This paper describes the personal and professional journey taken by one secondary Spanish teacher to implement the Seal of Biliteracy (SoBL) for English Learners (ELs) in a rural Florida school district. The teacher's goal was to promote bilingual pride among her ELs and to validate and build their bilingual abilities, which had been frequently…

This report features components of Florida's submitted plan under the Every Student Succeeds Act that impact the 290,000 English learners in the state regarding testing, accountability, and stakeholder engagement. Advocates can use this information to engage administrators and policymakers around improving outcomes for English learners and…

The number of US residents who are deemed to be Limited English Proficient (LEP) has increased substantially in recent decades, consistent with the growth in the US foreign-born population. While many LEP individuals are still attracted to the historic immigrant-destination states of California, Texas, New York, New Jersey, Florida, and Illinois,…

Spelling is an important, but often overlooked, component of literacy instruction and development. Although it is related to other aspects of literacy, there are independent theories of spelling development as well as assessment and instructional strategies that align with these theories. This article summarizes the rationale for linking…

Describes efforts of the Florida Division of Vocational Education to translate the Employability Skills Series into Spanish. Reports the findings of the field-test evaluation conducted on the Spanish version of the Employability Skills Series which found the materials were just as effective in Spanish. (LRA)

This article reports on the process of developing a proficiency-oriented writing contest, as well as a system of assessment of that writing based on a set of rubrics for each level of writing. (Contains six references.) (VWL)

The purpose of this working paper is to review current literature on literacy programs for parents of English language learners (ELLs). The paper includes a summary of five literacy programs for ELL parents throughout the United States of America. Four of these were system-wide interventions affecting more than one school or classroom. Each…

A review of the status and activities of foreign language instruction in Florida elementary schools discusses languages taught (primarily Spanish); state funding and school district programs; teacher certification; and preservice teacher education and methods courses. (CB)

Describes the development and adoption of Dade County (Florida) guidelines regarding national origin employment discrimination based on language. Discusses the case of English-speaking sisters denied employment because they did not speak Spanish, which prompted development of the guidelines. Presents the text of the guidelines in full. (JB)

Focuses on the problems accompanying the transition of students between secondary and postsecondary levels of foreign language study. Points out that the inconsistencies found in placement procedures among Florida's universities and community colleges suggest a need for discussion and collaboration. (23 references) (Author/CK)

A case study of the progress of Janice, a native Spanish speaking second grader learning English in a Florida public school, focuses on the classroom environment in which she was learning English, her writing development, her perceptions of writing in English and how they changed over time, and her struggles in the face of her teacher's and…

A school on Florida's west-central coast was selected as the site for the Language Intensive Lab Accelerated Classroom (LILAC) program which was developed to address the need for a county-wide, objective-based educational program for non-English proficient (NEP) and limited-English proficient (LEP) Hispanic children in grades K-2. The number of…