CC-BY-NC-SA 2025 New Language Solutions Avenue Program Standards for Technology-Enhanced Language Learning, version 1.2 Administrative Innovations A key administrative innovation that supported transition planning, implementation, and ongoing operations in TVDSB’s ESL-LINC program was the creation of two coordinator roles, each overseeing a core area of service delivery. Sheila Carson leads a seven-member Program Support Team, which manages learner referrals, intake, waitlists, and class placement. The team also handles day-to-day questions from learners and instructors. Once learners are placed and new teaching staff hired, the Learning Support Team, led by Jennifer Jones, steps in. This four-member team trains instructors and volunteers, delivers new-learner orientation, provides curriculum support, and organizes ongoing professional development (PD). Jennifer also oversees learner progress using Portfolio-Based Language Assessment (PBLA), which allows learners to carry a digital portfolio as a record of their growth. This dual-coordinator structure allows each team to build expertise in its area while collaborating on shared responsibilities such as staffing, interviewing, and program planning. From their base at the GA Wheable Centre in London, Learning Support team leads travel to the nine ESL program sites to deliver orientation sessions or conduct diagnostic assessments. Program Support leads primarily work centrally but travel when needed. Program Development Guidance As technology-enhanced language learning becomes more advanced, the need for clear guiding standards has grown. For the TVDSB ESL-LINC team, two key resources meet this need: the Avenue Program Standards for Technology-Enhanced Learning and the Avenue Instructor Standards for Technology-Enhanced Language Learning. Notably, members of the team including Jennifer Artan, Chris Nott, Bei Zhang, and Gita Azad contributed, along with other ESL professionals across Canada, to the development of the Standards For example, the Program Standards – designed for administrators – offer a guiding philosophy and five standards, each with performance indicators that help evaluate and strengthen a program’s use of instructional and support technologies. When Jennifer first encountered the Standards, her reaction was, “We’re already doing quite a bit of this!” But, she also saw gaps that pointed to valuable opportunities for professional development. The Standards are aspirational, not prescriptive. Programs aren’t expected to adopt everything at once, but those seeking to enhance their digital capacity will find practical, actionable guidance within them. “As our program evolves,” Jennifer noted, “we plan to consult the Standards both before implementing new technologies and afterward to ensure we’re meeting the performance indicators.” Interested in Learning More? Personal Profile In Jennifer’s Words: The Rise of AI Application of Instructor Standards 41
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