Display case
RBERN at a career fair in Wayne County
CTE ELL student in nursing assistant program
Educators at Ganondagan learning about Indigenous culture
Teacher and students with cascarones
Teachers attending professional development
Various students at mock assembly in Albany through PRHYLI
CTE ELL student in nursing assistant program
teachers with music instruments
Mock assembly PRHYLI Albany, NY
Student cracks cascarones
CTE student cosmetology
Students and teacher with cascarones
PRHYLI students 2023 at banquet
Teachers and students in classroom
teachers at workshop
PRHYLI proclamation at Monroe County Legislature
Trauma and Resilience PD
CTE ELL student in automotive
Students at book signing
Boy with candy
PRHYLI students 2024 in Albany for mock assembly

Mid-West RBERN

Joint Memo Reaffirming our Commitment to Protecting Immigrant Students

Immigrant Resources to Share

Please SHARE these resources with your districts and families:

Help people know and assert their rights. Available in 16 different languages. 

a pile of red cards
Immigrant Rights in NY by the NY Immigrant Coalition; a guide for NY Immigrants on avoiding immigration scams, protecting families when interacting with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and creating an emergency preparedness plan. Available in English, French and Spanish.
image of a document

Mid-West RBERN featured in OBEWL's November Newsletter

image of a newsletter

NYSESLAT 2025 - Requesting, Shipping and Storage of Materials


The Office of State Assessment has released a memo concerning the procedures for ordering and storing NYSESLATs. Principals should be receiving an email (if they haven't already) from Metritech with instructions.

Opportunity: M/WBE Certification Info Sessions


Mid-West RBERN is offering consulting sessions to help assist local minority and women-owned businesses obtain NYS M/WBE certification hosted by long time M/WBE certified consultant, Ann Delehant. This is a great opportunity to grow and expand your business by becoming state certified. Please reach out for more information 585-352-2790 or [email protected]

Welcoming Future Educators with Diverse Immigrant Backgrounds-Perspective of a Mentor Volunteer

Nicole Bell had the privilege of guest blogging for Childhood Education International to share her experience as a mentor to immigrants interested in the field of teaching. 
More +

New Coordinator Announced

We are very happy and excited to announce the next Coordinator at Mid-West RBERN: Nicole Bell

Nicole has been very active and impactful since arriving at Mid-West RBERN in 2019, including holding a position on the NYSTESOL Executive Board and receiving her advanced degree, Ed.D in Education Leadership from Molloy University. Many of you know Nicole as the leader and facilitator of many courses and workshops, such as NYSITELL and NYSESLAT trainings, collaborations with WFL BOCES and GV BOCES, leading the Latino Literacy Project and work with numerous other groups advocating for the education of English Language Learners. She has also led professional learning sessions at both NYSTESOL and NYSABE.

Nicole has proven to be a supreme team player who goes beyond the norm for helping her colleagues succeed at meeting their goals. Please join us in welcoming Nicole Bell to her new leadership role.

Transition in the Mid-West RBERN Office

Dr. Sabrina Nudo has announced her departure from Mid-West RBERN. We wish her all the best as she says, "See you soon." Rather than "Goodbye," she takes on a new position at our sister RBERN in Syracuse. Sabrina sincerely appreciates the opportunity to collaborate with the wonderful Mid-West RBERN region and thanks everyone for all they do for our multilingual learners.

The next few months will be full of transition and new possibilities. Meanwhile, we wanted to remind you that our office is business as usual, and the four specialists and our outstanding administrative support are here to support your ELL & bilingual education needs. Please see the graphic below as a starting point for technical assistance, and reach out if you have any questions.

Mid-West RBERN Technical Assistance

News

free covid-19 test kits image

Free COVID-19 Test Kits Available at BOCES 2 Locations

BOCES 2 has free at-home COVID-19 test kits available for staff and students’ parents/guardians.
More +

Follow Mid-West RBERN on Social Media
X logo

About

 The goal of Mid-West Regional Bilingual Education Resource Network (RBERN) is to assist districts and schools in creating an educational environment for English Language Learners (ELLs) which engages everyone in meaningful teaching and learning.

RBERN Events

Feb
07

Music, Movement and Language

This professional development opportunity is for teachers looking for additional ways to engage with their English Language Learners/Multilingual Learners (ELLs/MLs) or any students with language needs. This workshop will support inclusive and dynamic teachers looking for more interactive ways to engage all students. In this hands-on workshop, participants will practice useful creative strategies and methods that can be adapted for all learners. Teachers will leave with a toolkit of fun, ready-to-use songs, chants, movements and games that support K-6 MLs in their language acquisition and translanguaging experiences. 
Feb
10

ENL Teacher Coffee Talk

An informal, bimonthly zoom session for secondary ENL teachers. Teachers will engage in facilitated conversation related to instruction, assessment, advocacy, resource sharing and parent and family engagement. Zoom link will be sent to registrants prior to the first meeting. 

Feb
11

New Part 154 ELL Coordinator Meeting

New ELL Coordinators are welcome to join us, as they can, for monthly meetings covering everything related to English Language Learners and bilingual programming and placement, CR 154 policy, testing, family engagement, equitable instruction and much more. This group will serve as a community of support for those navigating and supporting this subgroup of students. Seasoned ELL Coordinators are also welcome to join as they see topics of interest. Meetings will be held virtually, each month. 

Feb
11

New Part 154 ELL Coordinator Meeting

New ELL Coordinators are welcome to join us, as they can, for monthly meetings covering everything related to English Language Learners and bilingual programming and placement, CR 154 policy, testing, family engagement, equitable instruction and much more. This group will serve as a community of support for those navigating and supporting this subgroup of students. Seasoned ELL Coordinators are also welcome to join as they see topics of interest. Meetings will be held virtually, each month. 

