Emerging multilingual learners at WIDA Levels 1-3 often face a gap between rigorous academic content and developing English proficiency. This interactive session demonstrates how artificial intelligence can serve as a linguistic scaffolding partner—helping teachers make grade-level learning comprehensible without reducing cognitive demand. Participants will learn a practical system for using AI to analyze language demands, adapt academic texts, and generate structured support aligned to WIDA English Language Development Standards. Through guided practice, attendees will apply ready-to-use prompts to create scaffolded explanations and academic language supports while maintaining rigor. Educators will leave with replicable prompts, classroom examples, to implement in their classrooms.
During this session, participants will focus on the ongoing implementation of the 2024 Standard Course of Study (SCoS) for World Languages, with an overview of the available support tools, updated resources, and 2026-2027 professional development. Policy questions will also be discussed, along with specific materials for classical, dual language/immersion (DL/I), heritage, and modern language programs.
In this session, participants will get an overview of the Credit by Demonstrated Mastery (CDM) process and how it can be used to support ML students who want to earn credit(s) in World Language courses for their first or home language, either without the required seat time and/or for placement into more advanced courses. We will also discuss local course sequence(s) that include Level I heritage (standard vs. honors) courses and continue into inherently honors courses, like Level II heritage and Levels III - VIII modern languages. Several case studies will be shared as we consider strategies for advising ML students about how to access CDM and honors courses in order to reach broader goals like fulfilling the requirements for the UNC Minimum Admissions Requirements or the Global Language Endorsement (GLE), North Carolina’s Seal of Biliteracy.
Unpacking Your Dreams is an itinerary literacy program for ML families (parents, sons, daughters, cousins, and other relatives) that allows the entire household to participate in bilingual read-aloud, recognition of characters and main events by a selected story simulation through hands-on activities to support vocabulary acquisition and other skills such as sequencing, making inferences, and drawing conclusions in an authentic learning environment. At the end of the session, participants will take the Unpacking Your Dreams Kit home with ready-to-use instructional resources and tools.
In this session, participants will explore several state policies and discuss how their local implementation practices impact students in World Language programs. We will focus on K-12 articulation for dual language/immersion (DL/I) programs, as well as K-5, K-8, and high school credit courses for middle school students in classical and modern language programs, that build proficiency and could lead to placement into more advanced courses in grades 9 - 12. We will also discuss local course sequence(s) that include offering Level I and II as standard or honors courses, creating pathways that lead to advanced coursework, and fulfilling the requirements for the UNC Minimum Admissions Requirements or the Global Language Endorsement (GLE), North Carolina’s Seal of Biliteracy.
