“Language and communication are at the heart of the human experience. The United States must educate students who are equipped linguistically and culturally to communicate successfully in a pluralistic American society and abroad.” National Standards in Foreign Language Education Project, 1996
The values of the TTSD Foreign Languages Program are:
To prepare our students to be future leaders in the global community
To enhance the students’ understanding of their own cultures and the ability to compare them to the cultures of others enabling them to look beyond their customary geographic and philosophical borders
To build cognitive skills that support successful lifelong learners in a variety of content areas and connect with other disciplines
To improve the communication skills of students in their first language and in other languages
To provide high standards for educational excellence through a variety of foreign languages that meet the diverse needs and interests of all students
To prepare our students to succeed in university language study by providing academically challenging coursework linking secondary and university curricula.
These values are guided by The National K-12 Student Studies Task Force principles.
Competence in more than one language and culture enables people to communicate and collaborate in the global community, marketplace and a variety of other settings.
All students can be successful language and culture learners.
Language and culture education is part of the core curriculum.
These values and principles also mirror the TTSD Strategic Planning Document goals.
Our district vision for the future states that we will provide:
excellent instruction
a variety of learning strategies
Students will:
demonstrate career-related learning experiences
have the desire and capacity for independent, lifelong learning
become informed, responsible and engaged citizens of our society
understand and respect our world of diverse cultures
These values and goals are essential to maintaining a strong, cohesive language program.
We will use the following strategies and measures of success to promote this vision:
The language program will establish high standards for students in speaking, listening, reading, and writing
Curriculum will promote respect and understanding of our world and its diverse cultures.
Lessons will promote self-awareness regarding personal heritage and global connectedness.
Instruction will address different learning styles through a variety of lessons that reflect the diverse needs of all students.
Foreign language curriculum will be aligned with ACTFL (national) and COFLT (state) standards in cooperation with the ODE and assess our students using the performance standards criteria.
Collaboration and communication will be strengthened among language teachers, between teachers and administrators, and schools district-wide.
In order to have a consistent, cohesive language program that embodies district goals and vision, we should ideallyoffer French, German, Japanese and Spanish at every middle and high school as part of the core curriculum. As the demands of an inter-dependent world increase, it is essential to offer languages from around the world. Language study is a powerful tool for promoting peace and global understanding. February 2004