State Teams Conference Call

Wednesday, March 8th, 2016

4:00 – 4:50pm ET

This call is being recorded.

• AAAS Study Commissioned by Congress: “America's Languages: Investing in Language Education in the 21st Century.”

• ACTFL launches the “Lead with Languages” Campaign

• ESSA, Title IV, Part A Grants – Get Involved in the Process

• Coding Legislation – An Urgent Call to Action

Agenda Panel

Marty Abbott ACTFL

Matthew SchlesingerThe Sheridan Group

Jill Allen MurrayThe Sheridan Group

Trey Calvin ACTFL

Congressional Study Request:

Diplomatic and National Interests

Productivity of future generations

Ensure excellence in language and international education and research

Influence of language learning on economic growth

CONGRESSIONAL REQUEST- AAAS STUDY

Congress has requested that the American Academy of Arts & Sciences to conduct a report on language learning in the U.S., with a particular focus on the competitiveness of American students.

Congressional Leaders

Senator Brian Schatz

Democrat – HawaiiSenator Mark Kirk

Republican – Illinois

Senator Orrin Hatch

Republican – Utah

Senator Tammy Baldwin

Democrat – Wisconsin

CONGRESSIONAL REQUEST- AAAS STUDY

• Increase the number of language teachers at all levels of education so that every child in every state has the opportunity to learn a language in addition to English.

• Supplement language instruction across the education system through public-private partnerships among schools, government, philanthropies, businesses and local community members.

• Support heritage languages already spoken in the United States, and help these languages persist from one generation to the next.

• Provide targeted attention to Native American languages as defined in the Native American Languages Act.

• Promote opportunities for students to learn languages in other countries by experiencing other cultures and immersing themselves in multilingual environments.

REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS

WHAT ARE THE OBJECTIVES OF

LEAD WITH LANGUAGES?Increase enrollment and language options in world language programs at all grade levels

Strengthen and expand language programs and their funding

Engage leaders from business, education, government and other stakeholders

Build awareness among heritage populations

CHRIS MURPHY

U.S. SENATOR (CT)

ESSA and Title IV-AAction Items:1. Contact the appropriate person or entity in your state and request that language learning is

encouraged in the SEA plan.

2. Go to the ACTFL Advocacy Page to send a letter to your Members of Congress requesting full funding for Title IV-A.

If you’d like to take even more action, you can set up a meeting with your SEA to discuss SEA plans or your Member of Congress’ office to advocate for full Title IV-A funding! This resource on the ACTFL website will help you schedule these meetings and guide your conversations.

ESSA and Title IV-A Review

• ESSA Most recent authorization of the ESEA - shifts authority over most education policy decisions from the federal level to the state and local levels.

• Title IV-A of ESSA Establishes Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE) grants:

• Provide students with a “well-rounded education”• Improve school conditions and health.• Improve the use of technology in schools

ESSA and Title IV-A Review: Timeline

April 28, 2017

• Expiration of continuing resolution currently funding the federal government

Sept. 18,

2017

• Second proposed date for SEA submission of plans to the U.S. Department of Education

April 3, 2017• First proposed date for SEA submission of plans to the U.S. Department of Education

July 1,

2017

• Effective date for changes to formula programs under ESSA

ESSA and Title IV-A Review• SEAs are in the process of developing their plans for submission to the U.S. Department of Education

in April or September.

• While SEA plans should not specifically allow or forbid specific programs, they can encourage LEAs to focus on particular subject areas or programs.

• It is important for you to contact your SEA and advocate for the encouragement of world language education in its plan.

• ASCD has prepared an interactive tool with information on individual state plans and the stakeholder engagement processes.

• Many states have made draft plans available for public comment. For example:

• Maryland• Michigan• New Jersey• North Carolina

Title IV-A Funding Update

• Authorization Level: $1.65 billion

• House Funding Level: $1 billion

• Senate Funding Level: $300 million

• Final Funding Level: ?

ESSA and Title IV-AAction Items:1. Contact the appropriate person or entity in your state and request that language learning is

encouraged in the SEA plan.

2. Go to the ACTFL Advocacy Page to send a letter to your Members of Congress requesting full funding for Title IV-A.

If you’d like to take even more action, you can set up a meeting with your SEA to discuss SEA plans or your Member of Congress’ office to advocate for full Title IV-A funding! This resource on the ACTFL website will help you schedule these meetings and guide your conversations.

ESSA Advocacy Tool Kit

NCSSFL Members Map

http://ncssfl.org/

Find An Advocate

Every Student Succeeds Act

A Guide to Implementation

http://bit.ly/2cDCCFj

Webinar

Virginia

Coding Bills

• Allows Computer Science courses to count as World Language credits

• An “either/or approach”• Replaces one skill for the other

• Set up a Google Alert for your state• Sign up for a legislation tracker

Michigan

Texas

Oklahoma

Maryland

Sign in if you have a Gmail account. If you don’t have a Gmail account, you can just start filling out the Google Alert form.

STEP 2Enter the search terms you want the Google Alert to track, separated by commas. You can always edit later.

STEP 3Choose the Type of results you want Google Alerts to find and share with you.

STEP 4

Go to www.google.com/alerts/STEP 1

Suggested Search Terms: • Seal of Biliteracy• Foreign language• World language • Foreign language requirement

• Language learning • ACTFL or American Council on the Teaching of

Foreign Languages• Language immersion • Coding and foreign language• Every Student Succeeds Act [your state]

Choose how often you’d like to receive your Google Alerts. (Recommended x1/week)

STEP 5Choose how many results you want to get. (Recommended: “only the best”)

STEP 6Choose where you’d like the Google Alerts delivered.

STEP 7

STEP 8 Click the Create Alert button and you’re done!

Sign Up For Your State’s Legislation Trackers

1. Google Search “[Your State] [Chamber] Legislation Tracker”

2. Remember, there are two chambers (House and Senate)

3. Register to receive notifications to your email

Your Action Items

Gold-Star Activist! • Contact the appropriate person at your SEA• Send a letter to your Members of Congress via the ACTFL Advocacy Page (2 minutes to send!)• Create a Google Alert – check it weekly

Platinum Star Activist!• Set up a meeting with you SEA• Share your gold-star achievements on Twitter and Facebook #MoreTitleIV