Lisa

Here is a link to the College-Bound Seniors 2009 SAT results. Go to page 12 of the report for specific information about high-school course taking patterns. Note that those who took foreign language for four years had a score that was, on average, 50 points higher than the state-wide average. Those who took a foreign language for more than four years had even higher scores:

http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/CT_09_03_03_01.pdf

And here is the same report, but from 2010:

http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/CT_10_03_03_01.pdf

Once the 2011 results are posted, I'll link them up here.

Here are the CAPT testing results from Valley Regional, as of 2010. Note that Valley's scores are well above state average:

http://www.education.com/schoolfinder/us/connecticut/deep-river/valley-regional-high-school/?page=test-scores

Here is the 2008-2009 Strategic School Profile for VRHS:

http://www.region4schools.com/stratprof/vrstrategicprof.pdf

I've researched the schools in my DRG and have discovered several things.
 * JULY 7, 2011**

First of all, the most detailed program outline I've been able to find on the web comes from **Barkhamsted**, which is a part of the Region 7 Public Schools. Barkhamsted Elementary School is a K-6 school that offers Spanish at all grade levels. All Spanish classes meet twice a week for the following time periods:


 * Kindergarten: 15 minutes
 * Grades 1, 2, and 3: 15-20 minutes
 * Grade 4: 20 minutes
 * Grade 5: 20-25 minutes
 * Grade 6: 25 minutes

The focus in the lower grades is on oral language, whereas the upper grades offer a focus on reading and writing. The website didn't specify the difference between "lower" and "upper" grades. I would presume that the lower grades would be K-3, and the upper grades would be 4-6.

Now, here's a question I have for you all: there are many schools which I was assigned that are K-8 schools, as opposed to K-6. For the purposes of our study, should we focus on K-6 schools only, or K-8? I wonder if K-8 school comparisons would be like comparing apples to oranges.

For example:


 * Columbia: Horace W. Porter School, K-8; **__Spanish__** is offered **__only at the 7-8 level__**


 * JULY 21, 2011**

I was exploring another Wiki to which I belong and found a chart that was put together by the Defense Languages Institute. It has information on how long it takes adult learners to master different languages. I will put the link up, but will summarize the points that I found were interesting:


 * The Institute divided languages into four groups, based on the achievement level a student may expect after a certain period of study.
 * In __**Group I**__ are __**languages that are relatively easy for native speakers of English**__: Afrikaans, Dutch, __**French**__, Italian, Portuguese, __**Spanish**__, and Swahili, for example. Students of these languages __**can expect to achieve Advanced proficiency**__ after about __**720 hours of study**__.
 * In __**Group II**__ are __**slightly more difficult languages, Bulgarian, Farsi, German, Greek, Indonesian, and Hindi**__ among them. It takes about __**1320 hours of study to reach the Advanced level**__ in these languages.
 * In __**Group III**__ are such languages as __**Bengali, Czech, Hebrew, Russian, and Thai**__. Students may achieve __**Advanced skills after about 1500 hours of study**__.
 * __**Group IV, the most difficult languages, includes Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean**__. These languages __**require as many as 2760 hours of study of Advanced level competency.**__


 * MY THOUGHTS:** We have discussed previously about tonal languages, and how, in addition to learning a different set of phonics, one has to learn completely different systems of writing. Group IV tends to support our claim. Additionally, when thinking about our students enrolled in special education, this poses a whole new layer of difficulty and frustration with them. Last night I read something to this effect in the 4th edition of **__Languages and Children__** (Megan posted her thoughts on one particular chapter near the end of the school year). I will post this on the Wiki later this afternoon.

This web page then posts a chart with the specific results of the Institute's study. I need you to bear in mind three things:


 * This data was collected and published in April 1973--38 years ago.
 * The data is based on instruction of **__adult__** learners.
 * You will need to refer back and forth to the main chart, as well as the sub-chart below. In the sub-chart, you will see how the scores in the main chart correlate to current ACTFL Speaking Proficiency Scales.

The chart is too big for me to copy and paste, so here is the link: [|Defense Language Institute Levels of Proficiency].

The next article I'm posting comes from a Wake Forest University press release, dated June 26, 2004. It specifically addresses how NCLB and budgets have led many school districts to cut elementary school foreign language programs. (Remember, this article is from __**June of 2004**__.) As of 2004, Mary Lynn Redmond, who was interviewed for the article, was the director of foreign language education at Wake Forest.

Some key points to the article (again, I will post the direct link):


 * “Children should start learning a foreign language in kindergarten and continue through high school,” Redmond says. “Learning languages __**helps increase listening ability, memory, creativity and critical thinking - all of which are thinking processes that increase learning in general.”**__ (Again, this is not something that we haven't heard before, but it's still worth mentioning, since we can repeat sources of data to reinforce our claims).
 * To those who consider foreign language study in elementary school a frill, Redmond stresses that __**foreign language education supports the core curriculum. When done right, foreign language instruction uses themes that support the elementary curriculum including math, science, social studies and language arts.**__ (Now, I fully realize that this is going to be difficult given our current schedules and instructional limitations. But this is something that could be addressed).
 * “This is important in light of the way No Child Left Behind focuses so much attention on the subjects of math, reading and writing due to testing requirements,” Redmond says. “The courses that address many different ways of thinking and learning such as foreign language are being marginalized in order to allow adequate time for the courses that are tested. This is leaving less time to include experiences and instruction that provide a well-rounded curriculum and educate the whole child.”