Project SELFIES is a National Professional Development grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA). With a budget of $2.5 million, the project will span five years to prepare secondary in-service teachers of ELs in SAISD and NEISD for ESL or Bilingual Ed supplementary certification. All project activities are designed in the interest of increasing equitable schooling practices for multilingual students in grades 7-12 and their families.
Who can participate in Project SELFIES?
Secondary Educators in SAISD and NEISD...
- Who would like to become certified in English as a Second Language (ESL) or Bilingual Education
Who would like to better serve English Learners (ELs)/Emergent Bilinguals (EBs) in secondary content-areas- Who are interested in completing 15 credit hours of graduate-level courses in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) or Bilingual Education
- Who would like to engage in coaching conversations and Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) with colleagues who have similar goals
What will Project SELFIES educators do?
Project SELFIES Cohorts will occur over 1 calendar year!
Coursework
Complete 1 MA-level course per semester for a total of 5 courses
PLCs
During the methods-oriented courses, participate in PLCs to support your learning
Coaching
During the methods-oriented courses, engage in coaching and reflective practices during implementation
Exam
Take the ESL or BBED/BTLPT supplemental certification exam(s)
Project SELFIES will cover ALL tuition, fees, books and exam expenses!
Courses and Projects
Which courses will Project SELFIES educators
All courses are offered via the Dept. of Bicultural-Bilingual Studies at UTSA in multiple modalities
Courses include:
- Linguistics
- Second Language Acquisition
- Foundations of ESL & Bilingual Education
- Content-Based Instruction
- L2 Reading and Writing
- Plus PLCs and Coaching
Project SELFIES Cohort Course Schedule
| Summer 1: | ESL 5003 (ESL and BBED) |
|---|---|
| Summer 2: | ESL 5013 (ESL and BBED) |
| Fall: | ESL 5063 (for ESL cert) or BBL 5033 (for BBED cert) |
| Spring: | ESL 5033 (for ESL cert) or BBL 5063 (for BBED cert) |
| Summer: | ESL 6973 (for ESL cert) or BBL 5113 (for BBED cert) |
Project SELFIES Literacy Fair
Are there any activities for EL/EB Students in Grades 7-12? Yes!
We will hold a 3-day literacy fair for your adolescent ELs/EBs and families!
The fair will include:
- Online resources and books;
- Guest speakers and presentations about literacy development and reading;
- Family and community-oriented approaches to literacy for multilingual learners
Bicultural-Bilingual Studies Team awarded $2.6 million National Professional Development grant
“The goal is to prepare secondary in-service educators who work with multilingual students in the San Antonio and Northeast ISDs [to] obtain their ESL or bilingual education supplementary certification,” said co-principal investigator Kristen Lindahl, PhD.
