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Lingo Pacific Northwest Council for Languages Newsletter Spring 2004 Part II

In This IssuePart I:Evelyne Armstrong 3JNCL-NCLIS Delegate Assembly Report 4Regional Reports (continued to Part II) 11Part II:Regional Reports (continued from Part I) 16PNCFL Awards Ceremony 22NNELL Award Nomination Information 23PNCFL Works for You 24WILL 25Story by PNCFL Member 31New! State Committees 32PNCFL History 37

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PNCFL grants three annual awards – Outstanding Contribution to the Teaching of World Languagesin the Pacific Northwest, the Ray Verzasconi Northwest Post-Secondary Teacher of the Year, and the

PNCFL K-12 Language Teacher of the Year. Janice Gullickson from Anchorage, Alaska, was this yearrecipient of the Outstanding Contribution to the Teaching of World Languages in the Pacific Northwest.This year’s winner of the 2003 Ray Verzasconi Pacific Northwest Post-Secondary Teacher of the Year was

Margritt Engel also from Anchorage, Alaska. Rosemary Leiva of Yakima, Washington, was named the 2003Pacific Northwest K-12 Language Teacher of the Year.

Below is a photo taken by Susan Oakley that Brandon Locke, Past PNCFL president, shared with

Lingo from the awards ceremony held in Anchorage, Alaska this October.

Janice Gullickson, Tam Agosti-Gisler, Margritt Engel, and Rosemary Leiva

Congratulations to PNCFL’s 2003 Award Recipients!!We are proud of you all!!

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The NNELL Award for Outstanding Support of Early Foreign Language Learning will be given to anindividual(s) who have demonstrated outstanding support of early foreign language learning. Nominees may beactively involved in their efforts in a variety of ways including, but not limited to, the following: early foreignlanguage specialist, classroom teacher, principal or other school administrator, district or state schoolsuperintendent, local or state foreign language coordinator or supervisor, parent, school board member,businessperson, civic leader, politician/elected representative.

The nomination for this award will be in the form of two letters of recommendation (a letter ofnomination and a letter of support) from individuals who can attest to the nominee’s work in the field of earlylanguage learning. The letter of nomination must come from a current NNELL member, and the letter ofsupport should be written by another individual who is very familiar with the nominee’s work for earlylanguage learning. The letters should include documentation that clearly demonstrates evidence of the ways inwhich the nominee supports early language learning. The nomination may also include up to five pages ofsupporting evidence such as copies of newspaper articles that recognize the nominee’s work for early languagelearning, sample items created by the nominee that show advocacy work, etc. The following are examples ofcriteria that can be considered in writing the letters of nomination as they apply to the nominee’s work on behalfof early language learning:

• Demonstrates commitment to early foreign language learning in the school and the community. Forexample, seeking ways to inform the community of the need for beginning language study early as anintegral part of the school curriculum and in an uninterrupted sequence.

• Provides visibility to the foreign language program. An example would be seeking media and/ornewspaper publicity of school foreign language events or sending newsletters with foreign languageprogram updates to parents.

• Provides leadership in establishing and maintaining early language programs at the local or state level• Supports and provides professional development opportunities for early language specialists• Advocates for early language programs at the local or state level. Representing his or her foreign

language program at local or state school board meetings would be an example of this.• Serves on local or state committees for early foreign language learning such as advocacy projects, state

foreign language association committee or board, or PTA• Provides exemplary foreign language instruction in the classroom like collaborating with the foreign

language specialist on interdisciplinary projects.

Three copies of the nomination packet including the two letters of nomination and up to five pages ofsample supporting evidence should be mailed as one nomination submission by May 1, 2004 to:

Dr. Mary Lynn Redmond, ChairNNELL Award Committee6 Sun Oak CourtGreensboro, NC 27410E-mail: redmond@wfu.edu

The nomination must include the contact information (mailing address and telephone number) of theindividual who is submitting the nomination and the nominee. Award recipients will be notified by August 15,2004, and the award will be announced at the annual meeting of the National Network for Early LanguageLearning in November.

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* PNCFL facilitates networking among Pacific Northwest states, provides membership services, andmaintains state membership databases.* PNCFL Awards recognize and honor talent and leadership in each member state.

* PNCFL’s Newsletter, Lingo, offers news from states, posts job announcements, and publishes otherarticles of interest to foreign language professionals in the region.* PNCFL provides juries for judging peer-refereed proposals for state conferences, making state conferences

a competitive venue of pride for both K-12 and college/university presentations.* PNCFL provides juried presentations for conferences and meetings through PAWS, our Pacific NorthwestStates speakers' bureau.

* PNCFL provides regional membership in JNCL-NCLIS that enables the Pacific Northwest to havenational representation on foreign language issues.* PNCFL's past executive director, Dr. Ray Verzasconi, serves as a consultant to states wishing to set up

fundraising foundations.* PNCFL appoints a JNCL Representative. In the past, the PNCFL JNCL Representative was awarded travelcompensation in the amount of $500 donated by Dr. Ray Verzasconi. PNCFL would like to thank Ray for

his continuing support of our organization and invite our members to follow his lead and add to hiscontributions. Beginning this year, a $1,000 travel award will be provided each year to our newlyappointed representative due to additional donations from the membership. The PNCFL JNCL

Representative will be appointed from nominations made by the states to serve a three-year term. If youwould like to contribute to the PNCFL JNCL Travel Fund, please contact our executive secretary and makeyour donation today!

*PNCFL willingly lends support to other conferences as needed, has participated in a joint conference withSWCOLT, and is involved in the ACTFL New Visions In Action Project.

*PNCFL maintains a website that contains information on professional development opportunities in the

region and around the country as well as important news items. See us at http://babel.uoregon.edu/pncfl.*PNCFL partners with the Center for Applied Second Language Study (CASLS), the Northwest NationalForeign Language Resource Center at the University of Oregon. CASLS develops on-line proficiency-based

assessments, materials, and planning tools, and provides professional development opportunities for teachersin our region. CASLS is providing PNCFL with technological, editorial, secretarial, and budget managementsupport.

*The Western Initiative for Language Learning (WILL) is a two-year professional development programsponsored by CASLS in partnership with PNCFL. The program was created to provide opportunities forrural second language teachers (K-12) working in the northwest to collaborate and explore current issues and

ideas in the second language education field. The primary goal is to develop second language teachers’pedagogic and leadership skills. Look for conference presentations by WILL teachers in the near future!

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Thirty-three second language teachers from the Pacific Northwest—Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon,Washington, and Wyoming—are working and learning together to improve second language educationthroughout the region. Nominated by their state organizations and identified as dedicated professionals with

strong academic backgrounds, these teachers are slated as imminent leaders of the Pacific Northwest.Supporting and assisting them in this endeavor is the Western Initiative for Language Learning (WILL),sponsored by the Center for Applied Second Language Studies (CASLS), The Northwest National Foreign

Language Resource Center, working in partnership with PNCFL. (CASLS proposed and received a federalgrant to organize, facilitate, and support WILL.) We have designed this two-year professional developmentprogram to meet the needs of rural second language teachers, their students, their communities, and their

state.We created this program, because as we know, most rural teachers are isolated from colleagues and

resources and lack opportunities to learn about new ideas and issues in the field. This cadre of WILL

teachers reported that they were interested in participating in WILL because of the following reasons:• isolation from colleagues• a desire for collaboration and networking

• difficulty in finding professional development programs near their homes and schools• a desire to expand resources and teaching strategies• interest in learning further about standards, performance-based assessment, curriculum development,

and technology.The teachers participating in WILL have diverse teaching contexts and a wide variety of experiences.

The 2003 WILL teachers are identified below according to their state team.

Alaska Team (2 teachers)Emily Ipalook WilsonCurrently teaching: InupiaqAt: University of Alaska, FairbanksJennifer MayfieldCurrently teaching: SpanishAt: Bartlett High School, Anchorage

Idaho Team (6 teachers)Bart BlackCurrently teaching: Spanish

At: Marsh Valley High School, Arimo, IDPaul BrizzeeCurrently teaching: Russian, German, French, Spanish

At: Eagle Rock Junior High, Idaho Falls, ID

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Nancy HeimCurrently teaching: SpanishAt: St. Maries High School, St. Maries, ID

Kacey PfaffCurrently teaching: SpanishAt: South Junior High, Boise, ID

Patrick LecertuaCurrently teaching: SpanishAt: Boise High School, Boise, ID

Richard WinegarCurrently teaching: SpanishAt: Emmett Junior High, Emmett, ID

Montana Team (5 teachers)Anne GrahamCurrently teaching: SpanishAt: Sussex School, Missoula, MTKerri HiattCurrently teaching: SpanishAt: Belt Public School, Highwood School, Great Falls, MTPam JohnsonCurrently teaching: SpanishAt: Stevensville High School, Stevensville, MTGeraldine McDonaldCurrently teaching: SalishAt: St. Ignatius High School, St. Ignatius, MTLynette PottengerCurrently teaching: SpanishAt: Fort Benton High School and Middle School, Fort Benton, MT

Oregon Team (13 teachers)Lori AlbrightCurrently teaching: French, Spanish

At: Pendleton High School, Pendleton, ORMaya BrachmannCurrently teaching: Spanish

At: Cottage Grove High School, Cottage Grove, ORCara ElderCurrently teaching: Spanish

At: Nestucca High School, Cloverdale, OR

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Dionne HasforthCurrently teaching: SpanishAt: Henley High School, Klamath Falls, OR

Laura LeeCurrently teaching: SpanishAt: Armand Larive Middle School, Hermiston, OR

Michelle McCoyCurrently teaching: ESLAt: Taft Middle School, Lincoln City, OR

Masoto OgawaCurrently teaching: JapaneseAt: Ontario High School, Ontario, OR

Beth Ann PopeCurrently teaching: SpanishAt: McMinnville High School, McMinnville, OR

Cecilia RentschCurrently teaching: ESLAt: McMinnville High School, McMinnville, OR

George ShimerCurrently teaching: SpanishAt: Nyssa High School, Nyssa, OR

Tanya SinkoCurrently teaching: FrenchAt: North Bend High School, North Bend, OR

Catherine WahlCurrently teaching: SpanishAt: Dufur School, Dufur, OR

Vicki YangCurrently teaching: JapaneseAt: Gladstone High School, Gladstone, OR

Washington Team (4 teachers)Setsuko BurchCurrently teaching: JapaneseAt: Ridgetop Junior High, Silverdale, WABrenda FisherCurrently teaching: SpanishAt: East Valley High School, Spokane, WA

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Nora HallettCurrently teaching: GermanAt: Timberline High School, Olympia, WA

Cheryl RuddCurrently teaching: JapaneseAt: Colville High School, Colville, WA

Wyoming Team (3 teachers)Ryan BeardallCurrently teaching: SpanishAt: Cody High School, Cody, WYBrandee MauCurrently teaching: German, SpanishAt: Sage Valley and Twin Spruce Junior High, Gillette, WYJamie TolleCurrently teaching: SpanishAt: Little Snake River Valley Schools, Baggs, WY

Please note that a small grant in Oregon was secured that allowed for additional teachers inOregon to participate in WILL and also funded additional activities such as attending the Oregonforeign language conference. These funds were secured from the No Child Left Behind: Oregon

University/School Partnerships program. We encourage all states to seek additional funding thatprovides assistance for teachers’ membership and attendance at your respective conferences orextended activities!

Why do these teachers want to participate in WILL? What do they hope to gain fromparticipating? Here are some reasons the teachers reported on their applications.

• “As a new teacher, I love getting together with other teachers to hear their ideas and whatworks for them in the classroom so that I can try the activities out in my room.”

• “Talking with other teachers and sharing ideas always motivates me to do fun things in

my classroom.”• “Although I have been teaching for six years, I still feel like a new teacher. I am

struggling with how to interact with certain ethnic groups, how to effectively teach

multiple levels of Spanish, and how to teach combined classes.”• “I am alone. I am not complaining because I love my job, but I have many times wished

there were a place I could go to talk to another teacher who understands my situation.

With this opportunity, I may be able to connect with other people who not onlyunderstand but also teach in similar institutions.”

• “I think that my students have not had access to the same quality and variety of language

courses as their peers in urban areas. As a teacher in a rural area, it is difficult toparticipate in conferences and workshops.”

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What opportunities do WILL provide to these teachers? The first even took place this pastJune. We made arrangements for all of the teachers to meet in Eugene, Oregon, to attend a five-

day institute called Exploring Second Language Learning and Teaching. All of the teachers’expenses were paid by the grant (secured by CASLS), including transportation to and fromEugene, lodging, food, and books, and materials. The teachers participated in hands-on

workshops like the following:

• Carl Falsgraf and Sally Hood Cisar presented an overview of proficiency-based

instruction, the National Standards for Foreign Language Learning, and K-16 articulation.• Donna Clementi, veteran foreign language teacher and curriculum developer from

Wisconsin, guided the teachers in developing performance assessment units.

• Helena Curtain, Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee andcurriculum specialist, led the group in creating thematic units.

• Sally Hood Cisar introduced action research, and the teachers began brainstorming about

aspects of their teaching they would like to investigate.

We asked the teachers to tell us (on the institute evaluation form) which part of the institute

was most helpful. Here are some of their comments:

• “Interacting with other teachers and creating bonds, realizing that I’m not alone in the

mistakes I make, and making friends in the profession.”• “Performance assessments, seeing the big picture, figuring out how to think in terms of

outcomes and using the language within the frameworks of ACTFL proficiency standards

and thematic units.”• “The collaboration, the brainstorming, and being with other motivated teachers. I also

learned a lot about thematic units.”

• “The camaraderie (collegiality) was amazing and extremely helpful.”

WILL teachers also reported what they learned:

• “To use the benchmarks as a guide and share this with parents: ‘Here’s where your childis and here’s where we’re going.’”

• “That I have lots of work to do with my curriculum to better incorporate and addressperformance standards.”

• “In essence, that all of us here have a common vision, and that this will help this project to

be not only successful, but extraordinary!”• “I learned to set a vision.”• “The National Standards, how they are broken down and how they work.”

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Most of these teachers did not know each other before meeting in Eugene, yet they immediately bondedand developed close working and personal relationships as the institute unfolded. These teachers aredynamic! They are motivated, curious, lively, and have a desire to learn. The 2003 summer institute was

just the beginning of WILL!Between now and next June, the teachers will be meeting on-line on a regular basis as they plan and

conduct action research in their classrooms. Their research will entail developing an area of inquiry, creating

research questions, collecting and analyzing data, and articulating understandings. The teachers willcollaborate and cooperate, learning from and sharing with each other through a Web-based coursemanagement system that allows them to hold discussions, post their ideas, reflect on their teaching, form

working groups and follow guidelines for conducting action research. Each teacher will design a researchstudy targeted to his or her current teaching needs, out of a curiosity to explore a particular topic, or a desireto understand and/or improve an aspect of his or her teaching or his or her students’ learning. Each teacher

will eventually publish his or her research through a state conference presentation and ideally through awritten publication in Lingo or other professional newsletters and journals.

The teachers have also been given access to materials and assessments developed at CASLS. For

example, all the teachers will administer the Standards-Based Measurement of Proficiency (STAMP) to theirstudents. STAMP is designed to be a summative assessment tool, measuring student proficiency levels inFrench, German, Japanese, and Spanish. It is securely and efficiently delivered via computer. STAMP

accurately assesses student proficiency levels based upon ACTFL guidelines for Novice-Low toIntermediate-Mid. STAMP assesses reading and writing proficiency in the target languages. Readingelements are computer graded, while trained graders, working in a computer-aided environment, grade the

written elements. The teachers will also have the opportunity to use ClassPak, a compilation of proficiencyactivities, assignments, and assessments designed for the foreign language classroom. ClassPak givesteachers a tool for delivering proficiency-based exercises and assignments that conform to their existing

curriculum. With 35 key topics and five language levels for beginning and intermediate students, teacherscan produce classroom tools ranging from individual learning activities to term and semester exams. Thesecan be presented to students online or printed out and distributed in a classroom setting.

In June 2004, we will again bring all 35 teachers to Eugene for the second summer institute. At this timethe teachers will share their action research with each other and attend workshops focused on building theirleadership skills. During the workshops the teachers will identify a project they would like to design and

implement that meets the needs of their classrooms, school, or community and put together an action plan forcarrying it out during the subsequent school year. Teachers with similar projects will share ideas and coacheach other during the various phases of their projects. During this summer institute, the teachers will also

plan and prepare a session based on their action research to be presented at their respective state fallconferences.

As the teachers implement their leadership projects during the 2004/2005 school year, they will again

meet and support each other on-line via Blackboard. We hope to hold a final reunion or ceremony during thesummer of 2005 to celebrate the teachers’ accomplishments.

Several of the teachers have already planned to do presentations or have already presented sessions or

workshops focused on what they are learning from participating in WILL activities. We hope that theseteachers will eventually act as mentors for their colleagues and as leaders in each of the Pacific Northweststate language organizations!

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There are two piles really – the one you see and the one you don’t. The pile you see is 130 sheets ofnotebook paper, some wide-ruled and some college-ruled. On each sheet is an assignment waiting forcomments, class credit, or a grade. These 130 samples of handwriting vary from meticulous script to

illegible scratching and appear on papers that may be crisp or tattered.The pile is there in a dusty corner of my mind whenever I eat or drive or go out to dance. I may burst

through my front door exhilarated at 6:00 p.m. or drag myself home exhausted at 1:00 a.m. Regardless, thepile waits for me patiently – never prodding but ever present.

It grows and shrinks through ten school months; until finally, in mid-June sunshine, what little is leftof it sprouts legs, romps off my desk, and swan dives into a deep pool of recycled paper. By this time, thepile’s creators already have jack-knifed into local swimming holes and headed off to high school.

You probably see this as a pile of drudgery, a stack of trash that exacts from me several hours oflonely concentration several nights a week for thirty-six weeks a year. You probably pity me. Don’t.Remember, this is only the pile you see, not the pile I see.

I look forward to the calm, electric hours when I am most alert – very late at night. This is crucialteaching time spent evaluating what already has been learned well and planning what will come next.Encouraged by soothing, surrounding stillness, the pile speaks to me in the various voices of its authors. As

I sift painstakingly through each sheet in turn, I hear as music the exact pitch, tone, and timbre of eachstudent’s unique voice struggling to communicate something important to me in a language that is, to him orher, new and foreign.

Through daily assignments over the course of a school year, I see teenagers in goofy-grape bracesflinch in frustration or grin in the glow of understanding. In language not native to her ears or tongue, onebrunette in chic jeans and a tight-fitting tank top declares confidently, “Soy de Las Vegas, pero me gusta más

vivir aquí en Oregón con mis amigas tontas.” (I’m from Last Vegas, but I prefer living here in Oregon withmy silly girlfriends.)

A dance team member shows temerity. Her quavering utterances are correct but curt, for fear of

stumbling in her climb to the next rung on the ladder of proficiency. “Soy de Portland como mis amigos,”she writes. (I’m from Portland like my friends.)

With abandon, our blond student body president flirts boldly; he didn’t get to be head of student

government by following the maxim, “Look before you leap.” “Soy alumno norteamericano,” be begins histease. “¡Me gusta las chicas!” (An attempt to say, “I’m a male American student. I like girls!”)

I am warmed with the thought that all of these teens have something they’re just dying to tell me.

Not one voice is mute. I write back, at first in short, easily understood phrases. But as the year progresses,my responses pose new language puzzles for my students to solve; this act of assessment transforms itselfinto 130 individualized Spanish lessons. Here with this pile, I engage in thoughtful conversation with each

of over one hundred teenagers several times a week. This heap of dog-eared papers, which appears to you tobe so dead, pulses with the beat of 130 teenagers starving to learn something challenging, exciting, anduseful. Although in class some may be too cool or self-conscious to risk a misstep, on paper they all feel

safe enough to jump right off a cliff. My comments of encouragement and gentle correction will guide themuntil they can stitch together a parachute or grow wings. This pile is truly a beautiful thing. Can you see itnow?

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The State PNCFL Committees have been designed to build a strong presence within each statein the areas of political advocacy, Pre-K-8 language learning, funding opportunities, and professional

development and awards to recognize, as well as tap into, the talented language teachers found in ourPacific Northwest. It is encouraged that states define further task division or clumping as deemedworkable at the state level.

1. Chair (State Lead representative to PNCFL)--Tasked with leading state committee meetings and collecting information for each issue of Lingo.

Task breakdown:• Be sure that there IS someone actively responsible for each area. If not, nominate/appoint/elect as

appropriate.

• Have a minimum of a monthly contact with each committee member just to touch base and/or

discuss progress and chart the future course of action.• Contact each committee member for status report 20 days before Lingo deadline

• Summarize the information that would be of interest regionally.

• Send summary to Lingo editor.

• Contact each committee member for status report 20 days before state newsletter and/or journal

deadline(s), and submit appropriate articles.

2. JNCL NomineeA.--Tasked with keeping abreast of developments at JNCL and reporting back to the membership allinformation regarding Political Advocacy to benefit the state.Task breakdown:

• Monthly contact (e-contact, telephone, website, whatever contact works) with JNCL-NCLISsources, both human (contact the PNCFL representative to JNCL) and electronic (seek JNCLwebsite, hotlinks, white papers, and the e-mail of contacts)

• Write succinct news summary every three months with items of interest to the state and region,

forward to state newsletter editor and to Lingo editor, making sure to cc: state PNCFL rep

B.--Tasked with networking with state agencies.

Task breakdown:• Gather information about state efforts to support foreign language teaching

• Bring relevant issues to the attention of state foreign language organization and of PNCFL board

members.

• Seek opportunities to represent regional and national foreign language issues to state agencies,

either personally or by seeing that appropriate materials (from PNCFL or JNCL-NCLIS websites,

for example). Bring to the attention of decision-makers and stakeholders.

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C.--Tasked with assembling information and materials for the PNCFL ACTFL booth and arrange themembership schedule for maintaining the booth at ACTFL.Task breakdown:• Gather information from around the state and at every level of instruction.

• Choose the news which can be presented in a visually impactful way.

• Contact other PNCFL states’ booth representative to see if a broadly regional presentation of adevelopment is appropriate and effective in communicating the foreign language strengths of the

area.• Decide on format of presentation, again in contact with other PNCFL states’ representatives,

especially if the format is to be of significant size (e.g. TV-video, tri-fold display,

business/agriculture/social programs’ foreign language materials)• Recruit state foreign language organization members who will be going to ACTFL conference anyway

(should be a stated expectation of anyone funded by the state organization) and have them sign up for

booth-manning time slots as soon as the conference program comes out with the time slots for theACTFL sessions. Have a backup plan in case time conflicts develop or someone cannot attend as

planned.

• Coordinate with other states' ACTFL booth rep so that each state's attendees have some time slots formanning.

3. State NNELL Representative--Tasked with dissemination of information state-wide regarding K-8 language learning.

ALASKA—Janice Gullickson HAWAII – Lynette FujimoriCurriculum Coordinator 522 Palawiki StreetAnchorage School District Kailua, HI 96734

1016 W 6th Ave., 4th Floor lynette_fujimori@notes.k12.hi.us

Anchorage, AK 99501mcalpine_dana@msmail.asd.k12.ak.us

gullickson_janice@asdk12.org

IDAHO—Jessica Sharrard MONTANA—Pat Wyss4600 Robinson Park Road #305 120 8th Lane NEMoscow, Idaho 83843 Fairfield, MT 59436jessicasharrard@hotmail.com

OREGON—Colette Richardson WASHINGTON—Marci Bass2585 Lawrence Street P.O. Box 633Eugene, OR 97405 Darrington, WA 98241

richardson@4j.lane.edu Marci@marcibas.comWYOMING—Ann Tollefson970 North Glenn RoadCasper, WY 82601

annt@trib.com

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Task breakdown:• Gather information from NNELL sources monthly.

• Gather information about state’s efforts to implement early language programs from teachers,

superintendents, PTAs and any organization taking an active interest.

• Write summary every three months and send to state foreign language association’s editor.

• Seek opportunities to appear before PTA organizations, school boards, and other decision makers,prepared to share ways to begin foreign language instruction early and why it is important.

• Keep a growing file of “How To” sheets of options for those organizations wishing to begin earlylanguage programs. The National Network for Early Language Learning has many resources that

could be used. ( www.nnell.org)

• Report efforts to chair (state rep. to PNCFL) so state NNELL report can be funneled to Lingo editorand to state FL publications editor 20 days before deadline.

4. Secondary Representative--Tasked with dissemination of information state-wide regarding 8-12 language learning.Task breakdown:• Gather information from ASCD sources monthly.• Gather information from high school teachers and principals, superintendents’ offices, PTA and any

other organizations actively interested in promoting students’ world language abilities. The goal is to

inform the region of what is going on in each state in case there is a model that can be followed oradapted by others.

• Write summary every three months and send to state foreign language association’s editor.

• Seek opportunities to appear before PTA organizations, school boards, and other decision makers,

prepared to share ways to begin foreign language instruction early in secondary school.• Keep a growing file of “How To” sheets of options for those organizations wishing to begin foreign

language instruction. (Miriam Met’s white paper would be a good starter sheet to use as such a

handout or issues of the ASCD publications.)• Report efforts to chair (state rep. to PNCFL) so state 8-12 report can be funneled to Lingo editor and

to state newsletter editor 20 days before deadline.

5. Post-Secondary Representative--Tasked with dissemination of information state-wide regarding higher education language learning andpreservice education in the field of second languages.Task breakdown:• Gather information from Dept. of Educ., DLI, ACTFL, MLA-ADFL sources monthly.• Gather information from professors, language program directors, teacher training units, student

organizations and any other organizations actively interested in promoting students’ world language

abilities. The goal is to inform the region of what is going on in each state in case there is a model

which can be followed or adapted by others.

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• Write summary every three months and send to state foreign language association’s editor.

• Seek opportunities to appear before governance committees of post-secondary institutions, chairs,

deans, and other decision makers, prepared to share ways to improve foreign language instruction

along the lines clarified in ACTFL’s “Five C’s.”

• Keep a growing file of “How To” sheets of options for those organizations wishing to begin, revise, or

expand foreign language instruction offerings. Foreign Language Annals has an article in almostevery issue germane for this purpose.

• Report efforts to chair (state rep. to PNCFL, so state post-secondary report can be funneled to Lingoeditor and to state publications editor 20 days before deadline.

6. Fiscal Support Representative--Tasked with contacting organizations having a foreign language interest and enticing them to financiallysupport PNCFL or some aspect of PNCFL’s outreach, preferably on a continuing basis.

Task breakdown:• Identify state organizations (federal, local, private, any organization having a presence in the state)

that reasonably have a vested interest in promoting effective foreign language education.

• Contact the decision-maker(s) and explain how PNCFL’s functions and outreach help promote theorganization’s own goals.

Subtask 1: Become informed as to the mission statement of the organization and how it lines up

with PNCFL’s own mission statement.Subtask 2: Become informed as to the kinds of charitable giving the institution has supported in

the past.

Subtask 3: Tailor your explanations of PNCFL’s functions to the kinds of issues that will interestthe organization most.

Subtask 4: Have a list of the major expenses that PNCFL incurs so that you can invite a continuing

support of a specific function if more general support does not seem appropriate.• Appoint a grant-writing committee (to report to you) in the event that the organization(s) that you

contact wish you to submit a proposal through their regular channels, and you find that PNCFL

efforts do qualify under the organization’s guidelines.

Subtask 1: Choose people who write well and adhere to deadlines. Then focus on step-by-stepcrafting each piece of the grant proposal in a logical sequence.

Subtask 2: Start well in advance of even preliminary deadlines, maintaining contact with someonein the organization who has expressed support for your submission, so you can ask questions as you write.

Subtask 3: Find someone who will critique your drafts and direct your efforts, preferably someone

who knows the granting organization well.

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7. PNCFL Awards, PAWS and Juried Presentations RepresentativeA.--Tasked with shepherding PNCFL Award nominees.• Seek nominees from state FL organization board.

• Gather letters of support for each nominee.• *Send nominee packets to the PNCFL board by deadline date.

• *Present award to winner at the annual meeting.

B.--Tasked with arranging for PAWS presenters for the annual conference as well as speakers for otherstate FL functions.

Task breakdown:• Confer with chair of conference(s) as to what type of speaker is needed and go over list of available

speakers with chair.

• Contact speaker(s)/presenter(s) chosen and ascertain willingness to present.

• Remind conference chair to document expenses and submit to PNCFL board for reimbursement up to$300 annual limit.

C.--Tasked with nominating excellent speakers and workshop presenters to go on active list with theapproval of state FL organization and making sure that they finish filling out the PAWS application,complete with endorsements. Then send it to the PNCFL Board for consideration.

Task breakdown:• Invite excellent speaker/workshop presenter to apply and provide the form.

• Check back in a few days to make sure it is completed and mailed.

• See if nominee wants help in getting recommenders' endorsements. If so, contact recommenders for

the nominee and explain why this is important to do.• Check back in a few days to make sure recommenders have completed and sent their endorsements.

D.--Tasked with contacting PNCFL board for set-up instructions if juried sessions are desired at stateconferences to encourage post-secondary professors' interaction with K-12 teachers as well as theirattendance at the state conferences.

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1949-1962The PNCFL was created in 1949 by the Oregon chapter of the AATSP and the Washington chapter of

the AATF. The principal founders were Howard Lee Nostrand, the University of Washington, and David M.

Dougherty, the University of Oregon. The first conference was held at the University of Washington inFebruary 1950. Others involved in this conference included Lurline Simpson, Howard Altman and LesterMcKim of the University of Washington; Manuel Jato Macías, then of Lewis & Clark College; and Herbert

L. Baird, Jr. of Western Washington University. Altman and McKim would subsequently serve as presidentsof ACTFL.

The purpose of the association, as spelled out in the first newsletter which was edited by Lurline

Simpson, was twofold. 1. Pool AAT chapter forces in order to stage a conference closer to home than thenational AAT conferences which most, younger teachers in particular, could not afford to attend. 2. Provideopportunities for dialogue both vertically (K-16) and horizontally (between languages and across state

boundaries). About 175 teachers from Oregon, Washington, Montana, Utah, Hawaii, and British Columbiaattend the first two-day conference.

From 1950 until the mid-1960s, PNCFL conferences focused on the concerns of K-12 and early

undergraduate level language teachers. Sessions on culture (including literature) by university faculty werethe responsibility of the AAT chapters, beginning with a guest speaker at the language-specific luncheons onSaturday and continuing to about 3 p.m. Early PNCFL records referred to these sessions as both the

“conference dessert” and the “frosting on the cake.”Participation by college and university literature teachers was encouraged both to facilitate a dialogue

between teachers at all levels and to ensure that institutions of higher education would underwrite the major

costs both of the annual conference and the publication of the annual Proceedings. From 1950 until 1973colleges and universities routinely covered 80-100% of PNCFL's annual operating costs. Dues wereestablished at $2.50 in 1950 (which covered conference registration as well) and were not raised until 1974 --

to $4.50 (which also covered conference registration).PNCFL served as the model for the Barnard College Conferences on Foreign Languages (1951,

1952), which led to the creation of the Northeast Conference (1953), and also as the model for ACTFL as

originally conceived. As noted above, two of PNCFL's early members also served as early presidents ofACTFL.

Much of the germinal research in applied linguistics, second language teaching, testing, standards,

articulation, the use of technology in the classroom, and public advocacy was published by PNCFL in thisperiod. These publications were the work of committees who communicated by mail during the year and hada 1-2 hour working session at the conference. These position papers were occasionally published separately

from the Proceedings, including a rather substantial tome published by Lewis & Clark College in 1955.Unfortunately, none was widely circulated and, to my knowledge, there are only two extant collections of allof PNCFL publications -- one at the University of Washington and one at Harvard. An almost complete

collection also exists at Oregon State University.

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However, anyone who wants to learn about the origins of the proficiency movement, of theestablishment of agreed upon assessments to evaluate proficiency K-16, of the need for K-16articulation, of the need to learn to use technology effectively, of the need for research on effective

methods of teaching and learning languages, and of the even greater need for language teachers tobecome involved in public advocacy would need look no further. The terminology and jargon wasn’tyet developed. One finds false starts and conclusions since rejected, but it is very clear from these

documents that the founders and members of PNCFL in this period recognized that the Latin-grammar model would not serve teachers or students of modern languages. There was a need for theprofession to develop a consensus on what students at all levels should know and be able to do in all

five language skills including culture. There was also a need to develop uniform testing instrumentsthat could be readily interpreted by anyone both vertically (K-16) and horizontally (from one schooldistrict or college/university to another and across state and national boundaries).

Membership in this period ranged from 175 to 275. Early membership records suggest about70% of the members taught at the K-12 level, and the Board of Directors was similarly composed.

1962-1973The increase in the foreign language teacher population led to the creation of a more formal

organization with a president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer. But that language teacher

population increase would usher in an era in which K-12 teachers would disassociate themselvesfrom PNCFL, and faculty in literature and applied linguistics in higher education would come tocontrol the association.

What happened? First, WAFLT and COFLT (then OAFLT) were created (1968 and 1969,respectively), providing K-12 teachers in the two most populous states in the region with aconference even closer to home than the PNCFL conference. Between 1968 and 1969 K-12 teachers

in Oregon and Washington deserted PNCFL en masse. Concurrently, enrollments in highereducation began to increase dramatically in the region in the 1960s. More than a dozen state collegesin the region became state universities. In the period between 1965 and 1969 more than two dozen

new undergraduate programs in French, German, Russian, and Spanish were created in the region andmore than 100 new Ph.D.s were hired -- all of whom had scholarly research requirements if theyhoped to be granted tenure.

A triple whammy. K-12 teachers in Oregon and Washington stopped joining PNCFL orattending conferences; faculty at second tier universities, at least in terms of the liberal arts, joinedPNCFL en masse. Among these universities were OSU, WWU, CWU, WSU, EWU and UI. Those at

the then primary research institutions in the liberal arts, such as UW, UO, UA, UBC, held to morestringent scholarly research demands and disassociated themselves.

The first indication that PNCFL had become a college/university conference is found in the

minutes of the 1969 meeting of the Board of Directors when the then president of WAFLT sharplycriticized the board for ignoring the needs of K-12 teachers. It was inevitable. As noted above,colleges and universities had been providing PNCFL with 80-90% of its annual operating costs; K-12

teachers stopped joining. The structure of a regional association already existed; there was no needfor faculty in literature and applied linguistics to create another association.

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Despite the increase in the foreign language teacher population, membership in this periodremained in the 250-275 range.

1974-1980 (Phase 1)In response to criticism from K-12 teachers, the board appointed a constitutional committee that

would draft PNCFL's first constitution and bylaws in 1973. In an effort to bring K-12 teachers back, the

constitution provided that the president of each state and provincial language association in the regionwould have a vote on the Board of Directors. In addition, conference keynote speakers and workshopdirectors once again focused on concerns of K-12 and early undergraduate level language teachers.

Still the K-12 teachers did not return. This is likely for several reasons. First, even when the stateand provincial association presidents could attend the annual board meeting, they were at a disadvantagein effecting real change in the conference for the simple fact that they attended only one meeting while

elected board members (now almost exclusively from higher education) served for three years. Second,all teachers in the region had essentially been spoiled. Not only had institutions of higher education longfunded PNCFL, they had also begun contributing significantly to the state associations. All of that

changed with the oil embargo of 1973-74.The PNCFL Board, unfortunately, was not prepared to adapt to the change. Minutes of the Board

of Directors make clear that most board members assumed that budgetary restraints imposed upon higher

education after the embargo were temporary. Between 1974 and 1981, the Board depleted what in 1999dollars was a reserve of more than $30,000. Most board meetings were devoted to endless debates suchas whether to increase dues by 50¢ or $1.00, whether to establish a conference registration fee, and

whether or not to stop publishing. As a college/university association, the Proceedings slowly starved theconference budget. By 1978, PNCFL was spending three times as much on the Proceedings than it wason the conference. The proposal to limit what was published in the Proceedings was first made by then

editor David P. Benseler in 1974. This motion was soundly rejected by a majority of board members whowarned that there would be a mass exodus of college and university faculty.

The decision to abandon the Proceedings, substituting instead Selecta (a journal of refereed

articles), was finally made in 1979 when the Board faced a sea of red ink, and for the first time no collegeor university was willing to cough up extra money.1

Despite financial difficulties, membership set a record of 305 in 1978 in Portland.

1980 – 1994 (Phase 2)In 1979, PNCFL and ACTFL both conducted surveys of members and potential members. Both

surveys found that professional unity was a top priority of most respondents. In the PNCFL survey, itwas the first priority of 94% of the respondents; it was the first priority of 93% of the respondents to theACTFL survey. As a result, PNCFL challenged ACTFL and the other three regionals (SWCOLT did not

yet exist) to engage in a serious discussion about unity. The first meeting was held in New York City inOctober 1980 and was sponsored by the Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages(NEC), which underwrote the costs of the other regional delegates to that meeting. Four additional

meetings were held over the next two years. These meetings resulted in the following four points. 1.ACTFL and the four existing regionals helped create SWCOLT. 2. ACTFL agreed to seat a delegatefrom each of the regionals on its Board of Directors.

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3. ACTFL and the regionals agreed to participate in the Joint National Committee for Languages,which had been created by the Modern Language Association and the AATs to strengthen the JNCLand to ensure that language teachers would have a voice in the creation of national policy. 4. ACTFL

and the regionals began to share information (which they had never been willing to do before) oneverything from how to negotiate a hotel contract to how to influence public opinion. Out of thoseinitial meetings also came the idea of a joint Central States Conference, PNCFL, and SWCOLTconference. This was finally held in Denver in 1995.

Since I participated in all five unity meetings, I can vividly remember my frustrations. Thefirst frustration was trying to convince NEC to drop “the oldest foreign language association in theU.S.” on their letterhead and publicity. They were provided with proof that the Barnard College

Foreign Language Conference in 1952 (at which NEC was created) had been organized by a BarnardCollege faculty member who had been a visiting professor from the University of Washington in1949-50. This professor had attended the first PNCFL conference and went back to his institution

determined to establish a similar regional association in the northeast. Secondly, I tried to convincedelegates from ACTFL, NEC, CSC, and COFLT that PNCFL had not been created to be a literatureconference. In giving me carte blanche to negotiate, the 1980 Board had, in fact and indeed, made it

clear that the board was seeking help to get PNCFL “back to its roots.” Finally, The ACTFL andNEC delegates were micro-managed by their respective boards. It took five meetings (two in NewYork, two in Boston, one in Washington D.C.) over a period of 4 years to accomplish what we could

have been done in two meetings – except that ACTFL and NEC delegates had not been delegated anyauthority.

What made the unity idea possible was the reversal of fortunes. By the 1970s most of the

FLES programs created in the 1960s had been eliminated. Both secondary and post-secondaryprograms were on the chopping block. Most of the middle school programs had been eliminated.

For PNCFL, the first step toward change was suggested by WAFLT President Rosanne Royer

at the 1978 conference in Portland. She pointed out that the constitutional provision that the stateassociation president would have a vote on the PNCFL board was a limitation in that presidentsusually served only one year. As a result, the PNCFL constitution was revised in 1980 to allow state

and provincial associations to elect or appoint a delegate as they saw fit and to serve at the discretionof the state or provincial association but with a recommendation that the appointed person would notserve more than two consecutive terms of either three or four years.

With continuity on the board, the state associations began to effect change. It was the COFLTdelegate (Roberto Villa) who, working with Magdalena Ladd, helped convince the COFLT Board tomeet jointly with PNCFL in Eugene in 1983. It was PNCFL’s first joint conference.

All of the increase in membership came from K-12 teachers rejoining PNCFL. Membershipincreased from 298 in 1982, to 383 in 1983, to 573 in 1985, and to 718 in 1992.

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1995-presentA name change was first proposed after PNCFL met in Alberta in 1982 after French language

teachers in Canada boycotted the conference because of the word foreign in the title. In a petition

presented to ACTFL at the 1984 ACTFL conference in Denver, PNCFL also asked ACTFL toconsider removing the f out of its title. Ironically, opposition to the name change came from both theCOFLT and WAFLT Board of Directors – both of which have since dropped foreign from their

names.These years also saw new challenges. Membership (now roughly 83% K-12 and 17% post-

secondary) dropped from 718 in 1991 to 540 in 1997, a ten-year low. Discussion at the JNCL-

NCLIS Delegate Assembly in April 1997 suggested this was a national trend, and that there areseveral principal causes.

1. The higher than average retirement rate of K-16 language teachers, which began in 1989,was expected to continue until 2003.

• After all, the 1960s was the first "boom" era for foreign languages, and most of us

who were first hired to teach in the 1960s or early 1970s have retired or soon will.2. A continuing problem with major research universities, which produce a majority of futurelanguage teachers, in that faculty do little or nothing to encourage para-professionals to join

professional associations.• In 1982-84, the ACTFL/PNCFL Task Force on Public Awareness conducted a random

survey of teacher certification professors throughout the U.S. Of some sixty who

responded, less than a third indicated that they provided para-professionals withinformation about ACTFL, the regional association, or the state association. Evenfewer indicated that they were members of these associations. Worse yet, the

ACTFL/PNCFL Task Force on Public Awareness conducted a random survey of para-professionals in our region. Although the Task Force received responses from onlysix students, five stated that their professors advised them not to bother joining

ACTFL, PNCFL, or their state association.• While the language teacher population has increased and will continue to do so

(despite budget cuts and larger classes), not enough younger or newer teachers are

joining to make up the deficit created by retirements.3. There is a dramatic shift in hiring practices in higher education. In 1980, roughly 80% ofthe faculty in higher education were either tenured or on tenure-track. Only 20%, including

graduate teaching assistants, were part-time or adjuncts with no job security. By the mid-1980s, however, the nationwide trend in virtually all disciplines (particularly the arts andsciences) was to replace retiring tenured faculty with fixed-term faculty.

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• Fixed-term or adjunct faculties (often called “nomads”) receive extremely lowwages, often receive no benefits, and have no job security. In most major researchuniversities, the rule of thumb is still "six years and you're out." Even with

increasing enrollments in Spanish, tenure-track positions are extremely difficult tosecure. The 1995 MLA Survey of Ph.D.s found that more than 50% of the newPh.D.s in French and German and more than 25% of those in Spanish had not been

able to secure a tenure-track position a year after receiving their degree. So wehave an increasing number of post-secondary faculty who must often work at 2-3jobs simply to make ends meet and who must spend a lot of time and money

continually job hunting. Many simply do not have the funds to join, let alone toattend, conferences.

4. Changes in Society

• While women began to make inroads in language departments in higher educationduring World War II, the vast majority were married. This means that there weretwo bread earners in the family. Until the unionization of K-12 teachers in the

1960s and until affirmative action really took hold in higher education in the1980s, women were indeed paid less than men in the teaching profession at alllevels.

After all, the argument went, they also had a husband earning a salary, and thehusband was still

considered the principal bread winner.

• Today not only do women constitute the majority in most language departments (notjust at the K-12 level), but also an increasing number are single or divorced. Theyoften have children, and they are also often the sole bread winners. Since 1950 we

know that as an average, faculty salaries have dropped dramatically in comparison toother professional fields (not so in K-12 salaries). So again, we have an increasingnumber of colleagues who have difficulty paying dues and attending conferences.

Notes1. Board minutes from 1950 to 1978 make it clear that deficits were often made up, post-conference, by one ormore colleges or universities. On several occasions, during a meeting break, one or more board memberswould call their department chair or dean and report back that they had secured another $500 or $1000!