The 2012 Affiliate Colloquium, “English Language Teaching Goes Mainstream,” proved a resounding success. It drew an audience of around 30 and featured presentations on the formal integration of English language teaching in government policy. Though English language teaching has been a global enterprise for decades, only in recent years has it had formal recognition within state-mandated curricula and standards rather than as an optional add-on.

The four presenters reported on global initiatives in which English language standards are embedded within mainstream mandated curricula. Dorothy Forbin, a member of CAMELTA and Affiliate Leadership Council (ALC) chair, reported on the state of affairs in Cameroon. Janet Pierce, a member of Three Rivers TESOL and ALC chair-elect, discussed English language standards in the United States. Ulrich Schrader and Maria Trapero-Dávila, both members of MexTESOL, described related Mexican policies.

Dr. Janet Pierce described the history of the development of English standards and TESOL standards for English language learners and their impact on learning for English language learners as well as preservice and existing teachers in the K-12 academic content areas. She pointed out that prior to No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation in 2001 there were no cohesively written English standards that took into consideration the needs of students who did not speak English. NCLB established guidelines for states to meet national goals or benchmarks in core curricula, and each state took individual action in regards to NCLB when developing English standards. Some states embedded English language proficiency standards (ELPS) within their English and literacy curricula, and others embedded the ELPS within core curriculum.

The Affiliate Colloquium is one of several events coordinated by the ALC for the annual TESOL convention. The colloquium focusses on global issues especially of interest to affiliate leaders. The title and abstract will be announced in early spring for next year’s colloquium.