Accessible Logic Model
The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s (DESE) Office of Language Acquisition is working to implement the Language Opportunity for Our Kids (LOOK) Act to improve bilingual education through a comprehensive logic model. This work will begin with several key inputs, including provisions of the LOOK Act that will afford districts more flexibility to offer bilingual programs and establish the State Seal of Biliteracy, as well as guidance, technical assistance, and competitive grant funding provided by DESE.
These inputs will lead to a series of targeted activities. After DESE approval, districts will develop new bilingual programs or expand existing ones, including dual language education, and they will adopt the Seal of Biliteracy. In collaboration with institutions of higher education, districts will also create hubs that support bilingual and dual language teacher preparation. Additionally, professional learning opportunities in World Languages will be made available to teachers.
Several outputs are expected to result from these activities. Districts will begin to offer more bilingual programming options and create biliteracy pathways that span from prekindergarten through 12th grade. Teacher preparation hubs and professional learning opportunities will begin producing educators who are more prepared to support English Learners’ language and academic development.
These efforts will lead to short-term outcomes, such as increased access for English Learners to schools with dual language programs and to districts that offer the Seal of Biliteracy. Due to new teacher education opportunities, English Learners will also have increased access to well-prepared teachers.
In the intermediate term, these changes are expected to contribute to an increased number of English Learners enrolling in dual language programs and completing the Seal of Biliteracy under the tutelage of qualified teachers.
Ultimately, the long-term goal of the LOOK Act is to reduce opportunity gaps for English Learners in both preK–12 and postsecondary educational outcomes.