Addressing the Literacy Needs of Virginia’s English Language Learners:
The VA Dept of Ed/GM Partnership for Professional Development

Jack Levy

During the last decade the number of English Language Learners soared throughout Virginia. No longer concentrated in the Northern VA area, ELLs are now enrolled in nearly every Virginia school district. Naturally, this created a need for professional development for both ESOL and mainstream teachers. As the main preparer of ESOL teachers statewide, it was natural that the VA Dept of Education would approach GMU for assistance.

The partnership began in the summer of 2004. Funded by a VADOE grant that pays for tuition and books, George Mason began offering a course entitled Reading/Writing Strategies for English Language Learners.  The class includes the following topics:

An overview of first and second language acquisition
Reading domains
Emergent Literacy
Vocabulary development    
Learning to Write
Research on L2 Writers
Content area instruction for ELL
Formative and summative assessment of reading and writing
Standards-based reading/writing instruction

Since the partnership began in Summer 04, GMU has offered the course every semester. Seven sections are offered annually in different sites – two each Fall and Spring, and three classes scheduled during the summer. Thirty five classes have been offered since 2004 (with numbers 36-38 approved for Summer 09). The classes are scheduled at “teacher-friendly” times - academic year courses are offered on six Saturdays, and summer courses take place during a week of full-time meetings, plus pre and post-course assignments. Teachers have been able to attend the class in Roanoke, Harrisonburg, Charlottesville, Hampton, Williamsburg, Galax, Winchester, Norfolk, Richmond, Fredericksburg, Danville and Manassas Park.

More than 600 ESOL and general education teachers have taken advantage of this excellent opportunity, and their enthusiastic evaluations have enabled the partnership to continue. George Mason and the VA Dept of Ed are proud of the commitment shown by Virginia’s teachers to address the needs of the state’s English Language Learners.

For more information please contact
Jack Levy
jevy@gmu.edu