About APEX

Project Overview

The Advancing Pathways toward Educational eXcellence with Educators of Multilingual Learners (APEX) project is designed to improve academic outcomes and close opportunity gaps for multilingual learners designated as English Learners (MLs) in Utah. Recognizing that teacher expertise is one of the most important predictors of student gains, APEX offers comprehensive professional learning opportunities to enhance educators' abilities to effectively teach MLs.

The project partners with Canyons School District (CSD), Davis School District (DSD), Jordan School District (JSD), and other Utah districts.

 

Project Goals

Goal 1: Increase Utah K-12 educators' knowledge and skills for effectively teaching MLs and promoting literacy

There is a shortage of Utah educators with the knowledge and skills to effectively educate multilingual learners (MLs), promote MLs’ literacy, and develop and sustain mutually beneficial partnerships between schools and multilingual families and communities. In addition, there are limited professional learning pathways to empower Utah educators to address this gap in knowledge and skills, and a lack of national collaboration for advancing professional learning.

This is why we created APEX (Advancing Pathways toward Educational eXcellence), a Department of Education-funded project. APEX is designed to advance teachers' knowledge and skills for teaching MLs learning, developing curricula, research, and practice briefs for evidence-based strategies for pre- and in-service teachers of MLs. APEX also offers advanced credentials/certifications for prospective and current educators of MLs.

Goal 2: Develop program curricula, research, and practice briefs focused on evidence-based strategies

APEX creates resources that incorporate evidence-based practices identified by the What Works Clearinghouse's (WWC) Educator's Practice Guide for teaching MLs. Key strategies include:

• Teaching academic vocabulary words intensively
• Integrating oral and written English language instruction into content-area teaching
• Providing small-group instructional intervention
• Strengthening family and community engagement in ML education
• Promoting family literacy using evidence-based strategies

The project also collaborates with the Teaching and Learning Coalition for Multilingual Education (TLC4ME), a national research consortium supporting quality research and practice across institutions and states.

 

Project Impact

APEX serves hundreds of educators, including pre-service teachers, in-service teachers, paraeducators, parents, and family advocates/after-school coordinators. The project has created multiple creditable professional pathways that improve access to credentials for educators serving MLs, helping to build a sustainable, highly qualified workforce to support MLs' academic success. Ultimately, the APEX project aims to promote educational excellence for Utah's growing ML population and reduce the educational opportunity gaps they experience.

APEX Professional Learning Pathways

APEX offers four learning pathways to advance its goal of increasing Utah K-12 educators' knowledge and skills for effectively teaching MLs using evidence-based practices. Each pathway is oriented to provide different groups of educators and support personnel with the tools they need to continue to strengthen their practices with multilingual learners and offers opportunities for university undergraduate or graduate continuing education credits and/or USBE credits.

 

Pre-service Teacher Learning Pathway

This pathway focuses on pre-service teachers graduating with the tools to work effectively with multilingual learners and their families. The project offers incentives to obtain a state-approved ESL endorsement while in their University of Utah teacher licensure program and offers access to resources and advanced ESL trainings on evidence-based practices with MLs.

1. APEX Pre-service Teacher ESL Endorsement Scholarship Program - Provides $5,000 scholarships to preservice teachers enrolled in the University of Utah teacher licensure program to obtain their ESL endorsement with licensure. We award an average of 5 scholarships each year.

2. APEX Advanced ESL Training Institutes – For pre-service teachers obtaining their ESL endorsement, the project offers the opportunity to participate in APEX Advanced ESL Training Institutes on specialized topics.See a more detailed description of these Institute offerings under the ESL Endorsed Teacher Advanced Learning Pathway

 

Non-ESL Endorsed In-service Teacher Learning Pathway

This pathway focuses on in-service teachers without an ESL-endorsement seeking to strengthen their teaching with multilingual learners by obtaining their ESL endorsement through the APEX project. The offerings for this pathway are only offered to in-service teachers working in partner school districts. In 2025, partners include Canyons, Davis, & Jordan school districts. In addition to offering the ESL endorsement, the project offers the option of pursuing a Master of Education (M.Ed) degree with an ESL emphasis and access to resources and advanced ESL trainings on evidence-based practices with MLs.

1. In-service Teacher ESL Endorsement Program - This is an 18-credit hour (6 courses) state approved program grounded in the TESOL standards and evidence-based practices for MLs that is structured to be completed in one-year.APEX offers ongoing support through all aspects of the program to ensure each participant’s success.

