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Project S.P.E.A.K. Advisory Board Meeting

January 24, 2011

Those in attendance were Dr. Al Cade, Project Director/Principal Investigator; Ms. Peggy Day, Project Coordinator; Dr. Barbara Arnold, Asst. Professor-TESOL; Dr. Andrea Hellman, Research Assoc., Asst. Professor-TESOL; Mr. Lyle Sparkman, Asst. Supt, East Newton R-VI; Ms. Julie Germann, Asst. Supt-Monett R-1; Ms. Anne Shadwick, Interim Director, Southwest Center; Mrs.Jennifer Shackles, Instructional Specialist, MO-MELL Program; Dr. Alice Sagehorn, Grant Consultant; and Michelle Price, TESOL Secretary.

I. Welcome and Introductions by Dr. Cade

II. Approval of Minutes: October 4, 2010

A motion to accept the October 4th minutes was made by Mr. Lyle Sparkman, Asst. Superintendent, East Newton, R-VI, and seconded by Ms. Anne Shadwick, Interim Director,the Southwest Center for Educational Excellence. The motion passed unanimously.

The board members were provided a folder with various handouts.

III. Updates

A. Participants, Completers, and Fall Enrollment Numbers

Dr. Cade reported that there have been a total of 45 graduates from the Project S.P.E.A.K. program and expect an additional 8-10 at the end of the spring 2011 semester. There are four semesters remaining in the grant term.

Dr. Cade recognized the districts for their support and stated that the program has provided training to ESL teachers throughout the area.

Dr. Cade pointed out that board members were provided an individual report of Project S.P.E.A.K. participants from their districts included in their folder.

B. Workshops at the Southwest Center for Educational Excellence Workshops:  Handout provided

The spring 2011 semester workshops are scheduled for March 14 and April 18.  Both workshops will be held at the Southwest Center in Webb City, beginning at 4:30 p.m.

1. March 14: "Understanding the Parental Involvement Process to Outreach Minority Parents" by Dr. Rosie Garcia-Belina, ELL and Migrant Education Technical Assistance Coordinator; Mid-Continent Comprehensive Center (MC3)

Mrs. Deborah Swarens, Carthage R-IX, and Dr. Hellman recommended this workshop as a guide for the districts on how to encourage parents of ELL students to support and participate in school activities.

2. April 18: "Working with WIDA's PreK-12 English Language Proficiency Standards" by Jennifer Shackles, MO-MELL Region VII Instructional Specialist

Mrs. Shackles will receive training on WIDA standards prior to presenting the April 18 workshop.

Ms. Day reminded the board to contact her if they plan to attend the workshops.

C. Project S.P.E.A.K. Newsletter, Vol. 3, Issue 2 (Handout provided)

Dr. Cade referred to the current Project S.P.E.A.K. newsletter prepared by Ms. Day.

As reported in the newsletter, there were a number of participants that attended the November MO MELL conference in St. Louis.

Dr. Cade reported that one of the conference workshops he co-presented, “Sharing the Joy of Writing: Helping ELL’s Become Successful Writers” had over 100 attendees. The topic proved to be a topic of interest and may be considered for a future workshop for this area.

D. Evaluation of October 25, 2010 Workshop

The evaluation summary for the October 25 workshop is included in the handouts. The workshop was well attended and the results were favorable.

Dr. Hellman selected students to prepare SIOP lessons and present those lessons with the workshop attendees. Ms. Day added that the workshop was very informative.

IV. Jennifer Shackles: Update on MO-MELL

Mrs. Shackles distributed copies of Tips for Drafting a Successful Title III Plan.

She informed the districts that they should have received their Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives, (AMOA).

Mrs. Shackles also reported that by 2012 districts who receive Title III funds will be mandated to create a curriculum.

The districts will be receiving training on how to interpret ACCESS reports in April.

Dr. Cade asked Mrs. Shackles to clarify the issue of using Title III funds to hire personnel. Mrs. Shackles replied that the regulations state the funds cannot be used to hire personnel, but each case decision is reviewed individually.

Mr. Sparkman added that the funds can be used as a stipend for teachers who are performing additional duties that are not included in their contract.

V. Participating Districts

A. News from our Districts

Southwest Center for Educational Excellence:
 Ms. Shadwick reported that Dr. Jim Horton has been hired as the new director for the SWCEE. He will begin his duties July 1; at that time Ms. Shadwick will resume her position as assistant director of the Center.

Monett R-1:
Ms. Julie Germann announced her plans for retirement following a 31 year career in education; the district is currently reviewing applicants for the position.

East Newton R-VI:
Mr. Sparkman reported that East Newton has had their first federal inspection and received positive remarks on how the district tracks migrant students and indicated that the method is worthy of becoming a state model for other districts.

B. Districts’ Summer School Plans and Placement for Practicum
Ms. Day asked those districts that will be offering summer school to consider placement for practicum students through the month of June.

C. 2010-2011 Final Advisory Board Meeting Date:
May 2, 2011 The districts expressed a conflict with the date scheduled for the next Advisory Board meeting; Ms. Day will re-schedule the meeting and will notify the board of the new date.

VI. Other & Closing Remarks

Dr. Alice Sagehorn, serving as implementer for the Project SPEAK grant, commented that the number of program completers is approaching the original goal; she credited the districts for their participation with the grant. Dr. Sagehorn added that we were fortunate to be awarded the Project S.P.E.A.K. grant and encouraged application for a new grant with a different focus.   Exp: early childhood; 3-4 year old programs; special education

TESOL-Graduate Level:  The group discussed the possibility of offering TESOL courses at a graduate credit level.

Mrs. Germann stated that there is a need for a Masters TESOL program and added that there would be a significant number of staff in her district that would be interested in a graduate level TESOL degree.

Dr. Cade stated that the graduate coordinator on campus has expressed an interest to implement the graduate programs offered at MSSU.

Dr. Hellman reported that MSSU has recently undergone a program review by the Missouri Department of Higher Education, (MDHE).MDHE has encouraged universities to terminate those programs that do not produce a minimum number of graduates (10) per year, or incorporate with other universities with similar programs. Dr. Hellman added that there are currently a number of TESOL Master Programs including those offered at Missouri State University and Northwest Missouri State University; however,those programs have very few graduates. Dr. Hellman stated that in her opinion, if MSSU had a TESOL Masters Program, it would be able to produce more than ten graduates per year.

Dr. Cade encouraged the board member to think about new grant options and this topic will be discussed at a later date.

Dr. Hellman reported that she has had two proposals accepted by TESOL and will be presenting annual TESOL Convention on March 18-19th in New Orleans.

Dr. Cade thanked the board for their attendance and the meeting was adjourned.

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