Ryan Wertz and Kathy Shelton, World Language Consultants, Ohio Department of Education

As autumn in Ohio gets underway, we are grateful for everyone’s efforts to keep classrooms up and running as the pandemic continues to challenge our collective ability to educate students. This moment in time continues to present myriad challenges to educators and learners alike.  We admire your perseverance, and we laud your continuing efforts on behalf of your students.  We have heard so many heartwarming stories of success and triumph over adversity these past several months. Recently, we were able to get out and visit a few Ohio schools – our first such visits since Fall 2020.  When you are an educator who no longer works in a classroom setting – or even in an office setting with other educators, visits like these are really good for the soul as they reaffirm all the great things that are happening in world language classes around the state. We are so proud of your recent accomplishments, and we encourage you to keep up the fight on behalf of Ohio’s K-12 learners!

Final Standards Implementation Reminder

This is a final reminder that Ohio’s Learning Standards for World Languages and Cultures (2020) should now be fully implemented within local curricula, pacing guides and classrooms.  The standards are available on the Department’s World Languages and Cultures webpage. 

OTES 2.0 Guidance for World Language Teachers

The latest 2.0 version of the Ohio Teacher Evaluation System (OTES) should bring some welcome changes for many world language educators, including a more balanced approach to teacher growth and development. Our team has created a one-stop webpage titled OTES 2.0 for World Languages and Cultures. Here you can find a newly released FAQ document, which answers questions specific to OTES 2.0 implementation for world languages teachers as well as links to general information and guidance for OTES 2.0.

Dual Language Immersion Schools in Ohio Continue to Expand

During the past ten years, the number of dual language immersion (DLI) schools in Ohio has more than doubled. Today, immersion programs can be found in many places throughout the Buckeye State as more districts become better informed about all the cognitive, academic, attitudinal and socio-cultural benefits that have been revealed by decades of intensive research.  If you’re curious about Ohio’s growing family of immersion schools, here is an up-to-date list in our state in order geographically from north to south:

1. Escuela SMART Academy: PreK-6, 2-Way DLI, Spanish – Toledo Public Schools
2. Global Language Ambassadors Academy (G.A.L.A.): K-8, 2-Way DLI Spanish &1-Way Mandarin Chinese – Community School in Cleveland
3. Buhrer Dual Language Academy: K-8, 2-Way DLI, Spanish – Cleveland Metropolitan School District
4. Louis Muñoz Marín Dual Language Academy: PreK-8, 2-Way DLI, Spanish – Cleveland Municipal School District
5. Mansfield Spanish Immersion School: K-8, 1-Way, Spanish – Mansfield City School District
6. Columbus Spanish Immersion Academy: K-6, 2-Way DLI, Spanish – Columbus City School District
7. Ecole Kenwood French Immersion School: K-6, 1-Way, French – Columbus City School District
8. World Language Middle School: Grades 6-8, Spanish & French – Columbus City School District
9. Columbus North International High School: Grades 9-12, Spanish & French – Columbus City School District
10. Bowman Primary School: K-2, 1-Way, Spanish – Lebanon City School District
11. Donovan Elementary School: 3-5, 1-Way, Spanish – Lebanon City Schools District
12. Academy of Multilingual Immersion Studies (A.M.I.S.): K-8, Trad. 1-Way, Spanish – Cincinnati Public School District 
13. C.O. Harrison Elementary School: K-5, 1-Way, Spanish – Oak Hills Local School District (Cincinnati)
14. J.F. Dulles Elementary School: K-5, 1-Way, Spanish – Oak Hills Local School District (Cincinnati)
15. Oakdale Elementary School: K-5, 1-Way, Spanish – Oak Hills Local School District (Cincinnati)

If you are ever able to visit one of these schools to see what an immersive learning experience does for learners’ language proficiency development, we would highly recommend it! 

Ohio Dual Language Summit on December 3, 2021

Speaking of language immersion, The Ohio State University is partnering with the Ohio Department of Education to offer our state’s first-ever dual language immersion summit. The purpose of the summit is to create a space for educators to come together around a shared vision of offering programs to support bilingualism, biliteracy, and biculturalism in Ohio. The conference aims to foster “Pathways to Biliteracy” through language programs that connect elementary, middle, and secondary grades and allow students to become fully bilingual and earn the Ohio Seal of Biliteracy. The event will be held on the OSU campus, and free parking will be available for all attendees. Dual language immersion educators are currently invited to submit proposals for sessions and poster presentations. Registration will open soon. To submit a proposal and to access all information about this event, visit the Ohio Dual Language Summit website.

Professional Development Offered by the Ohio Department of Education

We continue to offer support to Ohio world language teachers via our “World Language Wednesdays” virtual meetups, typically held once or twice a month in conjunction with OFLA.  We also hold a monthly virtual meetup for Beginning Teachers.  Our current schedule can be found on our Digital Learning page.