Professional Development for Language Teachers

Professional
Development for
Language Teachers
Implementing the Texas
Essential Knowledge and
Skills for Languages Other
Than English
Project ExCELL
Excellence and Challenge: Expectations for Language Learners
Southwest Educational Development Laboratory
Austin, Texas
Texas Education Agency
1997

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Preface
In January of 1995, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) applied for and received funds
from the United States Department of EducationÕs Office for Educational Research and
Improvement (OERI). The funds, part of the Fund for the Improvement of Education
Program (FIE), were for the development of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for
Languages Other Than English (TEKS for LOTE) and related products, including
Professional Development for Language Teachers: Implementing the Texas Essential Knowledge
and Skills for Languages Other Than English. TEA contracted with the Southwest
Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL) to implement the standards project
known as Project ExCELL (Excellence and Challenge: Expectations for Language
Learners). The Texas State Board of Education adopted the TEKS for LOTE in April
1997.
In creating Professional Development for Language Teachers, Project ExCELL worked with
a writing team, consultants, field reviewers, and advisory committees that
included Texas classroom teachers of LOTE, district supervisors of LOTE, university
foreign language professionals, business people, and representatives from the
community. In addition to drawing on their own expertise, the writers relied on the
TEKS for LOTE for direction and used the national standards for foreign language
learning, professional development documents from other states, data collected from
field review, and current research in the field of professional development. Writing
team members consulted experts in the area of professional development and they met
to debate, review, and revise their products until they were able to reach consensus on
what the components of Professional Development for Language Teachers should look like.
Professional Development for Language Teachers reflects high expectations for all teachers,
applies to all languages, and takes into account the state and national student stan-
dards for the LOTE discipline.
Professional Development for Language Teachers connects the TEKS for LOTE, as approved
by the Texas State Board of Education, to language teachers already in service. The
professional development materials will make it easier for teachers of LOTE to become
familiar with the student standards and to revise and adapt their teaching approaches
to help all students reach the high standards which the TEKS for LOTE outline.
For Project ExCELL, the TEKS for LOTE and Professional Development for Language
Teachers represent steps in a systemic change process. The project also has produced a
curriculum framework and teacher education materials. A Texas Framework for
Languages Other Than English facilitates the task of developing curricular materials that
are based on the TEKS for LOTE, but are at the same time tailored to the particular
needs and characteristics of local school districts and campuses. Preparing Language
Teachers to Implement the TEKS for LOTE is a useful tool for institutions of higher educa-
tion that prepare LOTE teachers; not only will prospective teachers become familiar
with the proposed TEKS for LOTE, but they also will be prepared to teach in ways that
make it possible for students to reach the standards.
Project ExCELL hopes to increase the likelihood that efforts to establish and meet high
and challenging standards for all Texas students will become a reality in LOTE class-
rooms across the state.
Implementing the TEKS for LOTE
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Acknowledgements
Project ExCELL would like to express its gratitude and appreciation to those whose
hard work and dedication made Professional Development for Language Teachers a reality.
The Professional Development Team
The team below wrote much of Professional Development for Language Teachers:
Implementing the TEKS for LOTE and persevered through the revision process. The team
reviewed and discussed the needs of Texas language teachers and considered and
incorporated data gathered from the field review of the documentÕs various compo-
nents.
Mary de L—pez
The University of Texas, El Paso
Sharon Foerster
The University of Texas, Austin
Barbara Gonz‡lez Pino*
The University of Texas, San Antonio
Michael Hydak
Austin ISD
James Johnson
Austin College
Connie Kunkel
Cypress-Fairbanks ISD
Madeleine Lively
Tarrant County Junior College, NE
David Long
Memorial High School (Houston)
Annette Lowry*
Fort Worth ISD
Fran Maples
Richardson ISD
Janet Norden
Baylor University
Wayne Pate
San Antonio ISD
Judy Whitaker
Region 10 Education Service Center (Dallas)
Loretta Williams
Plano ISD
*indicates team co-chair
Professional Development Consultant
Eileen Glisan
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Professional Development Field Review Sites
Sites
Site Directors
Northside ISD
Mar’a Fierro-Trevi–o
Barbara Gonz‡lez Pino
Region 20 Education Service Center
Patricia Riley
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Professional Development for Language Teachers

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Acknowledgements
Field Advisory Committee
Martha Abbott
Fairfax County Public Schools
Cathy Angell
Austin Community College
George Blanco
The University of Texas, Austin
Dale Koike
The University of Texas, Austin
Anne Le Comte-Hilmy
Texas A&M, Corpus Christi
Judith Liskin-Gasparro
University of Iowa
Cynthia Manley
Austin College
Myriam Met
Montgomery County Public Schools
Timothy Moore
The University of Texas, Austin
Elaine Phillips*
Mary Hardin Baylor
June Phillips
Weber State University
Kathleen Riordan
Springfield Public Schools
Paul Sandrock
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Elizabeth Smith
Plano Independent School District
*indicates committee chair
Project ExCELL Staff
InŽs Garc’a, Project Director
Texas Education Agency
Carl Johnson, Assistant
Texas Education Agency
Project Director
Robert LaBouve, Coordinator
Southwest Educational Development Laboratory
Lillian King, Editor &
Southwest Educational Development Laboratory
Assistant Coordinator
Mar’a Lissi, Evaluation Specialist
Southwest Educational Development Laboratory
Genia Owens, Administrative
Southwest Educational Development Laboratory
Secretary
Glenn Mack, Layout and Design
Austin, TX
Professional Development for Language Teachers: Implementing the Texas Essential Knowledge
and Skills for Languages Other Than English is a product of Project ExCELL and was
developed through a contract with the Texas Education Agency with funding provided
by the U.S. Department of EducationÕs Fund for the Improvement of Education.
Implementing the TEKS for LOTE
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Table of Contents
Preface
i
Acknowledgements
ii
Introduction
1
Issues in Professional Development
for Language Teachers
3
Teacher Competencies for Professional Development
13
Professional Development Models I-III
41
Model I
43
Case Study Model I
47
Model II
49
Case Study Model II
52
Model III
54
Case Study Model III
56
Glossary
59
References
60
Appendix
A
TEKS for LOTE
B
ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines
C
Resource List
Implementing the TEKS for LOTE
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Professional Development for Language Teachers

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Introduction
This document addresses the professional development of inservice teachers of
Language Other Than English (LOTE) relative to the implemention of the Texas
Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS for LOTE). Descriptions of the contents follow:
Issues Paper
y is preceded by a one-page abstract
y provides administrators with information about the importance of strong,
research- and TEKS-based professional development for teachers of LOTE
y gives an overview of the role of the teacher competencies and the models for
professional development developed by Project ExCELL
Teacher Competencies for Professional Development
y is preceded by an introduction that discusses the intent, purpose, and
functionality of the competencies
y describe what teacher of LOTE should know and be able to do relative to the
five Program Goals of Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons,
and Communities
y provides language teachers with opportunities for self-evaluation with regard
to the competencies
Professional Development Models I-III
y is introduced by a one-page overview of all three models
y describes in detail three models for professional development
y provides case studies for each model that offer an example of what the model
could look like when implemented
Glossary, References
Appendices
y includes the TEKS for LOTE, the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines, and an
extensive resource list
Implementing the TEKS for LOTE
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Professional Development for Language Teachers

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