Title: Council Rock World Languages
1Council Rock World Languages
- Secondary Program
- Grades 8-12
- 2008-2009
2The Importance of World Languages
- The year 2006 has been proclaimed as the year
to Discover Languages and continues the decade
of world language awareness and importance.
3Pennsylvania Chapter 4 requires.
- There is no World Language requirement for High
School Graduation in Pennsylvania - 2 World Languages must be offered in every Pa.
high school one for a 4 year sequence
4Scope of Curriculum
- High School Elective Program
- 4 languages offered
- French I-V, Spanish I-V, German I-V, Latin I-III
- Middle School Program
- Level I French, German and Spanish
- Grade 8 only- CORE program
5Standards-Based Programs
- Standards-Based
- Formulated from
- PA State standards
- ACTFL Standards
6World Language Teachers
- Thirty three in 2005-06
- Pa. Certificated K-12-Secondary Language
Specialists - All Highly Qualified as per NCLB
7Evidence of a Quality Program Curriculum Renewal
- Updated or renewed in regular 7-8 year
intervals since 1975 - Frameworks begun in 1999
- dynamic
- undergoing regular revision
- cyclical renewal
- Renewal process
- Research
- Publisher presentations
- The most recent full renewal is that of the
Spanish curriculum. Begun in 2004, will continue
through 2007, when the French renewal will begin
8Curriculum Renewal
- Since 1998
- French begun 1998- completed 2000
- German- Begun 2000- completed 2002
- Spanish
- Begun 2003-04- To be complete 2006-07
9Planned Curriculum Renewal in World Language
- Spanish Curriculum Renewal complete 2006-07
- French and Latin Renewal to begin 2006-07
- German Renewal to begin 2007-08
10World Language Committees
- Since 1998, Middle Level and High School
Committees work with each language - In 2004, course committees, with course leaders
formed - Course leaders in charge of pacing, normalized
Mid Terms and Finals in all World Language
courses
11World Language Best Practices
- Staff use of Intranet to share and revise
curriculum - In Classrooms
- Student-centered-Active learning
- Emphasis on higher-order, critical thinking
- Cooperative learning
- accommodation for multiple learning styles
12Differentiated Instruction
- Levels II and III in German, French and Spanish
offer a differentiated sequence - Each individual course framework offers a variety
of instructional practices
13Remedial Instruction/ Enrichment
- All teachers- multiple clinics weekly
- Take-home Tutors available in 2 languages dual
purpose - On-line support keyed to texts- dual purpose
- Student tutors Language Honor Societies
14Assessment Practices
- Oral Proficiency component in each formal
assessment - Normalized Mid Terms-keyed to standards
- Normalized Final Exams-keyed to standards
15Proficiency Levels in World Language
- ACTFL Proficiency Levels Goals
- Level I courses Low to Mid-Novice proficiency
- Level II courses Mid-Novice
- Level II Accelerated Mid-to High Novice
- Level III Mid to High Novice
- Level III Honors- Low Intermediate
- Level IV Low to Mid-Intermediate
- Level V AP Mid to High Intermediate
16..Evidence of high standards
- 2006-07 is the first year of AP offerings in
French, German, and Spanish- Level V - Since 1998, students have sat for AP exams, and
averaged scores of 3.0 or higher in each language
17Program Strengths
- CR Curriculum is rigorous
- Dual-sequenceAccelerated Level TwoHonors Level
Three in French, German and Spanish - Higher than 50 retention rate in Level III IV
courses - New Level V courses showing initial high
retention rate - High student achievement
18Course Enrollments
- Numbers to be added here for enrollments in each
language - Slide not complete
19Student Achievement Winners
- Bucks County Oral Proficiency Contest-16 winners
in late February, 2005 - Dozens of local and regional award-winners in
French, Spanish and German National Exams-
trophies, plaques, trips - 2005 Students of Latin I, III and III sat for
National Latin exams highly ranked in Pa. and
nationally
20National Honor Societies
- Chapters in each High School
- French Since 1998
- German Since 1999
- Latin Since 2004
- Spanish Since 1996
- Hundreds of students have been honored and have
performed service for others
21Research Chinese as Second Language offering
- Preliminary research State and National Mandarin
offerings being studied for 06-07 and beyond - Possible pilot course proposal in Mandarin
22Distance Learning
- Pilot program 2005-06 -high schools
- French I
- German I
- Latin II and III (blended)
- Ongoing program assessment
237th Grade Presentations
- Overview of languages offered to all students
- One class period- Presentation by District
Coordinator before course selections - High School language students as aides
24Student Extra-Curricular Language Clubs
- French, German, Spanish and Latin at high schools
- Monthly meetings
- more in-depth study of culture, i.e. cuisine,
dance, holidays - Further discussion of history and political
philosophy - Guest speakers
- Informal Language clubs at Middle Schools
-
25Proposed Summer School
- Summer 2006
- 5th-7th grade students
- French, German, Spanish, Latin
- One-week exploratory presented by Council Rock
staff
26Areas for Improvement
- Brain research indicates earlier study is most
advantageous for higher second-language
proficiency - Research Findings from National Defense Institute
on Proficiency
27Languages
Your Key to Unlock New Worlds