Starting a NYSSB Program at Your School (2024-25)
Presenters: Candace Black and Yunxiao Zhang
Original webinar date & time: Wednesday, October 16th, 2024, 3:30-4:30 p.m. via Zoom
1 hour of CTLE credit offered.
The Office of Bilingual Education and World Languages (OBEWL) of the New York State Education Department (NYSED) presents this next webinar in its 2024 NYSSB Professional Learning Series: Starting a NYSSB Program at Your School. This webinar is offered free of charge for world language educators and administrators working or studying in New York State educational institutions.
Webinar description: Have you been thinking about exploring the idea of starting a NYS Seal of Biliteracy program at your school? This program has experienced tremendous growth since it was first offered in 2015-16. In 2023-24, almost 500 NYS high schools offered the Seal to their students (which amounts to about 40% of district high schools in the state). This session will review what the Seal of Biliteracy is, who can earn this distinction, what benefits it brings to students, educators, and schools, as well as what it takes to start a Seal of Biliteracy program. A wealth of digital resources will be provided, and time will be allotted during the session for questions from participants. Come and learn about how you can honor your English Language Learners (ELLs), your World Language students, and your Heritage Language Speakers who are developing the 21st century skill of biliteracy.
Click here to download webinar flyer.
Link to Handouts folder from webinar
Post-assessments (Coming soon!)
To receive a certificate of completion (including a CTLE certificate), NYS educators must view the recording of the webinar (see link above) in its entirety and then answer at least seven out of ten questions correctly on the post assessment. If the minimum required score (7 out of 10) is achieved, the educator will receive a certificate via email within about 24 hours. For the convenience of our NYSSB educators, there are multiple versions of the post assessment available, should the required score not be achieved on the first attempt. Educators may take each version of the post assessment once.
Important notes:
- Educators may take each version of the post assessment once. Credit will not be given for taking a single version of the post assessment more than once.
- Credit will not be given for more than one passing score on any of the post assessments for a webinar (listed below) in a single academic year.
- Educators may receive credit for viewing the webinar recording and passing a post assessment once in each academic year and are encouraged to take a different version of the post assessment on a yearly basis to review and test their knowledge of the webinar's content.
- It is the responsibility of the individual educator to keep track of the information on the professional learning they complete each year, including the number of CTLE hours.
- Questions about this webinar or the post assessments, should be directed to our office at (518) 473-7505 or nyssb@nysed.gov.
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Webinar Summary
# of attendees: 56
# of CTLE certificates issued: 43
# of certificates of attendance issued: 13
# of organizations represented by attendees: 49
45 participants from district schools participants from charter schools
2 participants from non-public schools
3 participants from charter schools
3 participants from BOCES or RBERNs
3 participants from a government agency
Quotes from participants
"Thank you so much for the great info!" ~ Brenda P.
For more information on the NYS Seal of Biliteracy, please visit our website or contact nyssb@nysed.gov.
Webinar Presenters:
Candace Black is a World Languages Associate in the Office of Bilingual Education and World Languages at the New York State Education Department. She is currently leading the implementation of the revised NYS World Languages Standards and oversees the NYS Seal of Biliteracy program. Candace graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in French from SUNY Potsdam and earned both her M.B.A., and M.A.T. from the University of Rochester. A National Board-Certified Teacher, Candace taught French for 21 years and served as an IB Diploma Coordinator. In 2021, she was the recipient of the President’s Award for both NYSAFLT and NYSAWLA and was elected as a Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes académiques by the French government. In all her roles, most especially her current one, Candace is deeply committed to the professional learning and support of World Language teachers and the promotion of the NYS Seal of Biliteracy.
Yunxiao Zhang is an Educational Specialist in the Office of Bilingual Education and World Languages at the New York State Education Department. She assists in promoting and managing the NYS Seal of Biliteracy program and the implementation of the revised NYS Learning Standards for World Languages. Yunxiao brings over a decade of experience as a college educator and administrator in China. With B.S. and M.E. degrees in Information Technology, she adeptly incorporates her expertise in data analysis within the realms of management. Upon moving to the US, Yunxiao earned her M.A.T. from Clarkson University and became certified as a Chinese language teacher, continuing her teaching career. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Educational Policy and Leadership at SUNY Albany, concentrating on social-emotional learning and holistic education for English Language Learners and all students. Yunxiao is dedicated to fostering academic success and well-being for English Language Learners and Multilingual Learners, supporting them to thrive within culturally and linguistically diverse communities.