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2009 Calendar

A list of local, state, and national professional development events of interest to adult & family literacy practitioners in Texas. If you know of other professional development opportunities or important dates of interest to Texas practitioners, please submit them to our Calendar Committee for consideration. For more information join one of our email discussion groups so you will always hear about the latest training opportunities. Click on "Discussion Lists" to read about these discussion lists and how to join.

July 2009

July 7-8, 2009: BEST Plus Refresher Training: The session will be from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on both days and will take place at the Socorro Community Learning Center, 313 S. Rio Vista Rd., El Paso. Please email farwestg@farwestgreat.org if you have any questions or call (915) 937-1725. Register Online now!

July 9, 2009: Essentials of Teaching will be held from 8:30 am – 3:30 pm at Fort Worth Adult Ed Center located at 1066 West Magnolia in Fort Worth. For more information, please contact Patricia Covert at 817-852-1000 Ext. 243 or Patricia.Covert@fwisd.org.

July 10, 2009: Improve Classroom Management with Zero Preparation Activities, Follow-up Session: During this session attendees will discuss lessons learned and their completed assignments. The session will be from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The location will be announced at a later date. Attendees must participate in all three sessions and the follow-up to be eligible for the stipend. (First sessions were held June 9-11) Please email farwestg@farwestgreat.org if you have any questions or call (915) 937-1725.

July 10-11, 2009: FUNdamentals of Active Learning is a two-day workshop that will be held from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. on July 10 and from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on July 11 at HCDE, Irvington Learning Center, 626 Lindale, Houston 77022. Presenter is Barbara Baird. Research indicates that students learn best when actively engaged in their own learning. This highly interactive workshop is designed to provide ESL/ABE/ASE teachers with fun and engaging activities to enliven classroom teaching and learning. Through modeling and hands-on activities, teachers will learn useful teaching strategies that can be integrated into their classrooms. Participants will "learn by doing" and will be up and around participating in the different activities to learn first-hand how to facilitate and process the creative yet practical activities. Coastal Registration form For more information, please email CoastalCF@lonestar.edu.

July 11, 2009: BEST Plus will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Houston Community College, 3100 Main St, Lab BD 12 (basement), Houston, 77002. Presenter is Judy Bowman. The participants will study the rationale for the BEST Plus test and acquire sufficient mastery of the BEST Plus test to perform duties of a tester in administering, scoring, and interpreting the scores. Participant MaterialsNeeded: Each participant MUST bring a Test Administrator's Guide to be certified as a BEST Plus test administrator Please use these numbers to register: CABEA 6800043, registration number 16370, and section number CY616. Coastal Registration form For more information, please email CoastalCF@lonestar.edu.

July 11, 2009: TABE 9 & 10 will be held from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Harris County Department of Education, 626 Lindale, Houston 77022. Presenter is Bill Medina. This training will provide the CTB/McGraw-Hill certification requirements on the best practices of administering, scoring, and interpreting the TABE 9/10. Each participant will receive a copy of the official TABE 9/10 training workbook.  Please use these numbers to register: CABEA 6800036, registration number 17447, and section number CY 626. Coastal Registration form For more information, please email CoastalCF@lonestar.edu.

July 11, 2009: BEST Literacy will be held from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Harris County Department of Education, 626 Lindale, Houston 77022. Presenter is Bill Medina. This training is intended for anyone who administers or scores the BEST Literacy Test. Using the manual, participants will investigate proper test administration and scoring procedures, practice scoring writing samples, and acquire a basic knowledge of the content. By the end of the session participants should be able to use the writing rubric for scoring writing samples and follow the manual mandates for accurate scoring on the other sections. All participants must bring his/her own BEST Literacy Test Manual (10/06).Please use these numbers to register: CABEA 6800141, registration number 17442, and section number CY 619. Coastal Registration form For more information, please email CoastalCF@lonestar.edu.

