Huntington Highlights: Commitment to Multi-Year QTEL Apprenticeship Makes a Difference

Huntington UFSD is toasting secondary grade level teachers Kim Schiller Alison Capewell, Christine Will and Teresa Connolly and elementary level faculty members Katie Kalkau, Mirium Gonzalez Engle,  Wendy Bonilla, and Karen Swanson, who have committed to a multi-year QTEL apprenticeship, engaging deeply with theory, practice and reflection.

“Their work goes well beyond attending professional development; they actively applied learning in their classrooms and continuously pushed themselves to improve instruction for multilingual learners,” explained Judy Moroff, district director of world languages and bilingual programs. “Both the elementary and secondary teams have stepped into teacher-leader roles, designing and facilitating professional learning experiences for colleagues across the district. Through modeling and collaboration, they are helping to build collective capacity and strengthen instruction schoolwide.”

The instructional practices these teachers have embraced are intentional scaffolding, academic language development, structured interaction and student discourse which has led to more engaging and rigorous learning experiences for multilingual learners. “Their work reflects a deep belief in students’ potential and a commitment to equity and access,” Ms. Moroff said.

“WestEd’s Quality Teaching for English Learners (QTEL) works to provide both elementary and secondary educators with the tools they need to accelerate language development, academic literacy, and disciplinary knowledge of all students, particularly English learners,” according to an online description of the program,. “QTEL supports teachers’ development of expertise in providing students high challenge learning opportunities coupled with high support by offering services tailored to address the unique language assets facing individual classrooms and districts.”

Huntington UFSD’s successful program is making a difference in the lives of students. “I am so proud of the work these teachers have done since beginning their QTEL journey in 2022,” Ms. Moroff said. “They have gone far beyond attending professional development by applying their learning, reflecting on their practice, and stepping into leadership roles to support colleagues across the district. Their focus on academic language and student interaction has led to more engaging and rigorous learning experiences for multilingual learners. Their commitment to students and equity truly stands out. I am extremely proud of them.”

With a focus on promoting long-term academic and professional success, QTEL’s pragmatic and classroom-friendly approach to learning “is informed by rigorous sociolinguistic research and more than fifteen years of experience working with educators across the U.S.” states an online description of the program.

More than 25 faculty or staff members have been profiled this year as part of Superintendent Beth McCoy’s “Huntington Highlights” initiative, which provides community members with insight into teachers and support staff members who practice their craft at the district’s eight individual school buildings. The teachers comprising the district’s QTEL program are the most recent honorees.