Supporting Students through the Culminating Project & Presentation
Webinar description
The Culminating Project is the only criterion for the NYS Seal of Biliteracy that earns students two out of three points in a language. Because of this, almost one-third of all Seal earners choose to complete a Culminating Project in English and almost half of all Seal earners complete a Culminating Project in another world language. This webinar will present ideas on how to develop structures to support students through the successful completion of these projects, including the various required elements of the project, embedding projects within coursework, matching students with mentors, monitoring student progress, familiarizing students with the rubric, leveraging technology to help them prepare to present their projects to a panel, and general recommendations for supporting high-quality student performance based on seven years of offering the Seal of Biliteracy.
Original webinar date & time: Wednesday, January 17th, 2024, 3:30-4:30 p.m.
1 hour of CTLE credit offered.
Website presenters
Candace Black is the 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.
Maria Fenton was born and raised in Europe. English is her 5th language. She graduated with a Modern Languages degree from the Sorbonne University, Paris. In NYS, Maria received degrees from Wells College and SUNY Cortland. She has taught for over 30 years and is National Board certified. Maria is a Resource Specialist with the Mid-State Regional Bilingual Education Resource Network at OCM BOCES. She is devoted to positively impacting student achievement. Maria supports districts with their World Language and ENL programs encouraging and strengthening multilingual, multicultural experiences for all students. She is devoted to positively impacting student achievement. She is passionate about accomplished teaching, professional collaboration and reflective practice. Maria works with other state leaders bridging and expanding multiple partnerships on behalf of students and colleagues across New York State.
Link to Handouts folder from webinar
Link to post-assessments (8 versions available)
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 a 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 World Language educators, there are multiple versions of the post assessment available (see 8 versions of the post assessment below), should the required score not be achieved on the first attempt. 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. 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 at nyssb@nysed.gov.
For more information on the NYS Seal of Biliteracy, please visit our website or contact nyssb@nysed.gov.
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