July 14, 2009: ESL Beginning Literacy Training of Trainers will be held from 9 am to 4 pm at Salado. This training for GREAT Center and local program ESL trainers was developed by Texas LEARNS and Project GREAT in collaboration with CAELA (Center for Adult English Language Acquisition). Deadline to apply for limited spaces is May 15, 2009. For more information, contact Ken Appelt at TCALL (800-441-7323).

July 14-16, 2009: Adult Ed Administrators' Summer Institute will be held at the Stagecoach Inn in Salado. The Summer Institute is for both Adult Education Directors and EL Civics Coordinators. For advice on participation, contact your Grant Service Manager at Texas LEARNS. For information on registration or hotel, contact TCALL (800-441-READ).

July 15-16, 2009: Statewide Math Institute will be held in Salado. After successful completion of this initiative, participants will become statewide trainers in the art and science of teaching mathematics to adults. Deadline to apply for limited spaces is May 20, 2009. For more information, contact Rebecca Davis at karad00@tamuk.edu or call 361-593-4183.

July 17, 2009: Oxford University Press will sponsor two workshops presented by author Jayme Adelson-Goldstein at Houston Community College, Auditorium, 3100 Main Street (77002). Lunch will be provided. Attendees will receive the following publications and handouts: Oxford Picture Dictionary, 2nd Edition (2009); Vocabulary Development Handbook - an invaluable resource that provides a review of current research on vocabulary development and shows how research informs instruction; Professional Development Handbook which offers research-based teaching strategies, tasks and reproducible activities to support teachers in building a repertoire of effective instructional strategies; and an Activity Packet that provides a wealth of materials created specifically by Jayme for the workshop for you to use in your classroom. This is a collection of Jayme’s most useful and exciting classroom activities. This package has a retail value of $200! Please use the special registration forms below to register for these two trainings. (You will need Microsoft® Word to view this registration form. Please download Microsoft® Word Reader if you do not have Microsoft® Word on your computer.)

A Lexical Feast: Teaching Vocabulary Strategies Across Levels will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Noon. Vocabulary acquisition is key to our learners’ language skill development and research shows that the direct instruction of vocabulary is essential for successful acquisition. This lighthearted workshop will explore the vocabulary learning strategies (VLS) that learners at all levels can use to develop their active vocabulary. We’ll also work with practice activities that support the five stages of vocabulary acquisition within a communicative lesson: comprehension, retention, recognition out of the original context, production, and ownership. Please use these numbers to register: CABEA 6800265, registration number 09240, and section number CY 593. Special Registration Form (Microsoft® Word document). For more information, please email CoastalCF@lonestar.edu

Picturing Success in the Multilevel Classroom: Resources that Reach Across Levels will be held from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. The multilevel teaching environment requires that instructors provide synchronous instruction to learners with diverse needs and proficiencies. To meet that challenge, we need resources that will work at multiple levels and in multiple contexts. In this workshop, we’ll explore ways to use visual and audio resources to support multilevel instruction in both narrow and broad spectrum multilevel classes. We’ll also see how developing a repertoire of strategies and activities can make multilevel lesson planning less arduous! Throughout this session, you’ll have the opportunity to work with presentation strategies as well as same-level and mixed-level practice activities that can be easily adapted for use in your own classroom or professional development trainings. Please use these numbers to register: CABEA 6800266, registration number 09242, and section number CY 594. Special Registration Form (Microsoft® Word document). For more information, please email CoastalCF@lonestar.edu

July 21, 2009: New Teacher Academy will be held from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm at Hanson-Sewell Center located at 237 College Street, Pittsburg. For more information, please contact Sue Barker at 903-434-8251 or sbarker@ntcc.edu.

July 25, 2009: BEST Plus will be held from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm at Trinity Valley Community College located at 100 Cardinal Drive in Athens. For more information, please contact Chris Hicks at 903-675-6330 or chicks@tvcc.edu.  

