Announcements

 You will get **a roster of your class with the ACR and CATW scores**. The CATW scores will show the five domains so you can tell your students their strengths and weaknesses. Be sure to check the test date, though, so you don’t tell them the previous score.  The rosters will be ready starting Monday. By Tuesday, all (most all ) scores should be in.  If you have a missing score, DO NOT GO to the Testing Office. Tell Jenny or the office staff about the missing score (fill out a sheet). Someone will go to Testing at regular intervals to retrieve scores. Most of the missing scores are found; they happen because students make mistakes on the ID numbers.  Reading scores will be coming back quickly. But be sure to check the date. Your rosters will be ready when you meet your class.
 * Announcement from Gay Brookes, December 2013**

Supplemental Instructional (SI) tutoring will be starting the week of 9/16/13, depending on your preference and tutor assignment. I have begun to assign tutors to sections of ESL 95, and tutors will be contacting you soon to meet with you to discuss their in- and out-of-class hours. Tutors will attend one class meeting (two instructional hours) and provide two hours of extra tutoring for your students out of class.
 * Supplemental Instructional Tutoring**

Please arrange to meet with your tutor at least once before tutoring begins, and thereafter as often as is needed to discuss your students’ progress.

I hope you can join us for a faculty-tutor roundtable discussion to be held **Wednesday, 9/18, from 4-5pm in the department conference room**. The purpose of the discussion is for faculty and tutors to share ways of working together in the classroom to best support ESL 95 students. It is also a forum for asking questions and addressing challenges you may have faced incorporating SI tutors into your classroom in the past.

If you have any questions or concerns, you may visit me in the office (N480), call me at 212-346-8546, or email me a cjacknick@bmcc.cuny.edu.

There are almost no openings in ACR 095. If your ACR 094 students do well on the test and you want them to move up, they may not be able to find a class this semester. We can change their student group to ACR 095 (their placement—and Juan does this, or one of the deputies). But we can’t put them into a section. If they are getting financial aid, they may not want to drop ACR 094 section because it affects financial aid. They may be better off staying in your class. You can give them extra work and at the end of the semester, providing they’ve attended and worked hard, give them permission to take the Compass test. That way they won’t lose out. Next week there may be some openings in 095 as students drop the class or get bumped for non-payment. At that point they can jump into a class and drop yours. Please let part-timers know the situation. Thank you.
 * Announcement from GBrookes, 8/29/13**

Josh Belknap, Director, ESL Lab, has set up a [|wiki] for the lab. Visit this wiki for information regarding tutoring, lab hours & scheduling, materials, etc. To introduce your students to the ESL lab, you can schedule an orientation session with Joshua Belknap, Director, in S500 (x1422). It is also possible to schedule weekly sessions in the computer lab, depending on availability. Prof. Christine Jacknick is assigning SI tutors to classes during September/October, pending approval of the program.
 * ESL Lab Wiki**
 * ESL Lab as a resource for ESL classes**
 * Supplemental Instruction (SI) Tutors**


 * Developmental Skills Department Meetings**


 * ESL and ACR Components meetings convene immediately following department meetings.**

=**ESL** **First Day Memorandum** **Fall 2013**=

Dear ESL Faculty, Welcome back to the start of the fall semester. We hope you have had a restful and restorative summer break. **Please read through this memo carefully no matter how many years you have taught with us**.


 * FIRST DAY IN A NUTSHELL: 1) STUDENT INFO FORMS, 2) ESSAYS, 3) REVIEW ESSAYS FOR LEVEL CHANGES.**

=(1) Student Information Forms= Forms are located in N499H. All students should fill one out. You will need to submit these at the end of the semester. You also will be using them in case you need to move students to another level as explained below. =(2) First-day Essay= All students in ESL054, ESL062, ESL094, and ESL095 should write an essay on specified topics to be reviewed by the instructor for possible re-placement. Topics for various levels are found in N499H. Use the appropriate set of topics, and please return them after your class. Since no first day writing sample is required for ESL049 students, ESL 049 instructors should be prepared to teach a full lesson on the first day of class.


 * //*ESL 095//:** **THERE WILL BE NO CATW RETESTING BASED ON THE 1ST DAY ESSAY.** Administer the first-day diagnostic using the prompts for 095 found in N499H. New students may need to be moved down.

