2024-25 NYSSB Book Study - Promoting Multilingualism in Schools: A Framework for Implementing the Seal of Biliteracy
The 2024-25 NYSSB Book Study for Promoting Multilingualism in Schools: A Framework for Implementing the Seal of Biliteracy is sponsored by the Office of Bilingual Education and World Languages (OBEWL) of the New York State Education Department (NYSED). Educators from schools that offered the New York State Seal of Biliteracy (NYSSB) in 2023-24 and that will also offer it in the 2024-24 school year are invited to participate. Educators from district, charter, religious, and independent schools are welcome. This book study will be facilitated by the authors, Dr. Kristin Davin and Dr. Amy Heineke.
Promoting Multilingualism in Schools: A Framework for Implementing the Seal of Biliteracy is an innovative implementation guide that comes from the recognition that while school staff want what is best for students, Seal of Biliteracy implementation is often shaped by deep-rooted inequities in the U.S. education system, including divergent access to the development of biliteracy – particularly for students of color. Access to world, heritage, and bilingual education is an issue of social justice; the Seal of Biliteracy is a key lever to changing policy and practice across the U.S. This book confronts these inequities through the “5Ps Framework”: (a) creating a meaningful and equitable purpose for Seal implementation, (b) offering students equitable access to proficiency assessments, (c) developing language programs that support attainment of the Seal, (d) tapping into partners to broaden access to the Seal, and (e) using promotion to extend the work across schools and communities. Time will be provided for small group processing and application of new ideas to school contexts.
All book study meetings will be conducted via Zoom from 4:00-5:30 pm EST. The dates of the book study are September 25th, October 23rd, November 20th, December 18th, January 29th, February 26th, March 26th, April 30th, and May 21st. Participants must commit at the time of registration to attending in full a minimum of 8 of the 9 meetings.
Participants may earn up to 27 hours of CTLE credit (1.5 hours for each of 9 meetings and 13.5 hours for reading the book and preparing for meetings). Participants must attend at least eight (8) of the nine (9) meetings in order to receive credit, a certificate of attendance, and a digital badge for their participation. The book will be distributed to all participants, free of charge, by early September. There is no cost to participate in this book study.
To register for this book study, click here.
| Date | Focus Topic |
| September 25th |
Introductions & book study plan Chapter 1: What is the Seal of Biliteracy? What are the characteristics of the NYS Seal of Biliteracy? |
| October 23rd | Chapter 2: Determining your Purpose |
| November 20th | Chapter 3: Choosing your assessments |
| December 18th | Chapter 4: Considering programs available to your students |
| January 29th | Chapter 4: Considering your curriculum and instruction |
| February 26th | Chapter 5: Developing partnerships inside your school |
| March 26th | Chapter 5: Developing partnerships outside your school |
| April 30th | Chapter 6: Promoting the NYSSB in your school |
| May 21st | Chapter 7: Creating your NYSSB action plan |
Please send an email to: nyssb@nysed.gov with any questions regarding this book study.
Dr. Kristin J. Davin is Professor of Foreign Language Education in the department of Middle, Secondary, and K-12 Education at the Cato College of Education at the University of North Carolina Charlotte. Dr. Davin completed her Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh in 2011. She teaches undergraduate and graduate foreign and second language methodology and assessment courses. Her research focuses on second language development, second language assessment, language teacher development, and the Seal of Biliteracy. Dr. Davin has received numerous prestigious awards for her teaching, research, and service that include the Award for Excellence in Research (2022), Thomas L. Reynolds Leadership Award for Excellence in Graduate Program Administration (2022), Educator of Excellence Award from the Southern Conference on Language Teaching (SCOLT), and the Anthony Papalia Award for Excellence in Teacher Education (2020).
Amy J. Heineke, PhD, is Professor of Multilingual Teaching & Learning in the School of Education at Loyola University Chicago. Her research focuses on teacher education for culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms, with strands focused on pre-service and in-service teachers’ preparation for emergent bilinguals and language policy work in practice to support students’ learning and language development.