Q: How do I know if I need to submit the Culminating Project Notification Form for my school?
A: Schools that have been selected for a visit during the student presentations of the Culminating Projects in World Languages will be notified by no later than September 30th. Only schools that have been notified of their selection should submit the Culminating Project Notification Form. This form can be submitted as soon as a school is notified of their selection for a visit, but must be submitted at least four weeks prior to dates of the student presentations.
Q: The website provides a link to the online NYSSB Culminating Project Notification Form as well as templates of the form in Word and PDF. Which one must a selected school submit?
A: The templates (Word, PDF) are provided so that selected schools can view the entire form and gather the necessary information prior to submitting the online form. The templates are only for the school's use and should not be emailed to NYSED. Instead, once the school has gathered all of the required information for the form, the Seal Coordinator should complete the online NYSSB Culminating Project Notification Form by no later than four weeks prior to the dates of the student presentations.
Q: How are NYSSB schools selected to be part of the sample of schools to be visited each year?
A: In order to be selected for a Culminating Project Presentation visit, schools must have offered the NYSSB for at least two consecutive years. NYSED will randomly select approximately three to five schools from each of the seven regions of the state (Capital-East, Hudson Valley, Long Island, Mid-State, Mid-West, New York City, and West).
Q: If my school is selected for a visit, when and who will be notified?
A: Schools selected for a Culminating Project Presentation will be notified via an email to the Seal Coordinator on record no later than September 30th. It is the responsibility of the Seal Coordinator to notify the building principal, the Seal of Biliteracy Committee, and any other parties that should be made aware of the visit.
Q: By when must a Seal Coordinator from a school selected for a visit submit the Culminating Project Notification Form?
A: The Culminating Project Notification form can be submitted as soon as a school is notified of their selection for a visit, but must be submitted at least four weeks prior to dates of the student presentations.
Q: After my schools submits the Culminating Project Notification Form, when will be notified of the visit date and time?
A: NYSED will make every effort to notify schools of the date and time of the visit within two weeks of the submission of the Culminating Project Notification Form. This notification will include the date and time of the visit as well as the contact information of the NYSED representative who will be present. In most cases, the visitor will be the World Language Associate from OBEWL, however, in some cases, a Resource Specialist from the local Regional Bilingual Education Resource Network (RBERN) will attend.
Q: Will the visits be virtual or in person?
A: In the vast majority of cases where in-person visits are permitted by the NYS Department of Health, a NYSED representative will conduct the visit in-person. Occasions may arise, through necessity or convenience, to conduct such visits virtually for selected schools that have the capacity to accommodate a virtual visitor.
Q: What should I do if my school is selected for a visit and then subsequently, the date of the presentations and the corresponding visit need to be changed?
A: In rare occasions, such as a school closure due to inclement weather, a school may need to change the date of Culminating Project Presentations. When the school is scheduled for a visit on such date, the Seal Coordinator should immediately contact the visitor to make alternate arrangements.
Q: What kind of feedback will the visitor provide to the school based on the visit?
A: The NYSED representative visiting the school will observe and participate in Culminating Project Presentations and provide feedback and support to the panel and Seal Coordinator on the process of evaluating the presentations. Following the final presentation, the visitor will provide the Seal Coordinator with a report showing areas of commendations and areas of growth.
Q: Will every student presentation be observed on the date of the scheduled visit?
A: All visitors will speak English and one or more world languages. Visits will generally be scheduled on dates that correspond to the languages spoken by the visitor so that they can fully participate in the panel interview. In addition, visitors may attend student presentations in lower-incidence languages that they don't personally speak. In these instances, the visitor will attend, but not participate, in the panel interview, which is always conducted in the language being assessed. Such a visitor may still provide general feedback on the Culminating Project Presentation to the Seal Coordinator.
Q: Will visits be scheduled to observe Culminating Project Presentations in English?
A: Visits will primarily be scheduled for the Culminating Project Presentations in world languages (other than English), although if there are presentations in English that are scheduled on the date of the visit, the visitor may also attend such presentations.
Q: Will visits be scheduled during the regular school day?
A: Visits will scheduled for whenever the school will be conducting the Culminating Project Presentations, whether they be during the regular school day, after school, or in the evening.
