Hudson Valley RBERN Reminder

Your input is important to us! Completing the Immigrant Student Needs Assessment will help us better understand and support the unique needs of our immigrant students and families. Please take a few minutes to complete the needs assessment today.

Immigrant Student Needs Assessment

The New York State Regional Bilingual Education Resource Network (NYS RBERN) is conducting a survey to assess the challenges school districts face in supporting immigrant students. As immigrant families continue to grow across our communities, it is essential that educational systems effectively address the unique barriers these students encounter. 

The Statewide RBERN network recognizes the unique challenges our newly arrived students are facing. It is our goal to be supportive in any way we can. This survey seeks to gather valuable insights from educators, administrators, and support staff to better understand the specific challenges your district may be facing in providing equitable educational opportunities, resources, and services for immigrant students and their families. Your responses will play a critical role in shaping future programs and initiatives aimed at improving supports for this diverse and growing population.

By identifying common challenges and potential solutions, we can work together to strengthen our schools and ensure all students have access to a supportive, inclusive learning environment. We truly appreciate your time and honest input as we work toward creating a more equitable educational experience for all students.

Click here to access the survey

Please contact the HV RBERN for support or with any questions you may have.

Hudson Valley RBERN Update

HV RBERN Professional Learning Opportunities

Current HV RBERN Workshops

• 1/28/25 through 5/15/25 A Dynamic Duo: ENL Teachers & School Librarians - Series of 4 Sessions - at Orange-Ulster BOCES

• 1/30/25 Enhancing Reading Comprehension for ELLs - at Southern Westchester BOCES

• 2/6/25 Pre-Referral Considerations for ELLs - at Dutchess BOCES

• 2/6/25 Special Education and English Language Learners: What you need to know! - at Dutchess BOCES

• 2/21/25 Accelerating Academic Success for Long-Term English Learners - at Southern Westchester BOCES

• 3/6/25, 4/1/25, 4/8/25 Integrated ENL Co-Teaching 3-Part Series - at Dutchess BOCES

• 3/10/25 Enhancing Reading Comprehension for ELLs through Knowledge Building - at Dutchess BOCES

• 3/10/25 Incorporating Vocabulary Routines for ELLs in Grades 3-12 - at Dutchess BOCES

• 3/11/25 Accelerating Academic Success for Long-Term English Learners - at Dutchess BOCES

• 3/11/25 Designing Accessible Instruction for ELLs: A UDL Approach to Inclusive Classroom Instruction - at Dutchess BOCES

• 3/12/25 NYSESLAT Administration Training - at Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES

• 4/3/25 NYSESLAT Administration Training - at Orange-Ulster BOCES

• 4/8/25 NYSESLAT Administration Training - at Rockland BOCES

• 5/1/25 Accelerating Academic Success for Long-Term English Learners - at Rockland BOCES

• 5/8/25 ENL, Immigration, and Graduation Pathways for High School Counselors and Directors of Guidance - at Orange-Ulster BOCES

• 5/21/25 Accelerating Academic Success for Long-Term English Learners - at Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES

• 6/3/25 Accelerating Academic Success for Long-Term English Learners - at Rockland BOCES

• 6/12/25 New York State ELL Identification Workshop - at Orange-Ulster BOCES

Self-Guided HV RBERN Workshops

Experience RBERN workshops at your own pace and earn CTLE certificates when it's convenient for you. Registration is not required.

• ENL Co-Teaching Models

• ENL Collaboration and Co-Teaching Foundations

• Linguistically Diverse Learners and Advanced Literacy Instruction: Elevating the Instructional Core for All Students

• NYSITELL Administration Training

Other Professional Learning Opportunities

Initiative on Immigration and Education (CUNY II-E)

Immigration in Secondary Schools

• Monday, January 27, 2025, 6:00-8:30 PM (via Zoom)

• Monday, February 3, 2025, 6:00-8:30 PM (via Zoom)

• Monday, February 10, 2025, 6:00-8:30 PM (via Zoom)

This module is designed to assist educators in exploring and identifying what advocacy can look like in our schools and classrooms. Participants will learn strategies to help immigrant students access college and career opportunities and to promote immigrant youth empowerment both within and beyond school settings.

