FAQ 6: What did the Foreign Language Task Force (FLTF) decide?

The FLTF does not make a decision about the foreign language programming at Oak Grove School (OGS).  

At the November 29, 2011 Board of Education (BOE) Meeting, the FLTF will present its recommendation to the Board for a foreign language program at Oak Grove School that is best aligned with the mission, the strategic plan, and is supported by stakeholders. 

The work the task force has focused on to date is very involved.  In addition to establishing itself as a working team, the last four months have involved research and communication planning.  Task force members have benchmarked other schools, performed research on delivery formats, language selection criteria, critical learning periods, impacts to other academic areas, attended lectures by foreign language experts, and worked to establish a variety of communication avenues with stakeholders.  

The more recent focus of the task force is to share information learned to date with all stakeholders so they can thoughtfully consider and provide feedback about what foreign language outcomes they expect for Oak Grove students.  Information is available in the following ways:

• The FLTF Blog located at http://foreignlanguagetaskforce.blogspot.com/, you can also access the FLTF Blog via the Oak Grove School website homepage at www.ogschool.org by clicking on the icon.
• Ask a FLTF Ambassador - All FLTF members and people in the community passionate about foreign language have volunteered to be a FLTF Ambassador and wear buttons to identify themselves as such.  Please feel free to walk up and ask any of these people questions related to the upcoming recommendation regarding foreign language
• Wednesday, September 14th, 2011 at 7pm in the Patt Gym an Oak Grove School Town Hall will be held concerning curriculum.  A portion of this meeting will be dedicated to foreign language, what the task force has learned, and what stakeholders should consider in foreign language programs at Oak Grove School.
• Take the Survey! - At the end of September, after both the Curriculum Town Hall and the Finance Town Hall, a survey will be rolled out to D68 stakeholders to better understand priorities at OGS and to understand stakeholder expectations about foreign language outcomes for the students.  Provide your input as this impacts you and the current generation we educate.

• FLTF2011@gmail.com - Send an email to this address, dedicated to answering questions about foreign language.  All questions and answers will be posted on the FLTF Blog.

Again, the Foreign Language Task Force will present its recommendation to the Board of Education at the November 29, 2011 Board Meeting.  Become familiar with the information through the above avenues and participate in the 9/14/11 Town Hall and subsequent survey!

Town Hall, Wednesday, September 14th, 7pm

Join the Oak Grove Community this Wednesday in a Town Hall about Curriculum at Oak Grove School!

Topics will include:

1. 2011 - 2012 District Goals
2. Forthcoming State of Illinois changes to K - 8 Curriculum
3. Foreign Language - components to consider in a foreign language program
4. Introduction and Timing of the Board and Education (BOE) and Foreign Language Task Force (FLTF) Survey
5. Q&A

Participate in this Town Hall Discussion on Wednesday, September 14th at 7pm at Oak Grove School in the Patt Gym.  This impacts you and how current Oak Grove students are educated!

What Foreign Language(s) Should Be Taught at OGS?

“Vulcan!  It is the most common language spoken in the world!”  

“Jawaese!  It is a language much more likely to be needed in the future!”

“Rodian!  It is essential to our children’s academic growth!”  

“Adorii would be great to have based on our global economy!”  

“Tuskan!  It is important from a national security standpoint!”  

“Borg is not relevant in today’s world!”

Although the above conversational quotes discussing language selection are meant to be humorous, they are also meant to illustrate how passionate and emotional the discussion around language selection can be.  When designing a foreign language program, determining which language(s) will be taught is potentially the most controversial issue.  Some experts go so far to recommend this decision be the last one made in order to keep the issue from becoming divisive.  We all have reasons as to why we believe a particular language should be taught.  Ultimately though, we are aware that finite time and resources mean we cannot teach every language and a choice needs to be made.

So what is the criteria that should be considered when selecting a foreign language(s) to be taught in a particular school?

Local Demographic Influence - The various languages spoken in and around the school’s community may want to be considered.  Opportunity for use outside the classroom provides some benefit and students already fluent in the target language can play important roles in the classroom, enhancing the classroom experience and providing an opportunity for those students to further build self-esteem.

Stakeholder Input - Understanding the thoughts and opinions of the school’s stakeholders is important.  

Availability to regularly recruit certified teaching staff in the target language(s) -  The best foreign language program in the nation can be designed for a school, but if the school does not have a pool of certified teachers who speak the target language to regularly recruit from, the program will not be sustainable over the long term.

National demographic trends - Understanding the future demographic make up of a nation and how that nation is positioned globally can play a role in language selection in order to help prepare students for the world they will navigate as adults.

Geographically influenced language choice - Different parts of the country have different exposure to cultures and languages that may want to be considered.  For example, many foreign language offerings in the Pacific Northwest of the Unites States are Japanese and Russian based the proximity of those countries to that area as compared to other parts of the United States.

