DOCIUMIT MUMS

ED 279 204 FL 016 319

TITLE The New York City Staff Development Program forBilingual/ESL Fifth- through Eighth-Orade Teachersand Supervisors, 1985-1986. OSA Evaluation Repoit,

INSTITUTION New York City Board of Education, Brooklyn, N.Y.Office of Educational Evaluation.

PUB DATE (87)NOTE 31p.; For related evaluative reports, sae ED 270 546

and ED 270 550.PUB TYPE Reports - Evaluative/Feasibility (142)

EDRS PRICE mrox/pcin Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS Administrators; Bilingual Education; Bilingual

Teachers; Educational Policy; Elementary SecondaryEducation; English (Second Language); Ethnic Groups;Evaluation Methods; *Faculty Developmest; *InserviceTeacher Education; *Language Teachers; LimitedEnglish Speaking; Program Development; *ProgramEffectiveness; Program Evaluation; Public Schools;*Staff Development; Supervisors; Urban Schools;Workshops

IDENTIFIERS *New York (New York)

ABSTRACTThe New York City Staff Development Program for

Bilingual/English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) Teachers and SchoolBuilding Supervisors was designed to provide public school personnelworking with limited English proficient children in grades fivethrough eight with an overview of issues pertinent to the instructionof this population. The program served 453 teachers and 50administrators from 32 school districts in a series of 6 half-daytraining sessions. Evaluation of the 1985-86 program was accomplishedthrough teacher questionnaires, workshop evaluation forms,interviews, and on-site observations of training activities. It foundthat tho program was successful in achieving most of its objectives.In the opinions of both the participants and the evaluation team, theprogram's major strengths were its overall organisation andadministration of training, presenters' enthusiasm and preparedness,links established between theory and practice, materials provided inworkshops, and realistic demonstrations of instructional strategies.The major criticism was of the workshops' brevity. Recommendationsfor improvement include folluw-up conferences for specific contentareas and implementation, increased workshop time forpresenter-participant interaction, inclusion of materials andpresenters for those serving the Haitian population, and eliminationof a proposed participant achievement objective, for practicalreasons. (NSE)

************************************************************************ Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made

from the original document.***********************************************************************

THE NEW YORK CITYSTAFF DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

FOR BILINGUAL/E.S.L.FIFTH- THROUGH EIGHTH-GRADETEACHERS AND SUPERVISORS

1985-1986

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0.E.A. Evaluation $setion Report

Robert Tobias, Administrator of EvaivationJudith S. T4rraa, Senior Manager

Project Number: 42-680?

THE NEW YORK CITYSTAFF DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMFOR 8ILIK1UAL1E.S.L.

FIFTH- THROUGH EIGHTH-GRADETEACHERS AND SUPERVISORS

1985-1906

Program Co-coordinators:Angela BaxleyMildred Gonzalez

Prepared by theBilingual Education Evaluation 'MitArmando Cotayo, Evaluation Manager

Jose J. Villegas, Evaluation/Planning SpecialistShelley M. Fischer, Evaluation/Planning Specialist

Margaret H. Scorza, Editorial/Production CoordinatorBarbera Sjostrom, Evaluation Consultant

New York City Public SchoolsOffice of Educational Assessment

Richard Guttenberg, Director

SUMMARY OF THE REPORT

The New York City Staff Development Program for eilingual/E.S.L.Teachers and School Building Supervisors, funded by the Bureau of BilingualEducation of the New York Stete Education Department was designed to servoNew York City public school personnel working with children of limitedEnglish proCciency (LEP) In grades five through eight.

The major objective of the program was to provide an overview ofissues pertinent to the instruction of LEP students at these grade levels.The main themes of the workshops were methods for teaching mastery learn-ing, en E.S.L. approach to teaching reading, teaching critical thinkingskills, menegement techniques, and the history an4 current policy for theimOlementation of bilingual education end E.S.L. in New York City.

The directcr of the Office of Bilingual Education supervised the pro-gram, and the two deputy directors of that office were responsible forcoordination. Six supervisors, six consultants, and eight administrativestaff members also worked on the program. Planning and implementetion ofactivities were coordinated with the Division of Personnel and Office ofBudget and Review.

