Your JESPA Bilingual Committee has fought hard to make pay increases for bilingual workers as fair and accessible as possible. Here are some of the committee’s wins:
1. All ESPs who use the Spanish, Vietnamese, or Russian languages in workplace settings are eligible for the additional 5% bilingual pay, as long as speaking another language is not a written requirement in their job description. There is not a limit on how many bilingual workers can receive the pay.
2. You are eligible if you use another language to bridge the gap with coworkers and community members as well as students and families.
3. The nomination process from your principal or supervisor has been streamlined, and allows for employee input.
4. Bilingual ESP employees will not be called upon to translate or interpret for any type of disciplinary matter and/or corrective action conversation.
5. Retakes for the test are allowed! You may take the test once every thirty days, for a maximum of 3 retakes.
6. All tests are paid for by the district.
7. The proficiency requirements, or overall grade you need to receive on the test, has been lowered two whole levels to make the stipend easier to receive.
Testing TIPS:
While your JESPA Bilingual Committee scored a huge victory, there are still some problems with the test. Here are some tips to make sure you are prepared:
1. Set an appointment with your principal or supervisor to make sure your application is filled out accurately, and in a timely manner. If your principal or supervisor refuses to fill out an application for you, contact the JESPA office at bilingual@jeffcoespa.org
2. Once you get the application filled out with your principal or supervisor, you will be sent two links to two tests.
3. For the test, you will need your employee id and a device that has both a camera and microphone.
4. The test is timed and moves at a quick pace. Make sure you are in the proper environment and headspace for taking a standardized test.
5. All of the directions to the test are given in the language you are testing for (i.e. Spanish, Russian, or Vietnamese).
6. The audio directions are spoken in a monotone, fast paced voice, and you cannot repeat directions or questions.
7. Only the Spanish test has been tested by committee members. In the Spanish test, there are questions that do not relate to the school setting. For example, one question asks you to talk about a vegetarian diet. Another question asks you about airplanes. There are others that ask you about working in a factory.
8. There are words that might not be used often in your dialect. Some terms presented are more collegiate/corporate as opposed to conversational terms that would normally be used. For the Spanish test, one word is “empresa,” which means “company.”
9. DO NOT GIVE UP! Many test-takers thought they failed, but when they got their results, they were eligible for the bilingual pay. Do not let the test make you second guess your language skills. You know how to speak the language, and you are a huge value to your community!
10. For Spanish speakers: Berlitz offers a free practice test you can take. This test is not the same as the district test, but it is very similar and can be used to get a feel for the test structure. You can find the free test here: https://www.berlitz.com/en-no/adults/placement-test
Let us know if you have any questions. Good luck!
Nic Hochstedler
Hannah Mauro
JESPA Organizers
