Standards to be Adopted in Phase I – June 2009 - World Languages
New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standard For World Languages INTRODUCTION
World Languages Education in the 21st Century New Jersey citizens and workers are part of a d ynamic, interconnected and technologically driven global society centered on the creation and communication of knowledge and information across geographical, cultural, and linguistic borders. Individuals who effectively communicate knowledge and information in more than one language in an appropriate cultural context are globally literate and possess the attributes reflected in the mission and vision for world languages education that follows: Mission: The study of another language and c ulture enables citizens and workers to communicate faceto-face and virtually in appropriate ways with people from diverse cultures. Vision: An education in world languages fosters a population that: • Communicates i n m ore t han one l anguage w ith the usable l evels of language p roficiency required to function in a variety of occupations and careers in the contemporary workplace; • Exhibits a ttitudes, va lues a nd s kills t hat i ndicate a pos itive di sposition a nd unde rstanding of cultural differences that enhance cross cultural communication; and • Values language learning as a global literacy and for its long-term worth in fostering p ersonal, work-related and/or financial success in a world without borders. Intent and Spirit of the World Languages Standard All s tudents ha ve r egular, s equential i nstruction i n one or m ore world l anguages beginning in kindergarten and c ontinuing a t l east through their fre shman year of hi gh s chool. T he s tudy o f w orld languages i s spiraling a nd recursive a nd aligned to appropriate p roficiency t argets that enable t he attainment of p roficiency at the Novice-High level or above. N.J.A.C. 6A :8-5.1(b)4 s pecifies t hat districts a ctively encourage a ll s tudents w ho h ave ot herwise m et t he requirements f or hi gh s chool graduation to accrue five credits in world languages during each year of enrollment, aimed at preparation for entrance into postsecondary programs or twenty-first century careers. Opportunities to develop higher levels of pr oficiency should be ba sed on pe rsonal a nd c areer i nterests a nd e ncouraged i n P ersonalized Student Learning Plans. The number of years s pent s tudying a l anguage a nd the frequency of i nstruction impact the level of proficiency acquired i n the language. T his pr inciple ha s hi storically be en s upported b y r esearch i n t he United States and abroad. However, as a result of a three-year grant project (2005-08), the department has collected data from New J ersey schools t o further support research findings. Data from t he federally funded project that assessed the language proficiency of 60,000 eighth grade students present compelling evidence f or t he ne ed to develop programs t hat offer all students t he opportunity t o m eet t he s tate designated proficiency l evel of N ovice High. The da ta s how t hat programs o ffering a minimum of 540
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Standards to be Adopted in Phase I – June 2009 - World Languages
hours of articulated instruction in classes t hat meet at l east three t imes a w eek throughout t he academic year produce a m ajority of s tudents w ho c an speak at t he N ovice-High pr oficiency l evel or higher. C onsequently, the e stablishment and or m aintenance o f qua lity, well ar ticulated language programs at the elementary and middle school levels, as required by New Jersey Administrative Code, is c ritical in building the c apacity of hi gh s chool s tudents t o a chieve t he r equired N ovice-High l evel of language proficiency to meet the graduation requirement. Unlike other core standards areas, the world languages standards are benchmarked by proficiency levels, rather than grade levels. This is reflected in the information outlined below. • In Preschool, children are just beginning to learn about language and how it works. Exposure to multiple l anguages i s advantageous for all c hildren a nd c an be s upported b y developmentally appropriate teaching practices that make use of songs, rhymes, and stories. • In programs for beginning learners that of fer appropriate time and f requency of instruction, students communicate at the Novice-Mid level using memorized language to talk about familiar topics related to school, home, and the community. • After three-six years of study in pr ograms of fering t he appropriate t ime a nd frequency of standards-based instruction, Novice-High through Intermediate-Mid level students communicate at the sentence l evel cr eating with language to a sk a nd a nswer que stions and to handle s imple transactions related to everyday life and subject matter studied in other classes. • After nine-twelve years of w ell a rticulated standards-based instruction, Intermediate-High through Advanced-Low level students communicate at the paragraph level and are able to handle complicated situations on a wide-range of topics. The New Jersey standard and indicators reflect the philosophy and goals found in the national standards, Standards for Foreign Language Learning in the 21st Century (ACTFL, 2006.), and were developed by consulting standards i n the U nited States and internationally, as well as the l atest r esearch on s econd language acquisition and best practices. Standard 7 is generic in nature, designed as a core subject, and is meant to be inclusive for all languages taught in New Jersey schools. The links below provide information about the implementation of the world languages standard with regard to particular languages or language groups: The Communicative Modes and the Study of American Sign Language (ASL) The Communicative Modes and the Study of Classical Languages The Communicative Modes and Heritage Language Speakers Revised Standard The w orld l anguages s tandard lays the f oundation for cr eating l ocal cu rricula and related assessments. Revisions to the 2009 standards are as follows: • The communication and culture standards have been combined into one standard that continues to be organized by, but encompasses a broader spectrum of proficiency levels.
