ESOL Essentials

This full-day training is a crash course in all things English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) facilitated by the Regional English Learner Specialist, Central Arkansas. The goal of the session is to build capacity in educators of all content areas, grade bands, and experience levels, so they may provide meaningful access and learning experiences for all learners including English Learners (ELs).

Participants will strengthen their basic terminology and acronyms related to ESOL, become familiar with the process for identifying English Learners, and gain essential knowledge about compliance with federal regulations. Participants will also examine key principles of effective lessons for English Learners of all levels of proficiency. There is a focus on instructional practices, examining Criterion 3.3 of EdReports for high-quality instructional materials (HQIM), strong Tier 1 Instruction, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) methods that support comprehension and scaffolding language to help address federal requirements for Meaningful Access to Core Content (ACC) for English Learners.

The session will be held at the APSRC Training Center, Suite 375 in the Victory Building at 1401 W. Capitol Ave., Little Rock, AR 72201.

Parking is available in a garage located on 6th Street, which runs parallel to Capitol Avenue. The garage is connected to the Victory Building via a second-floor walkway. You will need $6 to cover all-day parking or $2 per hour for hourly parking. Metered parking also is available.

Presenter: Carrie Acrey, DESE