This session marks the close of our Academic Languaging: Engaging Multilingual Students in Content Area Learning book club — and opens the conversation to everyone, whether or not you read along.
Part 1: Fireside Chat with Margo Gottlieb (30 minutes)
Join us for an informal conversation with Margo Gottlieb, Ph.D., co-author (with Gisela Ernst-Slavit) of Academic Languaging: Engaging Multilingual Students in Content Area Learning and Co-Founder of the WIDA Consortium. Margo has spent her career advancing educational opportunities for multilingual learners and the educators who support them — as a language teacher and coordinator, bilingual facilitator, director of assessment and evaluation, and consultant to school districts, states, universities, and organizations across the globe. A Fulbright senior specialist in assessment and evaluation, she was recognized by TESOL International Association’s 50@50 for her significant contributions to the field, and is the author of more than 90 publications on language assessment and academic language development.
Questions for this conversation were crafted by our book club participants over the past two sessions, but this fireside chat is open to all — no reading required. Come hear Margo unpack what “academic languaging” really means, how it shows up in content-area instruction, and what practical shifts educators can make to better support MLLs/ELLs in accessing rigorous content.
~ 15-Minute Intermission ~
Part 2: WIDA ACCESS Office Hours — Last Reminders Before the Testing Window (30 minutes)
As we head into New York’s WIDA ACCESS testing window (opening February 1), we’ll use this second half to cover key logistical and instructional reminders to help your team feel ready. We’ll leave time for last-minute questions.
And as always, a reminder that WIDA ACCESS is one data point among many. It doesn’t define who our MLLs/ELLs are or everything we should be doing to support them. As we prepare for testing, let’s keep that bigger picture in view and let Margo’s insights on academic languaging be a guide for the work that matters well beyond a testing window.
Disclaimer: WIDA™ and ACCESS™ are federally registered marks owned by the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System. Neither the NYC Charter School Center, The Collaborative for Inclusive Education, nor any of our courses or modules are sponsored by, endorsed by, or affiliated with the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System.