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Standards to be Adopted in Phase I – June 2009 - World Languages
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Linguistic and cultural content statements ha ve be en added to provide a context f or t he cumulative progress i ndicators ( CPIs) a t e ach pr oficiency l evel. Linguistic c ontent va ries a nd is dependent on the m ode. C ultural content r ecurs a cross t he m odes o f c ommunication s ince communication always occurs i n a cult ural context. 21 st century t hemes, identified in the Partnership for 21 st Century Ski lls F ramework, are i ncorporated in m any o f t he cont ent statements. The e xtent to which a theme i s a ddressed depends on a ge and dev elopmental appropriateness as well as student proficiency level. Integration of t echnology within the C PIs ne cessitates i ts us e as a tool in ins truction a nd assessment.
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One World Language Standard The r eorganization of t he w orld la nguages s tandards i nto one s tandard r eflects t he f ramework be low developed by the National Association of Educational Progress (NAEP) for foreign languages in 2004.
(Framework for the 2004 Foreign Language National Assessment of Educational Progress, http://www.nagb.org/pubs/FinalFrameworkPrePubEdition1.pdf) The N AEP graphic illus trates tha t the goal of la nguage ins truction is the de velopment o f s tudents’ communicative skills with the language. S tudents should be provided ample opportunities to engage i n conversations, p resent i nformation t o a kn own a udience, and i nterpret a uthentic m aterials. In o rder t o develop linguistic proficiency, a meaningful context for language use must be established. The remaining 4 Cs (Cultures, Connections, Comparisons & Communities) provide this meaningful context through: the teaching of culture; study and reinforcement of content from other disciplines; comparison of target and native languages and cultures; and opportunities to interact with native speakers of the language. As such, the 4 Cs s erve as t he b asis f or i nstructional and assessment t asks and a re f ully e mbedded w ithin the communicative objectives. Click here to view the integration of the 4Cs in action in videos #12 and 30.
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Standards to be Adopted in Phase I – June 2009 - World Languages
The Role of Grammar in the World Languages Class While know ledge of t he l anguage ( syntax; g rammar r ules) i s not an explicit g oal of t he S tandard, grammar pl ays a s upporting r ole i n a llowing s tudents to achieve the s tated linguistic pr oficiency goals. Grammar i s one t ool ( others i nclude know ledge o f voc abulary, s ociolinguistic know ledge, cultural appropriateness, and communication strategies) that supports the attainment of the stated linguistic goals. Students w ho a re pr ovided w ith a mple oppor tunities t o c reate m eaning and us e c ritical t hinking s kills achieve l inguistic pr oficiency. R esearch has es tablished that al l grammar l earning m ust t ake pl ace i n a meaningful context with the focus on producing structures to support communication. An Education in World Languages: National and State Advocacy The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) provides extensive research related to the benefits of language learning in supporting academic achievement, cognitive development, and positive attitudes and beliefs about languages and cultures. Information regarding federal grants may be f ound on the Foreign Language A ssistance Program ( FLAP) or the J oint N ational C ommittee f or Languages (JNCL) w ebsites. JNCL a lso pr ovides a dvocacy m aterials. The s tate l anguage or ganization, Foreign Language Educators of New J ersey (FLENJ), offers links to language-specific organizations, a variety of ot her language resources, p rofessional de velopment opportunities as w ell as student a nd professional awards and s cholarships. The most c omprehensive r eport (2005) compiled on the s tatus of world languages education in New Jersey’s public schools may be found on the New Jersey Department of E ducation Wor ld L anguages H omepage by clicking on A R eport on t he S tate of Wor ld Languages Implementation in New Jersey.
