MIDTESOL Matters
Spring 2004
A Publication of Mid-America Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages

What is MELL?

By Sandra Anderson

The Missouri Migrant Education and English Language Learning (MELL) program is the result of combing the Title I-C and Title III programs8555555558 of the NCLB Act of 2001. The underlying motive of this reorganization is to better serve English Language Learners (ELL) and migrant students with existing resources. The MELL program is designed to prevent duplications of services, and to allow for most of the funds to reach the school districts that serve the ELL students. The state has been divided into nine regions that correspond with those of the Regional Professional Development Centers (RPDCs). The MELL offices in Malden, Columbia, Kansas City, Kirksville, Monett, St. Louis and Sedalia are staffed with at least one recruiter and one instructional specialist. The offices in St. Joseph and Rolla, where incidence is lower, are staffed with one person fulfilling both roles. The MELL director, Shawn Cockrum, is located in Jefferson City and coordinates the nine regional offices.

A goal of the MELL program is to identify qualifying students in order to provide all ELLs with effective program instruction. Instructional specialists work with teachers and administrators in schools and in school districts. They make suggestions for educational programs, provide in-service for faculty and staff, facilitate districts with standards-based curriculum development, and assist with compliance issues. The migrant recruiters identify and enroll qualifying migrant students. Through community outreach and local networking, they assist migrant students and their families access the educational and social services available to migrant families.

Two statewide MELL initiatives are currently underway. The MELL program is working in collaboration with DESE, the RPDCs, and Southeast Missouri State University to provide one-hour workshops for mainstream classroom teachers to learn the skills and strategies needed to work effectively with the ELL students in their classrooms. These workshops fulfill the elective requirement toward the ESOL endorsement. They are offered at no cost to participants who are not taking the workshops for credit. For information about the workshops, contact your regional MELL office. The MELL staff is also conducting roundtables with teachers and district ESL/Migrant coordinators in order to create professional networks and to identify regional needs.

The MELL staff is working to meet the needs of migrant and ELL students, their families, and the teachers and schools who serve them. Please let us know how we can better serve your region. We welcome an invitation to work with you. For more information, contact Shawn Cockrum, MELL Director, shawn-mell@earthlink.net,

573-893-8931.

Sandra Anderson is a MELL Instructional Specialist, Cooperating School Districts, St. Louis Regional Professional Development Center.