Languages are key to 'knowing the world' Languages are key to 'knowing the world' (March 18, 2005)

School board considers foreign language classes for younger grades
by Rebecca Guyon

Parlez-vous bien francais?

If the Global Orientation Advisory Committee's action plans are finalized, Pleasanton students will be able to honestly answer, "Oui."

GOAC presented a draft of its action plan to the Board of Trustees at Tuesday's meeting, outlining steps to increase students' knowledge of the world community. One of the key aspects of this plan is providing foreign language instruction in the elementary schools and increasing the level and breadth of foreign language classes offered at the middle and high school levels.

If the timeline continues as planned, these programs will debut August 2009.

The committee recommended that six elementary schools offer extended day foreign language options with a minimum of 90 minutes of instruction a week. Languages offered during the extended day would be Spanish, French, Japanese, and possibly Chinese.

For schools that have an exceptionally diverse population, English would also be offered as an extended day class. An optional dual immersion program in Spanish and English would be offered for elementary school children with the intention of continuing their immersion through high school.

At the middle school level, students studying French and Spanish in elementary school would be folded into the regular middle school curriculum, which already offers French and Spanish. Extended day programs would continue for students taking Japanese or Chinese.

In high school, Japanese and Chinese classes would be folded into the regular curriculum, and German and American Sign Language would be added to the list of foreign languages students could study.

Students would also have the option to take advanced placement literature courses in their second language. GOAC's plan suggests implementing graduation requirements of two years of foreign language study for middle school and one year for high school.

As of Jan. 12, the district had 4,426 middle school and high school students enrolled in a foreign language class. From that group, 1,007 were classified as fluent in their second language.

The committee is researching what changes need to be made to implement this program and what resources are needed. The biggest challenges are staff development in the area of international and cultural studies, cost, and possible community resistance to increasing graduation requirements.

GOAC began meeting in November 2004. The group is comprised of administrators, teachers, parents and Trustee Gloria Fredette.

In addition to foreign language study, the GOAC is examining how to increase cultural awareness of art and society through classroom education and how to expand the role of technology in aiding international studies. Its action plan will be finalized at the end of March and submitted to Superintendent John Casey and the Board of Trustees in early April.

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