The program served 453 teachers (of whom 32 ; filled out program evalu-ation forms) and SO administrators from the 32 comnunity school districtsin New York City in a series of six half-day training sessions conducted ontwo Saturdaya each in Oteember, January, and February. Each sessionincluded a general meeting followed by approximately si.,teen concurrentworkshops that addressed different aspects of the day's main topic.

Of the participants, 123 (42 percent) were born in the United States,89 (29 percent) were born in Puerto Rico, and the rest were primarily fromCentral and South America. They 4icluded 207 (71 percent) persons withmaster's (M.A.) degrees and 23 (8 percent) witt degrees beyond an M.A.Only 60 (21 percent) had not yet completed an M.A. degree. Of those with abaccalaureate (B.A.) degree, most had majored or minored in elementaryeducation, content areas, or Spenish. Those who had earned graduatedegrees generally specialized in bilingual education, elenentary education,or English Is a second language.

The majority of the participants were licensed or certified in CommonBranches or Bilingual Common Branches. They had taught in grades fivethrough eight for an average of six years; 56 percent were currentlyassigned as bilingual teachers, and 17 percent were currently assigned asE.S.L. teachers.

The evaluation for 1985-86 described the planning and implementationof the training sessions and assessed the program's effectiveness inaccomplishing its objectives as proposed to and approved by the Bureau ofBilingual Education of the State Education Department. Data were collectedthrough teacher-background questionnaires, evaluation forms, interviews,and on-site observations of training activities. An evaluation of the dataindicated that the program was successful in achieving most of its objec-tives.

The program consisted of eis semimonthly hal(-day sessions betweenDecember ind February. Over 95 percent (341) of the participants attendedthe first ()somber session, and 64 percent (220 attended the secondsession. In January, 61 porcent (247) attended the first session, and 62percent (221) attended the :econd session. The first Februery session had72 percent (255) attendance and the mood session had 51 percent (163)attendance.

The participants rated the workshops on clarity, organifetion, scope,knowledge, thoroughness, and usefulness. Using a five-point scale, 96 to100 percent of the participants rated all workshops greater than 4,3 *longeach dimension, indicating a hi h degree of satisfaction.

Participants %he attended college In the U,S, and earned many creditsin Spanish tended to report higher levels of satisfaction compared withthose who earned many credits in English. Also, those who reported nigherproficiency ratings in Spanish tended to report higher satisfactionratings. Those who rated themselves as t.ighly proficient in English wereless satisfied. Finally, participants who had a master's degree, or more,tended to be less satisfied than participants with only is B.A.

In the opinion of both the participants and the evaluation teem, thepro:ram's major strengths were the overall orgaaizetion and administrationof traininc.the presenters' enthusiasm, knowledge, and well-preparedness;the links established between theories presented in general sessions andclassroom teliniques tataht in workshops; the appropriateness and abundanceof materials provided in the workshops; end the realistic demonstrations ofinstructional strategies. The participants' major criticism was that theworkshop sessions were not long enough to permit effective interaction withthe presenters.

The following recommendations are aimed at improving staff developmentprograms in the future:

1. Follow-up training conferences might be planned and implementedfor specific content areas (e.g., science, social studies)especially for personnel working with LEP students at the juniu.-high school level. Building upon this year's program, suchconferences would provide an opportunity for in-depth training inteaching content areas to LEP students.

2. /he Office of Bilingual Education might consider changing thestaff development training session format to provide more time forworkshop presentations and for interaction between workshoppresenters and participants. The evaluation team recommends a 45-minute generai session followed by concurrent workshops of 90 to105 minutes.

3. The Office of Bilingual Education might iuvntify materials andpresenters for the Haitian component of the training workshops inOm future. Neither materials nor hand-outs were used in the twoworkshops that were observed for this language group. Although

ii

5

the teem reCegnitee the difficulty in obtaining saterials for thisllogoope group, it is ifveretive that they receive training incyrrifuler e4tters beyond the score of lenguage issues,

4. One of the training stssIgns might be devoted to 4 Onewil4i foliow.up in the fall to vises* the eiktent to which telcning stretegio*taught at the conference ere being implemented in the classrow

In the future, staff development training tor teachers efidadmioistretors might taice Place separately to allow for 4 greeterfocus on the particular roles and needs of ach group.

6. The project should liminete the proposed participent achievementobjective because developing a griterion-referenced instrument toAssets how mith eerticie4mt ie4rne4 from the wOrk§heps NAY Aa- bepractical.