REFERENCES American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. (1998). ACTFL performance guidelines for K12 learners. Yonkers, NY: ACTFL. American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. (1999). ACTFL proficiency guidelines speaking. Retrieved January 8, 2009 from http://www.actfl.org/files/public/Guidelinesspeak.pdf American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. (1999). ). ACTFL proficiency guidelines writing. Retrieved January 8, 2009 from http://www.actfl.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3326 Asia Society. (2008) Putting the world into world-class education: State innovations and opportunities. Retrieved January 8, 2009 from http://www.asiasociety.org/education/pgl/publications/stateinnovations2008.pdf Falsgraf, C. (Ed.). (2007). Foreign language units for all proficiency levels. Washington, D.C.: International Society for Technology in Education.
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Standards to be Adopted in Phase I – June 2009 - World Languages
Jensen, J. Sandrock, P. & Franklin, J. (2007). TThe essentials of world languages, grades K-12 effective curriculum, instruction and assessment. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Lightbown, P.& Spada, N. (2006). How languages are learned. Oxford, UK: Oxford Press. Met, M. (2001). Why language learning matters. Educational Leadership 59 (2), 36-40. National Standards in Foreign Language Education Project. (2006). Standards for foreign language learning in the 21st century. Lawrence, KS: Allen Press, Inc. New Jersey State Department of Education. (2004). Core curriculum content standards. Trenton, NJ: Author. New Jersey State Department of Education. (1999). New Jersey world languages curriculum framework. Trenton, NJ: Author. Wong & V an P atten. ( 2003). T he E vidence i s In, D rills a re O ut. F oreign L anguage A nnals 36 ( 3), 403-23.
ASL: Students and teachers of American Sign Language communicate thoughts and ideas through threedimensional vi sual c ommunication. T hey e ngage i n all t hree m odes o f c ommunication, i nterpersonal, interpretive and presentational, by using combinations of handshapes, palm orientations, and movements of the hands, arm and body. ASL differs from other spoken languages in that the vocal cords are not used for communication. Classical: The study of classical languages focuses primarily on the interpretive mode (the interpretation of texts in an historical/context). Occasionally, some attention may be given to the oral dimensions of the classical l anguages, by a sking students t o m ake pr esentations i n t he l anguage t hey s tudy as a way of strengthening language knowledge and use. Heritage: Heritage l anguage s tudents m ay b e newly-arrived immigrants to the U nited States, f irstgeneration s tudents whose hom e l anguage i s not E nglish a nd w ho ha ve be en schooled pr imarily i n t he United S tates, or s econd- or t hird- generation s tudents w ho have l earned some as pects o f the h eritage language a t hom e. T hese s tudents ha ve va rying a bilities a nd proficiencies i n their he ritage l anguage; often c arry on f luent a nd i diomatic c onversation ( interpersonal m ode), b ut r equire i nstruction t hat w ill allow them t o de velop s trengths i n r eading (interpretive m ode) a nd f ormal s peaking and writing (presentational mode). These students are held to the same standards for world languages as their English speaking p eers and s hould be provided with opportunities for developing s kills i n their native l anguage that a re bot h de velopmentally s upportive and r igorous. D esigning c urriculum t o m aintain a nd further develop native-language s kills ensures t hat s uch skills will not erode ove r t ime as English becomes t he dominant language for these students.
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