What's New at the Bilingual Hub
New cohorts of students
For the Fall 2024 semester, WMBH welcomes 17 teachers in two programs. Eight teachers will begin the sixth cohort of the Bilingual and Dual Language Education program and nine teachers will begin the Bilingual, ESL, & Multicultural Education Master's.
Seal of Biliteracy
- Through the work of the Western Massachusetts Bilingual Hub, high school students who obtain the Seal of Biliteracy will be able to transfer up to 15 college credits at UMass Amherst, no matter what language they speak at home. We value multilingualism and multiculturalism on our campus and hope that more students feel that their ability to speak and write in multiple languages makes them stand out. We will provide a link to the University Registrar webpage for more information once it has been published online.
- The UMass WMBH organized the 2024 Biliteracy Awards ceremony in partnership with Amherst Regional Public Schools and Holyoke Public Schools. Congratulations to the recipients of the Seal of Biliteracy and all younger multilinguals who obtained pathway awards.
FAQs about dual language bilingual education
The Western Massachusetts Bilingual Hub has recently prepared a list of easy-to-understand questions and answers about dual language bilingual education. The documents are available for free in English and Spanish and are a useful resource for parents, teachers, school administrators, or other members of the community who are interested in learning more about this excellent method of education for all children.
Support for MTEL preparation
- We are taking advantage of artificial intelligence to help teachers to prepare for and pass their Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure exams and to learn more about the requirements for teacher endorsement and certification. Interested educators should visit this webpage for support in understanding the requirements for obtaining an endorsement or licensure.
- Those who are interested in practicing the communications and literacy MTEL exam may wish to use this free guide on ChatGPT developed by Daniel Toro Gonzalez, WMBH postdoctoral fellow.
Grants and projects
- We will apply to the 2024 competition from the Institute of Education Sciences to obtain support for conducting a cost-benefit analysis. This project would measure the costs associated with dual language programs against the positives of such programs in terms of students’ multilingual and multicultural advantages. This analysis will be specific to the state of Massachusetts, and we trust that this project will help school leaders to recognize the immense benefits of bilingual education for only a moderate increase in price per student.
- To support the growth of dual language bilingual education in Massachusetts, we have recently applied to the National Professional Development grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition. This grant would provide undergraduate or graduate-level training to current or future dual language and ESL educators and would recruit multilingual students who are the first in their families to attend college. This project seeks to provide intensive professional development for up to 200 educators, as well as start-to-finish support for undergraduate and graduate students looking to obtain their initial license in teaching in bilingual schools. This includes coursework and all fees and workshops necessary to prepare for state license exams. This grant could impact up to 6,600 students if awarded to our organization.