Professional Learning Opportunities

WIDA Self-Paced Workshops

Virtual Self-Paced Workshops are available September 1, 2024 to August 31, 2025 for Colorado K-12 public school educators with a school district email address. Educators must complete SY24-25 workshops by August 31, 2025 to receive credit.
No cost and no participant limit. Participants can log in at any time, from any place where they have access to internet services.
To participate educators must have a WIDA Secure Portal account. To assist with this process, Districts must create and send a bulk upload list with educators' names and email addresses to the WIDA Client Services Center (CSC) at help@wida.us. Once WIDA CSC receives and processes the bulk upload, an automatic email will be sent to the educators on the list inviting them to create an eLearning account through the Secure Portal. Download Bulk Upload Template.
Log into WIDA Secure Portal, open the Professional Learning tab to view self-paced, online eWorkshops available this school year.
The Workshops are aligned to the English Learner Quality Standards. To view a list of the Workshops and which standards they align to, please read the WIDA Self-Paced Workshop FAQs.
Certificate of Completion can be printed and/or downloaded once an Workshop is completed. CDE will not be able to reproduce certificates or verify participation.

WIDA Facilitated Workshops

Colorado K-12 public school educators have access to attend virtual WIDA Facilitated Workshops at no cost. These opportunities are available to educators with WIDA Secure Portal accounts during the current school year. Registration for each Facilitated Workshop may have participant limits. If you registered and are unable to attend or you would like to request information about WIDA Secure Portal Accounts, please email CLDE.

February 2025: Nurturing Speaking Growth encourages participants to explore the connection between the ACCESS Speaking Test and classroom practices that promote oral language development. In the webinars, educators will engage in meaning making activities that provide ways to nurture students’ speaking growth. This workshop is unique in that participants will be asked to speak and share ideas with colleagues during the webinars. Two live webinars occurring on February 19 and March 5. Registration coming soon.

November 2024: When Language and Disability Meet: Planning for Instruction to Support Dually Identified Students workshop is designed for K-12 educators who work with multilingual learners who are dually identified for language and disability. Participants will explore principles of Universal Design Learning and think about shared responsibility and advocacy when planning for multilingual learners who are dually identified for language and disability. Two live webinars occurring from 3:00pm-4:30pm on November 4 and November 18. Registration Full.

September 2024: Scaffolding Learning through Language is a three-part webinar series which encourages educators to consider a dynamic set of classroom practices that support multilingual learners as they move toward increasing independence and expertise in grade-level content. Participants will explore how rigorous, well-sequenced curriculum within the content of meaningful experiences contributes to rich classroom interactions that mediate learning. Topics that educators will explore are a) valuing students' resources for learning, b) developing a strong community of learners, and c) engaging students in rigorous curriculum. Three live webinars occurring from 3:00pm-4:30pm on September 26, October 3, and October 10. Registration Closed.

2024-2025 Professional Learning Opportunities

Colorado educators can register for Professional Learning Opportunities through the registration link associated with each date below. In the event that there are fewer than ten people registered, the professional learning opportunity will be rescheduled and those registered will be notified. To obtain presentation materials or attendance certificates associated with each training on this webpage, please contact Request Materials or Certificates.

Accelerating Newcomer and ML Instruction in the Classroom Webinar

The CLDE office is partnering with SAVVAS Learning Company to offer the following professional learning opportunities.

Dates & Topics:

Wednesday, October 16^th, 4:30pm – 5:30pm: Dr. Katie Toppel - Students’ Funds of Knowledge

Dr. Katie Toppel, Ed.D., is an English Language Development Specialist at the elementary level, serving Multilingual learners through collaboration, co-teaching, and small-group instruction. Dr. Toppel is a co-author of several books DIY PD: A Guide to Self-Directed Learning for Educators of Multilingual Learners and Portraits of Collaboration.

Wednesday, October 23^rd, 4:30pm – 5:30pm: Dr. Deborah Short - Serving Newly Arrived Students with SIOP

Dr. Deborah Short founded Academic Language Research & Training, LLC and provides professional development on SIOP, content-based English, and academic literacy. She co-developed the SIOP Model, directed research and evaluation studies regarding multilingual learners and their programs, and consults with the U.S. Dept. of Justice, Civil Rights Division. Publications include numerous books and journal articles. She is a TESOL International past president.

Wednesday, October 30^th, 4:30pm – 5:30pm: Dr. Jana Echevarria - Effective Teaching Techniques to Leverage Comprehensible Input

Dr. Jana Echevarría is Professor Emerita at California State University, Long Beach where she received her university’s Outstanding Professor award for excellence in scholarship, teaching, and service. A founding researcher and creator of the SIOP Model, Dr. Echevarria has published widely on effective instruction for multilingual learners, including those with learning disabilities. She has presented her research throughout the U.S. and internationally, including at Oxford University (England), Wits University (South Africa), Harvard University (U.S.), Stanford University (U.S.), University of Barcelona (Spain), and South East Europe University (Macedonia) where she was a Fulbright Specialist. She also was a resident instructor at Feng Chia University (Taiwan). Dr. Echevarria was inducted into the California Reading Hall of Fame and served as an expert on English learners for the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division. Prior to receiving her UCLA doctorate, she was a teacher in bilingual, ESL, and special education programs.

