The National Standards for Foreign Language Learning
may be found at the ACTFL site. This is a good beginning for anyone
unfamiliar with the Standards movement in foreign language education.
National
Standards for Foreign Language Learning
(Executive Summary) |
Once you have learned about the Standards, then you need to begin to address them in your curriculum. But how? You will find several suggestions in the following articles: "Meeting the National Standards: Now What Do I Do?" or the abridged ERIC Digest version, both by Jean W. LeLoup and Robert Ponterio.
A wonderful Standards resource is available online from the Embassy
of Spain: Materiales.
Each issue contains many different activities, using authentic materials
and online resources. Beginning with the November
1998 issue, the National Standards are specifically identified for
each lesson. There are lessons geared to the following levels:
elemental,
intermedio,
y avanzado.
Spanish Standards: AATSP
The Standards for Learning Spanish follow the
National Standards in their goal areas (5 Cs) and individual standards.
Sample Progress Indicators are given for Grades 4, 8, 12, and 16 to underscore
the desired continuity and sequencing of FL
study. Finally, thirteen learning exemplary
scenarios are included in the volume.
The National
Council of State Supervisors of Foreign Languages home page has
links to many state departments of education and state foreign language
state association home pages. In addition, several states have links
to their particular foreign language standards pages. This site will
be a very useful resource as more states develop their curriculum frameworks
for the standards and post them on the web.
Following are brief summaries of work on foreign language standards being done at the state level. Please visit the individual state standards pages for a more complete description of the state standards for each particular state.
Massachusetts
http://www.doe.mass.edu/frameworks/archive/fl96/wlang0.html
World Languages Curriculum Framework: Making
Connections
State framework has 4 strands, subsuming 22 standards.
The strands are: Communicating, Culture, Connecting, Participating.
Nebraska
http://nde4.nde.state.ne.us/CURR/forlang/ForLang.html
State framework has 5 goals that parallel the National Standards goal areas: Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities. These goals subsume 9 standards under the first four goals.
Each Goal includes one or more Content Standard, as well as Progress
Indicators at the Beginning, Developing, and
Expanding levels. There are also many Classroom Examples to clarify
the Progress Indicators, as well as Learning Scenarios.
New Jersey
http://www.state.nj.us/njded/cccs/12wlangintro.html
http://www.state.nj.us/njded/frameworks/worldlanguages/index.html
State framework has 2 content standards:
Communication & Culture. There are cumulative progress indicators
at grades 4, 8, and 12.
New York
http://www.nysed.gov/lote/
Languages Other Than English (LOTE) Curriculum
Guide on the web
Foreign, Native American, and American Sign Languages
State framework has 2 standards: Communication
and Culture.
Ohio
http://www.ode.state.oh.us/tp/cbe/cbepdf/lang9-12.pdf
Elaborate competency-based model w/strands by
grade levels: aligned with National Standards goal areas of Culture,
Comparisons, Connections, Communities.
South Carolina
http://www.sde.state.sc.us/sde/educator/framwork/forlang/
State framework has 5 goals and content standards: aligned with National Standards goal areas of Culture, Comparisons, Connections, Communities.
These standards are assessed at three benchmark stages: beginning, developing, and expanding.