PEP Award Application

PSMLA Exemplary Program Awards

Does your high school offer an exemplary world language program? In 2005, the Pennsylvania State Modern Language Association (PSMLA) launched an initiative to identify and publicly recognize excellent foreign language programs across the state. The PSMLA Exemplary Program (PEP) Awards are given to schools with well-designed, sequential programs that enable students to attain foreign language standards, who submit evidence showing how their programs meet 11 indicators on the PEP Rubric.

PEP is not a competition. All high schools (public, private, charter) that apply and meet the criteria established by PSMLA will receive an award and will be featured on the PSMLA website www.psmla.org and in our publications. PA world language programs are recognized at four levels: PSMLA Golden Globe, Silver Globe, Bronze Globe, and Globe Awards.

To qualify, a high school must:

• meet or exceed the specified number of program indicators as noted in the PEP Application. All information must be true and accurate for the June 2019 to the 2020-21 school year as indicated in the directions.
• have at least one PSMLA member on their staff or a PSMLA institutional membership on or before January 15^th of the year of the application.
• complete the PEP Application package and submit the required supporting documentation which must be signed by the school superintendent, principal, and curriculum specialist/director (or department chair).
• mail the completed hard copy application packet (on a CD and one hard copy with signatures) so that it is postmarked on or before Saturday, February 13, 2021. If submitting online, the application must be sent on or before Saturday, February 13, 2021. For more detailed information, please see the PEP application instructions on the PSMLA website.

PEP awards are in effect for two years and are renewable. In the winter of the second year, high schools must reapply to reaffirm their status. If your high school(s) does not meet the criteria for an award at this time, we hope that your district will use the 11 PEP Rubric indicators as a planning document for program improvement. (Please note: due to Covid-19, 2019 PEP Awards are extended through December 2021.)

Notification of the awards will be made by Tuesday, March 30, 2021, in time for Foreign Language Week/Month.

PSMLA often receives inquiries concerning exemplary world language programs from parents, newspapers, realtors, etc. We hope to showcase your school’s world language program, via our website, as a PSMLA Golden Globe School!

Please see the www.psmla.org website for the complete 2021 PEP Application Packet, Forms, & Directions.