For partner district in-service teachers seeking to join the APEX In-service Teacher ESL Endorsement program, applications for new cohorts are available Spring of each year with orientation in late May and a class start date the first week of June. Applications are currently being accepted from Canyons, Davis, and Jordan districts, details below.

If you are a Utah district administrator interested in learning more about becoming a partner district, reach out to Dr. Verónica Valdez, APEX Project Director at apex@utah.edu.

Canyons SD Application for 2025-2026 ESL Endorsement Cohort

• Application Deadline: May 1, 2025
• Application: https://educationutah.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_a95ShkakACtSE62

Davis SD Application for 2025-2026 ESL Endorsement Cohort

• Application Deadline: May 1, 2025
• Application: https://educationutah.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0J8EVsXf60HEewe

Jordan SD Application for 2025-2026 ESL Endorsement Cohort

• Application Deadline: May 12, 2025
• Application: https://educationutah.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4017j8UomrOidaC

2. Optional Master of Education (M.Ed.) + ESL Endorsement Program

This pathway focuses on non-ESL-endorsed in-service teachers and is restricted to partner district in-service teachers who have been accepted into the APEX ESL endorsement program. This pathway leads to a 30-credit-hour state and nationally accredited Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree with an ESL emphasis. The degree includes credit for the English as a Second Language (ESL) endorsement program courses and is completed within 18-months of entering the APEX ESL endorsement program.

3. APEX Advanced ESL Training Institutes – For in-service teachers obtaining their ESL endorsement, the project offers the opportunity to participate in APEX Advanced ESL Training Institutes on specialized topics.See a more detailed description of these Institute offerings under the ESL Endorsed Teacher Advanced Learning Pathway

 

Paraeducator Training Learning Pathway

This pathway focuses onparaeducators, parent leaders, and other support personnel working with multilingual learners and their families providing them training on supporting the education of multilingual learners within the various roles in which participants find themselves in within schools, after school programs, or community-based education programs. These trainings are available to personnel in all Utah school districts.

APEX Online Intensive Training Series (ITS)

This fully online 3-credit hour undergraduate continuing education course titled, Foundations of Working with Multilingual Learners in and out of School is offered year-round to build foundational knowledge on supporting MLs and their families. This training is for individuals not working in a teacher role and who do not have a teaching license.

 

ESL-Endorsed Teacher Advanced Learning Pathway

This pathway focuses on ESL-endorsed teachers (or those currently working on their ESL Endorsement) who seek advanced ESL training on specialized topics. The project offers APEX Advanced ESL Training Institutes annually that each offer 3 credit hours of graduate continuing education credit that may be applied toward an M.Ed. degree at the University of Utah. and is available to all Utah school districts.  Contact Dr. Verónica Valdez, APEX Project Director for more information about M.Ed. options.

1. Advanced ESL Training Institute on Newcomers (Fully Online): “Creating a Literacy-Rich Environment for Newcomers and their Families.” Further details provided in the flyer below.

2. Advanced ESL Training Institute on Family Literacy (June 17-27, 2025, Hybrid – ½ online, ½ in-person): “Promoting Literacy, Mathematics, and Family Engagement for Multilingual Learners through Family Literacy.” Further details provided in the flyer below.

3. APEX Advanced ESL Training Institute on instructional approaches for MLs in middle school and high school, titled Amplifying Instruction for MLs Across Secondary Education (Grades 7-12)” is under development. (Coming June 2026).

APEX Project Team

The APEX Project Team consists of University of Utah researchers, partner Utah District Administrative Liaison Teams, stakeholder representatives,plus, a group of committed faculty, doctoral students, local elementary and secondary ESL/dual language teachers, and national experts who instruct, design, and/or provide guest lectures on their respective content areas. This is the team working behind the scenes to make this program possible.

 

University of Utah APEX Project Leadership Team

Canyons District APEX Project Liaison Team

Davis District APEX Project Liaison Team

Jordan District APEX Project Liaison Team

APEX Advisory Council

 

APEX Upcoming Events

Look here to learn about upcoming APEX events open to paraeducators and educators in all Utah districts. Feel free to share and spread the word!

APEX Resources

(Under Construction – Coming Soon!)

Resources developed by the project to support K-12 educators, parents, and support personnel working with multilingual learners and their families to quickly implement six evidence-based practices using various strategies in the classroom, community, and home.