July 25, 2009: BEST Plus will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Lone Star College North Harris,250 N. Sam Houston Pkwy E., Greenspoint Center Room 306, Houston 77060. Presenter is Bill Medina. The participants will study the rationale for the BEST Plus test and acquire sufficient mastery of the BEST Plus test to perform duties of a tester in administering, scoring, and interpreting the scores. Participant Materials Needed: Each participant MUST bring a Test Administrator's Guide to be certified as a BEST Plus test administrator. Please use these numbers to register: CABEA 6800043, registration number 17457, and section number CY 625. Coastal Registration form For more information, please email CoastalCF@lonestar.edu.

July 27-28, 2009: Literacy Texas Annual Conference will be held in Austin Marriott South Hotel. For more information, contact TCALL at 800-441-7323 or email tcall@tamu.edu and ask to be subscribed to the LiteracyTexasLink email discussion list.

July 28 - 30, 2009: ESL Summer Institute: Get Your Students Talking! Are you looking for ideas on how to engage adult learners in conversations, interviews and discussions? Do you want to breathe new life into your classes by having students involved in drama and poetry? This 3-day workshop will present hands-on activities that will have students talking at the best of their abilities. We will demonstrate how to create simple one-question surveys that work both inside and outside of the classroom and how even beginning level students can express ideas as part of structured pair activities. Proven strategies such as Readers’ Theater can help even the shyest students find their voice. We will show how role-plays and drama can be used to engage students in problem solving and communication and how scenarios can present a jumping off point for playing with language while discussing issues important in students’ lives. The sessions will be from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. each day and located at the Socorro ISD - District Service Center in Training Room A at 12440 Rojas, El Paso, 79928. Attendees must participate in all three sessions and the follow-up to be eligible for the stipend. The follow-up will be held August 21, 2009. Please email farwestg@farwestgreat.org if you have any questions or call (915) 937-1725. Register Online now!

July 29, 2009: The New Approach to Content Standards will be held from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm at Hanson Sewell Center located at 237 College Street in Pittsburg, Texas. For more information, please contact Sue Barker at 903-434-8251 or sbarker@ntcc.edu.

July 30, 2009: BEST Plus Training will be held from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm at Education Service Center, Region IX located at 301 Loop 11 in Wichita Falls, Texas. For more information, please contact Miriam Mas at 940-322-6928 or miriam.mas@esc9.net.

July 30, 2009: TEAMS for Teachers will be held from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm at the Hanson Sewell Center located at 237 College Street in Pittsburg.  For more information, please contact Sue Barker at 903-434-8251 or sbarker@ntcc.edu.

August 2009

August 1, 2009: Applying Content Standards will be held from 9:00 am – 4:30 pm at Education Service Center, Region VI located at 3332 Montgomery Road in Huntsville, Texas. For more information, please contact Tammy Gilbert at 936-435-8324 or tgilbert@esc6.net.

August 1, 2009: BEST Plus Refresher Toolkit will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Lone Star College North Harris,250 N. Sam Houston PKWY E., Greenspoint Center Room 306, Houston, 77060. Presenter is Jill Kaeser. This training is designed to recalibrate approved BEST Plus test administrators. Participants will have the opportunity to reflect on their own strengths and weaknesses regarding administration and accurate scoring of the BEST Plus. Participants will practice using the scoring rubric to provide justification for scoring each of the three language aspects. After practice, participants will complete a BEST Plus scoring calibration assessment. Each participant must bring his/her own TAG (Test Administrator’s Guide) and their own Scoring Refresher Workbook. Please use these numbers to register: CABEA 6800128, registration number 17450, and section number CY 621. Coastal Registration form For more information, please email CoastalCF@lonestar.edu.

