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Purpose:
Maine statute (Title 20-A MRSA, Chapter 222: Standards and Assessment of Student Performance) specifies that each school system shall address in its Comprehensive Education Plan (CEP) by the end of the 2002-2003 school year how it will implement Modern and Classical Languages for all students, including interim targets for partial implementation. Title 20-A further specifies that each school system shall implement the Modern and Classical Languages standards of the Learning Results by the end of the 2006-2007 school year [delayed at least one additional year due to the proposed funding formula], contingent upon funding based on Essential Programs and Services or its equivalent.
The purpose
of the Modern and Classical Languages Implementation Plan is to ensure that all
students enrolled in Maine schools in grades K-12 have the opportunity to
achieve the content standards in Modern and Classical Languages. The plan is to be:
· aligned with the system of Maine’s Learning Results
· focused on the learning of all students
· oriented to continuous improvement
Rationale:
In addition to the legislated
requirements for Modern and Classical Languages, research on second language
acquisition provides an impressive rationale for implementing a K-12 language
program within a school district. (See
bibliography at end of document.)
As with any subject area, the more years
a child devotes to learning a language, the more competent s/he will become
(Met, 1991). Young children possess
unique language learning abilities and are better second language learners when
they begin their study prior to the onset of adolescence (Nash, 1997; Dumas,
1999). Additionally, students exposed early to other languages perform better
in their native language and have a higher level of success in other subject
areas (Robinson, 1998).
Children who have studied another language in a sequential, well-articulated program, which begins in elementary school and continues through middle and high school,
· are significantly better at tasks requiring divergent thinking, problem solving, and figural creativity (Landry, 1974);
· score higher on standardized tests in language arts, reading, and math than students not enrolled in foreign language programs (Rafferty, 1986; Garfinkel and Tabor, 1991);
· score higher on the SAT and ACT than students not enrolled in foreign language programs (Cooper, 1987; Olsen and Brown, 1989);
· have the ability to excel in the pronunciation of a foreign language (Dulay, Burt, and Krashen, 1982);
· show greater cognitive development in higher order thinking skills (Foster and Reeves, 1989);
· are more open to cultural diversity (Carpenter and Torney, 1974; Hancock and Lipton et al., 1976); and
· have an improved self-concept and sense of achievement (Masciantonio, 1977).
Plan development and
certification
School
districts in Maine are at varying stages of progress in the implementation of
K-12 Modern and Classical Languages programs.
The manner in which a program of Modern and Classical Languages is
implemented within a school district is a local decision, with each unit
determining the format of its individual plan. The recommendations and
considerations included in these Guidelines are offered as a resource to all
school districts, regardless of the stage of implementation.
Maine Chapter 127: Instructional Program, Assessment and Diploma Requirements specifies the following timeline for implementing Modern and Classical Languages. Those dates preceded by an asterisk (*) will be delayed at least one additional year due to the proposed funding formula of Essential Programs and Services:
2002-2003: Each school district shall address in its Comprehensive Education Plan (CEP) a plan for the implementation of student learning in the content area of Modern and Classical Languages by the end of the 2006-2007 school year, contingent upon funding of Essential Programs and Services or its equivalent. Each superintendent will certify to the Commissioner that this plan is included in the district’s CEP.
Fall 2003: Students in grade *6, who will graduate
*2010, will be required to meet the standards of the Modern and Classical
Languages Learning Results, contingent upon funding of Essential Programs
and Services or its equivalent.
2003-04: Review Cycle for the System of Learning Results begins. Each year one content area from each of the following categories will be reviewed:
A. English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science and Technology, Social Studies; and
B.
Career
Preparation, Modern and Classical Languages, Health and Physical
Education, Visual and Performing Arts.
*2006-2007
The Superintendent shall certify to the Commissioner that
the local assessment system meets the assessment system standards established
in Chapter 127 for Modern and Classical Languages, contingent upon funding
based on Essential Programs and Services or its equivalent.
The Local
Assessment System shall provide school results (grade spans PK-2 and 3-4) and
student results (grade spans 5-8 and 9-12) for Modern and Classical Languages,
contingent upon funding based on Essential Programs and Services or its
equivalent.
*2009-2010: Achievement of the content standards in Modern and Classical Languages
is a diploma requirement for all students, contingent upon funding of Essential
Programs and Services or its equivalent.
N.B. The phrase “contingent upon funding of Essential Programs and Services or its equivalent” means that these regulations will go into effect if money is appropriated by the Maine State Legislature according to a funding formula entitled “Essential Programs and Services” or an alternative but equivalent funding model, which defines the fiscal resources necessary to implement Maine’s Learning Results in all eight content areas.
Establish a team
Effective implementation of Modern and Classical Languages will require the consideration of the needs and perspectives of a wide range of interested parties. A diverse and representative team of key players in grades K-12 could include:
Business stakeholders
Curriculum coordinators
Elementary, middle, and secondary school teachers of modern and classical languages
Elementary school classroom teachers
Middle and high school teachers in content areas other than modern and classical
languages
Parents and other community members
School administrators
Students
Examine the current status of K-12 activities
within the district regarding Maine’s Learning Results for Modern and
Classical Languages
Conduct a needs assessment to determine the current status of Modern and Classical Languages programs across the district and to identify the projected needs in terms of human and materials resources (e.g., staff, curriculum, instructional materials, instructional space, technology).
As part of this process, a district identifies at
each grade span the Modern and Classical Languages Content Standards and
Performance Indicators that currently are being taught and assessed (and how)
in each grade level and/or specific course.
Depending on the size of the district, this analysis may include
multiple teachers at one or more grade spans.
