*ABEL M.

CADIAS
BS-Education, MA-ESL, PhD –Educational Management (graduating)
January 30, 2018

POSITION PAPER:
MUIDS ACTION PLAN FOR AY 2017-2022 FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, AND
CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT IN THE MODERN LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT

There are five areas that MUIDS needs to focus on with its five-year action plan; two of
which are concerned with Professional Development, and Curriculum, Instruction and
Assessment. I would like to submit a position paper to look into some specific concerns that
greatly impact these two major areas from the role and direction of the Modern Languages
Department. Included in this paper is a suggested list of departmental plans that will facilitate
the achievement of our school’s wider initiatives.
Area: Professional Development
Concern 1: There appears to have a lack of ‘knowledge and skill sharing’ conducted by
teachers who availed for PD seminars, conferences or training outside school.
Position
While MUIDS hired an ESL-coordinator to help in planning and organizing for the in-
service professional development activities, I observed that we did not account for the
importance of mandatorily directing teachers to conduct their own “sharing session” especially
after availing for professional development training outside school. In an article titled,
“Teachers Teaching Teachers: Professional Development That Works” by Education World, it
featured current practices by some schools world-wide that initiated a regular meet-up on in-
service days so that teachers can learn from each other. The planning and implementation
comes from the teachers themselves; as a result, it “fosters accountability, collegiality,
professionalism, and pride.” Another realization that we need to consider is the fact that when
administrators or consultants create the in-service PD topics for their teachers, we are
constricted with such “top-down decision making” approach which is found to be traditional by
experts. One of way breaking this tradition is to require teachers who took their PDs outside
school to plan for a short “sharing session” that they can conduct in our in-service days.
Suggestion
The Modern Languages Department is encouraged to continue in taking part in this role
of sharing. The idea of a “knowledge and skill sharing” among our teachers intensified when
three teachers from our department (myself included) conducted mini-conferences in
November 2017. It is inspiring to know that other teachers in other department expressed their
willingness to take a more active role in our in-service professional development growth as
divulged by our ESL-coordinator.

* I have been teaching for 20 years at different school levels of which almost four years is spent at MUIDS. I am a
candidate for graduation in Educational Management, PhD.
*ABEL M. CADIAS
BS-Education, MA-ESL, PhD –Educational Management (graduating)
January 30, 2018

POSITION PAPER:
MUIDS ACTION PLAN FOR AY 2017-2022 FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, AND
CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT IN THE MODERN LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT

Concern 2: Professional Development within the Modern Languages Department

should be carefully planned based on teachers’ educational background, teaching
experience, and instructional needs, and a support and assessment-system needs to
be established to help teachers transfer what they learned in PDs to the classroom,
and to find out how students are gaining from the teacher’s new strategies.
Position
After the first try-out of conducting mini-conferences in November 2017, it was
observed that not all teachers were highly engaged during the session. There are obvious
reasons for this set-back. One of which is that, according to experts, a “one-size-fits-all”
approach has been proven ineffective. By shifting to a more collaborative decision making in a
“growth-driven” approach, the concern of teachers’ lack of motivation is addressed. I agree to
the fact that teachers “should not be expected to devote their own free time to programs that
are divorced from the context in which they work” (Diaz-Maggioli, 2004).
Suggestion
The direction of encouraging teachers to conduct their own mini-conferences is a
positive step; however, it is suggested that teachers should be given freedom to choose a PD
topic that they see fit to their instructional needs during the in-service PD sessions. In the case
of the Modern Languages Department, it is necessary to take account for each teacher’s
educational background, teaching experience, and instructional needs if we wanted to use their
expertise in ESL teaching. I strongly believe that the Modern Languages Department can
become a rich resource to our school’s goal of developing the English proficiency of our ESL
students only when the entire teachers in the department accept their roles as ESL teachers in
the context of the subjects that they are teaching, and that they are equipped with formal or
informal training on how to address the language learning needs of our students in preparation
for their college/university studies.
Area: Curriculum
Concern: There is a need to conduct a training on Curriculum Evaluation, and to align
the Modern Languages Department’s subjects to students’ academic English
preparation needs.
Position
Conducting curriculum evaluation requires essential understanding on the important
principles of curriculum development. To facilitate the process of evaluating a curriculum, say,
* I have been teaching for 20 years at different school levels of which almost four years is spent at MUIDS. I am a
candidate for graduation in Educational Management, PhD.
*ABEL M. CADIAS
BS-Education, MA-ESL, PhD –Educational Management (graduating)
January 30, 2018