August 5, 2009: Content Standards Training - will be held from 9:00 am - 4:00 pm (6 hr. training with one hr. for lunch) at 1601 S. Cleveland, Amarillo. Trainer is Gordon Peterson. Please contact Lesley Boyd for further information 806-677-5280 or leslie.boyd@esc16.net. You must register to attend. West Registration Form

August 6, 2009: Data Detective Training- will be held from 9:00 am - 4:00 pm (6 hr. training with one hr. for lunch) at 1601 S. Cleveland, Amarillo. Trainer is Helen Mills. Please contact Lesley Boyd for further information 806-677-5280 or leslie.boyd@esc16.net. You must register to attend. West Registration Form

August 8, 2009:: DL 101: Implementing Distance Learning for Adult Education in Texas will be held from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. at College of the Mainland, 1200 Amburn Road, Texas City,. Presenter is Renata Russo. Distance education is now an option for adult education and family literacy programs in Texas. Teachers who wish use this approach are required to participate in Distance Learning 101: Teaching Adult Learners at a Distance (DL 101). This course is itself a distance course and is designed to help teachers and administrators develop a distance education plan for an approved curriculum for their program. Please use these numbers to register: CABEA 6800158, registration number 17458, and section number CY 622. Coastal Registration form For more information, please email CoastalCF@lonestar.edu.

August 10-12, 2009: Workforce Literacy Summit. This event will have theme of "Putting Workforce Literacy Innovation to Work: A Call to Action for Economic & Green Development". Topics will include: Partnerships & Strategic Planning; Funding & Sustainability; and Program & Delivery. Hosts are Alamo Community Colleges Economic & Workforce Development Division, University of Texas at San Antonio, Texas LEARNS, Work Source Solutions-Alamo, and the City of San Antonio. Location is the University of Texas-San Antonio downtown campus. Registration cost will be $150 per person. For more information, call 210-485-0808, email bbradford-rodrig@mail.accd.edu, btondre@earthlink.net, or ksalas@mail.accd.edu, or visit the event website.

August 15, 2009: Essentials of Teaching will be held from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm at Irving ISD located at 2621 W. Airport Freeway in Irving. For more information, please contact Delia Watley at 972- 273-6956 or dwatley@irvingisd.net.

August 20, 2009: BEST Literacy will be held from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at House of Amos, 8030 Boone Rd. Houston, 77020. Presenter is Jill Kaeser. This training is intended for anyone who administers or scores the BEST Literacy Test. Using the manual, participants will investigate proper test administration and scoring procedures, practice scoring writing samples, and acquire a basic knowledge of the content. By the end of the session participants should be able to use the writing rubric for scoring writing samples and follow the manual mandates for accurate scoring on the other sections. All participants must bring his/her own BEST Literacy Test Manual (10/06).Please use these numbers to register: CABEA 6800141, registration number 17482, and section number CY 624. Coastal Registration form For more information, please email CoastalCF@lonestar.edu.

August 21, 2009: BEST Plus for Non-Testers will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 12 p.m. at House of Amos, 8030 Boone Rd. Houston, 77020. Presenter is Jill Kaeser. This training is intended for teachers, administrators and other adult education staff involved with but not actually administering BEST Plus. The training will explore objectives, content areas and question types of the BEST Plus oral interview. Participants will experience scoring and appropriate test administration procedures. Test taking techniques will also be discussed Please use these numbers to register: CABEA 6800129, registration number 17463, and section number CY 623. Coastal Registration form For more information, please email CoastalCF@lonestar.edu.

August 21, 2009: South Central GREAT Center Advisory Committee Meeting will be held at Education Service Center-20 , 1314 Hines, Building 3, Room 212, San Antonio 78208 from 10:00 am - Noon.

August 21, 2009: ESL Summer Institute, Follow-up Session: During this session, hosted by Far West GREAT Center, attendees will discuss lessons learned and their completed assignments. The session will be from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Location is yet to be determined. Attendees must participate in the entire 3-day workshop and the follow-up to be eligible for the stipend. Please email farwestg@farwestgreat.org if you have any questions or call (915) 937-1725

August 22, 2009: Multi-Level Learning Accommodations training will be held from 8:30 – 3:30 p.m. at Abilene Adult Education, Abilene. Trainer is Jan Whisonant. Please contact Merri Lynn Rideout for further information (325)671-4419 or merri.rideout@abileneisd.org. You must register to attend. West Registration Form

August 22, 2009: The New Teacher Academy will be held from 8:30 am - 4:00 pm at Weatherford ISD located at 900 North Elm in Weatherford. For more information, please contact Chip Evans at 817-598-2806 or cevans@weatherfordisd.com.

