SIGs and Regions

The Special Interest Groups (SIGs) and the Regions are the lifeblood of NYS TESOL. Together, these communities provide the means to ensure greater participation of individual membership in our professional organization.

Goals of the Regions

As microcosms of NYS TESOL, the Regions adhere to the goals of the association as identified in the NYS TESOL Constitution:

To encourage professional development, participation and leadership;
To provide opportunity for study and research;
To disseminate information relevant to the organization;
To work cooperatively toward the improvement of instruction in all programs which seek to provide students with an opportunity to acquire English language skills and proficiency, whether they can be carried out in monolingual or bilingual modes of instruction;
To promote empathy and respect for the native culture and language of all students of English, whether they are learning in a bilingual or monolingual context.

NYS TESOL recognizes the division of the State membership into geographic regions, decided upon by the Executive Board. We serve six regions:

Western New York

Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Orleans, Ontario, Wayne, Wyoming, and Yates counties

Central New York

Broome, Cayuga, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Tioga, and Tompkins counties

Capital Region

Albany, Clinton, Columbia, Delaware, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Hamilton, Herkimer, Montgomery, Otsego, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, St. Lawrence, Warren, and Washington counties

Hudson Valley

Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester counties

New York City

Bronx, Kings, New York, Queens, and Richmond Counties (all 5 boroughs of NYC)

Long Island

Nassau and Suffolk counties