Welcome to the English Learner Website!
The mission of the Reading Public Schools’ program for Multilingual Learner Education is for our students to acquire sufficient social and academic skills in English to fully participate and succeed in becoming innovative leaders of tomorrow. We will accomplish this by actively engaging and inspiring our students in second language acquisition by understanding their native cultures, utilizing their skills in their native languages, supporting their families and delivering curriculum that teaches the listening, speaking, reading and writing skills necessary for social well-being and academic success.
The Multilingual Learner Education department will work collaboratively as a team comprised of school administrators, teachers using SEI strategies, parents and students to ensure growth in English language proficiency; this team will create and administer a Student Success plan for English learners who are not meeting benchmarks as measured by summative and formative assessments
Our Multilingual Learner (MLL) Program
The mission of the Reading Public Schools’ program for Multilingual Learner Education is for our students to acquire sufficient social and academic skills in English to thrive in school and beyond. We will accomplish this by actively engaging and inspiring our students in second language acquisition, understanding their home cultures, utilizing their skills in their home languages, supporting their families, and teaching the listening, speaking, reading and writing skills necessary for social well-being and academic success. We will accomplish this by actively engaging and inspiring our students in second language acquisition by understanding their native cultures, utilizing their skills in their native languages, supporting their families and delivering curriculum that teaches the listening, speaking, reading and writing skills necessary for social well-being and academic success.
The Multilingual Learner Department will work collaboratively as a team comprised of school administrators, teachers using SEI strategies, parents and students to ensure growth in English language proficiency; this team will create and administer a Student Success plan for MLLs who are not meeting benchmarks as measured by summative and formative assessments.
MLL Program Eligibility
Eligibility
A home language survey is included in the Reading Public Schools’ registration packet. When a language other than English is indicated the student is referred to the Multilingual Learner Department and the student’s proficiency is assessed using the WIDA (World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment) to determine if MLL support is needed. The amount of support students receive depends on their present level of English language proficiency and will continue until the student has achieved a level of English proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing to be able to successfully comprehend and access grade level curriculum. English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction and content area support is available to all MLL students in grades K-12 and at all of the eight schools within the Reading Public Schools.
Exiting
The decision to exited a student out of the MLL program will be made after a review of the following information: the Massachusetts DESE’s annual ACCESS for MLLs English proficiency assessment, ELA MCAS scores, and overall classroom performance. Upon exiting the MLL program, all Former Multilingual Learners students will be monitored for four years to ensure continuing academic success.
Transitioning
The decision to transition a student out of the MLL program will be made after a review of the following information: the Massachusetts DESE’s annual ACCESS for MLLs English proficiency assessment, ELA MCAS scores, and overall classroom performance. Upon exiting the EL program, all Former Multilingual Learners students (FMLLs) will be monitored for four years to ensure continuing academic success.
Parent Resources
Support- Learn your rights and help your child succeed
Family Toolkit- Help for understanding the U.S. school system. Includes family and student rights, questions to ask schools, tips, and resources. Available in Arabic, Chinese, English, and Spanish.
Mass. Dept. of Education ELL Information- State level information for families about curriculum, guidance, laws, and more.
Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition- Information, support, and legal services for immigrants and refugees.
Informed Immigrant– Guides and support for undocumented immigrants.
Colorin Colorado- Strategies (especially for reading) to help your bilingual child succeed in school.
Mentors for Kids- Find an adult mentor to support your child academically, socially, and emotionally.
Parents Helping Parents MA- trained counselors help parents with problems related to their children and run support groups.
Adult ESL Classes- Learn or expand your English
Mass. Adult Literacy Hotline- Provides referrals to over 300 adult education programs
English at Large- Greater Boston-based FREE conversation groups and tutoring
Middlesex Community College Intensive English Institute- A noncredit program that focuses on helping English Learners who are looking to develop academic level English in order to apply to college
Woburn YMCA ESOL Program- English classes and English book groups through the YMCA's International Learning Center
Community Links- Get help and get involved in the town of Reading
Town of Reading Website - News and information about our community
Town of Reading E-Subscribe- Sign up for emergency notifications from the town
Reading Community Resource Guide- find housing, food, and health resources in Reading and the surrounding communities
Reading Public Library- Books, homework help, museum passes, story times, book clubs, and more.
Burbank YMCA- Gym and pool facilities, swim and sport classes for children, teens, and adults, child care, day camps, and more.