Feb
11

Principals' Forum

Mid-West RBERN is hosting two Principals' Forums for the 2024-25 school year. These forums are opportunities for principals to troubleshoot, seek advice and gain understanding of the topics surrounding English Language Learner and Bilingual students. Topics will be driven by audience but may include CR-Part 154, classroom look-fors, best practices and assessment and accommodations. Principals will also be invited to our ELL Admin Community, a virtual space for collaboration and resources. 
Registered participants will receive the zoom link the morning of the meeting.

Feb
26

ELLevate Your School Counselor Toolbox

This 3-part series will equip school counselors with knowledge and skills to improve their work with English Language Learners and their families. Session 1: Understanding ELLs in NYS and the barriers to their success. Session 2: Developing an Understanding of ENL programming, ELL subpopulations and the social emotional needs of ELLs. Session 3: Expanding cultural competence and humility and building relationships with students and families.

Feb
26

Individual Education Programs (IEPs) for English Language Learners (ELLs)

Dually identified students who are both ELLs and have documented disabilities are legally entitled to services under both classifications. However, in many contexts within K-12 education, from the classroom to school to district to state levels, Special Education and English Learner support are two separate, siloed systems. It is imperative that educators within each system understand ways to fully support dually-identified students and that these educators work together to create systems and supports. Educators need to understand where, how and why to integrate linguistically and culturally appropriate supports throughout the process of writing and executing IEPs. This presentation will cover considerations for evaluation of ELLs who are referred to special education, infusing language acquisition support throughout the sections of the IEP, and appropriate strategies for placement and implementation. Participants will analyze causes of disproportionate classification of ELLs, practice integrating language supports into measurable student goals, and compare program and placement options that support both classifications.

Mar
05

Wayne Finger Lakes ENL Collaborative

This collaborative will meet bi-monthly for facilitated conversations and resource sharing opportunities for topics related to ELL curriculum and instruction, advocacy for ELLs, parent and community engagement and other similar topics.

Mar
11

New Part 154 ELL Coordinator Meeting

New ELL Coordinators are welcome to join us, as they can, for monthly meetings covering everything related to English Language Learners and bilingual programming and placement, CR 154 policy, testing, family engagement, equitable instruction and much more. This group will serve as a community of support for those navigating and supporting this subgroup of students. Seasoned ELL Coordinators are also welcome to join as they see topics of interest. Meetings will be held virtually, each month. 

Mar
14

Seasoned Part 154 ELL Coordinator Meetings

Seasoned ELL Coordinators (those who have been in the position for more than a year) are invited to join us, as they are able, for bimonthly meetings. Agendas will be steered by coordinator needs and questions and there will be a space for an open forum.

Mar
24

New to NYSESLAT Training

This training is intended for certified educators or administrators who are new to administering the NYSESLAT. Participants will learn how to prepare for testing and administer all four components of the test and practice scoring the speaking portion. Optional writing scoring materials will be available for participants to interact with on their own. Please note: if you have administered the NYSESLAT before, please do not sign up for this training. This is for new participants only. 

Mar
27

Bilingual Educator Collaborative

Please join us for an affinity group around Bilingual Education. The aim of this Professional Learning Community for leaders of bilingual education is to share resources and collectively solve problems to ensure equitable access to education for bilingual students. The sessions are open to leaders of bilingual and dual language programs in the Mid-West region.

Mar
27

New York State Seal of Biliteracy (NYSSB) Network

The purpose of the NYSSB Network is to discuss best practices, share resources and effectively plan for the implementation of the NYS Seal of Biliteracy in schools and districts across the Mid-West region. A focus on how ELLs and non-ELLs can earn the NYSSB. Meetings are designed to support new and existing districts offering NYSSB interested in a refresher/relaunch. Topics include but are not limited to: Getting Started with Recruitment, Deadlines, Culminating Project Presentations and Student Recognitions. Registered participants will receive a zoom link for the series 24 hours prior to the first meeting.

Apr
02

Unlocking Effective Instruction for ML Newcomer Students

Mid-West RBERN is proud to host and sponsor this session in collaboration with Deena Marshall from SupportEd. During this professional development session, participants will gain a deeper understanding of the the unique challenges and opportunities faced by multilingula learner (ML) newcomer students while also learning strategies to support students' content learning and academic langugae development. Participants will walk away with actionable, research-based strategies and tools they can use to strengthen instruction for their ML newcomer students. 

Apr
03

Spring Immigrant Experience Book Club 2025

Aged eight, Dina Nayeri fled Iran along with her mother and brother and lived in the crumbling shell fo an Italian hotel-turned-refugee camp. Eventually, she was granted asylum in America. She settled in Oklahoma, then made her way to Princeton University. In this book, Nayeri weaves together her own vivid story with the stories of other refugees and asylum seekers in recent years, bringing us inside their daily lives and taking us through the different stages of their journeys, from escape to asylum to resettlement. In these pages, a couple fall in love over the phone, and women gather to prepare the noodles that remind them of home. A closeted queer man tries to make his case truthfully as he seeks asylum, and a translator attempts to help new arrivals present their stories to officials. Nayeri confronts notions like "the swarm" and on the other hand, "good" immigrants. She calls attention to the harmful way in which Western governments privilege certain dangers over others. With surprising and provocative questions, The Ungrateful Refugee challenges us to rethink how we talk about the refugee crisis. This virtual, asynchronous course will take place on Schoology from March 1st through April 3rd, 2025. Course links will be sent prior to the start of the course. Book must be purchased on your own.

RBERN Email Signup

MW-RBERN Email Signup
* Name:
* Email:

To validate your submission, please answer the following math problem:

captcha math problem