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Field practitioners representing various language groups and subject

areas conducted the workshops, which were designed to expand upon and apply

information that had been presented during the general meetings.

The following topics were covered at the general meeting and the

workshop sessions: the history of and legislation on language programs in

New York State, teaching language arts and reading, using content areas to

teach critical thinking skills, classroom management techniques, inter-

action strategies, E.S.L. methodology, and mastery learning techniques.

Each of the six general sessions presented a theoretical overview of one of

these topics. The 16 workshops focused on the practical applications of

concepts that were presented during the general sessions.

Keynote speakers at the general sessions included the director of the

New York Bilingual Education Multifunctional Service Center, the director

of the Bilingual Teacher Training Program at Teachers College, Columbia

University, a bilingual education professor from Hunter College (CUNY), an

E.S.L. education professor from New York University, the chairman of the

Education Committee of the New York State Assembly, and a consultant in

education.

Prior to the workshops, meetings were held with workshop leaders to

determine their grade-level experience, areas of special expertise, and

other basic information, as well as to discuss the program's basic goals.

In addition, the format and content of the six general sessions were dis-

cussed to ensure the link between the theoretical questions discussed in

the general sessions and the practical issues addressed in the workshops.

Handouts were prepared by the O.B.E. based on the content of the general

sessions. (These included a recommended list of readings.) The handouts

4

13

were distributed at the sessions and were used to follow the presentations.

This evaluation report examines the extent to which the program met

its objectives as outlined in the funding proposal to N.Y.S.E.D. It is

based on data collected as follows:

- - a teacher background questionnaire completed by 328participants;

- - evaluation forms, developed by the Office of Educational Assess-ment, to determine participant satisfaction with program activ-ities;

- - observation of the six general sessions and the sixteen workshops;

- - formal interviews with the program director and assistant directoron the planning, implementation, and effectiveness of the program,and on plans for the future; and

- - informal interviews with participants.

5

14

Mis evaluation report examines the extent to which the program met

its objectives as outlined in the funding proposal to N.Y.S.E.D. It is

based on data collected as follows:

-- a teacher background questionnaire completed by 328participants;

-- evaluation forms, developed by the Office of Educational Assess-ment, to determine participant satisfaction with program activ-ities;

-- observation of the six general sessions and the sixteen workshops;

-- formal interviews with the program director and assistant directoron the planning, implementation, and effectiveness of the program,and on plans for the future; and

-- informal interviews with participants.

5

15

II. PARTICIPANTS' CHARACTERISTICS

Program participants came from all of New York City's community school

districts (C.S.D.$). Of the 328 participants who completed the background

questionnaire, 25 were from C.S.D. 19; 23 from C.S.D. 6; 22 from C.D.S. 4;

and 20 from C.S.D. 32. The other districts each had fewer than 20 partici-

pants.

Educationally, 207 (71 percent) of the participants had at least a

master's degree, and 23 (8 percent) had more advanced levels of education.

Only 60 (21 percent) did not have a master's degree. The participants'

undergraduate majors and minors are presented in Table 1.

TABLE 1

Participants' Educational Backgrounds:Areas of Concentration

MAJOR MINOR

AREA N (%) N (%)

Elementary Education 87 27 84 26

Content Areas 62 19 58 18

Spanish 60 18 33 10

Guidance/Counseling 20 6 15 5

Bilingual Education 19 6 11 3

All Other Areas 73 22 68 20

6

16

The participants were similarly diverse with respect to their national

origin, the specialization of those who had gone beyond the B.A. level, and

their teaching experience. One hundred twenty-eight teachers (42 percent)

were born in the United States and 89 (29 percent) were born in Puerto

Rico. Of the remaining participants, the majority were born in Spanish-

speaking countries of Central and South America. Table 2 shows the partic-

ipants' countries of birth and the number and percent of participants from

each country.

The specializations cf the 230 (79 percent) progra participants tits)

had more than a B.A. were as follows: bilingual education, 100 (43 per-

cent); elementary education, 57 (25 percent); E.S.L., 42 (18 percent); and

content areas, 35 (15 percent). Most participants, regardless of degree,

were licensed or certified in the following two areas: Common Branches, 111

(34 percent) and Bilingual Common Branches, 162 (49 percent).

Of the 188 participants who reported their number of years of inter-

mediate-grade teaching experience, 91 (48 percent) had four or fewer years

of experience; and 97 (52 percent) had experience ranging from five to 20

years.