POSITION PAPER:
MUIDS ACTION PLAN FOR AY 2017-2022 FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, AND
CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT IN THE MODERN LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT

the subjects offered by the Modern Languages Department, it is important to note that subjects
that are planned to be offered are not determined by the teachers’ expertise or want; it is
determined by students’ needs. What do our students need? This entry is lifted from MUIDS
WASC final report (2017):
“However, 33% perceive English and writing as areas needing improvement,
acknowledging that ESL is one of our critical learner needs.”
One of the critical learner needs of our students is to develop their English proficiency in the
academic context so that they can cope up with the language of academics when they enter
universities. In fact, the survey administered to our graduates show that they find English
(reading and writing) as a skill that they lack preparation with while studying at MUIDS. Looking
at the lessons and materials in English 11, English 12 and AP-Language, Composition and
Literature, they are all focused on literature: reading short stories and novels, annotating fiction
texts, and writing essays in the context of literature. While we adhere to the California Core
Standards of offering literature as a subject, we overlooked the most important principle in
curriculum design: students’ needs.
Another important factor in evaluating curriculum is based on students’ achievements.
The TOEFL-ITP results show that a considerable number of our graduating students are hardly
coping in getting the required 550 score. Even after passing the TOEFL-ITP or IELTS, a few of our
graduates took the preparatory college program at MUIC. It is unfortunate to know that all our
graduating students passed their English subjects since Grade 10 yet some students failed to
pass a Standard English proficiency test. Another concern that the Modern Languages
Department that needs to look into is our students’ preparation and readiness to take the AP
Language, Composition and Literature. Last year, our students ranked below the global
standard score. It is interesting to find out the second batch (three groups) test score result as it
will determine if there is a need to continue the AP program or create an alternative subject
that will cater to those students who need advanced English lessons.
Suggestions
1. The Modern Languages Department should be provided with a training on how to
evaluate curriculum so teachers can be guided on the steps in preparing for the actual
evaluation of their respective subjects.
2. The Modern Languages Department should create a system on identifying and
describing students’ progress in developing their English proficiency from Grade 10 through
Grade 12. Another purpose of this assessment system is to provide support to two extreme
* I have been teaching for 20 years at different school levels of which almost four years is spent at MUIDS. I am a
candidate for graduation in Educational Management, PhD.
*ABEL M. CADIAS
BS-Education, MA-ESL, PhD –Educational Management (graduating)
January 30, 2018

POSITION PAPER:
MUIDS ACTION PLAN FOR AY 2017-2022 FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, AND
CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT IN THE MODERN LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT

groups: those who are still coping, and those who are looking for more challenging lessons and
activities.
Area: Instruction
Concern: There is a need to level students’ English proficiency to accommodate two
extreme groups: Advanced (high) and Beginners (low).
Position
When our students are grouped by their ability (English skills), the Modern Languages
Department is put in a better position to differentiate instruction, and teachers can specifically
address the individual needs of the students when they are leveled according to their pace and
skill level.
There are researches that support homogenous or heterogeneous grouping especially in
teaching ESL. The decision of grouping our students according to their levels of proficiency is
based on two facts: first, that even after studying and using English for three academic years,
we found that there are 33 Grade 12 students up to this date who can’t earn a TOEFL-ITP score
of 550 and above; second, it is recommended in the WASC report that MUIDS needs to
specifically address the language needs of those students who require more challenging English
lessons, and those students who require more time at a slower pace to achieve mastery of
certain language skills.
The Science and Math Department saw the need to create subjects that support
students’ levels; it is high time for the Modern Languages Department to do the same.
Suggestions:
1. For each grade subject (Grade 10, Grade 11 and Grade 12), the following is suggested:
A. Grade 10
Three (3) groups will be created for those students who got lower than 460 TOEFL-ITP, and 2 in
their writing and speaking in the admission test.
Six (6) groups will be created for those students who got 465-540 TOEFL ITP, and 3 in their
writing and speaking in the admission test
One (1) group will be created for students who got 550 and above TOEFL ITP scores, and above
3 in their writing and speaking in the admission test.

* I have been teaching for 20 years at different school levels of which almost four years is spent at MUIDS. I am a
candidate for graduation in Educational Management, PhD.
*ABEL M. CADIAS
BS-Education, MA-ESL, PhD –Educational Management (graduating)
January 30, 2018

POSITION PAPER:
MUIDS ACTION PLAN FOR AY 2017-2022 FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, AND
CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT IN THE MODERN LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT

B. Grade 11 will accommodate students’ needs based on the recommendations of their

Grade 10 teachers by creating the following groups:
English through Literature (beginners)
Introduction to Literature (intermediate)
World Literature (advanced)

C. Using the ESP approach to language curriculum design, Grade 12 students are grouped
according to their chosen electives or interest:
English for Business and Communication
English for STEM
English for Humanities
AP-Literature and Composition

2. These changes take effect gradually starting with the incoming Grade 10 students. In a
nutshell, the preparation for Grade 11 and Grade 12 in making curriculum and teacher-
positioning adjustments will take effect one (1) and two (2) years, respectively.
Area: Assessment
Concern: The Modern Languages Department doesn’t have its own assessment tool to
map out the students’ progress from Grade 10 through Grade 12
Position
There is a need to look at students’ progress in terms of achieving an acceptable set of
language skills and identifying what skills that require mastery before moving up to the next
grade level. By coming up with a progress-assessment plan, the Modern Languages
Department can anticipate those students who will be moving from Grade 10 to Grade 12 that
need more academic English preparation. Once identified, the Modern Languages Department
can plan for a support system that will help students who will be at risk of not graduating and
those who might undergo preparatory college.
Suggestion
The Modern Languages Department creates a progress-assessment tool, and requires
teachers to come up with a list of students grouped into three levels: beginners, intermediate
and advanced. Included in their recommendations are those language skills that need to be
reinforced as they move up to the next grade.

* I have been teaching for 20 years at different school levels of which almost four years is spent at MUIDS. I am a
candidate for graduation in Educational Management, PhD.