Washington, D.C.: Center for Applied Linguistics. Baca, L. (2002). Educating English language learners with special education needs: Trends and future directions. In Artiles, A. & Ortiz, A. (Eds.), English language learners with special educational needs: Identification, assessment and instruction. Washington, D.C.: Center for Applied Linguistics. Baca, L. & Almanza, E. (1996). Language minority students with disabilities. Reston, VA: Council for Exceptional Children. Barron, V., & Menken, K. (2002). What are the characteristics of the bilingual education and ESL teacher shortage? Washington, D.C.: National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition and Language Instruction Educational Programs. Carrasquillo, A.L. & Rodriguez, V. (2002). Language minority students in the mainstream meeting the needs of ELLs 100 classroom (2nd ed.) Clevedon, England: Multilingual Matters Ltd. Kindler, A. (2002). Survey of the states' limited English proficient students and available educational programs and services: 2000-2001 summary report . Washington, DC: National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition. Ochoa, T. (2006). Bilingual special education, 4th edition. In Ovando, C.., Combs, M. & Collier, V. (Eds.) Bilingual & ESL classrooms. New York: McGraw-Hill. National Center for Education Statistics. (1998) Distance education in higher education institutions. Available from the World Wide Web at http://nces.ed.gov/pubs 98/distance/98062-1 html/ Accessed April 7, 2001 Stufflebeam, D.L. (2000). The CIPP model for evaluation. In D.L. Stufflebeam, G.F. Madaus, & T. Kellaghan, (Eds.), Evaluation Models (2nd ed.). (Chapter 16). Boston: Kluwer Academic Publishers. Tourangeau, R., Zimowski, M. & Ghadialy (1987). An Introduction to Panel Surveys in Transportation Research. Washington, D.C.: Federal highway Administration.