Of the participants who reported their assignments, 185 (56 percent)

were assigned as bilingual teachers and 55 (17 percent) were E.S.L.

teachers; they had been working with grades five through eight for an

average of six years. Seventy-six teachers (23 percent) had experience as

both E.S.L. and bilingual teachers for grades five through eight. Of the

bilingual teachers, 106 (32 percent) reported having experience teaching

these grades. All of those who reported to be bilingual teacaers taught in

English and Spanish. ,

7

17

TABLE 2

Number and Percent of Progrum Participantsby Country of Birth

Country of Birth Number Percent

U.S.A. 128 42Puerto Rico 89 29Cuba 17 6Haiti 12 4Dominican Republic 9 3Ecuador 9 3Spain 9 3Panama 8 3Peru 3 1

Colombia 3 1

China 2 1

Costa Rica 1 *

Ei Salvador, I. *

Argentina 1 *Italy 1 *

Poland 1 *England 1 *

Other European 1 *

Israel 1 *Other Middle Eastern 1 *

Thailand 1 *U.S.S.R. 1 *

Canada 1 *

Less than one percent

Most participants were born in the UnitedStates and Puerto Rico.

8

Data regarding the current status/position of those participating in

the program mere available for 315 teachers. At the time of the program,

166 (63 percent) mere tenured, 46 (IS percent) mere regular substitutes, 44

(14 percent) mere probationary, and 66 (16 percent) were per diem substi-

tutes.

Finally, 77 teachers (23 percent) reported that they had formerly been

educational assistants. Of these, 36 reported having five or more years of

experience &A educational assistants.

9

19

III, FINDINGS

The program implemented all of itz proposed activities on schedule,

and there were no major modifications of either the content or the format

of the six general sessions. Although a fewminor changes had to be sad*

in the order of topics, no changes were necessary in either the speakers or

the topics covered. The most difficult problem, which was identified by

the program director and corroborated by the evaluators, was to allot

sufficient time l'or the workshops. It was else difficult to make sure that

all of the work03p lowers were prepared and available as needed.

Finally, pfwAssing cc- diem stipends for all participants and obtaining

completei custiclovitires ard evaluation forms required eeticulous 'map/-

vent by tte 0.b.E. staff.

In the flouing section findings are presented by program objectives,

as outlined in the proposal ta N.Y.S.E.D.

A-MOLlita

-- Eighty percent of the bilingual/E.S.L. supervisors and fifththrough eighth grade teachers registered in the pregram will attendeach of the six sessions proposed.

The training program consisted of six half-day sessions. Each session

offerec cwo types of presentations: one general presentattan from 9:30 cm.

to 10:30 a.m.; and 16 specific uotkshops from 10:46 a.m. to 11:46 cm., of

uhich participants selected ooe.

According to the attendance records maintained by 0.8.E., 96 percent

(341) of those registered for the program attended the first December

session, and 64 percent (228) attended the second December session; 81

percent (287) attended the first January session, and 62 percent (211)

10

20

attended the second session, 72 percent (255) attended tto first February

session and SI percent WM zttehdee the let004 session. Thus the program

objective of IA 80 percent attendance rate was met on only two of the six

sessions. It should be pointed out that it wes snowing heavily on the day

of one of the February sessions.

AsILIESILE

-- Ninety percent of the participants will be highly satisfied (anaverage rating of three or above on a five-print Likert scale) withthe clarity, organization, scope, presenters' knowledge, thorough-ness, and value of the training sessions.

" The questionnaire given to participants asked them to rate the

clarity, organization, scope, thoroughness, and usefulness of the presente-

tions, and to DTI:Wide IA assessment of the presenters' knowledge on a five-

point Likert Scale (telowest; Swhighest). The mean combined rating for

each dimension for all general and workshop presentations was an average of

4.5 or higher, indicating that virtually all participants were highly

pleased with the program (see Table 3). Thus, the proposed objective was

met.

Table 3 also presents mein satisfaction ratings for each day.

Overall, satisfution ratings were very high, ranging from 4.2 to 4.9. The

degree of agreement among participants and the constatency of high satis-

faction ratings across dimensions suegest that the participants were highly

satisfied with the Staff Development Program.