August 28, 2009: Note-taking and Critical Reading Skills: Exploring Careers and the College System, Follow-up Session: During this session, attendees will discuss lessons learned and their completed assignments. The session will be from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at El Paso Community College, Administrative Service Center, 9050 Viscount, Building B, Room B322. Attendees must participate in the entire 2-day workshop and the follow-up to be eligible for the stipend.

August 29, 2009: Effective Multi-level Strategies for Adult ESL Learners (Module 3) will be held from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Brazosport College’s Community Education Center, 120 Circle Way, Suite 2A, Lake Jackson, 77566. Presenter is Audrey Nelson-Ricks. This interactive training focuses on appropriate lesson planning strategies, group strategies, and effective multi-level activities. It includes theory and strategies to use in teaching listening, speaking, reading, and writing to a multi-level class. Classroom management techniques, test preparation, orientation procedures, multi-sensory lesson planning, and proficiency objectives of the Texas Content standards will be presented. Modules are sequential, but can be presented in three separate trainings. It is recommended that the training be conducted on two separate days: Day One three hours (Module One) and Day Two six hours (Modules Two and Three). Modules One and Two are pre-requisites for this class. Please use these numbers to register: CABEA 6800082, registration number 14091, and section number CY 603. Coastal Registration form For more information, please email CoastalCF@lonestar.edu

August 29, 2009: TABE Training will be held from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm at Trinity Valley Community College located at 100 Cardinal Drive in Athens. For more information, please contact Chris Hicks at 903-675-6330 or chicks@tvcc.edu.

September 2009

September 8, 2009: Far West GREAT Center Advisory Committee Meeting will be held from 10:00 am - noon. The location is yet to be determined.

September 11-12, 2009: Far West Regional Training: Effective Instruction for All Adult Education Students including those with Special Learning Needs, Session 2 of 4: The content, techniques and strategies taught during this four-part training, conducted by Stacey Milberger, will provide teachers in the Far West Region with effective instructional methods for all adult education students, including those with special learning needs. This session will be held on Friday from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Socorro ISD - District Service Center in Training Room A, 12440 Rojas, El Paso. This is the second of four (4) sessions (remaining sessions: 11/20-21; 1/29-30). Attendees must participate in all four sessions to be eligible for the training stipend.

September 12, 2009: Content Standards Training will be held from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. (6 hr. training with one hr. for lunch) at Odessa College – Adult Basic Education located on 201 W. University Blvd, Odessa. Trainer is Gordon Peterson. Please contact John Tucker for further information 432-335-6381 or jtucker@odessa.edu   You must register to attend. West Registration Form

September 12, 2009: Essentials of Teaching will be held from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm at Education Service Center, Region VI located at 3332 Montgomery Road in Huntsville, Texas. For more information, please contact Jim Ratliff at 936-435-8330 or jratliff@esc6.net.

September 17, 2009: Coastal Region Great Center Advisory Committee Quarterly Meeting will be held at Lone Star College – Fairbanks Center, 14955 Northwest Freeway - Room 217, Houston 77040, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. For more information, please email CoastalCF@lonestar.edu

September 19, 2009: Content Standards Training will be held from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. (6 hr. training with one hr. for lunch) at 1601 24th Street, Lubbock. Trainer is Gordon Peterson. Please contact Gayla Dirks for further information 806-281-5752 or gdirks@esc17.net.You must register to attend. West Registration Form

September 19, 2009: Essentials of Teaching will be held from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm at Trinity Valley Community College located at 100 Cardinal Drive in Athens. For more information, please contact Chris Hicks at 903-675-6330 or chicks@tvcc.edu.  

