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800.257.7751
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802.258.3388
Fax:
802.258.3116
PO Box 676, Kipling Road
Brattleboro, VT 05302 USA
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ACCESS Courses in WIDA States
What is the SIT ACCESS Graduate Certificate?
The SIT ACCESS Graduate Certificate is a three-credit course, offered by the School for International Training in Brattleboro, which provides practical professional development to help teachers better serve English Language Learners in mainstream classes. The vision of ACCESS is for all children to be academically successful and participating members of the school community. ACCESS provides teachers with research-based frameworks and practical strategies for creating inclusive classrooms for culturally and linguistically diverse students.
Who should take the SIT ACCESS course?
District teams should be composed of ESL teachers and elementary teachers or secondary content teachers (e.g. math, science, social studies, health, etc.). ESL teachers who enroll in ACCESS may also apply to SIT to become trained as ACCESS trainers.
Is graduate credit available?
All teachers who successfully complete the ACCESS course will receive an ACCESS Certificate issued by SIT. Three graduate credits are also available through the School for International Training. Cost for graduate credit is $450 per participant.
Why is this important for teachers in WIDA states?
The SIT ACCESS Graduate Certificate course helps teachers acquire the skills and knowledge to effectively teach English language learners. ACCESS also helps teachers to integrate the WIDA English Language Proficiency Standards into planning and instruction.
What are the objectives of the SIT ACCESS course?
Participants in ACCESS will learn to support English language learners by:
- Understanding the cultural, linguistic and academic challenges of English language learners
- Building on and documenting successful strategies, and sharing effective approaches within a district
- Learning research-based frameworks and strategies for teaching English language learners
- Collaborating with colleagues to build a sustainable professional community
- Sheltering content instruction to provide access to the entire curriculum AND to promote the development of English language proficiency
What topics are included in the ACCESS curriculum?
| Language and Culture |
What is known about second language acquisition and what is the role of culture in the learning/teaching process? |
|---|---|
| Planning | How can teachers plan lessons to shelter content instruction and promote interaction? |
| Instruction | How can teachers make themselves more comprehensible? |
| Tasks | How can students develop language skills while meeting content objectives? |
| Vocabulary | What are the most effective strategies for teaching vocabulary in content classes? |
| Literacy | How can teachers make texts more accessible and promote the development of academic literacy skills? |
| Assessment |
How can teachers assess all students fairly and accurately? |
| Collaboration | How can teachers build a reflective practice and a professional network to support English language learners? |
How is this course different from the WIDA ACCESS for ELLs assessment?
The ACCESS Graduate Certificate is a professional development course created by SIT in 2003. One of the goals of this course is to prepare teachers to be able to use state curriculum frameworks in teaching English language learners. ACCESS for ELLs is a test to measure the English language proficiency of students learning English as a new language. Both initiatives serve ELLs, but one is an SIT course and the other is a WIDA test. The name ACCESS is coincidental.
What is the schedule?
The SIT ACCESS course integrates face-to-face Seminar sessions with online Implementation and classroom-based assignments, followed by a half day of closure. The four face-to-face training days may be offered all at once or distributed throughout the school year.
What is required of participating teachers?
- Participate in all face-to-face sessions
- Complete assigned readings
- Participate in web-based discussion (1-2 hours per week)
- Complete three classroom-based implementation tasks
- Complete Final Summary Project (for graduate credit only)
How can my school or district host an ACCESS course?
Please contact Margaret Tarmy, (margaret.tarmy@sit.edu, 802-258-3310) for more information or to register.
What have teachers said about ACCESS?
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"For me, this was a perfect blend of theory and practice. It's given me a solid idea of the specific needs of English language learners in my classes, along with a rich repertoire of teaching strategies. The course delivery is certainly true to its constructivist philosophy! Much of the time we were actively participating in discussion, role plays, intriguing games – all designed to model quality teaching, and reflect the experience of language learners. It was a real insight into what makes for effective learning." - Steve Seymour (high school social studies teacher) |
| "ACCESS has a hands-on approach to the learning of how to teach English language learners. Our seminar sessions are very helpful- I like the way each one is organized and balanced between discussion and cooperative activities. I wish everyone in my school could enjoy this experience."
- Mary Bates (first grade teacher) |
| "I really enjoyed the variety of activities in ACCESS but most importantly I appreciated the "participation and reflection" model. This made me accountable for my own teaching and once again feel as my students do. This has been a refreshing glimpse into my instruction. I realize now more than ever that second language learning and mainstream content need not be mutually exclusive. I am excited to go back to my students with fresh eyes and a renewed vigor."
- Aleasha Morris (middle school humanities teacher) |
| "I would recommend ACCESS to any classroom teacher. The experience of going through the course put us in the students’ shoes and helped us to understand how important language and culture are in any classroom. The strategies we learned will support all our students, not just those learning English."
- Ann Lee (early elementary teacher) |
| "I am a science teacher and never really thought of myself as an English teacher until I recently started working with students whose first language was not English. After this summer’s ACCESS program, I am still a science teacher, but now I have developed some techniques and skills to use that I think will help improve my students understanding of science. I look forward to getting back in the classroom and practicing what I've learned. ACCESS is a course that any teacher working with multilingual students should take. I am now working with students that are learning how to communicate their knowledge of science in a new language and I am learning new skills, to add to the ones I already possess, to help me do this."
- Stuart Arey (high school science teacher) |
