World Languages

Courses offered by the World Languages Departments promote academic, intellectual, and personal development while facilitating communication between people of diverse cultures. To develop proficiency, students and teachers use the target language in class. The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages recommends that “learning take place through the target language for 90% or more of classroom time” (ACTFL). Students’ language development is based on the three modes: Interpersonal (speaking and writing with others - two way communication), Presentational (speaking and writing to others - one way communication), Interpretive (listening and reading comprehension). In selected courses, students’ language development will be measured annually based on the ACTFL Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages (AAPPL) or STAMP 4S Assessment (STAMP4S). In courses where Advanced Placement examinations are offered, students are strongly encouraged to take the examination as a culminating experience.

Course Offerings

When enrollment in any course level is not sufficient to run individual classes, stacked classes are created. Stacked classes are those where students of levels II, III and IV (honors and standard) or IV and V (honors and standards) meet together as one class. Stacked classes afford the opportunity to complete the full four or five year language program. If enrollment is not sufficient to create a stacked class, it is possible that a third, fourth, or fifth year course would not be available or that multiple levels would be combined to create a section of students. Content and instruction are differentiated. To move from a standard level to an honors level, student performance and proficiency in the previous course paired with teacher recommendation is reviewed. When available, external assessment scores are reviewed. Students may also be required to independently learn concepts for success in the honors level.