Dear Martha,
Thanks for your comments and had I known you were Pres. of the group I
might have directed this at you, for your advice about distribution.  We
can't do anything now about the content of the guidelines.  That would
await our next review in five years.  I understand the passing of
so-called structural and transformational grammars as significant entities
for the classroom, although I think those are included in the
plural--grammars.  What seems most prominent though (in the discussions
with our reviewers and others over the last two years) is the notion of
pidgins and creoles as legitimate objects of study and usage in American
English, and that may be the main reason for adding the s.  In any case, I
for one was simply ignorant of ATEG before a few weeks ago or I would have
had these guidelines and issues before you from the beginning.
What I had in mind in mentioning the guidelines is that they must be
transformed into performance-based language.  Those we can do now
because the Specialized Studies Area Board of NCATE said that is one of
the three changes to be made.  The "understands" have to be changed what
the preservice teacher is expected to do.  On the one hand, this may be a
simple matter; on the other it can be tricky.  For example, do we expect
the preservice teacher to speak or write more than one grammar?
I appreciate your informing me, Martha.  And I'm pleased to make
connection with this group.
                                Tom McCracken
                                English Dept.
                                Youngstown State University
                                Youngstown, OH 44555