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LOTE CED Established
The Languages Other Than English Center for Educator
Development (LOTE CED) was established in February 1998
and is located in the Southwest Educational Development
Laboratory (SEDL) in Austin, Texas. It is a collaboration
between SEDL, the Education Service Center, Region 2
(ESC II), and the Texas Education Agency (TEA). The
LOTE CED is funded for the period February 1, 1998 through
August 31, 1999.
The mission of the LOTE CED is to provide a statewide
coordinated system of ongoing educational and professional
development for language educators in Texas with a focus
on implementation of the Texas Essential Knowledge
and Skills for Languages Other Than English (TEKS for
LOTE) at all grade levels (PreK-12).
The Year I goals of the LOTE CED are as follows:
- to conduct a needs assessment among Texas teachers
and language coordinators to identify key themes and
content areas within the TEKS for LOTE necessitating
professional development opportunities
- to provide professional development for LOTE educators
which takes into account the results of the needs
assessment and which may include orientation workshops/materials
related to A Texas Framework for Languages Other
Than English for teachers of LOTE and a "training
of trainers" for LOTE coaches and mentors
- to provide up-to-date language resources and information
for the Texas education community including teachers,
administrators, students, and parents
- to coordinate activities of the Texas-Spain Initiative
which include a Visiting Teachers Program, teacher/student
exchange programs, summer institutes, and Spanish
Academies in Texas schools
The LOTE CED will build on the work completed through
SEDL's Project ExCELL. Project ExCELL was responsible
for coordinating the development of the TEKS for
LOTE, as well as for creating and publishing A
Texas Framework for Languages Other Than English, Preparing
Language Teachers to Implement the Texas Essential Knowledge
and Skills for Languages Other Than English, and Professional
Development for Language Teachers: Implementing the
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Languages Other
Than English.
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Advisory Committee Holds First Meeting
The LOTE CED held its first Advisory Committee meeting in Austin,
Texas on February 27 and 28, 1998. The Advisory Committee was
convened to gather advice from field consultants on the Center's
products and activities.
Five educators from around the state serve on the Advisory
Committee: MayDell Jenks (Instructional Officer,
FL/ESL/Bilingual, Katy ISD), Doris Kays (Foreign
Language Coordinator, North East ISD, San Antonio), Bobby
LaBouve (Specialist, Language Policy and Planning
and former Coordinator of Project ExCELL, Austin, Texas),
Annette Lowry (Program Director, Foreign
Languages, Fort Worth ISD), and Janet Norden
(Baylor University, Waco). In addition, an out-of-state, rotating
consultant position has been established; Walter Bartz
(Indiana Department of Education) served in this capacity
at the first meeting. Also serving on the committee are the
following staff members: Inés García
(Director for LOTE, Texas Education Agency), Carl
Johnson (Assistant Director for LOTE, Texas Education
Agency), Lillian King (Director, LOTE CED),
and Elaine Phillips (Advisory Committee Chair
and Field Specialist, LOTE CED).
The Advisory Committee's charge was to advise LOTE CED /
TEA staff on local professional development issues, share
information on innovative state and national professional
development initiatives, to help plan orientation workshops
for A Texas Framework for Languages Other Than English, to
make recommendations for a needs assessment to be conducted
by the LOTE CED, to suggest products the LOTE CED can develop
to help Texas LOTE educators in implementing the TEKS for
LOTE, and to aid in establishing a timeline for the implementation
of Center activities.
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