State Partnership for Equity and Support for Indigenous Languages

1373 

Session 

Other 

English 

Pamela Delfosse  
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

Ayumi Stockman  
Minnesota Department of Education, Office of Equity and Opportunity

Ayumi Stockman  
Minnesota Department of Education, Office of Equity and Opportunity

Lisa LaRonge  
Waadookodaading Ojibwe Language Institute

Two State Education Agencies in the midwest are collaborating to build relationships and systems of support for Indigenous Language revitalization. This Partnership for Proficiency Project includes ACTFL proficiency workshops, Seal of Biliteracy (SBL) assessment rater training, and school access to state SBL assessments across state-borders. This effort is prioritizing engagement and learning with Indigenous Language revitalization leaders. The goals of this partnership are to improve equity in access to Seal of Biliteracy recognition for Ojibwe, Dakota, and Hocak; to increase the rater capacity along with supporting teachers' capacity to implement proficiency-oriented instruction; and to be able to collect psychometric data on the assessment to inform the future assessment design. This session will relay our humble journey filled with inspiration and learning as we worked with Indigenous language educator communities.

Participants can reflect on their current Seal of Biliteracy implementation practice through a lens of equity among the Indigenous and less commonly taught languages.

Participants can strategize some ideas to be utilized in their own contexts to increase the equity and accessibility to the Seal of Biliteracy based on the session content.

Participants can commit to improving equity with access to the Seal of Biliteracy through innovative partnerships and systems of support for Indigenous and less commonly taught heritage languages.

Session presentation slides will be designed for accessibility and available to participants via QR code. Facilitators will build community through an activity designed to engage participant voices and experiences with the topic. A variety of strategies will be employed to invite attendees to discuss ideas, reflect on current practices, and identify ways to improve equity with access to the Seal of Biliteracy within their educational context. Facilitators will openly clarify content and address questions as needed. Groups of participants will discuss how they might explore partnerships to support Indigenous language learning. A commitment to co-learning for collaborative leadership will guide the structure of this session.

Two states are collaborating to support Indigenous Language revitalization. The effort includes ACTFL workshops, assessment rater training and access to Seal of Biliteracy assessments. Project goals are to improve equity, rater and teacher capacity, and data. Presenters will share this inspiring learning journey with Indigenous language educators.

All Audiences

Equitable and Inclusive Practices