Educators will earn a total of fifteen (15) CTLE credits upon successful completion of the module.

The course includes an additional 6.5 hours of asynchronous group and independent work. You can register for this free virtual course here. The deadline for registration is Monday, January 20, 11:59 PM.

Enhancing New York State's PK-12 Teacher and Leader Preparation to Support Immigrant Students Webinar

February 3, 2025, 4:00 PM

Join CUNY-IIE for a rich discussion addressing the urgent need to improve teacher and leader preparation for educating and supporting immigrant-origin students in New York State.

Register

Immigration in Elementary Schools

• Wednesday, February 5, 2025, 6:00-8:30 PM (via Zoom)

• Wednesday, February 12, 2025, 6:00-8:30 PM (via Zoom)

• Wednesday, February 26, 2025, 6:00-8:30 PM (via Zoom)

This professional development module supports educators in developing stronger relationships with immigrant students and families and collaborating with community-based partners to understand and advocate for their needs. The module also focuses on using children’s literature to discuss current immigration issues in a developmentally appropriate way.

Educators will earn a total of fifteen (15) CTLE credits upon successful completion of the module.

The course includes an additional 6.5 hours of asynchronous group and independent work. You can register for this free virtual course here. The deadline for registration is Monday, January 20, 11:59 PM.

Key Immigration Issues

• Thursday, February 6, 2025, 6:00-8:30 PM (via Zoom)

• Thursday, February 13, 2025, 6:00-8:30 PM (via Zoom)

• Thursday, February 27, 2025, 6:00-8:30 PM (via Zoom)

This module will provide hands-on opportunities for educators to learn about historical and current immigration issues, and how they impact their school community. Participants will explore ways to create a safe and welcoming environment and support immigrant students academically, linguistically, and socio-emotionally.

Educators will earn a total of fifteen (15) CTLE credits upon successful completion of the module.

The course includes an additional 6.5 hours of asynchronous group and independent work. You can register for this free virtual course here. The deadline for registration is Monday, January 20, 11:59 PM.

Office of Bilingual Education and World Languages

Spiraling Instruction for Continued Proficiency Growth through Checkpoint B

Tuesday, February 25, 2025, 4:00-5:00 PM via Zoom

Checkpoint B builds on proficiency attained in Checkpoint A and establishes a foundation for continued proficiency development. In this session, participants will examine ways to spiral instruction through Checkpoint B. The workshop will provide a brief overview of the performance indicators for Intermediate proficiency targets and consider themes that incorporate the four new Checkpoint B topics to provide additional cultural contexts. Attendees will also look at key curriculum elements including authentic text types appropriate for enacting Interpretive tasks and the language toolbox needed to carry out Interpersonal and Presentational language functions.

Register

Administering the Interpersonal and Presentational Assessment Tasks at Checkpoint A

Tuesday, March 11, 2025, 4:00-5:00 PM via Zoom

Successful administration of Interpersonal Speaking and Presentational Writing tasks comes from knowing and consistently applying proficiency-based scoring criteria. In this webinar, participants will review the relevant sections of the Principles and Guidelines for Adopting or Creating Locally Developed Benchmark Assessments for Checkpoint A (Modern Languages) and sample scoring guides aligned to the NYS WL Master Rubrics. Participants will examine a variety of tasks and observe how to apply the scoring guides to assess student proficiency at the Checkpoint A level.

Register

Creating Meaningful Communicative Contexts

Tuesday, April 8, 2025, 4:00-5:00 PM via Zoom

In this webinar, you will look at ways to transform lessons in the 3 modes of communication into tasks that compel students to learn and communicate in the target language. You will examine ways to construct prompts and scenarios to engage learners and also simple changes that can be made to existing lessons to provide meaningful contexts that allow your students to communicate in the target language.

Register

Regional Bilingual Education-Resource Network (RBERN) West

Navigating Identity: Supporting LGBTQ+ English Language Learners

Administrator and Teacher Sessions March 11 or 18, 2025

This session will provide K-12 educators with foundational knowledge to support LGBTQ+ English Language Learner (ELL) youth in their care with intention.

