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Alaska Department of Education & Early Development

Getting Started

This framework takes a bold step in setting the stage for future generations of Alaska high school graduates who will be able to communicate in two or more languages, one of which is English. What administrator would not throw his or her arms into the air at the prospect of such a daunting task: the creation and implementation of world languages programs in his or her district as guided by this framework? Where do we start? How do we go from an 8-12 foreign language program to a pre K-12+ world languages program? Where are we going to find qualified teachers? What about professional development?

A framework is a guide to aid teachers, community members, and school administrators in curriculum and program development. Every school district has its own particular characteristics, demographics, existing programs, and future goals. It would be impossible to describe "the perfect" pre K-12+ program, as if one solution would work for all districts. In keeping with Alaska's tradition of local control of school curriculum, this framework outlines some of the issues to be considered at the local level, as districts begin to plan world languages programs. A variety of solutions will evolve from each community's own needs and situation. See the Reference Kit for additional sources of information on world languages program implementation.

WHAT LANGUAGES SHOULD COMMUNITIES OFFER?

Deciding which languages to offer in a school system, which ones to begin in the elementary grades, which ones in middle or high school, takes a good deal of thought and planning. It is important to involve the whole school and local community in these decisions, because the success of a program depends on the commitment of all who are involved in it or affected by it. Some questions to consider are:

1. Which languages are used by community members? What is the sense of the community as to choices of languages?
2. What are the future language needs of the community in order to participate in local, national, and global economics?
3. How many languages can the school system support while still offering advanced levels?
4. Can adequate student enrollment be maintained in the languages offered? How can the system sustain programs in the less commonly taught languages and initiate a preK-12 sequence in just a few languages?
5. What resources in terms of teachers, materials and existing ESL and bilingual programs are already available in the schools?
6. What resources are available in the community?
7. How will world languages programs be articulated throughout the grades so that language learning is continuous/uninterrupted?

Alaska has a rich diversity of communities. A world languages program in Kwigillingok, whose Yup'it population speaks English as a second language, will look very different from a world languages program in the municipality of Anchorage, whose population includes speakers of 71 languages other than English. A world languages program will look different for the Old Believer Russian community of Nikolski than for Russian immigrant children coming into Fairbanks schools.

Even within Alaskan communities, language needs are distinctly different. For example, the largely monolingual English speaking populations of Hillside and Eagle River in greater Anchorage make different demands on a world languages program than do those linguistically diverse communities of Mountain View and Midtown. As communities vary, so will world languages programs.

• Language is acquired in a meaningful context.
• Students perform as well or better in English than those in monolingual classes, in addition to learning a second language.
• Comprehension can reach near-native levels by high school (Genessee, Swain, et al.).
• Students use language in culturally appropriate context.
• Students in total immersion programs tend to out perform their peers in partial immersion models.
• The program provides a blend of language, content, and culture.
• Proficiency level developed by students can be extremely high.
• Language is learned as the medium of instruction rather than the object of instruction.

• Availability of qualified staff (with near-native language skills) and elementary certification is limited.
• There are additional salary costs for classroom teacher.
• Access to adequate resources, including curriculum development is limited.
• The program requires separation of two languages once English in introduced.
• Additional funding and planning may be needed for implementation.

• Language is acquired in a meaningful context.
• Students are expected to develop high levels of proficiency in both languages.
• Students act as language models for each other.
• Students perform as well or better in English than those in monolingual classes, in addition to learning a second language.
• Comprehension can reach near-native levels by high school (Genessee, Swain, et al.).
• Students use language in culturally appropriate context.
• Students whose native language is not English get a chance to be equally successful and knowledgeable in school, thereby increasing self confidence and parents' confidence in the school system as they can understand better what their student is doing and learning.
• Native English speaking children get a chance to get help from their peers and give help to their peers so that every student is successful in both language situations.
• These are blends of languages, content, and culture.
• Proficiency level developed by students can be expected to be very high.
• Students develop positive intergroup relations.
• Language is learned as the medium of instruction rather than the object of instruction.

• Availability of qualified staff (need near-native language skills with elementary certification.
• Access to adequate resources, including curriculum development, is limited.
• Possible "school within a school" administration must be considered.
• Additional resource or assistant teachers may be needed.
• Additional funding and planning needed for implementation.

• Language is acquired in a meaningful context.
• Students perform as well or better in English than those in monolingual classes, in addition to learning a second language.
• Comprehension can reach near-native levels by high school (Genessaa, Swain, et al).
• Students use language in culturally appropriate context.
• Students generally do not experience any initial lag in English skills.
• Academic mastery tends to be at the same level as non-immersion peers.
• The program provides a blend of language, content, and culture.
• Proficiency level developed by students expected to be well above the CIM standard.
• Language is learned as the media of instruction rather than the object of instruction.

• Availability of qualified staff (with near-native language skills) and elementary certification is limited.
• Access to adequate resources, including curriculum development, is limited.
• There are possible "school within a school" administrative considerations.
• Additional resource or assistant teachers may be required.
• Additional funding and planning may be needed for implementation.

• The program increases knowledge of vocabulary specific to content.
• The program increases awareness of usability of language.
• Comprehension can reach near-native levels by high school (Genessaa, Swain, et al.).

• Given the language proficiency of the student, learning rate may be slowed.
• Availability of qualified staff may be limited.
• Access to adequate resources, including curriculum development and textbooks, may be limited.
• There are possible "school within a school" administrative considerations.

• This is a realistic program model for all elementary schools.
• Articulated program will allow students to meet Alaska Standards.
• Multiple models are available to meet various financial and resource needs of districts.

• Focus can be on language and culture only in isolation of the rest of the curriculum.
• The program often adds to the school day.
• Availability of qualified staff may be limited.
• Access to adequate resources, including curriculum development and textbooks, may be limited.
• Additional staff may be required.
• Conscious effort needs to be placed on literacy skills because focus tends to be on oral skills.

Another type of program at the elementary and middle school levels is called FLEX (Foreign Language Exploration). FLEX programs are not recommended because they cannot lead to students' meeting of Alaska World Languages Standards.

As administrators, teachers, parents, and school communities decide which type(s) of programs to design for their school system and how to begin their implementation, they can ask themselves questions which focus the process on a few essentials:

1. Planning and piloting programs can set the stage for a successful, inclusive world languages preK-12+ program.
1. Who needs to be involved in the planning so that it includes all groups which will be affected?
2. How much planning time is needed? (One year? More?)
3. How long should the pilot program be? (One year? Two years? More?)
4. What is a good way to phase in the extended sequence? (From middle school downward? From pre-kindergarten upward?)
2. All students should be able to read, write, and converse in two or more languages, one of which is English.
1. Will both the pilot program and the full program be inclusive of all students? (After school programs tend to be exclusive.)
2. How will we modify our existing program to be inclusive of all students? What professional development is needed?
3. We develop proficiency through meaningful communication.
1. How will we design our program to be proficiency-based?
2. How will it provide learners with opportunities for meaningful communication in the target language?
3. How will the program interact with the district's language arts program? (Will there be common planning time for team teaching?)
4. Learning a language requires continuous practice.
1. Does the program indicate a clear course for sequential, uninterrupted years of language study?
2. How much class-time is needed on a daily basis, for the languages we are going to offer? (Some languages require more time than others to develop proficiency.)
5. Cross-cultural sensitivity and awareness are integral parts of the world languages discipline.
1. Is a strong cultural component embedded throughout the program model?
2. Are there community resources (native speakers, native corporations, clubs, organizations) we can tap?
3. What resources (technologies, sister-communities in other parts of the world, embassies, etc.) can we provide for teachers and students?

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