Read the first-day essay immediately after class if possible, so that students can be moved where appropriate. Look for students who are writing at a very different level from the majority of your class. It is important to get students moved as soon as possible so that classes may settle down and all spaces are utilized. If you move students out of your class **you are likely to receive new ones in exchange**.
 * Level Changes**
 * New** students can be moved, space permitting, in **either** direction (except ESL095 students). Continuing students can be moved **up** but not down (except ESL095 students). All level changes must be approved by Gay Brookes, Rosario Torres, Mary Sepp, or Judith Yancey. Send students whose level you think should be changed to one of us in N499 with:
 * 1) Their completed student information form. Complete the form, indicating your recommendation in the “exit” line. Add comments as necessary. Do not detach the bottom of the page.
 * 2) Their first day essay.

Also, **be** **on alert for NATIVE or NEAR-NATIVE speakers**. Some students might be better served by English remedial classes. If you believe you have some of those students, send them to N499 with their student information form and their first day essay. You do not need to select the English remedial level but you should indicate in the exit line of the student information form: “ENG.” Because space in the English Department is tight and students often must remain in ESL, reassure students that you will be willing to work with them if it is not possible for them to transfer to another class. =OTHER MATTERS:= =(3) Class Rosters= Rosters may not be available right away. Take attendance that you can transfer to the official roster. When new students come to your class, you may ask to see that they have a bursar’s receipt. If you have any doubts, you may send the student to see one of the faculty on duty in N499, **after class! Do not send a student away from your class until the end of class. Many students add-drop during the first weeks and when you send a student away who is officially part of your class, you are denying them instructional time.** =(4) Add-Drops= Do not sign students into your class. Only the Chair, Deputy Chairs, or Coordinators may do this. Do not write a note that you would accept a student into your class. We do not want classes to have more students than the limit. You may drop students from your class upon their request, but remind students that they may need to maintain a full-time schedule. =(5) Portfolio classes= Students in portfolio classes are also tested on the first day as described above. Students in these classes receive a letter, which will be made available to you soon by the Portfolio Committee. If you plan to teach a portfolio section and it is not already noted on the schedule on the office bulletin board, please inform one of us of this immediately. //ESL095 may not be taught as a portfolio class.// =(6) Books= If you need advice about a book, ask any of your colleagues or one of us. Books may be ordered through the college bookstore. Please do not send students to the bookstore until the copies you ordered have arrived so as not to inconvenience classes that may have ordered the same books. =(7) Syllabi and other forms= Please follow the standard format for your syllabus. If you need to see the standard form, please email Jenny at jgonzalez@bmcc.cuny.edu and she can email one to you. Syllabi should be submitted in hard copy (to Jenny Gonzalez) and electronically (to Gay Brookes, cc: Jenny Gonzalez) during the first week of classes. Adjunct workload report forms must be returned promptly to the Jenny in N499. For holidays and conversion days, please refer to the calendar in your folder.

If you are to be absent, please call the office at 212-220-1396. Your first absence is not covered by a substitute; following absences, if at all possible, are. We must also remind you that classes begin and end at the time scheduled. Three hour classes may end fifteen minutes earlier if no break is given. If you foresee a problem fulfilling your obligation on a particular day, please let Gay, Rosario, or one of us know.
 * (8)** **Instructor absences:**

(10) MURRAY TEACHERS: You can gain access to M1006a to use as an office with your id card. If you would like a locker in that room, please see Jenny for a key. There are also copy machines available for faculty on the 10th, 11th, 12th, and 14th floors in the Murray building.

__ DEVELOPMENTAL SKILLS ADMINISTRATION __ __ROOM__ __PHONE__

Department Chair Gay Brookes N499G 212 220-1403 ACR Coordinator Mark Hoffman N499K 1414 Deputy Chair (ESL) Rosario Torres N499J 8378 Deputy Chair (ACR) Juliet Emanuel N499L 1406 Deputy Chair (ACR) Judith Resnick N499B 1420 ESL Co-Coordinator Mary Sepp N499K 1423 ESL Co-Coordinator Judith Yancey N499U 5098 Department Secretary Jenny Gonzalez N499 1396 Department Fax Machine N499 212 748-8983