This site will look much better in a browser that supports web standards, but it is accessible to any browser or Internet device.

Skip Navigation skip menu and banner
University of Wyoming

Second ESL workshop focuses on assessment

Nearly 70 educators from 21 school districts participated in the second statewide English as a Second Language (ESL) workshop last month in Casper.

The statewide workshop is part of the University of Wyoming College of Education’s ESL endorsement program, which supports the state Department of Education’s efforts to increase the number of educators certified to teach ESL. The program initially enrolled 90 teachers; a 2006 enhancement grant expanded it to serve an additional 15 educators and provide for three statewide workshops.

The number of English Language Learners in the state has increased dramatically from about 2000 in 1995 to nearly 4000 in 2005, a 100+-percent increase.  Over that same period, the number of students overall in the state has decreased by 16 percen.  Focusing on teaching strategies to meet their needs has become critical.

The workshop had concurrent sessions focused on Assessment of English Language Learners, Literacy and Language, and the Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach (CALLA). Sessions addressed the different needs of elementary school learners and of middle/secondary school students.

Presenters included Anna Uhl Chamot and Jill Robbins, George Washington University; Margo Gottlieb, Illinois Research Center; and Patrick Manyak, UW College of Education.