Home

The Multilingual Education Department is grounded in the following core beliefs:

• Equitable Access: We provide effective, standards-based programs driven by current research.

• Inclusive Instruction: Our research-backed teaching methods meet the unique needs of culturally and linguistically diverse learners.

• Family Partnership: We believe active, ongoing family engagement is essential to every student's success.

• Professional Growth: We offer continuous professional development that enhances teaching by seamlessly integrating language and content.

• Culture & Identity as Assets: We value our multilingual learners’ diverse languages and cultures as essential strengths that build classroom community and foster student independence.

• Cognitive & Intellectual Growth: Developing multiple languages enriches our students' intellectual capacities and gives them greater flexibility in how they communicate.

• Real-World, Ongoing Learning: Language development is a lifelong journey shaped by meaningful activities across students' homes, schools, and communities.

• Holistic Student Success: A student's linguistic, social-emotional, and cognitive growth are deeply interconnected and critical to their success in life.

• Tailored Learning Experiences: We design language instruction to meet students where they are, honoring their individual experiences, skills, and current proficiency levels.

• Multimodal Communication: Students learn and express language best when integrating multiple styles, including oral, written, visual, and physical communication.

• Diverse Resources: We encourage students to use and interpret language through varied, real-world tools, models, and multimedia texts.

• Deep Awareness & Reflection: Students build greater communication skills by developing a reflective awareness of how language, culture, and thinking connect.

• Linguistic Repertoire: We welcome and encourage students to draw on their entire linguistic background, including translanguaging, to enrich their learning.

• Empowerment & Inclusion: Language learning helps students share diverse perspectives, build strong relationships, and confidently affirm their own identities.

(Adapted from WIDA’s Guiding Principles of Language Development, 2020)

• Dual Language Bilingual Education Programs: Foster bilingualism and biliteracy by providing instruction in both Spanish/Portuguese and English.
• Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) Programs: Provide nearly all classroom instruction in English, with the curriculum and instruction designed for English language acquisition
• SLIFE Programs: Specifically designed for students with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE), these programs provide tailored support for students who may have faced disruptions in their educational journeys, helping them develop foundational academic knowledge and skills while learning to navigate the US schooling system.
• Transitional Bilingual Education (TBE) Programs: Respond flexibly to students who are fluent in their home language and currently performing at different English proficiency levels through initial content and literacy instruction in the student's home language, with a small amount of English instruction that increases over their time in the program.
• World Language Programs: Offer students at the secondary level the opportunity to learn additional languages in an immersive and contextually relevant manner.
   

Through these programs and our dedicated instructional strategies, FPS is proud to provide a comprehensive, culturally responsive education that fosters lifelong learning and personal growth for all K-12 scholars.

EARLY EDUCATION

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION – GRADES K-5

Our Language Assessment Office is dedicated to providing a warm, welcoming environment for new multilingual students and their families. We evaluate each student's English language proficiency to ensure they are placed in the program that best supports their academic success. Beyond assessments, our specialists are here to connect families with vital school and community resources.

Nancy Clougherty
Coordinator of Language Assessment and Family Engagement
19 Flagg Drive, Framingham, MA 01702.
Office Hours: 8:00 am to 4:00 pm
Phone: 508-626-9171
Email: multilingualdepartment@framingham.k12.ma.us

For EL record requests:
Please send the student’s full name and DOB, along with a Records Release Form signed by a parent or legal guardian, to: farlanguageassessment@framingham.k12.ma.us

Facilitating family-school partnership through language access.
Impulsando la colaboración entre la escuela y las familias a través del acceso lingüístico.
Apoiando a parceria entre a escola e a família através do acesso linguístico.

Mission

The Translation and Interpretation Team is dedicated to breaking down communication barriers for our multilingual community. Our mission is to ensure that all caregivers and families—including those whose primary language is not English, who are hard of hearing, or who experience literacy challenges—have equal, seamless access to critical information and school resources. By advocating for language justice and guaranteeing language access, we empower families to fully participate in every aspect of their students' education and community life.

Our Services

We collaborate with schools and departments across the district to provide:

• Interpretation for Caregivers: In-person and virtual interpreting services, including American Sign Language (ASL).