The Office of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education is hosting a webinar series - Serving Colorado’s Secondary Immigrant Students and Families

Partnering with the Colorado Department of Education is Natasha Quiroga, Esq. Director of Education Policy and InsideSchools at the New School’s Center for New Your City Affairs. Natasha has over 20 years of experience advocating for children, youth, and families. She trains educators and school leaders on the legal journeys that immigrant students encounter and how to provide inclusive systems of support.

This is a virtual professional learning series that focuses on key information to serve Newcomers with an emphasis on the success of secondary students. Topics of discussion will include laws and policies that impact immigrant high school students such as Plyler v. Doe and DACA. Sessions will offer best practices and models of support to provide graduation pathways for Newcomers.

CE credits will be offered for attendance of the full live training. Please register for each sessions through the links below.

Session 1: Tuesday, October 22, 2024, 4:30 - 6:00 PM, Immigration 101: Laws, Myths, and Impact on Students
Session 2: Tuesday, November 12, 2024, 4:30 - 6:00 PM, Supporting Secondary Immigrant Students: Best Practices and Models for Success
Session 3: Tuesday, February 11, 2025, 4:30 - 6:00 PM, Youth Voices: Navigating School and Life as Immigrant Students

Supporting Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE)

A toolkit curated and organized by the Massachusetts SLIFE Community of Practice and its members is a resource for classroom teachers, multilingual learner specialists, paraprofessionals, school and district leaders, and other educators who work closely with SLIFE and their families. It is a dynamic, living resource which outlines a 4-step process for identifying and supporting SLIFE by bridging theory and practice and supports educators to implement the guidance in their unique contexts. National experts from SupportEd have developed a three-part module series for educators of SLIFE in Massachusetts: these self-paced professional learning sessions are designed for educators with all levels of experience in teaching students identified as SLIFE, from novice to expert.

Colorado Professional Development Corner Hosted by CBOCES

In partnership with CDE and other educational organizations, Centennial BOCES has developed free, online modules that are available to all Colorado educators. Please contact Centennial BOCES to learn more about courses and registration information.

Screener Information & Resources Meeting

Intended for new Test Administrators (TAs) who were unable to attend June or August Screener trainings facilitated by the CLDE Office. Meetings will provide general information about how to obtain test materials, locating test resources, accessing scoring calculators, and completing WIDA's online self-paced modules and quizzes before becoming certified to administer and score the WIDA Screener for Grades 1-12 and/or WIDA Screener for Kindergarten. Screener administration and testing procedures will not be discussed during information & resources meetings.

Please Note: TA certification can only be obtained after completing and passing self-paced WIDA online training modules. Certification to administer and/or score Screeners will not be issued after attending this meeting. Registration to attend a meeting held on August 13, August 21 or August 29 is closed. Please contact the presenter to learn more about information and/or resources related to WIDA Screener for Grades 1-12 and/or WIDA Screener for Kindergarten.

WIDA Screener and WIDA Screener for Kindergarten

Training prepares new test administrators to complete WIDA's online self-paced modules and quizzes before becoming certified to administer and score the WIDA Screener for students in grades 1-12 and WIDA Screener for Kindergarten students. Participants will examine protocols and procedures to administer and score assessments to identify multilingual learners. Certification must be obtained directly from WIDA and is not issued after attending these trainings. For more information about the certification process, please view the WIDA Screener Assessment page.

Content and materials delivered during June trainings will be repeated in August:

WIDA Screener for Kindergarten: Friday, June 7, 2024 from 9:30am-11:00am
WIDA Screener (grades 1-12): Wednesday, June 12, 2024 from 10:00am-11:30am
WIDA Screener for Kindergarten: Thursday, August 1, 2024 from 12:00pm-1:30pm
WIDA Screener (grades 1-12): Tuesday, August 6, 2024 from 11:00am-12:30pm

To inquire about WIDA Screener or WIDA Screener for Kindergarten virtual trainings, please contact the presenter.

Identification & Data Coding for Multilingual Learners

A focus on Colorado's Standardized Identification Procedures for SY24-25. Intended for new or veteran district data and program coordinators and personnel who identify and code multilingual students.

Virtual Training Date: Tuesday, September 10, 2024 from 11:00am-12:00pm

To inquire about Identification & Data Coding for Multilingual Learners virtual trainings, please contact the presenter.

New English Language Development Coordinators

The CLDE Office will be hosting monthly meetings to support the implementation of Colorado standardized procedures at the local level. The goal during office hours will be to build federal and state knowledge around requirements for Multilingual Learners (MLs), provide support to strengthen district processes and procedures, and establish networks between districts and schools. If you are a new English Language Development (ELD) coordinator, director, educator, or have recently been asked to support with the instructional programs for MLs in your district or school, please consider joining monthly meetings held on Tuesdays at 12:30pm -1:30pm. Register to Attend

For more information about this opportunity, contact the meeting facilitator.

CLDE Office Hours

The Office of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education (CLDE) will be hosting virtual office hours to support educators in the instruction of Multilingual Learners (MLs). The topics will be generated, in part, based on feedback and surveys from the field, including topics of interest throughout the school calendar year. The goal of these meetings will be to clarify legal obligations and requirements, provide support in strengthening processes, and to share bright spots and promising practices in Colorado districts, schools, and public charter schools. See the CLDE Webinar Website for office hour dates and registration information.

Please Note: Quality Standards associated with the English Learner Professional Development requirement for educators who attended CLDE trainings/workshops during 2016-2021 can be located in the 2016-2021 Professional Learning Document (pdf)