Overall, participants were extremely satisfied with both the general

presentations and the workshops. In fact, most workshops received a mean

rating of 4.5 or higher on all dimensions.

21

TAM 3

Average Satisfaction Ratings* For EachDinensiam, By Seslion

OttityStell

Session Clarity°twain-

tion Scope 0.4owledgeTherough- Use-nets fulness

Day 1 4.S 4.6 4.S 4.4 4.S 4.4

Day 2 4.7 4.7 4.6 4.8 4.7 4.7

Day 3 4.6 4.6 4.6 4.8 4.5 4.6

Day 4** 4.7 4.7 4.7 4.9 4.6 4.6

Day S 4.3 4.3 4.3 4.6 4.3 4.2

Day 6 4,6 4.5 4.4 4.7 4.4 4.3

Overall 4.5 4.6 4.5 4.8 4.5 4.5

* Range 3 to S; 1 lomeit, S a hightst.** Data ars available only for the general presentation.

Overall, 04 participant satisfaction objective was achieveduhen data were analyzed by session.

The evaluation team observed four of the six general sessions. Three

of the four keynote speakers were to-the-ooint, wel1-orgsnite4. ene

sersitive to the needs of their audience. Accerdiagalf 'Asir grosonz4tIons

were well received. In addition, despite tSe Urge number et beebie

involved, they aliened sufficient tine for questions. Sy contrast, there

were difficulties with the fourth speaker's presentatioe, in which the

speaker node comparisons betweee the empathy of bilingual/E.S.L. and

esinstream teethers for their students. This led severel particioants to

OrntaSt %Nit they felt was AA irappropriate at"tode in a program that was

unposed to bring together the diffrent kinds of people serving Lfe

students. However the water dealt with these protests fairly well during

the question-and-answer period.

The evaluation team also observed IS workshops:two on the Lam and

Aspire Consent C4creps and co sestery learning tediniques for supervisors;

four for bilingual teachers (two Spanish/English and two Haitian Creole);

three on developing thinking skills; and six on E.S.L. teething methods.

AA ispertant feature of gest workshops was the successful incorporation of

themes presented In the general sessions.

Numerous hand-outs and materials were used in 13 of the IS sessions

that were observed. Examples inend0 a printipal'S guide for identifying,

testing, and placing LEP children; brain-teasers; Mew York City E.S.L.

curricula; bubble-makers; elnom's taxonomy using real-world examples;

puzzles; instructions for making puppets; and lesson plan outlines.

Program participants were asked to list what they perceived to be the

°primary strengths° of the general meetings and the workshops. Their

answers on evaluation forma as well as in informal interviews revealed

13

23

three foie 11=ftwrithi: mettrials. 1.00 SS hero:I-outs end visuals, and

their demonstretitns; IV Presenters' Skins4 especially in clsrity of

**Dressler', oroatitly *4th teachers4 end teach4ng strategies; end (I) thy

contereoce itself, as * farms tor swift; ideas Ott peers. Other

strengths that mere ittotiffed included **Dour. to E.S.L. curricula,

overviems provided ia 000W061 WOWS, pmblisheis' xhibits, end overall

organicetirso of the treiniog sessions.

Participants mare oleo asked to ask* *recommendatiems for 'Future

ectivitims,* Ti u. avervielming majority at respondests recommended that

this program te continued. Roomy favored retracing the amount of time

*voted to porkers) sessions sot increasine the amouot of time for mark=

shops. Puny participants also suggested that nor* tine be elicited for

discussicm ant loteracticm betweem the morUhop presenters and the program

Perticipants. Several people felt a lett et time had left morkshop

Presenters herd-oressed to Include all the necessary information in their

wsloos, Thsy o444 00 the timo Oolort*ge io work0910 4enigio* *14

eggravated *hem, as sometimes was the case, the general sessices ran

overawe.

Participants hed to* other recommodatioos tor inprovenent. The

majority said they mould be sallies to Mood future workshops even *Ithout

Rooster, ecopensetioo because they found theS* session's to bet iotommatire

mell-orgeolred, aod extremely helpful to their mark mith LEP studeots.

In summery, based oft the WeiV4tion Mods Observations, analyses of

participants* eveluation forms, sod informal interviems, this staff

development project mos highly successful In achieving its participant=

satisfaction goals.