Examine “best
practices”
Various
models, programs and curricula for Modern and Classical Languages have been
developed nationally and statewide. The
planning team should carefully review and examine these programs and materials,
which can be located through state departments of education, national, regional
and state language organizations, and local school districts with exemplary
programs.
Through goal setting, it will be important to recognize and address the requirements and associated timelines for a sequential, articulated application of the Modern and Classical Languages standards for all students in grades K-12. Local decisions about which language(s) to include may be dependent upon various factors, e.g., the size and/or location of the school district, the existing language program within the district, funding options, teacher availability. The plan should describe the district’s vision for full implementation.
Develop interim
targets for partial implementation K-12
Depending on
the size and number of schools within a particular district, a timeline for
full implementation of Modern and Classical Languages may take a number of
years to accomplish. Additionally, the
first class of students required to meet the Modern and Classical Languages
standards as part of its high school diploma requirements will graduate in
2011, i.e. students entering grade 5 in the fall 2003 (a delay of at least one
year from the original legislated date, based on the proposed funding formula
of Essential Programs and Services).
Planning backwards from 2011, interim target dates and program
descriptions for partial implementation at various grade levels and/or schools
within a district recognize this reality and will allow for incremental
progress and adjustment to the plan as it develops.
Plan for
professional development
School
district decisions and budgets will dictate the professional development
opportunities afforded to teachers and administrators within a district. In order for full implementation to occur,
identify prospective plans for training opportunities and other professional
development activities necessary for the establishment, maintenance,
improvement or expansion of Modern and Classical Languages (contingent upon
funding). Examples might include
reading, research, conference attendance, school site visits, language
immersion experiences. Include this
information in the implementation plan.
Curriculum
Development K-12
Curriculum development for Modern and Classical
Languages in grades K-12, based on Maine
Learning Results (contingent
upon funding), will be necessary to implement the requirements of the law.
Each school district should review, revise and develop curriculum and associated instructional activities aligned with Maine’s Learning Results within each grade span in order to form a sequential, well-articulated program in Modern and Classical Languages. The curriculum will constitute a large part of the effort to implement Modern and Classical Languages and should be addressed in the district’s implementation plan. As school districts review, revise and develop curriculum materials for Modern and Classical Languages, they should refer to Guidelines for The Curriculum Development and Review Plan, A Component of the Comprehensive Education Plan (Maine Department of Education, May 1, 2003) and the school district’s individual plan for curriculum development/review of all content areas. Additionally, the plan for curriculum development in Modern and Classical Languages should be closely connected to both instruction and assessment of this content area within the district.
Based on the LAS Guide:
Principles and Criteria for the Adoption of Local Assessment System (Maine
Department of Education, June 2003), each school district may develop, pilot
and implement assessments to measure achievement of Modern and Classical
Languages at three grade spans (PK-4*, 5-8, secondary). It is anticipated that districts will
also have the opportunity to use model assessments, based on the Maine LAD (Local Assessment Development)
framework, which may be developed and piloted under the leadership of the Maine
Department of Education.
Additional assessments in Modern and Classical
Languages will be developed during an Assessment Development Institute (summer
2004), contingent upon funding of Essential Programs and Services or its
equivalent, for use in a school district’s local assessment system.
Each district’s implementation plan should include a
plan for the development of local assessments in Modern and Classical
Languages.
*The PK-2 and 3-4 grade spans are combined in the LAS Guide:
Principles and Criteria for the Adoption of Local Assessment Systems.
Determine methods of documentation
Each school district must make decisions as to how individual student achievement of the Modern and Classical Languages standards within each grade span will be documented consistent with Local Assessment System requirements and protocols used in other content areas.
Carpenter, J.A. and J.V. Torney. (1974). “Beyond the melting pot.” In P.M. Markum, ed., Childhood and Intercultural Education. Washington, DC: Association for Childhood Education International.
Cooper, Thomas
C. (1987). “Foreign Language Study and
SAT-Verbal Scores.” The Modern
Language Journal, Vol 1, No. 4.
Dulay, H., Burt, M., and Krashen, S. D. (1982). Language Two. New York: Oxford University Press.
Dumas, L.S. (1999). “Learning a Second Language: Exposing Your Child to a New World of Words Boosts Her Brainpower, Vocabulary, and Self-Esteem.” Child, February.
Foster, K., and C. Reeves. (1989). “FLES Improves Cognitive Skills.” FLES News 2 (3), 4-5.
Garfinkel, A. and K.E. Tabor. (1991). “Elementary School Foreign Languages and English Reading Achievement: A New View of the Relationship.” Foreign Language Annals, 24/5.
Hancock, C. and G. Lipton, et al. (1976). “A Study of FLES and non FLES Pupils’ Attitudes Toward the French and Their Culture.” French Review, 49.
Landry, R. (1974). “A comparison of second language learners and monolinguals on divergent thinking tasks at the elementary school level.” Modern Language Journal, 58 (1-2): 10-15.
Masciantonio, R. (1977). “Tangible Benefits of the Study of Latin: A Review of Research.” Foreign Language Annals, Vol 7, #4.
Met, Miriam. (1991). “Foreign Language: On Starting Early.” Educational Leadership, September.
Nash, J.M. (1997). “Special Report: Fertile Minds.” Time, 149/5.
Olsen, S.A. and L.K. Brown. (1992). “The Relation Between High School Study of Foreign Languages and ACT English and Mathematics Performance.” ADFL Bulletin, 11.2.
Rafferty, E.A. (1986). Second language study and basic skills in Louisiana. Baton Rouge: Louisiana Department of Education.
Robinson, D.W. (1998). “The Cognitive, Academic and Attitudinal Benefits of Early Language Learning.” In Met, M., ed., Critical Issues in Early Language Learning. Glenview, IL: Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley.