Academic Language in Diverse Classrooms: Definitions and Contexts

About Gisela Ernst-SlavitMargo Gottlieb

Margo Gottlieb Ph.D. is a staunch advocate for multilingual learners and their teachers. As co-founder and lead developer of WIDA at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2003 Margo has helped design and contributed to all the editions of WIDAs English and Spanish language development standards frameworks and their derivative products. Being a bilingual teacher facilitator consultant and mentor across K-20 settings she has worked with universities organizations governments states school districts networks and schools in co-constructing linguistic and culturally sustainable curriculum and reconceptualizing classroom assessment policy and practice. Margos passion has always been assessment in its many forms starting with her dissertation a K-12 multilingual test in Spanish Lao and English that integrated content and language. Since then she was appointed to national and state advisory boards served as a Fulbright Senior Scholar and was honored by the TESOL International Association in 2016 for her significant contribution to the field. In her travels Margo has enjoyed keynoting and presenting across the United States and in 25 countries. Having authored co-authored or co-edited over 100 publications including 20 books and guides Margos 3rd edition of her best-selling book Assessing Multilingual Learners: Bridges to Empowerment is the latest addition to her Corwin compendium. Gisela Ernst-Slavit PhD is a Professor in the College of Education at Washington State University Vancouver. She investigates language teacher education in culturally and linguistically diverse settings using ethnographic and sociolinguistic perspectives. In addition to other publications she is co-author of Access to Academics: Planning Instruction for K-12 Classrooms with ELLs (Pearson 2010) From Paper to Practice: Using the TESOLs English Language Proficiency Standards in PreK-12 Classrooms (TESOL 2009) and TESOL PreK-12 English Language Proficiency Standards (TESOL 2006). Dr. Ernst-Slavit a native from Peru has given numerous presentations in the United States and Canada as well as in Japan Pakistan Peru Spain Thailand and The Netherlands.