TABE NOTICIAS

For the third consecutive year, Aldine ISD has celebrated the Seal of Biliteracy Performance Acknowledgement during summer graduations. With a red and blue cord that represents linguistic and academic achievement , graduates proudly celebrate this significant milestone. This year, 364 students received this honor. Muchas felicidades a todos los graduados.

Extremely proud of the first cohort of #HS students from @LaFeriaISD receiving TABE's Seal of Biliteracy Trajectory awards to celebrate their Biliteracy Journey! ¡Felicidades a todos los galardonados y a sus familias! #SealofBiliteracy #Texas

I hope this newsletter finds you well and filled with enthusiasm and health. As the 2023-2024 school year draws to a close, I am filled con mucho orgullo y gratitud for the incredible journey we have embarked on together this year as a TABE comunidad y familia. It has been a year of growth, learning, and achievement, and I am honored to share this journey with every one of you.

I am thrilled to celebrate the many successes and milestones we have achieved throughout the year to better serve you, from the TABE Professional Development, TABE Noticias, TABE Talks, TABE Newsletter, 3rd Annual Dual Language Symposium, TABE Journal, and more. It is our goal to continue to bring you high-quality learning opportunities to increase your tool kit to better serve our amazing bilingual students and familias. Their growth is a testament to the dedication and expertise of our Texas educators, the unwavering partnership of familias, and let’s not forget, the resilience of our students.

As we reflect on the successes of the past year, let us continue to look ahead con muchas ganas, optimism, and determination. The journey towards excellence in bilingual education is ongoing, and there is still much work to be done. In the coming year, let us continue to innovate, collaborate, and advocate for the needs of our bilingual comunidad. ¡Recuerden que juntos, si se puede! Juntos, we can build upon our achievements and create even greater opportunities for our students to succeed.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to each member of our TABE comunidad. It is through our collective efforts that we can make a meaningful difference in the lives of those we serve. I hope all of you have a well-deserved summer break, and take time to rest, recharge, and reflect on the impact of your work. Looking forward to continuing our important work to advance bilingual education for all in our beautiful state of Texas.

Mil gracias, once again for your unwavering support and dedication. Together, we are making a difference.

Con mucho respeto y admiración,

Dr. Xochitl Anabel Rocha

TABE President

My name is Dr. Elizet Moret and I have recently joined TABE’s board as the new Legislative Chair. Soon after I joined, TABE board selected our new Lobbyist, Ikenna Okoro, please help us in welcoming him to our organization.

In just a few months from joining, we have started our collaboration with Dr. Chloe Sykes, from IDRA, which shares TABE’s vision of ensuring that all Texas students have access to high-quality language education programs. It is through these conversations that TABE has developed and published our legislative priorities:

1. Performance Acknowledgement in bilingualism and biliteracy: Texas Seal of Biliteracy

2. Increase bilingual education funding

3. Streamlined teacher certification process

4. Expansion of bilingual programs and Spanish assessments to secondary

5. High school to college CTE pipeline for bilingual teachers

We invite you to learn about each of them here and to share it with colleagues. Based on these priorities we will continue to prepare for the upcoming 89th Texas legislative session.

Mil gracias,

Dr. Elizet Moret

Legislative Chair

We're thrilled to share highlights from the recent BEAM instillation ceremony! It was a momentous occasion as we welcomed the new 24-25 BEAM Board into their roles. Congratulations to all the newly installed members! Here are some snapshots capturing the essence of the event and a group picture featuring all those in attendance. Thank you to everyone who joined us for this special event. Your support and enthusiasm make our community stronger than ever!

• Texas A&M University-San Antonio has been awarded a four-year, $1.5 million Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence Program grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The funds will support scholarships and resources to boost the number of multilingual teachers in communities and schools with a highly diverse student population (Source: Press Release By University Communications).

• Three Texas A&M University-San Antonio alumni received prestigious awards in the academic year 2023-2024. Juan Dominguez, Master of Science Class of 2021 in Bilingual Education, Master Teacher at SSGT Michael P. Barrera Veterans Elementary, Somerset ISD received the Milken Educator Award, Jorge Alvarez, Bachelor of Science Class of 2019 IDS Bilingual Generalist 4-8 received the Trinity Prize for Excellence in Teaching, and Esmeralda Sevilla, Bachelor of Science Class of 2020 IDS Bilingual Generalist EC-6 received the San Antonio Area Association for Bilingual Education (SAAABE) Dual Language Teacher of the Year and will move forward to compete for the TABE Bilingual Teacher of Year Award.

• Yasmin Hernandez, Bilingual Education Major and BESO Secretary at Texas A&M University-San Antonio was presented with the opportunity during the 2024 National Association for Bilingual Education Conference to be among other amazing BESO university students to meet and dialogue with the US Secretary of Education, Dr. Miguel Cardona. It was an amazing experience for her and all NABE attendees.

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley celebrated the first cohort of B3 (bilingual, bicultural, biliterate) Scholars during the Spring 2024 commencement! There were 386 undergraduate students recognized for completing the B3 Scholar Seal requirement. These students successfully completed at least 15 hours in courses that were designated as being taught in Spanish, bilingually, and/or with Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies. These classes are offered across disciplines including, Chemistry, Mexican American Studies, Bilingual Education, Biology, Philosophy, History, Music, Studio Art, Astronomy, Environmental Sciences, Political Science, Communication, and Social Work, just to name a few areas. Since 2015, there are about 400 faculty members that have participated in teaching one of almost 5000 courses offered with these designations. Most of these faculty members have completed professional development sessions that focus on “B3-ifying” their courses.

The Office for Bilingual Integration organized a B3 Pinning Ceremony celebrating the first group of B3 Scholars on April 17 at 6:30PM (Edinburg) & April 18 at 7PM (Brownsville) for the students and their families. Dr. Julieta García, the previous University of Texas Brownsville President, graciously delivered a keynote talk that commemorated the importance of the B3 Scholar Seal and offered words of inspiration. A student was nominated by faculty from each campus to deliver a speech on why it was important for them to earn the B3 Scholar Seal. Additionally, each ceremony displayed personal quotes from the students expressing what being a B3 Scholar meant to them and their future. The ceremony was mostly delivered in Spanish to honor the language of the families and graduates. After each ceremony, the B3 Scholars, their family, and special guests were invited to a small reception.

The B3 Scholar Seal

The B3 Scholar Seal serves to acknowledge undergraduate students’ bilingualism, biculturalism, and biliteracy in Spanish and English through relevant coursework.

B3 Scholar Seal Criteria:

Undergraduate students must successfully complete 5 distinct classes including:

· 1-4 Spanish (E) and/or Bilingual (X) designated courses

· 1-2 courses including Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy

· Optional: May include 1-2 Spanish language courses

Dra. Lileana Ríos-Ledezma, TABE Newsletter Chair

Email: tabe@tabe.org
Website: http://tabe.org/
Location: Po Box 37130, San Antonio, Texas 78237
Phone: 210-979-6390
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