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Resources

Please find the linked document from the office(s) of the New York State Attorney General, New York State Governor, and New York State Education Department, which provides important Guidance on Safeguarding the Rights of Immigrant Students. This timely information is crucial for many of our schools and students. Please share it with relevant school officials as appropriate.

Initiative on Immigration and Education (CUNY II-E)

Resources for Schools to Share with Families and Communities

Immigrant Rights in New York by the New York Immigration Coalition: a guide for New York immigrants on avoiding immigration scams, protecting families when interacting with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and creating an emergency preparedness plan. Available in English, Spanish, and French. 

Know Your Rights Red Cards by the Immigrant Legal Resource Center: these cards assist people in asserting their rights and defending themselves against ICE. Available in 16 languages. 

Immigrant Rights’ Scenarios by American Civil Liberties Union: these scenarios help immigrants understand and assert their constitutional rights in the US. Available in various languages.  

Resources for Schools and Districts

UNIDO 5 Recommendations for K-12 Schools to Support Immigrant Students by the Rural Women’s Health Project: A short guide for PK-12 schools to prepare their community to better support immigrant students and families.

How School Districts Can Take Action to Protect Their Immigrant Students by the National Newcomer Network: an article providing a model for developing district-wide policies to help students feel safe and prepare for immigration enforcement. 

Please contact the HV RBERN for support or with any questions you may have.

Hudson Valley RBERN Update

HV RBERN Professional Learning Opportunities

Current HV RBERN Workshops

• 1/9/25, 2/6/25, 3/13/25 Integrated ENL Co-Teaching Series - 3 Sessions - at Orange-Ulster BOCES

• 1/28/25 through 5/15/25 A Dynamic Duo: ENL Teachers & School Librarians - Series of 4 Sessions - at Orange-Ulster BOCES

• 1/30/25 Enhancing Reading Comprehension for ELLs - at Southern Westchester BOCES

• 2/21/25 Accelerating Academic Success for Long-Term English Learners - at Southern Westchester BOCES

• 3/6/25, 4/1/25, 4/8/25 Integrated ENL Co-Teaching 3-Part Series - at Dutchess BOCES

• 3/12/25 NYSESLAT Administration Training - at Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES

• 4/3/25 NYSESLAT Administration Training - at Orange-Ulster BOCES

• 4/8/25 NYSESLAT Administration Training - at Rockland BOCES

• 5/1/25 Accelerating Academic Success for Long-Term English Learners - at Rockland BOCES

• 5/8/25 ENL, Immigration, and Graduation Pathways for High School Counselors and Directors of Guidance - at Orange-Ulster BOCES

• 5/21/25 Accelerating Academic Success for Long-Term English Learners - at Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES

• 6/3/25 Accelerating Academic Success for Long-Term English Learners - at Rockland BOCES

• 6/12/25 New York State ELL Identification Workshop - at Orange-Ulster BOCES

Self-Guided HV RBERN Workshops

Experience RBERN workshops at your own pace and earn CTLE certificates when it's convenient for you. Registration is not required.

• ENL Co-Teaching Models

• ENL Collaboration and Co-Teaching Foundations

• Linguistically Diverse Learners and Advanced Literacy Instruction: Elevating the Instructional Core for All Students

• NYSITELL Administration Training

Other Professional Learning Opportunities

NYS Language Regional Bilingual Education Resource Network

Being The Instructional Leader Newcomer ELLs Need: Ensuring High Quality English Language and Literacy Instruction for Newcomer ELLs (K-5 & 6-12) - Online | 2-Part Series

Starting January 9, 2025, 1:30-4:30 PM

This two-part workshop is uniquely designed for district and school-based administrators in charge of language and literacy instruction for Newcomer ELLs. It features Dr. Nancy Cloud, a professor and noted author of many books on ELL education, including Literacy Instruction for English Language Learners.

Register

Initiative on Immigration and Education (CUNY II-E)

Save the Date!

PK-12 Immigration Literature Conference: Storytelling For Visibility, Understanding & Transformation

Saturday, March 8, 2025, 10:00-3:00 PM, The City College of New York

A gathering for educators, advocates, and storytellers to explore the role and power of immigration literature in PK-12 education. 

