Briefing Paper on the

World Languages Controversy

Definitions

According to the State Board of Education’s Academic Standards and Assessments document (also referred to as Chapter 4), world language is “the study of the languages, cultures, traditions and histories of different communities of people who communicate in languages other than English. In Pennsylvania, American sign language is also considered a world language.”

An additional definition in another section of the same document states: “Ability to communicate in a language other than English, including the ability to understand and interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics and to develop knowledge and understanding of other cultures.”

History

The policy in Pennsylvania from the 1960s to 1993 was that school districts must provide instruction in foreign language, but that students were not required to take a foreign language. In 1993, the State Board of Education said that ALL students (even special ed students) should take world languages. That mandate was to go into effect in 12 years, i.e. 2005. That was Chapter 5.

In 1999, however, the Ridge Administration threw this chapter out and replaced it with Chapter 4. Chapter 4 still provided that there should be standards for world languages and still required that school districts provide instruction in at least two languages. However, it also provided that the mandate that every student have instruction would not go into effect until standards were adopted.

The Department of Education developed standards in 2000, but the State Board has been sitting on them ever since. In 2003, the Board held roundtables around the state on world language instruction and standards. This was just after No Child Left Behind implementation requirements began to kick in, and so the Board decided not to push on the world language standards because it felt with the pressure of NCLB, school districts had enough to deal with.

Their main concern was that there would not be enough teachers, despite the fact they didn’t seem to worry about the lack of teachers in any other content areas e.g., physics, special ed, art and music, etc.

The decision was to put world language standards in place, BUT only for those students who would take world languages, and to direct PDE to develop “Standards.” But these standards would not be done by regulation as they are for all other school subjects – they would basically just be “guidelines."  World languages were removed from the list of subjects in Section 4.1. All the other subjects listed must be taken by ALL students at some point in their K-12 schooling. Languages are the ONLY elective.

It is interesting to look at Section 4.11 to see which subjects public schools are required to provide instruction in. Standards have now been approved and implemented for all of these subjects: 1) Reading, writing, speaking and listening 2) Mathematics 3) Science and technology 4) Environment and ecology 5) Social studies (civics and government, geography, economics and history) 6) Arts and humanities 7) Career education and work 8) Health, safety and physical education 9) Family and consumer science. World languages were dropped from this list.

This battle is all about getting them put back in and requiring students to take a world language at some point before they graduate.

Arguments for Requiring World Languages

Aside from the obvious arguments that a shrinking world and growing immigration and global commerce make world languages a necessity for American students, there are also other reasons that learning another language is important.

Research indicates that the very process of studying another language enables students to perform at higher levels in various subjects. For example, in two studies, data has shown that students who have completed a world language course in high school have higher scores on the ACT exams in English and math regardless of their ability level (Olsen and Brown 1992) and perform significantly better on the SAT verbal exams. In the same studies, it was shown that the economic background of world language students did not affect performance; students from lower socioeconomic levels that studied a second language performed on a par with their more affluent peers (Cooper 1987).

Students participating in a world language program in elementary school show improvement in:

• Pronunciation in the first and second languages;
• Higher scores on standardized assessments;
• Listening skills;
• Basic skills – reading, writing, speaking and comprehension;
• Cognitive development;
• Multi-cultural understanding; and
• Self-concept

Studying a foreign language increases tolerance and acceptance of cultural and other differences.

Many colleges and universities require entering students to have taken a foreign language in high school. Students who know another language have a distinct advantage in getting jobs in business and industry. There are over 5,400 companies in Pennsylvania that engage in international business, and that number is growing.  Pennsylvania is the 14th largest exporting state in the US with some $18.5 billion worth of goods and services going to over 180 nations on six continents.

According to a Department of Defense report on the 2004 National Language Conference, there is a critical need for Americans with foreign language competence to help respond to the Global War on Terrorism, the increasing globalization of industry, and the need to provide government services to a diverse and multi-lingual population in the United States.

Studies nationwide indicate that 63 percent of parents believe that ALL high school students should take at least two years of a foreign language.

What’s Happening in Other States

Every state surrounding Pennsylvania except Maryland has world language standards for all students. Out of the 50 states, 48 have world language standards, and 25-30 of these have standards for all students. For example New Jersey requires at least five credits of foreign language study in order to achieve a state-endorsed high school diploma. Students start language study in elementary school and continue all the way up to the eighth grade. At that point they can test out of the graduation requirement or else continue. Educators there went through the same battle in 1992 that Pennsylvania is experiencing, but they managed to get their State Board of Education to listen to reason.

There are also scattered good examples in Pennsylvania. Downingtown School District, for example, offers five languages to all students at some time in their school career. They also have a foreign language graduation requirement.

Answering the Board’s Objections

Objection 1: The proficiency in world languages is too hard to define.

Response: The proposed Academic Standards for World Languages are modeled after the National Standards for Foreign Languages, which are used as the basis of standards for all states. The proposed Pennsylvania standards are very clear and specific. It is not clear, however, that some State Board members have studied proposed Pennsylvania standards carefully. For example, in statements made several times at public State Board meetings, members seem to believe that proficiency in world languages would be at the same levels and benchmarks as those for English language arts. That simply is not true.

Objection 2: It is impossible to teach world language to all students and since the No Child Left Behind Act requires the least restrictive environment for all children, it’s better not to require all children to study languages.

Response: World language teachers, just like teachers of all other content areas, believe that all students can contribute in the world languages classroom. These teachers provide differentiated and targeted instruction and assessment in order to ensure that all of their students are successful, including those with special learning needs. The adoption of the proposed standards will ensure that the world languages classroom is an inclusive environment.

Objection 3: Standards mean highly qualified teachers, which can put a mandate on school districts which neither the state nor the federal government will fund.

Response: The No Child Left Behind Act already makes foreign languages a “core academic subject” and provides that all teachers must be “highly qualified,” – that is, they must be certified in their content area or be able to demonstrate competence in all of the academic subjects taught. In other words, highly qualified teachers are required under the Act in all core subjects. So it is not standards that result in the need for highly qualified teachers. Indeed, the fact that NCLB makes world languages a core subject makes the decision not to have standards completely incomprehensible.

The unfounded mandate concern must be considered in the context of a roll-out plan over a five or six-year period. The proposed standards allow for different entry points. And the trend toward beginning second language study at the elementary level may reduce the possible financial impact of mandating world language standards for all students, as many districts already have world language programs in place.

Objection 4: We don’t have enough teachers.

Response: The concern over building teacher capacity is particularly specious. It is a self-fulfilling prophecy. If we are not going to teach foreign languages, of course we are not going to have educators interested in teaching foreign languages. But with a phase-in arrangement, we can start working now to develop the size teaching force we need.

Project 720: Another Chance to Support World Languages

Governor Rendell has recommended in Project 720, his high school reform project (720 refers to the number of days a student is in school before they graduate), that a foreign language be part of every students’ core curriculum as a condition of graduation. If all students must take a foreign language, then we have to have standards. It seems that the State Board of Education is at cross-purposes with the Governor on this issue.

The governor has also established two commissions to address teacher training and preparation of high school students for postsecondary education and the workforce. The “Training America’s Teachers Commission” will recommend ways to address challenges associated with teaching in low-income communities; state-of-the-art high schools; schools with high immigrant, non-English speaking populations; and practices in early education. The “Commission on Colleges and Career Success” will review a high school core curriculum that provides all students with the skills they need to succeed after graduation.

What will the recommendations of the second commission be, given the already published recommendations of Project 720? Will world languages be included? And if so, what will the State Board of Education do with the recommendation?