Bilingual/ESL Special-Education Training (BEST)

The Center for Excellence in Education at Northern Arizona University is currently working with a consortium of four rural school districts in the Yuma area on the border of Mexico- Crane Elementary Gadsden Elementary, Somerton Elementary, and Yuma Elementary, to prepare and support new bilingual education and bilingual special education teachers, many of whom were formerly paraprofessionals, in their first years of teaching. The project provides credit-bearing coursework leading to an endorsement in bilingual education and/or English as a Second Language as well as to a Masters Degree in Bilingual Multicultural Education with an emphasis in Bilingual Special Education. The BEST program provides all tuition and books for the fellows in the program.

Over a period of 5 years, 96 Bilingual Masters Fellows, in three Cohort Groups of 32 Fellows will complete Bilingual Education/ESL Endorsement and a Masters of Education Degree in Bilingual Multicultural Education with an emphasis in Bilingual Special Education. The Fellows collaborate with 8 Mentor Teachers to develop Spanish language curriculum and participate in a Trainer of Trainers model Professional Development program in which 200 additional peer teachers from the four consortium districts join with the Masters Fellows to receive training in best practice strategies for working with limited English proficient students and limited English proficient students with disabilities.

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