14

24

WILIELE

-- As s result of uSis U3f emegmes, earticieamts A4mO0Str4t4

* statistically sionititest (0.0) ioncolosse Am keemleete etsetboeology fee tousle, E.S.L. *WI esseolt, 04Stery 104rmies4cmitical tftlskiso Skills, classroom seAsoerest toossiews, amaOilimewalit.S.L. policy OP Sew Vett WU,

Timis emoposed objective mes based os vhe *sureties Oat criteelem-

meromosced tests *mold be adoialstered es a emetest ast posttest basis to

maitre particieasts* acblevemest. Sifts a &even criterios-mefemenced

tutus" masvailable4 amd sift* Vhs N.V.S.E.O. aompee that altermate

reatures of acWevement lackod **Deity, Ws objective ciNte mot be

evalset*O.

iv, ettATIOKAIP ri*IDNGS siD PicinovWir =NW AlACIIIMPla

MELY.......10SI".1.1t2..P.SESSEUL44112.111)11om *04Attomoi owslosst4om 1441 *ms to OetemAmt At $4,1444/1434 IRAs.

fortlom reties% mom foloto4 to Wholr **clam; koftromhtl. CoefltiotilmeO

ow* mooted -ta inns tite esistleastie Wtvove osth sittsfettile*

;goo amit the follevtioi battqrsood ws1**144: Oithest doffm* guRvet vs* et

soocia14iatiem4 w#i c attimats *Ovrovigni credits owlet; ap e. proi.

flicAmmtv estim's Am EmillAvt 4t4 SP49%.4T, tp4 lAvonvocertAfftstAin,

',ors of toubles eAperiomc*, tatorMAmo ossArimmmt 04,4 ii,'$,14,4 *Mt-

/NAIL comomt sositioN4 taargimml, *et *Iota admits*, Oftoo ***Ie. O. wit% tessf+4 VIAat ft4frtiltiwts* tuCriimab 4.1* 4t strpholly

rolitot to thole t4t4sfoctlem irstilmts. Of ifl the osT4obloo4 tho omly

relotioastsios Outwore twig to loo ototioticolly striff ost wiefo hiohott

dor** oe*, the 'lumber of collo,* crogAts oornot Am Am th4140

4k44 440+404 -104 feilf4gimy 11044 ifs Ott plitt 11,4

Ire *Worn the aftslysle, itsrticilmults a lotheves dorsi (6111

and tatus* *AO at least * gustoels dor** (110) *Ws reit;44 14144r4141*.

I** MAIMS 114443444 4 *WI bot statistic4114 sAlmiticsiet 010,40v,

csorelstUm betmeem boo tiliothees' satisfactAso I** Wee * -40)

and ***folguss les * *f the viroos*ttatl**0 stusiostillos that PertIcilesmts

mite goit414. edwatiem (1.*., gusto's"; Or** **1 41411m0 10,0044%

11414 m00144100 Ow ;cape *of *alt of the -1wsokajhoa1 Os* these oau

bold *ON a loothelees Ore..

However, since the correlation was small and many more participants

had master's degrees than had bachelor's degrees, caution must be exercised

in assigning too much weight to this relationship.

The other characteristic that was related to participant satisfaction

was the number of college credits earned in the U.S. in English and in

Spanish. Participants who had earned a groat number of credits in English

when they attended college in the U.S. tended to rate the information

presented at the sessions as more thorough (r .15) and more useful (r n

.11) than those who had earned fewer credits in English. Those who earned

a great number of credits in Spanish appeared to be the most satisfied:

they rated the purpose of the workshops to be quite clear (r = .17); the

presentations to be well-organized (r = .13); the scope of the presen-

tations to be adequate (r .18); the presenters to be thorough (r .15);

and the sessions to be useful (r .16).

Although these correlations ars weak, the same satisfaction variables

were found to be significant for proficiency ratings in English and

Spanish.

In general, those who rated themselves as highly proficient in English

tended to be less satisfied with the presentations than those who rated

themselves highly proficient in Spanish. Specifically, as self-ratings in

English proficiency increased, ratings on the presentations' thoroughness

(r = .10) and usefulness (r = -.18) decreased. Conversely, as self-ratings

in Spanish proficiency increased, ratings of the presentation's clarity

(r = .13), organization (r = .14), scope (.19), and usefulness (r = .24)

increased. Also, these participants rated the presenters as highly

knowledgeable (r = .10) and thorough (r = .18).