All are important criteria to consider and discuss when choosing a foreign language(s) to teach at a school.  In addition to the above, it is also important to be aware of these primary factors:

“Language experts state that the specific language [taught] is not critical.  It is the early introduction [of the language] and selecting a language where there are available teachers skilled in the language.”

- Helena Curtain
Internationally recognized Expert on Second Language Teaching Methodology
Former Foreign Language Curriculum Specialist, Milwaukee Public Schools
Former Elementary, Middle/Junior High, and High School Foreign Language Teacher

NOTE: The illustrative conversation at the beginning of the article is based on parent comments from the March 2011 Foreign Language Survey.  In order to not bias the foreign language selection discussion, actual languages were replaced with languages from Star Trek and the Star Wars Trilogy.

FAQ 5: Why is CES French not offered in 6th grade any longer?

There was some concern regarding providing a foreign language
(French) that was only available to the students who were in the CES
program, but was not available to other students. Since we wanted to
enhance our entire foreign language program, it was recommended to the
Board that beginning with the 2011-2012 year, we suspend entry of 6th
graders into  the CES French program.  As the current CES French
opportunity is a three year program commitment, this change will allow
implementation flexibility for the future. Students already participating
in the CES French program will continue this program in 7th and 8th grade.

FAQ 4:How is Declining Student Enrollment going to Impact the Foreign Language Offering and Other Program Offerings at OGS?

The scope of this question goes beyond the purview of the FLTF.  It has
been forwarded to Dr. Matthews.  The administration will address this at the
Town Hall meeting on September 14th and in other communications.

FAQ 3: What does OGS offer today in Foreign Language?

Grades K - 3: No foreign language instruction is provided.

Grades 4 and 5: Spanish is offered in an Exposure (FLEX) format

Grade 6: French is offered in an Exposure (FLEX) format

Grade 7: High School Spanish 1 (part 1)*

Grade 8: High School Spanish 1 (part 2)*

*Current CES French students in 7th and 8th grade continue to be on track to complete High School French 2 by graduation.

For more information on the above referenced instructional formats, please see the article posted on the FLTF Blog http://foreignlanguagetaskforce.blogspot.com/ titled “Foreign Language Delivery Formats.”

FAQ 2: Is Chinese Going to be Offered at OGS?

At this time we don’t know if Chinese will be offered at OGS, or if there will be a change to the current languages taught (Spanish and French) at OGS.  The Foreign Language Task Force (FLTF) is scheduled to provide its recommendation to the Board of Education (BOE) at the November 29, 2011 meeting.  Language selection will be considered and will be a part of that recommendation.

When selecting a foreign language for a program, there are a number of criteria factors to consider including: local demographic influence, stakeholder input, availability of certified teaching staff in the target language, future and current demographic trends, and geographic influence.  More detailed information about these criteria factors will be posted to the FLTF blog in approximately one week.  

http://foreignlanguagetaskforce.blogspot.com/   Please check back for details!

Stakeholders of the school have the ability to provide their input by attending the Curriculum Town Hall at OGS on Wednesday, September 14th at 7pm and through participation in a OGS survey about programatic priorities which will launch in late September.  Please participate via these methods as this impacts both you and your child!

National Standards - Foreign Language

When the Foreign Language Task Force (FLTF) researched the national standards for when and how foreign language education should be taught, it was discovered there are no national standards for these two items.  However, there is great support from the science and academic communities, supported by research, regarding how important foreign language is during the elementary years.  Many of these topics are discussed in the various articles posted on this blog.

A task force created through a grant from the US Department of Education and the National Endowment for the Humanities has created the Standards for Foreign Language Learning: Preparing for the 21st Century, first published in 1996.  This continuing project is a collaboration of many groups.  Based on the Standards for Foreign Language Learning: Preparing for the 21st Century and supported by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL), the following standards (or 5 C’s) have been used as a guide to develop many foreign language programs in the United States:

The 5 C’s - Standards for Foreign Language Learning

Communication - Communicate in Languages Other than English

• Students engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions and exchange opinions
• Students understand and interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics
• Students present information, concepts, and ideas to an audience of listeners or readers on a variety of topics

Cultures - Gain Knowledge and Understanding of Other Cultures

• Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the practices and perspectives of the culture studied

Connections - Connect with Other Disciplines and Acquire Information

• Students reinforce and further their knowledge of other disciplines through the foreign language
• Students acquire information and recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only available through the foreign language and its cultures

Comparisons - Develop Insight into the Nature of Language and Culture

• Students demonstrate understanding of the nature of language and the concept of culture through comparisons of the language studied and their own

Communities - Participate in Multilingual Communities at Home and Around the World

• Students use the language both within and beyond the school setting
• Students show evidence of becoming life-long learners by using the language for personal enjoyment and enrichment

For more information on the “5 C’s” please visit http://www.actfl.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3392