Reading Recreation- Sports classes and activities for kids: basketball, baseball, karate, soccer, etc.
Burbank Ice Arena- Year-round ice skating, lessons, hockey, parties, etc.
Student Resources
Reference
Content Glossaries (grade 3-12)-Bilingual glossaries organized by content area.
Language Guide: Spoken Visual Dictionary- Choose a language and a category to see pictures and hear words pronounced.
Google Translator- Translate text or documents into another language.
Google Maps- Find almost any location on earth in map or 3D view.
Speaking and Pronunciation
English Pronunciation- Common mistakes based on first language
Learn English Series- YouTube Series to practice speaking English
Learn English with Jokes– Lots of fun jokes to practice your English!
English Club: Pronunciation- Interesting activities to understand and practice pronunciation in English.
howjsay.com- Type in English words to hear how they are pronounced
Language Guide: Spoken Visual Dictionary- Choose a language and a category to see pictures and hear words pronounced.
Vocabulary
Grades 3-12 Content Glossaries by Language- Bilingual glossaries in over 30 languages organized by subject area and grade
A4ESL: Bilingual Quizzes- English vocabulary quizzes translated into over 40 languages.
About.com- Advanced TOEFL Practice- Collection of links to help with TOEFL study
Enchanted Learning- Picture Dictionary- English picture dictionary (Bilingual also available)
English Club: Vocabulary- A few interesting articles about important and challenging English vocabulary.
ESL Games: Memory Games- Games to practice different categories of vocabulary.
Vocab Ahead- Videos to help learn advanced vocab for SAT prep.
Word Sift- Enter text to generate visuals for vocabulary
Grammar
English Club: GrammarLots of interesting articles about different grammar points.
English Club: Parts of SpeechClick on the different parts of speech to learn more.
ESL Games: Sentence Monkey GamesGames to practice different parts of speech and grammatical structures.
Fun English Games: GrammarFun games to practice punctuation, sentence structure, prefixes, suffixes, and parts of speech.
Listening
Duolingo- Practice reading, speaking, and listening while having fun!
English Club: Listening- Lots of fun listening exercises with new updates weekly.
Reading
Rewordify- Use to simplify English text. Also provides vocabulary exercises for the text you submit.
Academic Word Finder- Copy and paste a passage to get a list of grade level vocabulary words with definitions.
Text to Speech Reader- Copy and paste text to have it read aloud.
Convert an Image to Text using Google Docs– Helpful for accessing all the tools listed above. Take a picture of a book and convert it to text.
BBC World News- News available in 32 Languages (scroll to bottom to choose language)
Duolingo- Practice reading, speaking, and listening while having fun!
English Club: Reading- Interesting activities to practice reading in English.
English Club: Reading (grades K-2)- Interesting activities to practice reading in English for young learners.
Fun English Games: Reading- Fun games to practice reading comprehension
Starfall: Learn to Read (grades K-2)- Interactive activities to help young students learn to read.
Writing
English Club: Writing- Interesting activities to practice writing in English.
Fun English Games: Writing- Fun games to practice writing letters, stories, news articles, debates, advertising and instructions
Graphic Organizers- Use these awesome graphic organizers to help plan what you will write!
Make your own Comics!- Write your own comic using fun characters, speech bubbles, and more.
Math
Cool Math (grades 6-12)-Fun and visual review all middle and high school math topics.
Cool Math 4 Kids (grades K-5)-Fun and visual review all elementary math topics.
Teacher Resources
Curriculum and Instruction
General Resources and Information:
WIDA Can-Do Descriptors K-12- Can do Descriptors by English Proficiency Level. Choose the “Can Do Descriptors Name Charts” for your grade level and print on ledger-sized paper.
MA DESE EL Information- Curriculum, resources, professional development, etc.
Cultural Atlas and Hofstede Insights- Country cultural profiles to support cultural proficiency practices in the classroom.
Info. and Advice for Generalist Teachers- Frankfurt International School's ESL site includes extensive information for generalist teachers
Colorin Colorado for Educators- A wealth of resources for curriculum and instruction ideas when working with ELs
NCELA Resource Library- The National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition has a huge database of articles, reports, classroom materials, curricula, fact sheets, and more.
Picture Books for Older Students- Here is a bibliography of picture books for secondary teachers, organized by subject.
Sentence Frames- Use sentence frames to help ELs (and all students!) build proficiency with academic language.
Transfer Errors Language Guide- Chart with examples of transfer errors (the impact of students' first languages when acquiring English).
