Professional Learning Programs
B-SEAL for Multilingual Learners
Building Secondary Educator and Administrator Leadership (B-SEAL) for Multilingual Learners is an 18-month certification program that provides teachers with a unique opportunity to earn either a New York State certification in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) or a Bilingual Extension, at almost no out-of-pocket cost to participants.
This program, designed by The City College of New York and New Visions for Public Schools, supports literacy development and the success of multilingual learners across content areas.
Our Approach
Our rigorous coursework and team-based professional development are guided by the goal of providing meaningful learning opportunities to thousands of multilingual learners across New York City.
The program provides participants with knowledge and strategies to draw on multilingual learner resources of rich cultural histories and broad linguistic repertoires, and to attend to students’ socioemotional needs in order to support multilingual learners’ sense of belonging and increased academic achievement.
The program supports the use of explicit instruction of metacognitive and cognitive strategies across the content areas to support language and literacy growth in students. Teachers learn how to assess their students’ current literacy and the language demands within their subject, as well as methods to match instruction to student needs.
Teachers and at least one school leader from each school form a team to apply to the program. In-school teams develop goals together and foster strong working relationships to support multilingual learners. Teachers and school leaders also participate in cross-school professional learning communities.
Participation by school leaders in school teams enhances instructional shifts within classrooms and creates school-wide structures that are responsive to the needs of multilingual learners. School leaders will be guided in using literacy and language data to inform programming, build an multilingual learner profile, and write a strategic plan.
Schools will develop a pathway for MLs to earn the New York State (NYS) Seal of Biliteracy, a credential that recognizes high school graduates who attain a high level of proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing in English and additional languages.
Participating teachers will earn either a TESOL certificate or a Bilingual Extension.
Program Timeline
Teachers begin the program in January 2025 by taking two online graduate courses in the spring semester. In the summer, participating school leaders join a virtual, cross-school Professional Learning Community while teachers take their third course, also online. In the fall of the following school year, teachers complete their graduate coursework, begin the practicum and participate in in-school, team-based professional learning communities, facilitated by ML specialists.
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