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Supporting Older Multilingual Learners: Equity-Focused On-Ramps for College and Careers
Wednesday, March 18, 2026 @ 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm EDT
Presented by Sonja Bloetner, Director of Multilingual Achievement, Baltimore County Public Schools (MD); Dr. Karen Woodson, Founder and Lead Researcher, Leading for School Improvement; and Dr. Kia Johnson, Senior Director of PreK–12 Professional Development and Evaluations, Center for Applied Linguistics
Sponsored by Vista
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As multilingual learner populations grow and diversify, district leaders face the critical challenge of serving older students with interrupted formal education who are under-credited and over age. How can we create meaningful pathways that lead to credentials, career readiness, and college access rather than pushing these students toward aging out?
Join Dr. Karen Woodson and Sonja Bloetner for this edWebinar as they share innovative, equity-focused strategies for supporting secondary multilingual learners through creative partnerships, flexible programming, and holistic support systems. Learn how Baltimore County Public Schools is pioneering a GED partnership model with community colleges, maximizing transfer credits, and building comprehensive support that addresses not just academics, but social-emotional needs, career pathways, and college access.
This edWebinar addresses:
- Designing flexible pathways for diverse ML populations (from students with interrupted education to gifted learners)
- Building strategic partnerships with community colleges for dual enrollment and seamless transitions
- Leveraging Title III and innovative funding models to sustain programming
- Addressing trauma-informed support and bilingual counseling needs
- Creating on-ramps to CTE completion, GED options, and AP/college-ready coursework
- Maximizing transfer credits and honoring previous learning
- Moving beyond the monolith: serving MLs across the full spectrum of needs
Whether you’re serving 100 or 3,000 secondary MLs, this session provides actionable strategies for building district-level systems that honor multilingual learners’ assets, meet them where they are, and open doors to their futures.
This recorded edWebinar is of interest to district-level leaders, ESOL/ML directors, secondary principals, counselors, and instructional leaders working with multilingual populations in high school and above.
About the Presenters
Sonja Bloetner is the Director for Baltimore County Public Schools’ Office of Multilingual Achievement. She and her team are passionate about shifting learning outcomes for young learners in the United States and in the global community. Sonja has worked in the field of public education for over 28 years, including the role of the PreK-12 Supervisor of the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program in a large suburban district in Maryland, where she has supported the learning needs of over 30,000 multilingual learners and thousands of teachers and administrators. Sonja recently published Formative Assessment Strategies for English Language Learners with Teacher Created Materials, Inc and Leading Success for Diverse Learners: Transforming the Matrix of Your School System.
Dr. Karen Woodson is an experienced educational leader and consultant with 35 years of experience in K–12 education, specializing in multilingual learner education, bilingual special education, and school improvement. Over the course of her career, she has served as a teacher, specialist, supervisor, adjunct professor, expert reviewer, district director of ESOL/bilingual programs, and elementary school principal, leading systemwide initiatives that strengthen instruction, leadership capacity, and equitable outcomes for diverse learners. She is the founder and Lead Researcher of Leading for School Improvement, LLC, partnering with districts, school leaders, and instructional teams nationwide to design and implement evidence-based frameworks that improve teaching, learning, and organizational effectiveness.
Dr. Kia Johnson is Senior Director of PreK–12 Professional Development and Evaluations at the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL), where she leads research-based training, coaching, and evaluation initiatives that strengthen instructional practices and program quality for multilingual learners. She has more than 17 years of experience as an educator, leader, and policy specialist, having served as an ESL teacher, department chair, and English Learner Assessment and Title III Specialist at the Virginia Department of Education. In that role, she oversaw statewide implementation of WIDA’s assessments and Title III compliance for Virginia’s 115,000 English learners. Her research, which examines the leadership practices of EL Program Directors in low-incidence districts, reflects her commitment to equity-centered leadership and integrating language, identity, and culture into instructional systems. Dr. Johnson holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership for Social Justice from Loyola Marymount University.
Learn more about earning a CE certificate and our accessibility features.
Join the Helping ELL, ESL, and Bilingual Students Succeed community to network with educators, participate in online discussions, receive invitations to upcoming edWebinars, and view recordings of previous programs to earn CE certificates.
Vista, the K–12 division of Vista Higher Learning, is a leading publisher and edtech provider solely dedicated to language learning. For more than 25 years, the company has partnered with educators to create and deliver innovative print and digital solutions that empower diverse learners, develop language and literacy, and promote intercultural understanding. Vista remains committed to its mission of transforming lives through language and literacy. For more information, visit VistaHigherLearning.com.
