Current Feature on Standards and/or Advocacy
WHAT ARE PEOPLE IN PA SAYING ABOUT
the recent vote by the PA State Board of Education
to not include world languageson the list of required K-12 standards?
Most language teachers would decry the State Board's decision in
light of the growing demand for citizens and workers who know at least one second language and who have a deeper understanding of
the cultural similarities and differences of at least one other nation.
So we are very happy to see that some newspapers are
letting their readers know what is happening. In Pittsburgh, the Post Gazette has championed world language study through several
articles and an editorial. Also The Patriot- News wrote a very insightful article.
Please note that the standards vote
is not yet written in stone! There will be hearings and time for comment before the final vote. However, unless the people
of PA find out about it-- the Board will make that vote without adequate input. Most people in Pennsylvania are not aware of
what is happening and even if they do know, they don't really understand the ramifications.
Therefore, PSMLA will post the
related news articles as they come to our attention. To read the articles please click on the links below. We hope
that PSMLA members will use the information to inform people in their communities. As it stands now, the only subject area without
standards will be World Languages!
PEHRSON
Sunday, May 27, 2007
BY JUDY PEHRSON, The Patriot-News
This was the first article
to come out against the recent vote:
http://www.pennlive.com/columns/patriotnews/review/index.ssf?/base/opinion/1180020320183040.xml&coll=1
State
board refuses to require foreign language studies because of high cost
Monday, June 25, 2007
By Eleanor Chute, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
This
is a good overview of the issues and current state of affairs:
http://postgazette.com/pg/07176/796928-298.stm
No
comprendo: Pennsylvania keeps language a foreign affair
Monday, July 02, 2007, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
This was the lead editoria l
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07183/798618-192.stm
One person's Pittsburgh
After six years in town, I love the flowers; the
parking not so much
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
By Dan Simpson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Mr. Simpson is a columnist for the
PG and former U.S. Ambassador
One of the first items he is upset about is PA's stand on world language standards!
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07185/799197-374.stm
CLICK HERE to see a list of multilingual translations of the European motto:
"Unity in Diversity "
World Language Advocacy
The following links show advocacy efforts from around the globe. PA isn't alone in this effort!
July 12, 2007
PARENTS have mounted a pre-election push to make languages
a core part of the school curriculum amid growing fears Australian students will be unable to compete internationally unless a "crisis"
in language education is addressed.
A nationwide survey
released today found that 90 per cent of parents and 70 per cent of students
believed learning a language would help their understanding of the world, ... see
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/parents-vocal-on-language-teaching/2007/07/11/1183833599448.html
Georgia's school requirements: Some improvement, but more is needed
By Bob Zaslavsky
?The Georgia Department of Education has posted
a draft of a plan (Rule 160-4-2-.48 ) to toughen the requirements—effective July 1, 2008—for high school graduation. The purpose of
the plan is to prepare all students equally for college or the workplace in recognition that the workplace—today more than ever before—needs
individuals who are prepared for college-level work, even if they have no immediate, post-high school intent to attend college.
The
plan is meant to apply to all students, except those with "significant cognitive disabilities." The plan is simple, a shade more demanding
than the current plan but less rigorous than what would have been called the academic curriculum when I was in high school.
In basic
terms, the new requirements are four years each of English/language arts, mathematics, and science; three years of social studies;
seven years of electives; and one year of health/physical education. Included in the category of electives is "modern language/Latin,"
of which two years of the same language "are required for any students planning to enter a University System of Georgia Institution
or other post-secondary institution" but are not required for other students. See following for complete article:
http://www.sundaypaper.com/CurrentArticles/tabid/98/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/354/Default.aspx
PA PROPOSES A REVISION TO THE CHAPTER FOUR WORLD LANGUAGE REGULATIONS
In May, 2007 the PA Board of Education voted
to accept the following draft (as published on the PDE website http://www.pde.state.pa.us/stateboard_ed/cwp/view.asp?a=3&Q=127158 ).
This version is not yet written in stone but will be voted on in the next 6 or 7 months. Please note that this draft includes
the designation of American Sign Language as a world language. (Underlining and capitalizations are from the PDE version)
Proposed
PA Chapter Four Regulations
§ 4.25. Languages.
(a) World language programs must prepare students to be proficient
in meeting the World Language Standards issued by the Department and available on its web site. Every school district shall
provide planned instruction in at least two languages in addition to English, at least one of which shall be a modern language, and
at least one of which shall be offered in a minimum 4-year sequence in the secondary program (middle level and high school).
(b) World language planned instruction under subsection (a) may be offered beginning at any grade level, including the elementary
grades.
(c) World Language Standards issued by the Department will address the ability of students to communicate
in a language other than English, including the ability to understand and interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics
and to develop knowledge and understanding of other cultures.
(D) AS USED IN THIS SECTION, THE TERM World language
shall mean The study of the language, cultures, traditions and histories of different communities of people who communicate in languages
other than English. American sign language is a world language.
(But world language requirements are lowered!!)
July 14th, 2007 by Reecy
Taylor Nelson
reported on Colorado.com that the Colorado Commission on Higher Education refused to postpone the new requirements, which will start
with the high school graduating class of 2010. But commissioners agreed to ease up slightly on their rigor - dropping one of
two years of foreign language and removing the stipulation that all four years of math be advanced.
http://www.thecollegeblog.com/?p=28