September 28-29, 2009: TCABE State Leadership Annual Conference will be hosted by Texas Council for Adult Basic Education in Austin at the DoubleTree Hotel. For more information as plans are finalized, subscribe to TCALL’s Adult Education Administrators’ Listserv.

October 2009

October 3, 2009: TexTESOL II Fall Regional Conference will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the University of Texas-San Antonio and hosted by the UTSA Division of Bicultural and Bilingual Studies. For more information, contact TexTESOL II representatives by calling 210-397-8109, 210-397-7558 or see the TexTESOL II Website

October 15, 2009: Leadership Excellence Academy - New Cohort 3 (in its 1st year), Workshop 1 of 3 will be held in Austin. For more information about the Leadership Excellence Academies, see the State Initiatives web page.

October 16, 2009: Leadership Excellence Academy - Cohort 2 (in its 2nd year), Workshop 1 of 2 will be held in Austin. For more information about the Leadership Excellence Academies, see the State Initiatives web page.

November 2009

November 3 - 6 2009: American Association of Adult & Continuing Education Annual Conference (AAACE) will be held at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel in downtown Cleveland, Ohio with preconferences November 1 and 2. For more information as plans are announced, visit the AAACE web site.

November 16-17, 2009: National Conference on Effective Transition in Adult Education will be hosted by the National College Transitions Network at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Providence, Rhode Island. Focus will be on strategies and promising practices that help adult learners succeed in postsecondary education and training. Further conference details will be posted on NCTN's website: www.collegetransition.org

November 20-21, 2009: Far West Regional Training: Effective Instruction for All Adult Education Students including those with Special Learning Needs, Session 3 of 4: The content, techniques and strategies taught during this four-part training, conducted by Stacey Milberger, will provide teachers in the Far West Region with effective instructional methods for all adult education students, including those with special learning needs. This session will be held on Friday from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Socorro ISD - District Service Center in Training Room A, 12440 Rojas, El Paso, TX. This is the third of four (4) sessions (remaining session: 1/29-30). Attendees must participate in all four sessions to be eligible for the training stipend.

December 2009

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2010

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January 21, 2010: Leadership Excellence Academy - New Cohort 3 (in its 1st year), Workshop 2 of 3 will be held in Austin. For more information about the Leadership Excellence Academies, see the State Initiatives web page.

January 29-30, 2010: Far West Regional Training: Effective Instruction for All Adult Education Students including those with Special Learning Needs, Session 4 of 4: The content, techniques and strategies taught during this four-part training, conducted by Stacey Milberger, will provide teachers in the Far West Region with effective instructional methods for all adult education students, including those with special learning needs. This session will be held on Friday from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Socorro ISD - District Service Center in Training Room A, 12440 Rojas, El Paso, TX. This is the last of four (4) sessions. Attendees must participate in all four sessions to be eligible for the training stipend.

February 4-6, 2010: TALAE Conference 2010 will be held at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel in Dallas. The pre-conference will be held February 3.

March 16-19, 2010: COABE and ProLiteracy First Joint Conference will be held in Chicago, IL at the Chicago Hilton. Pre-conference will be held on March 16. For more information as plans are finalized, visit the COABE website.

March 24-27, 2010: TESOL International Convention & Exhibits will be held in Boston, Massachusetts at the Boston Convention and Exhibition For more information as plans are made, see the TESOL website.

April 11-13 2010: National Conference on Family Literacy will host its annual conference in San Antonio. For more information as details are announced, visit the NCFL website - www.famlit.org - under the menu link for Events.

April 22, 2010: Leadership Excellence Academy - New Cohort 3 (in its 1st year), Workshop 3 of 3 will be held in Austin. For more information about the Leadership Excellence Academies, see the State Initiatives web page.

April 23, 2010: Leadership Excellence Academy - Cohort 2 (in its 2nd year), Workshop 2 of 2 will be held in Austin. For more information about the Leadership Excellence Academies, see the State Initiatives web page.