Ossining Teachers Can Obtain Advanced Certificate for Teaching English Language Learners

Thanks to a federal grant obtained by the College of New Rochelle, Ossining teachers have an opportunity to become certified as instructors for students whose first language is not English.

The five-year, $2.7 million U.S. Department of Education grant will provide tuition-free education for a total of about 250 teachers in Ossining and Yonkers public schools and in districts affiliated with Southern Westchester Board of Cooperative Educational Services. SWBOCES also will help promote the program and provide support in an online environment.

The purpose of the RESET program – Rigor for the Education of Successful ELLS through their Teachers – is to address a critical need for advanced education for teachers of English language learners, according to the College of New Rochelle.

“School districts throughout the country are struggling to meet the growing need for certified teachers of English language learners, a need that is particularly acute in the New York area,” said Dr. David Donnelly, dean of the College of New Rochelle Graduate School.

The certification will ensure that teachers are equipped with the best strategies and techniques to help English language learners, said Mirla Puello, Ossining’s director of elementary literacy and ESL. There will be less of a need to pull a student out of a classroom for extra support. English as a New Language teachers will continue to provide in-classroom assistance to students who need more direct instruction, she said.

Ms. Puello expects there will be a lot of interest among the district’s teachers, especially with the growing Hispanic population in Ossining. The first group will start courses in January.

“We feel that a lot of teachers are going to take advantage of this because they want to meet the needs of every child in their classroom,” she said.

The College of New Rochelle is offering three types of certifications. They are advanced certificates in general education and special education for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and an advanced certificate in bilingual education. Ossining hopes to be one of the sites where coursework can be completed, Ms. Puello said.

Starting in November, the Ossining School District will hold information sessions about the program.