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27

Overall, not all satisfaction dimensions were significantly correlAted

with proficiency ratings, and those correlations that were statistically

significant were not strong. However, there was little variability among

retings because 1) most participants agreed that the presenters and the

presentations were very good, and 2) proficiency ratings did not vary much

either. This lack of variability is likely to limit the potential mag-

nitude of the observed correlations. In sum, although approval ratings

were high, there does appear to be some meaningful relationship between tho

number of college credits earned in English and Spanish, how the teachers

evaluated themselves on language proficiency, and how they evaluated the

workshops.

18

V. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

In its third of a series of citywide training sessions, the New York

City Staff Development Program for Bilingual/E.S.L. Fifth- through Eighth-

Grade Teachers Wks successful. In all six sessions, the organizational

skills of the program's staff were evident in such matterA as registration

procedure, involving hundreds of participants, and the smooth transitions

between activities. Tho schedule of activities was followed as proposed,

with no major modifications.

The speakers, workshop leaders, and participants were highly motivated

and participated actively in all activities. Interaction between staff

members and participants was positive and ideas were freely exchanged

throughout the program. The content and structure of the general sessions

and their related workshops were consistent with the program's objectives,

and they were well received by participants.

When participants were asked to make recommendations for future

programs, many suggested that more time should be alloted for the work-

shops. They suggested that the time allotted for the general sessions

should be reduced to accomplish this goal. The evaluation team agreed with

this recommendation, since most presenters appeared hard-pressed to finish

their workshops. (The program director stated that the total time allotted

for each conference session had to be limited to three and one-half hours

because the budget was limited and the option of eliminating half the

applicants in order to offer full-day sessions had been rejected.)

In general, respondents believed that handouts, visual aids, and other

materials used during the workshops had strengthened the presentations.

They considered most speakers to be skillful in making clear, well-organized,

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29

end interesting presentations. Several respondents Also indicated that it

lied been helpful to have preeenters who were or had been experienced inter-

mediate grade-level bilingual/E.S.L. teachers.

Most of the respondents said that the information presented in the

general meetings was helpful, and had served as a good introduction to

workshop sessions. The few negative comments that wore made concerned lack

of time for questions and answers and for demonstrating materials. The

observations of the evaluation team support the participants' opinions

concerning the content, usefulness of information, and the need to devote

more time to workshops.

In summary, interviews, questionnaires, and observations indicate that

participants were highly satisfied with both the general presentations and

the workshops that were offered in the 190-06 staff development training

program. Participants' satisfaction ratings were somewhat related to the

number of college credits earned in Spanish and English %Philo attending

college in the U.S., and to self-ratings of English and Spanish profi-

ciency. To A lesser extent, educational background may also have contribu-

ted to participants' assessment of the program. Overall, since most

background variables explored were not statistically significant, it is

safest to conclude that the participants wire highly satisfied with the

program largely because of the high quality of the workshops offered. In

fact, the majority stated they would attend future workshops on similar

topics even without monetary compensation.

On the basis of its analysis of the program, the evaluation team

offers the following recommendations for the planning of similar programs

in the future:

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30

I, Follow-up training conferences might be planned and implemented onspecific content areas (e.g., f.cience, social studies), especiallyat the junior high school level, for personnel working with LEPstudents. Building upon this year's program, such conferenceswould provide an opportunity tor in-depth training in teachingcontent areas to LEP students.

2. Tho Office of Bilingual Education might consider changing thestaff development training session format to allow more time forworkshop presentations end for interaction between workshoppresenters and participants. The evaluation team recommends a 45minute general session followed by concurrent workshops of 90 to105 minutes,

3. The Office of Bilingual Education might identify materials andpresenters for the Haitian component of the training workshops.Neither materials nor hand-outs were used in the two workshopsthat were observed for this language group. Although the teamrecognizes the difficulty in obtaining materials for this languagegroup, it is imperative that they receive training in curricularmatters beyond the scope of language issues.

4. One of the training sessions might be devoted to a one-day follow-up in the fall to assess.the extent to which teaching strategiestaught at the conference are being implemented in the classroom.

5. In the future, staff development training for teachers andadministrators might take place separately to allow for a greaterfocus on the particular roles and needs of each group.

6. The project should eliminate the proposed participant achievementobjective because developing a criterion-referenced instrument toassess how much participants learned from the workshops may not bepractical.

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