In the October 24th edition of Newport This Week, the Editor’s note accompanying school committee candidate profiles incorrectly paraphrases a question we were asked about teaching Multilingual Learners (MLL):
“[Candidates] were also asked if they felt certified intervention support should be provided for MLL students outside the classroom. Eight of the 11 candidates replied yes, while candidates Cote, Muenter and Winslow felt it was not a clear-cut question that could be easily answered.”
The question we were asked is copied verbatim here:
Answer either A or B to this statement:
A– I think certified intervention support should be provided for MLL students. OR …
B– I think the primary classroom teachers be providing services for MLL students.
I pushed back on this question immediately, as did several other candidates, school committee members, and career educators. Neither answer alone is correct. Educating multilingual learners encompasses far more than these two phrases capture. I answered “A and B” but Newport This Week did not report this.
Currently, only certified MLL teachers are able to provide the required service time to MLL students. According to the newest regulations being developed by the Rhode Island Department of Education, by 2029, classroom teachers should be certified to teach Multilingual Learners in order to deliver integrated language and content instruction. More importantly, strategies to support English language development, which can take many forms, are most effective when aligned to research-based best practices being used in the classroom. This is true of any “intervention.”
I am disappointed that Newport This Week misrepresented my answer on a complex and evolving issue.
Stephanie Winslow
Newport School Committee
