Checkpoint A Benchmark Proficiency Assessment Item Writing Workshop for Modern Languages
Presenters: ÌýDr. Joanne O’Toole and Dr. Lori Langer de Ramirez
Webinar date & time:Ìý Tuesday, November 5th, 2024, 8:30am - 2:30pm via Zoom
5 hours of CTLE credit offered.
The Office of Bilingual Education and World Languages (OBEWL) of the °ÄÃÅÌØÂëÍõ (NYSED) presents this next webinar in its 2024 Professional Learning Series:Ìý Checkpoint A Benchmark Proficiency Assessment Item Writing Workshop for Modern Languages.Ìý This webinar is offered free of charge for world language educators and administrators working or studying in °ÄÃÅÌØÂëÍõ educational institutions.Ìý Participants must commit to attending the full webinar from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (with a one-hour break, the time for which will be designated by the presenter) in order to receive a certificate.
Webinar description: This 6-hour live virtual workshop will engage NYS world language educators in understanding and applying the Principles and Guidelines for Adopting or Creating Locally Developed Benchmark Assessments for Checkpoint A for Modern Languages.* The presenters will explain and model assessment items for each Communication Standard aligned to the aforementioned guidance. Participants will have the opportunity to construct assessment items for Interpretive, Interpersonal, and Presentational Communication at Checkpoint A that adhere to these guidelines.ÌýThe workshop will run from 8:30 am to 2:30 pm with a one-hour lunch on your own at a time designated by the presenters.
Click here to download the webinar flyer.
In preparation for this online workshop, participants are asked to:
- download and read the document Principles and Guidelines for Adopting or Creating Locally Developed Benchmark Assessments for Checkpoint A for Modern Languages
- view the webinar by the same name and test their knowledge of the guidance following the viewing of the webinar by taking the online post assessment (Additional versions of the post assessment can be found on the webinar’s page, if needed.)
In addition, participants should bring their laptop or other device to use during the workshop.
Registration process: ÌýAll participants must pre-register for this event. Pre-registration will close on Friday, November 1st, 2024; there will be no same-day registrations. ÌýOnce the registrant's email address has been verified as being from a °ÄÃÅÌØÂëÍõ school, college, or university, an email confirming their registration will be sent.Ìý Twenty-four hours prior to the event, all registered individuals will receive login instructions with the link to join the webinar.Ìý Only pre-registered attendees will be eligible for a certificate documenting attendance and/or CTLE hours.Ìý
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*Principles and Guidelines for Adopting or Creating Locally Developed Benchmark Assessments for Checkpoint A for Modern Languages is a document that provides guidance for the creation of Checkpoint A Benchmark Assessments aligned to the revised NYS Learning Standards for World Languages. Benchmark assessments are those assessments used to award one high school credit for middle school students prior to entering Grade 9 and to meet the one-credit graduation requirement. Checkpoint A Benchmark Assessments must be aligned to the revised standards for the June 2025 administration.
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Webinar presenters:
Dr. Joanne O'Toole is a Professor of Modern Language Education in the Curriculum and Instruction Department at SUNY Oswego. She is a member of the Executive Committee of the NYSED World Languages Content Advisory Panel and the Principal Investigator of the NYS World Language Standards Initiative. Joanne has served in several world language leadership positions including NYSAFLT President and NECTFL Director, and is a regular presenter at national, regional, state, and local conferences. Joanne is a certified teacher of Spanish and taught Spanish for 16 years prior to entering post-secondary education.
Dr. Lori Langer de Ramirez began her language teaching career as a teacher of Spanish, French and ESL. She holds a Master's Degree in Applied Linguistics and a Doctorate in Curriculum and Teaching from Teachers College, Columbia University. She is currently the Director of World and Classical Languages & Global Language Initiatives at the Dalton School in New York City. Lori is the author of books, texts and articles about language teaching and learning and multicultural education. She presents workshops at local, regional and national conferences and works with teachers in schools throughout the U.S. and around the world. Her website () offers free materials for teaching Chinese, English, French, and Spanish.