Stay tuned in 2025 for more details!

Eye on Immigration: Advocating for your Students’ Humanity with Dr. Tatyana Kleyn & Daniela Alulema

Tune in to RBERNing Questions' podcast, Eye on Immigration: Advocating for Your Students’ Humanity, with CUNY-IIE's Dr. Tatyana Kleyn and Daniela Alulema. Learn how the initiative’s “Learn, Act & Advocate” framework supports immigrant students and educators through resources, CTLE courses, and advocacy for equitable policies.

Podcast

Resources

Initiative on Immigration and Education (CUNY II-E)

Enhancing Educational Equity for Immigrant Students in New York State

CUNY-IIE is proud to introduce Enhancing Educational Equity for Immigrant Students in New York State, a new policy brief addressing the systemic barriers undocumented and immigrant students face in accessing equitable education and offering actionable recommendations to promote educational equity for all, regardless of immigration status.

Systemic barriers continue to hinder equitable access to education for immigrant youth. Disparities in access are particularly evident in higher education, where some states may restrict in-state tuition or financial aid eligibility to undocumented students. Additionally, many educators are overwhelmed with the diverse needs of immigrant-origin students and the lack of resources to meet those needs.

To address these inequities, the brief emphasizes the importance of:

• creating pathways to careers in education for undocumented students,

• enhancing educator preparation on immigration-related issues, and

• creating in-school supports for undocumented and other immigrant students to foster inclusive learning environments.

New York State Office of Bilingual Education and World Languages

Using the EOY Data Form to Track and Report NYSSB Earner Progress

Tuesday, January 14, 2025, 3:30-4:30 PM via Zoom

The End of Year (EOY) Data form is a spreadsheet that schools use to report their successful NYSSB candidates each spring. Once this form has been verified, the appropriate number of seal stickers and medallions are mailed to the school from NYSED’s distribution centers. The EOY Data form can serve as a tool for tracking students’ progress throughout the year, including multi-year cohorts, thus enabling the NYSSB Coordinator to more effectively identify and recruit potential candidates. This webinar will review the elements of the EOY Data Form, including the revisions that will be in effect starting September of 2025, as well as how NYSSB Coordinators can use this form to streamline the process of identification and recruitment of NYSSB candidates and the appropriate tracking of the points they earn through graduation. Tips will also be offered to avoid common pitfalls.

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Languages for All: Universal Design for Differentiation from the Start

Tuesday, January 21, 2025, 4:00-5:00 PM via Zoom

All students should have access to language learning, so how can we effectively differentiate for all learners? This webinar will provide a brief introduction to Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and its implications for language learning. Through this lens, instead of the time-consuming process of creating modifications and accommodations after creating a lesson, participants will develop strategies for cultivating agency and empowering self-differentiation for all learners right from the start of the planning process, including steps they can take the very next day.

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In late December, the Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) launched their Dual Language Immersion (DLI) Playbooks. We are proud to note that New York State played a significant role in this project and is prominently featured within the playbooks. For more information on the Dual Language Immersion project, please click on any of the links below.

• Dual Language Immersion Project

• Overview

• Complete Playbook

• Call To Action: Memo for Governors

• EdWeek Article: What’s Ahead for the 5.3 Million English Learners in Our Schools?

ENL and Bilingual Teacher Leadership Consortium

Thursday, January 30, 2025, 3:30-4:30 PM

Associate Commissioner Elisa Alvarez knows that our teachers are doing the hard work of educating our English Language Learners. They need to know how they can best support you. This Town Hall-style event will allow for questions to be asked of the Associate Commissioner. She will speak to what work is being done in their office and will answer your questions.

This professional development opportunity is offered at NO COST to New York State educators and administrators and can be used to fulfill Language Acquisition CTLE professional development requirements (1 CTLE credit offered).

All participants must pre-register for this event. Pre-registration will close on January 20, 2025. The Zoom link will be sent out after your registration is received. 

December Newsletter

The December edition of the NYS OBEWL newsletter has been released. This newsletter is posted on their website along with an archive of previous issues.

Career Opportunities

Ossining UFSD

• ENL Leave Replacement - Claremont School

Please contact the HV RBERN for support or with any questions you may have.