  • Consecutive Interpreting: The interpreter speaks after the presenter pauses (best for meetings).

  • Simultaneous Interpreting: The interpreter translates live as the presenter speaks (best for large events).

• Written Translation: Document translation into Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese for families (other languages available upon request and approval).

• Staff Support: Over-the-Phone (OPI) interpreting lines and written translation of foreign language documents into English.

• Media & Curriculum: Video dubbing, subtitling, and translation of student curriculum (requires prior department approval).

• Professional Training: Guidance for staff on translation protocols and best practices for communicating with linguistically diverse families.

Important Guidelines

• Curriculum Translation: While our primary focus is family communication, we also partner with departments to translate district curriculum for Dual Language and Transitional Bilingual programs. Requests for student-facing materials must be pre-approved by the corresponding office (e.g., OTL, Health & Wellness).

• Special Education & IEPs: Please note that while our office manages district linguists, the Department of Special Education directly funds and oversees all IEP document translations and IEP meeting interpretations. Please submit these specific requests directly to Special Education.

Contact Us

• Bernardo Llorente, Manager of Translation & Interpreting Services

• Sheila Camerini, Districtwide Portuguese Interpreter & Translator

• Emmy Segura, Districtwide Spanish Interpreter

Address: 19 Flagg Drive, Suite 301, Framingham, MA 01702

Phone: 508-626-9171

The Language Opportunity Coalition (LOC) Biliteracy Pathway Awards are designed to encourage long-term language study by recognizing and rewarding language learning in elementary, middle, and high school. The awards can be given in addition to the Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy, an award for graduating high school seniors.

Originally developed between 2016 and 2018 during the Massachusetts Seal of Biliteracy Pilot—prior to the passage of the LOOK Act—these pathway awards continue to be supported by the LOC, which provides ongoing resources for their implementation.

LOC Biliteracy Pathway Award levels:

• LOC Biliteracy Participation Award (ACTFL Novice-High): For preschool and elementary school Students & students with disabilities (all grades).
• LOC Biliteracy Attainment Award (ACTFL Intermediate-Low): For elementary & middle school students.
• LOC Biliteracy Achievement Award (ACTFL Intermediate-Mid): For middle and high school students.

All multilingual learners in Framingham Public Schools in grades 5, 8, and 12 are encouraged to participate in these biliteracy recognition opportunities. 

The State Seal of Biliteracy is an award provided by state-approved districts that recognizes high school graduates who attain high functional and academic levels of proficiency in English and a world language in recognition of having studied and attained proficiency in two or more languages by high school graduation. Our vision is to help students recognize the value of their academic success and see the tangible benefits of being bilingual. The State Seal of Biliteracy takes the form of a seal that appears on the transcript or diploma of the graduating senior and is a statement of accomplishment for future employers and for college admissions.

Video in English | Spanish | Portuguese | Mandarin | Haitian Creole | Viet

Presentations:

• Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy- SY 2025 Presentation in English.pptx
• Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy- SY 2025 Presentation in Portuguese.pptx 
• Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy- SY 2025 Presentation in Spanish.pptx

Who We Are

The DLPAC is led by and for caregivers and educators participating in the Dual Language Bilingual Education programs at Framingham Public Schools. As a district-wide organization, we ensure our Dual Language families have an active voice and a meaningful partnership in their children's education.

What We Do

• Advocate: We champion excellence across all FPS Dual Language Bilingual Education programs.

• Partner: We collaborate closely with school and district leadership to provide clear communication, resources, and support for families.

• Connect: We host educational and social events, programs, and meetings to bring together parents, teachers, administrators, and students.

• Collaborate: We create an open forum to share vital information and discuss topics of interest or concern to our dual-language community.

Our Mission

The Framingham Bilingual Parent Advisory Council (BPAC) is dedicated to advocating for our emergent bilingual students and their families. Our primary goal is to ensure excellence in education, socialization, and cultural connection.

To achieve this, we:

• Listen to Families: We gather thoughts and concerns directly from our community to present to district and state administrators.

• Partner for Progress: We collaborate with English Learner Education (ELE) leaders to spot systemic issues and help design, implement, and review district improvement plans.