Transfer Issues in Different Languages- 10+ Languages with examples of transfer errors. Click on “Some Other Language Differences” for Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, and Portuguese.
English Pronunciation-Common mistakes and exercises to practice based on first language
Online Tools for Supporting Instruction:
Grades 3-12 Content Glossaries by Language- Bilingual glossaries in over 30 languages organized by subject area and grade
Rewordify- Use to simplify English text to be more easily understood by MLLs and their parents. Also provides vocabulary exercises for the passage you submit.
Academic Word Finder- Copy and paste a passage to get a list of tier 2 vocabulary with definitions.
Text-To-Speech Reader- Copy and paste text to have it read aloud. Works in English and 26 languages.
Voice Typing- Allow students to speak instead of writing to complete written assignments in Google Docs.
Convert an Image to Text using Google Docs– Helpful for accessing all the tools listed in this section. Take a picture of a book and convert it to text.
Laws and Guidance
Mass. DESE ELL Guidance and Laws- State level resources regarding MLLs' rights
ELs with Disabilities- Information from the U.S. Department of Ed. on distinguishing language acquisition from learning disabilities and supporting MLLs with disabilities.
Informed Immigrant– Resources for educators supporting undocumented students
Mentors for Kids- Find programs (like Big Brothers, Big Sisters) that pair at-risk youth with adult mentors.
Translation
Translation for MLL Families- Review this presentation to get ideas on how to support EL parents to access the information you send home
Google Translate– Use for informal translation purposes. Upload a pdf, document, PowerPoint, etc. and have it translated, preserving your formatting. You can also translate websites and Google forms
Language Line Telephone Interpreting Service-This subscription service offers on-demand over-the-phone interpretation for phone/Zoom calls and short meetings. Speak to your principal for the phone number for our account.
Catholic Charities Community Interpreter Services– contact for interpretation (spoken) or translation (written) for important documents and meetings.
NETA New England Translators Association- Another resource for interpretation / translation
National Association of School Psychologists– Look up school psychologists in the area for bilingual testing.
Contact Us
Karen Hall
Multilingual Learner Program Coordinator
Part Time: Off Wednesdays
1-781-670-2889
Patrice Duggan
Multilingual Learner 9-12 Teacher
patrice.duggan@reading.k12.ma.us
Melissa Henri
Multilingual Learner K-5 Teacher
melissa.henri@reading.k12.ma.us
Michelle Litzenberg
Multilingual Learner K-8 Teacher
michelle.litzenberg@reading.k12.ma.us
Carla Pennacchio
Multilingual Learner K-8 Teacher
Part-time: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
carla.pennacchio@reading.k12.ma.us
Francine Rubano-Jones
Multilingual Learner K-5 Teacher
Translation
Translation for MLL Families- Review this presentation to get ideas on how to support EL parents to access the information you send home.
Google Translate– Use for informal translation purposes. Upload a pdf, document, PowerPoint, etc. and have it translated, preserving your formatting. You can also translate websites and Google forms
Language Line Telephone Interpreting Service-This subscription service offers on-demand over-the-phone interpretation for phone/Zoom calls and short meetings. Speak to your principal for the phone number for our account.
Catholic Charities Community Interpreter Services– contact for interpretation (spoken) or translation (written) for important documents and meetings.
NETA New England Translators Association- Another resource for interpretation / translation
National Association of School Psychologists– Look up school psychologists in the area for bilingual testing.
Curriculum and Assessment
Curriculum
The Multilingual Learner Department teaches cross-curricular units focused on listening, speaking, reading, and writing as well as acquiring content area knowledge. Our curriculum is aligned to the WIDA English Language Development Standards, as well as the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.
Assessment
All MLLs in grades K-12 must take the ACCESS for ELs (Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State for English Learners) test in the winter each year. This is a test to see how well the students understand spoken English, communicate in English, and read and write in English. For grades 1-12, ACCESS is administered online. Grades 1-3 are tested on paper for the writing portion of the test only. Kindergartners take the paper version of the test one-on-one with a familiar adult.
For more information: What is ACCESS?
MLL Progress Reports
Progress Reports for Multilingual Learners are issued in November, March and June of the school year. The Progress Reports are aligned with the WIDA English Language Development Standards, and reflect students’ progress in listening, speaking, reading and writing English.
The teachers in MLL Department are available for conferences and are more than happy to meet with families at any time during the school year to discuss student progress.